Millie, 11, comes out in painful lumps on her paws when walking on grass
Vicki Painter, of Berkshire, spent £10,00 on medication and special food
But ‘NeoPaws’ from Canada now protect Hungarian Vizsla’s paws outside
By Mark Duell
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A dog who is allergic to grass was today feeling much happier – thanks to specially-made red boots.
The 11-year-old Hungarian Vizsla comes out in painful lumps on her paws if she comes into contact with grass because the pads on her feet are so worn down and sensitive.
Her owner, IT project manager Vicki Painter, 39, of Warfield, Berkshire, has spent more than £10,000 on medication and special allergy food to combat her allergies without success.
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New leash of life: Millie the Hungarian Vizsla, pictured with owner Vicki Painter, comes out in painful lumps on her paws if she comes into contact with grass because the pads on her feet are so worn down and sensitive
Three’s a crowd: The couple also have a two-year old English Pointer called Humphrey (left) and a wire haired Hungarian Vizsla, Bryn, 14 (right)
But Millie can now enjoy pain-free walkies after being kitted out in a set of ‘NeoPaws’ to protect her paws. Mrs Painter said: ‘The shoes have made a huge difference. She absolutely loves them.
‘The allergies were all year round. As well as giving her serious eye and ear infections she’d get these horrible lumps between her toes that would open and bleed.
‘The pads under her feet have virtually worn away from the years of pollen and grass allergies.
‘We had to carry a 30kg (5st) dog out of the house because her feet were too tender to walk on the gravel driveway. But now she can run around with our other dogs. Her quality of life has changed.’
Come outside: Vicki Painter and her husband Glyn (right) bought Millie when she was a nine-week-old puppy
We are family: Millie is pictured (right) with the Painter couple’s two-year old English Pointer Humphrey (left)
Mrs Painter and her husband Glyn, 40, bought Millie from a breeder when she was a nine-week-old puppy, but it wasn’t until she was two that they noticed something was wrong.
‘The pads under her feet have virtually worn away from the years of pollen and grass allergies’
Vicki Painter, Millie’s owner
Their local vet found she suffered from many allergies, including intolerances to wheat, soya, rice, gluten – and also reacts badly when coming into contact with cats, dust mites and pollen.
Mrs Painter said: ‘She was our first dog together. We’d only been married a few years before. Our families had had dogs but they’d always been healthy. I’d never heard of a dog with a grass allergy.
‘I didn’t think it was possible. Our cat Tinkerbell now lives with my parents so that Millie doesn’t have to come into contact with her fur every day.’
Dog shoes: The NeoPaws boots had to be shipped over to the Painters from a specialist company in Canada
The vet tried a range of things and when he ran out of options, he referred Millie to a professor of dermatology at Queen Mother Animal Hospital in North Mymms, Hertfordshire.
‘Over the years we’ve spent thousands of pounds. If you think there is something that can help and cure them you couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t do it’
Vicki Painter, Millie’s owner
She was put on a course of steroids, antihistamines and a special allergy-free diet.
Mrs Painter said: ‘Over the years we’ve spent thousands of pounds. If you think there is something that can help and cure them you couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t do it.
‘We would’ve tried anything. The steroid tablets made her incontinent and the antihistamines made her drowsy. She was miserable, lethargic and not herself. We couldn’t avoid grass.
Attempts: Vicki Painter spent more than £10,000 on medication and special allergy food to combat Millie’s allergies without success
‘It was impossible. So we had to bath her with special medicated shampoo after every walk. She was constantly licking her paws where she was sore.
‘She was miserable. After six months, although on medication and a new prescription diet, there was really no improvement.’
Then a friend told the couple, who also have a two-year old English Pointer called Humphrey and a wire haired Hungarian Vizsla, Bryn, 14, about boots she had bought for her dog to protect its paws.
The boots, which had to be shipped over from a specialist company in Canada, have a soft rubber sole and are attached using velcro. Millie has two sets – one for summer and another for winter.
Poorly paws: A local vet found Millie suffered from a range of allergies, including intolerances to wheat, soya, rice, gluten – and also reacts badly when she comes into contact with cats, dust mites and pollen
Mrs Painter said: ‘The first time she wore them, she just stared at them. She was kicking her back legs out when she walked but soon got used to them. Now she won’t leave the house without them.
‘When we get ready to go out, Humphrey brings them to her with their leads. It’s quite funny. Most people we see when out walking assume I’ve dressed her up for fashion, like a silly handbag dog, which annoys me. The boots are for medical reasons.
‘Some dog owners, however, are fascinated by them and many say they would like some to help their dogs with cut paws and weak bags legs.
‘So I now carry cards around with me with the name of the boots to give out. Luckily, they’re stocked in the UK now so we don’t have to pay shipping. I don’t know where we’d be without her boots.’
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