what's wrong with her?

    • Gold Top Dog

    what's wrong with her?

    My dog has been itching like crazy. I put some Frontline on -- it's been almost a month and there are absolutely no more ticks or fleas. The vet said she has flaky skin, so she has a special shampoo and gets bathed with it twice a week. She is still scratching and biting everywhere; I even found a wound under her skin because she scratches so much. It's probably the "dandruff" but I noticed that her crotch area and an area near one of her nipples (which is infected, but it's going away thanks to the antibiotics she's currently taking) is very pink (sometimes reddish), blotchy and hairless. She usually scratches away at these spots then licks them. I had her anal glands emptied a few days ago, so I don't think it would be impacted anal sacs. Are they hotspots or something?
     
    • Gold Top Dog
    Only your vet can tell you what's wrong, but I can tell you what I did when Mick was a scratching/chewing maniac with flaky skin.  I rotated between baths, swimming and just wetting him down with cool water.  Other things I did: increased how often I brushed him (brushing stimulate and spreads the oil in the skin), put him on Derm Cap supplements (per my vet's instructions), added Brewers Yeast w/Garlic to his diet (the vitamins in the BY are good for the skin).  Eventually, I switched his dog food, and was able to do away with the Derm Caps and Brewer's Yeast.  Keep in mind that this was 15 years ago, and there are better supplements out there now than Derm Caps.  One other thing I did (for the few baths a year Mick got) was switch shampoos to Mr Cristal's shampoo for dry skin (I believe it was called Medicated), which isn't as easy to find as it once was.  Last year I tried Buddy Wash, and have been happy with it.  It's easy on the skin, and smells wonderful! 
    • Bronze
    How long has your pup been on the antibiotics?  the red, blotchiness, did that start since she started taking the atb's?  I'm thinking maybe an allergic reaction to the atb's...  If she's sensitive to them it could be causing her generalized itchiness. 
    If this could be the case, I'd check her back with the vet to see if a change is in order. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    The redness, blotchiness and hair loss were there before the antibiotics. I thought the symptoms were a side effect of the infection, but now they have also appeared in her crotch area. Could it be an allergy? She sneezes a lot, although they come one or two at a time, not the kind of "allergic" sneezing when a bunch of sneezes occur right after each other. She also paws/scratches at her muzzle/nose and rubs her eyes.
     
    She eats human food, which she's been eating even before she was with me. Her diet includes veggies, fish, chicken and meat but the staple is rice. She's had a history of skin allergies, maybe it's coming back?
    • Gold Top Dog
    What kind of shampoo are you using?  I don't think you should bath any dog more than once a week, and even that is a lot.  You should try reducing the baths and addding some fatty oils to her diet.  The vet can give you something to squirt on her food that is already all balanced out, or you can go to the grocery and buy her some fish oil gel caps but you will need to include vitamin E with that also.  I like the skin fomula 3V Caps Liquid that you pump... you can ask your vet about it.  But, I know a lot of people here also have success with supplimenting oils on their own. Good luck.
     
    Also, the Frontline will not last the entire month when you bath that often.
    • Gold Top Dog
    mondayblues; Jessie has allergies and before we started immunotherapy she had the same symptoms your dog has. Allergies change the ;ph balance of a dog's skin which allows bacteria to infect the skin easier. Jessie would frequently get bacterial infections in her "crotch" and itch under her tail too; she would get sores on her side from scratching , her ears itched and her eyes watered. Allergies don't make a dog sneeze as much as people sneeze but they can sneeze occasionally.
       It looks like she's on a home cooked diet. Have you done the proper research to be sure it's well balanced? A dog's nutritional needs are different from ours; if she is lacking things she needs in her diet this can cause some of the symptoms you describe. Forgive me if you already know that but since she's having problems I felt I should mention it.
    • Gold Top Dog
    As Janice described, my lab has the exact same allergy symptoms too and specifically the nipple area is always a problem.  I've had great luck with the Nu Sal T shampoo giving some relief.  If you're already giving antibiotics, it may just need some time to work but the shampoo or even just rinsing the dog off with cool water will help get the allergens off.  Our derm vet suggested using a 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water as a final rinse.  I think it helps to balance the skin ph out.  Finally, you might try using an antihistamine.  I use benadryl and I honestly can't tell you helps a bunch, but I do think it helps some.  You can give 1-2mg per lb and you can give it up to 3 times per day.  It's important to give it regularly at least twice a day and it's super important to give enough.  Lot's of folks (me included, before I knew better) think it's better to just give the minimal dose, but it's not effective if the dose isn't adequate.  Good luck to you.  It may take trial and error with the right shampoo, the right supplements, etc., and it can be real frustrating.
    • Gold Top Dog
    ORIGINAL: loveukaykay
    What kind of shampoo are you using?  I don't think you should bath any dog more than once a week, and even that is a lot. 


    I forgot the name of the shampoo but it has Clorhexadine (sp?) in it, and the vet told me to bathe her with it twice a week. Can you recommend some food (aside from salmon) that is rich in oils?

    Thanks for the advice everyone!
    • Bronze
    Chlorhexidine is classified as a disinfectant cleanser. It is used in mouth wash, skin treatment, and ear treatment. It suppose to help fight bacteria, fungus, yeast, and viruses. It sounds like allergies.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I dont know of foods that are going to suppliment with enough oils to matter.... I think some people here just give fish oil capsuls from the grocery, Im not sure of the dosage.
    • Gold Top Dog
    You can use something like Derm Caps ES or Brite Coat as a supplement or you can buy fish oil caps and use those, but you'll need to also add vitamin E.  One thing you might consider is having her thyroid levels checked.  It can really cause a variety of problems and a poor coat, is just one of them.  If you do have the test run, ask for the full-panel (not just T3 & T4) and ask that it either be sent to Dr. Dodds (she's an expert on this) or Michigan State University (they use her protocols).  It's not terribly expensive and worth ruling out.

    This is a rough time of year and if you read enough threads, you can tell that lots of dogs are suffering from allergy issues right now.  The bathing is something that can really help, so keep it up as the vet suggested.  I have that shampoo too, and it's not fun to use (no lather) but it's important to leave on for at least 5-10 minutes before rinsing.  Hopefully your dog enjoys this more than mine [;)].
    • Bronze
    This is my dog. We do all of the above suggesterd home remedies as well and some chineese herbs, nettles leaf (Rx by homeopathic vet) and switched to skin support food by Royal Canin. Best food on the market for alergic skin coinditions!
    My dog has been hot spot free for 2weeks now, but then, which is it that is working> All of it together??
     
    I also spray him 2x daily with conditioner. Oatmneal & Aloe for sensitive skin. I saturate his groin, chest and armpits. Makes skin more resisatant to bacterial infections, and he smell so pretty - lol
     
    The ppol may be drying him out more too. Id keep him out of the pool, and perhaps get him his own pool. I bought my dog a kiddy pool and I change the wather daily and clean with mild soapy water and rinse pool well. Godd for hot spots, and clorine free. $30 fun & relief and comical to watch him in it too :)