I was in the same boat, and ended up choosing D.P.M. over M.D./D.O. since I liked the advantages podiatry had to offer over the fields available to allopathic and osteopathic grads. However, I later found out that doing a podiatry residency is also available to M.D.s and D.O.s in at least one state (California), and I really do think that if you took that route, you would still be able to do podiatry even if not previously allowed by the state in question. This assumes that the state podiatry board would be very pleased to have an allopath or osteopath interested in their residencies and would make arrangements to accommodate them (I do imagine this would be the case). You might not be able to get some of the top podiatry residencies, but that's probably not too huge of a deal with three years of training to learn what you need to be successful in practice.
Though it's probably more expensive and may require you catching up to speed on a considerable amount of podiatry-specific material and concepts (perhaps requiring hiring a third or fourth year podiatry student as a tutor), I would personally recommend pursuing the M.D. or D.O. route instead (at least until D.P.M.s gain unrestricted medical licenses). Even if you end up still going into podiatry, one of the big advantages of obtaining the general medical degree beforehand is not having to explain to everybody what your degree is and what you do, including clarifying to some people that you are not some sort of foot masseur/masseuse or similar odd misconceptions. Some people enjoy the novelty of the degree, however, and are passionate about explaining what they do, so that may not actually be a concern for you.
Another concern I have for the limited-scope degree is that the combined effect of the ACA, insurance companies, and allied health professions with more political clout than podiatry may have an adverse effect on our reimbursements despite the increased patient base we have with the greying of America. If things ever got out of hand for you economically speaking, you could always switch to another field by doing a residency in that specialty if you have the general degree.
You may also have more loan repayment opportunities by attending a general medical program, as well (though that may be outweighed by the scholarships offered by many podiatry schools).
I think there are plenty of advantages to podiatry, so there's definitely no "gloom and doom" for the profession, as it is certainly an awesome trade and will provide a comfortable lifestyle with stimulating work. In addition, you won't get the same quality of lower extremity specialty training in general medical school, so that does put you in a better position to be at the top of your game for your specialty by attending a D.P.M. program. From a business and flexibility standpoint, however, I do think the M.D./D.O. route offers more advantages than disadvantages overall, and you should be aware of some of the burdens (albeit fairly light ones, depending on your goals and outlook) you would be shouldering by choosing podiatry from the outset.
Perhaps you should make a list of the reasons you want to go into podiatry, and see if the same can or cannot be accomplished with the other degree, then go from there.
