Skin Problem!!
by Leigh Ann H.
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Hi! I'm hoping someone out there has had the same problem I'm having with my baby, Kaley! Kaley is a beautiful 3 year old little girl who has had some kind of skin problem for most of her life. My vet just says it's allergies and wants to give her cortisone shots which I know is not good for her on a long term basis. She starts out scratching and eventually ends up chewing on places around her lower back, right before her tail. She chews until she makes big nasty raw places. It doesn't happen all the time. She may goes months without having any problems and then we may spend 3 months trying to get her healed up. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it!!
DISCUSSION:
Leigh Ann, Whenever human doctors don't have a clue about why someone is experiencing pain, they tell you it's "arthritis". Cortisone is an easy answer, just like that. It is NOT the way to go unless you have explored more NATURAL remedies. First of all start experimenting with different kinds of food cause your baby may have developed an alergic reaction. Keep changing elements of her diet. The best thing would be to eliminate commercial food for a while. It's very easy to sautee or boil chicken in some broth and mix it with a healthy grain or rice with some vegetables. Give her puppy vitamins too.The supplement "In" which you can get from the catalogues, is very good for their skin. You give it like a treat. THey love it. Hidden parasites (microscopic) can be causing the problem too. Check out the advertiser section for a perfect answer to this. The immune system booster is also very good for us and our little adored ones. Good luck in alleviating Kaley's problem. I am SURE that a natural solution that cures the cause of the problem is better than the prospect of covering up the symptoms with drugs.
Hugs and kisses to Kaley!
Isabel
I've heard that California Natural kibble is good for dogs with food allergies.....you can get it in a sample pack.... and that supplementing with Missing Link can also be helpful. If you decide to try the Missing Link see if you can get a sample from someone, it's not cheap and has been known to make them throw up. There's also an Australian product range which is supposed to be wonderful for allergic dermatitis in pets and completely safe if they lick it....Kherby's Herbal ointment and they also make a shampoo.....don't know if it's available in the US. Haven't actually had this problem so this is only what I've heard. Marie will have some good ideas if she sees your post.
Deanna (Moose & Squirrel)
Dear Leigh,What kind of allergy does your vet tell you your dog may have? There are test that can be done to find out. I would find out about them before giving her shots. My girl had a problem with her skin and my problem was the shampoo I was using, I switched to an oatmeal based shampoo and quit giving her baths as often and she has been fine for the past two years. Also you might check in the archives as I remember some people having some of the same problems with skin irritations.Good Luck,Debbie
Debbie
If you would like to try an more natural way to deal with this problem, I suggest Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Nautal Health for Dogs & Cats as a great reference. You can find it for $16.95 at https://www.petsforum2.com/dbsstore/entry.tmpl?cart=298157034648117
or at an good bookstore.
JoanG
If your dog has this problem only parts of the year, he probably is not allergic to the food you give him (I suppose he gets the same thing all year), and if you use the same shampoo all the time it's probably not the shampoo. Your vet is right, it's allergies. The best thing would be to find out what he is allergic to and eliminate the allergeen. But this is costly to find out. And if it's in the air you won't be able to eliminate it anyway. Unfortunately, only steroids (prednisone is mostly prescribed) will keep your dog confortable. Like for people, there is nothing on the market to cure allergies. You can only lessen the symptoms. Try first antihistamines (like benadryl), they are not harmfull like the steroids. Maybe this will be enough. Good luck.
Janine
Leigh, my Rudy was itching terribly soon after I got him at 12 weeks - mostly his face, but it was progressing to the rest of his body. It never got to the point of sores, thank God. Instead of the expensive (approx $250) blood allergy test, my vet recommended the following: Cut out everything he eats except lamb and rice food for allergic dogs. I went with California Natural (only 3 ingredients - lamb, rice and sunflower oil). This meant to cut out all chewies (except non-edible Nylabones), treats, EVERYTHING. Feed him in glass dishes - no metal, plastic or ceramic - nothing but glass. I started using prescription oatmeal shampoo and antihistamine conditioner and bathed him once every two weeks instead of every week. For his crate, I bought a non-allergenic baby's comforter. Additionally, I washed all his bedding and put it through the washer with no soap twice more - no conditioners. Rudy slowed down itching within two weeks and almost completely stopped within a month. I introduce only one new thing at a time whether it be something to eat or just chew. Some things have made him itch, others haven't. It's all trial and error. He still itches occasionally, but he's only 9 mos old and still has time to grow out of whatever he's allergic to. There are definite things we stay away from (by instinct?). They are corn, wheat, preservatives and anything that has an ingredients list that takes me more than five seconds to read (unless it's a vitamins list). Hope this helps. It beat paying $250, which we may still have to do, but for the time being it's working. Good luck with Kaley. Let us know if you find something that helps, okay?
Marie
If all else fails, I'd recommend taking your dog (and your checkbook) to a vet dermatologist. There are all types of allergies and it's probably the only way you will get a definitive diagnosis. I've been dealing with a dog with atopic dermatitis (pollen allergies) for over three years. Besides scratching, her symptoms include licking (and hair pulling) her feet, legs, and inner thighs. We have to use an Elizabethan collar on her at night and when we aren't around to watch her to keep her from mutilating herself. She was under the care of vet dermatologists at a vet teaching hospital for two years. They tried everything possible to help her. You may e-mail me for more details about her treatment. One thing the vets did emphasize...a dog with pollen allergies will also be very allergic to fleas so flea control is an important part of the treatment.
Alice
Alice is right. Take your check book with you when you go to the vet dermatologist. Costed me 500 $ to have my lhasa tested. He was allergic to everything you could think of. So he was allergic all year round. We tried to desensitize him but it got worse. I went back to my vet who said : "I told you so". The allergies started at two years old. I managed to keep him a life for almost 12 years. Costed me a fortune in vet bills and prescription pills.
Janine
Janine
I wanted to thank everyone for their response to my problem. My vet had said he thought it was allergies to grass, ect... but food allergies is one thing I had never thought of. I'm going to try and switch her food and see if that helps any at all. My vet recommended bathing her once a week to eliminate the irritants off her skin. I kind of thought that was a little excessive so I usually bathe her every week and a half to two weeks. All of you are great and I'm really glad I found this website...it's wonderful. I'm really looking forward to becoming apart of this Maltese loving group!!
Leigh Ann & Kaley
Hi, Leigh Anne and Kaley....I had the blood tests for allergies done with ond of my dogs. It's expensive and inaccurate. It's okay with pollens,etc, but not with foods.
If you want to stop the itching and break the cycle...try some chloraseptic spray on it. You can get it at the drug store...it's for sore throats. It will numb the hot spot, stopping the itching; therefore, the dog son't be biting or scratching. If he does either, it will taste terrible. (They like to lick stuff off their feet). It really does work.
Everything Marie said I agree with....others said alot of the same stuff, she just said it all. If it's just certain times of the year, I'd suspect pollen...tree or grass. You didn't say where you live. Could be mold. Either/or...the antihistamines really help.
annehudson
My 10 year old Lhasa Apso, Muffin, had almost the same symptoms. I did have her to an allegist and found that she was EXTREMELY sensitive to flea bits. It only would take one bite and she would chew, chew, chew. Our solution was to put her on lamb and rice diet (although after several years, she gained too much weight and now is on a doggie diet!) and to keep her clean and loaded with Program and Advantage. She only goes out for daily walks. I am happy to say that she rarely has the chewing and itching anymore. In fact, can't remember last time. So, it is possible to releive the symptoms and keep them comfortable with out breaking your bank account once it is under control. Good luck!
Connie and Darby (& Muffin)
You didn't mention if your vet has done a skin scraping for demodex mange. Our Maltese has gone through this problem twice in just over 1 year. He bites and scratches around the base of the tail and the rest of his back. Demodex mange is caused by a failing immune system. All dogs have these mites on them year round, but anytime the dog is sick, he or she becomes succeptible to getting mange. Our dog would get mange when we would go out of town because he got "stressed out" and his immune system wouldn't prevent the mange from spreading. If your vet hasn't done a skin scraping, he probably should. Good luck....I hope that isn't what it is because it really sucks to treat!
Joe and Cosmo
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