Sunday, 14 September 2025

Tinea

 

Tinea

Tinea, perhaps more commonly known as Athlete’s foot, is an intensely itchy condition which is hard to eradicate. It is frequently acquired in communal changing rooms.

Barry suffered with tinea during his running years. He travelled the world on business, and went running in every country he was sent to. It was a wonderful way to explore different landscapes.

He tried many remedies for Athlete’s foot, and consulted doctors who recommended different treatments, but nothing seemed to work.

One day, our Dalmatian, Cariadd, began to lick his feet. Once he had overcome the ticklishness of her attention, he relaxed and enjoyed it. To his surprise, within a few days, the tinea had cleared completely. It may have been coincidental, and maybe it would have disappeared on its own eventually, but Cariadd was credited with almost magical properties. She only ever licked his feet when tinea recurred and passed on her ‘knowledge’ to the younger dogs.

People sometimes shudder when they think about a dog licking their feet, but it’s actually incredibly soothing.

56 comments:

  1. That's interesting to know. I have tinea often enough to be annoying, mostly in spring and late summer when it is warm enough to be sweaty but not warm enough to go without socks and sneakers. The first indication is a tingling itch and right away I wash my feet and apply "Daktarin" either in cream form or powder, every day for about a week.
    I don't like dogs licking me and have to wash wherever they did right away or I get an itchy rash, which is the main reason I don't have dogs.

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    1. Not the right remedy for you, then. I've never heard of people reacting as you do to dog saliva - very interesting.

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    2. I've just realised that people can have eczema flare-ups activated by dog dander or fur.

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  2. Replies
    1. Proximity to dogs can cause eczema to flare up in some people.

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  3. What an interesting "remedy"! My thought is "If it works, don't question it."

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  4. OMG! You have a magical dog! Wow!

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  5. Tinea is a fungal infection that apparently thrives in warm, moist environments eg when I did ballet for 12 years and hockey throughout high school and uni. Trapping sweat was nasty, even when the feet were washed regularly.

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    1. It's easily contracted in communal shower/changing rooms.

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  6. Hi Janice - and very beneficial ... I've heard of this sort of thing before - glad a cure works/ed ... cheers Hilary

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  7. I can't bear anyone touching my feet so having a dog lick them would be enough to send me screaming over the horizon!

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  8. I'm with JayCee, I hate anything touching my feet, I would be running to the hills.

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  9. George used to love licking Husband's or Younger Son's feet. I put it down to the sweat and salt but Husband often suffers with Athlete's foot so maybe.

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  10. I was going to say "a herbal remedy" but it isn't.

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  11. Most interesting. I understand most human fetishes, but feet licking is not one of them.

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  12. Well I thought 'Tinea' may have been something to do with an ear problem!? However, I now know it's Athletes Foot.
    Aren't dogs wonderful :)
    So pleased that Barry's problem was eradicated.

    All the best Jan

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  13. Well isn't that interesting. Who knew a do could cure the condition

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  14. At first I thought it was something to do with tinnitus, which I have had for years. This is a new word for me. I am glad Barry’s foot was healed and by all means, let’s give praise to the healer. Well done Cariadd!

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  15. Tinnitus is aggravating, I know.

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  16. I'm very ticklish, especially on the feet, but if it cured what ailed me, I might give it a shot!

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    1. My husband is very ticklish, too, but forced himself to relax, and it was so worth it.

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  17. I bet that would actually be a fun foot moment once you got used to the tickle. After all we love our sweet animals and if they think what they're doing for us is good for us, we need to take advantage of it. Medicine comes from all different places.

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  18. I used to discourage our Dalmatian from licking my feet. I hate to have them touched. Can't imagine tolerating a pedicure. I'd need a sedative!

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    1. I'd rather have a pedicure than a manicure. We're all different.

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  19. Never come across that as a cure. I tried daktarin; feet immediately turned bright red, shiny, inflamed and horribly horribly itchy. Not the cure for me then!

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    1. Ouch! Yet another proof, should we need it, that medications should never be shared!

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  20. Ha! I must admit I let Olga lick my feet occasionally, but it was definitely a guilty pleasure. LOL

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  21. What a good dog, they often seem to know when there's a health problem don't they.
    Alison in Devon x

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    1. They do. Some are specially trained to detect different conditions, too.

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  22. Dogs can detect injuries in humans and their sniffing of wounds and licking is a learned behavior. We have two grandsons who have type 1 diabetes. One of them has a black lab and a few years ago, grandson was having a very significant low blood sugar and he fell asleep..(Not good). Maggie (his Lab) kept pounding on his chest until grandson woke up and was able to get some sugar in him.. dogs are life savers.

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    1. That's brilliant. I've heard of such things before, and know that some dogs are specially trained to help in difficult circumstances.

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  23. sounds great to me. some one on another blog said the dog tries to lick her face and she doesn't allow that. bob has a rash that we think might be fungus, so maybe I should see if Beau would lick it. sounds good to me.

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    1. Some people are allergic or reactive to dog saliva, so tread (lick) carefully. 🐕🐶

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  24. Interesting. I had a bit of an itchy feet when I went away. Too chilly for me to swim, but I soaked my feet in the pool. The chlorine seemed to do the trick. No more itch

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  25. I haven't had athlete's foot since I was a child.

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  26. I've never had it but I'm told it's terrible.

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    1. I haven't had it, but I know from my husband that it's very irritating.

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  27. I defeated athletes foot with wool socks and changing them more than once a day if walking or running and in hot weather. I guess the dog volunteered but it might be difficult to sell the idea to lots of dogs or their owners.

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  28. Most people seem to shudder at the thought . . .

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