Hello GPM,
Thank you for your prompt reply. The part about the toes and the cream was in there, but it was such an awfully long case description, it's no wonder you missed it. So here it is again, and I quote:

"One more thing, his right front paw seems to be itching at times now. Top of the paw and 1-2 toes too. Spends more time than usual grooming it and seems to be too vigorous at times. This reminds me of something that happened about 2-3 years ago. He would go into frenzies of chewing one of his toes, so much so that the nail bed would become swollen and inflamed. We had to bandage his paw to make him give it a rest. Eventually we found an herbal cream that settled things down (Aubrey Organics' "Anti-Itch Cream"). He went through a couple of phases of this, spaced a few months apart. Then it went away. We thought it was mostly psychological at the time because he would always do it before feeding time and while I was preparing his food. When I told him to stop, he would. Then he'd wait a bit then start again. He did not itch on top of his paw though. Now he seems to. Not often, but enough so that it's noticeable. His nail beds are intact so far." End Quote

Of course, now his paw no longer seems itchy. But his nails do seem a little brittle, tho... One or two of them seem to be a bit shredded and dry at the tips. Both front paws, second toe from the outside. Noticed this this morning when trimming his nails.

I did not use the ointment or anything to stop the itching on his paws this time. It just went away by itself.

If you need it, I can look up the ingredients in the Aubrey Organics cream. Just let me know....

Thank you,

Szoki