Fruuuuuuuustrating itchy dog skin problem

[Missourian]

My rescue had a systemic yeast infection that manifested on her skin.

Nature?s Farmacy Blog » Blog Archive » Systemic Yeast Infections in Dogs


After we cured her, we switched her to this dog food.

http://www.eaglepack.com/

 

[Sarah G]

My rescue had a systemic yeast infection that manifested on her skin.

Nature?s Farmacy Blog » Blog Archive » Systemic Yeast Infections in Dogs


After we cured her, we switched her to this dog food.

Eagle Pack - Natural Pet Food - Dog and Cat Food Contains Eagle Pack, Natural Ingredients that Promote Pet Health

Thanks for that article. Hope he tries the coconut oil, the doggie just has to like it better than a cone.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Alright everyone I have a tricky one for you. It's never occurred to me to post this problem until now.

I adopted my dog from the shelter 2 years ago. She had been returned 3 times already because of medical expenses but I thought what the hell if you leave your dog at the shelter you were probably just lazy about it so it'll be no problem.

My dog is a 25 pound Manchester Terrier mix named Batgirl. She has itchy skin to the point of bloodying up her paws and snout from scratching and biting.

She has been to the Vet countless times to no avail. She's been treated for scabies several times (with lots of extra expensive tests involved to identify if she had scabies) without ever showing signs of it. The medicine did nothing. She's been tested for allergies with no sign, had allergy shots with no results, tried several hypoallergenic diets and shampoos, and all for no results.

When I leave I have to put a cone on her so she won't hurt herself and that sucks for me and for her.

Does anyone know of any miracle supplements or anything?

If anyone gives me advice that works I might buy them something from Amazon as a reward.

Note: Vets have been absolutely NO help.

The best miracle cure for what ails you in the dog skin department is Happy Jack Mange Medicine, BUT,

it's a sulfur based ointment and smells awful, and I mean really awful. Tough to endure if your dog is a house dog but it will fix lots of problems other stuff won't.

 

[Claudette]

What are you feeding your dog??

If its not a grain free food then your dog could be allergic to corn as most dog foods have corn as the first ingredient. Some dogs are highly allergic to corn. Itches and the skin flakes.

I feed Wilderness from Blue Buffaloe. No grain.

I also have my dogs on Trifecus. Its a combination of HW and flea repellent. Its in pill form and my dogs eat it like a treat.

Not sure if any of this will help you but have your vet check for allergies to corn.

 

[koshergrl]

I have two allergic dogs; one is a saint and one is a parson russell terrier.

We moved to the coast last year, and about 2 months after that or maybe a little more, my saint started scratching his ears and face until it bled, chewing down his back until the skin scabbed and the hair came out in handfuls..I noticed it sort of all at once. By the time I got him to the vet he was losing weight, and he sprayed the vet's office with blood when he shook his head (which he did a lot) because the tips of his ears were bleeding because of the amount of shaking he had been doing (the veins/capillaries eventually burst from the force of shaking).

At that point we just knew he was allergic to something...she put him on steroids (which resulted in aggressive behavior/pissing all over the house, that was fun) antibiotics, and flea medication because although he didn't have fleas, she said flea allergies can cause a reaction even if a single flea gets on a dog and gets off. Go figure.

Anyway. Over the last year it has never gotten that bad again; I've experimented with different foods, I've had to go in maybe 3 x for re-evaluation/medication to get through another episode. Vet #2 said she thought it was food allergies but at some point one of them said it was probably environmental (plants or stuff outside) because ears are hardly ever compromised by simple FOOD allergies!

The terrier has a gluten allergy and also a beef allergy...we can control her with diet, but it's hard with a moose in the house; I can't afford to feed him novel protein foods (foods with just one protein and one carb in them..like duck/potato, for example).

So I've been dealing with this for a year. I left and went *home* across the state for Christmas, and was there for 2 weeks. Totally different environment; same food I've been feeding (Pedigree, nothing special). The dogs BOTH completely cleared up! And I was afraid the day I left that I was going to have to find a vet for klaus over there because his ears were starting to bug him, and he was scratching a lot and leaving gobs of hair...usually precursors to a vet visit (typically every 3 months or so we have to go). His skin was blotchy and red.

So...I wouldn't leave a cone on my dog. I don't believe in all the topicals for what may be an allergic dog..you want to reduce irritants, not introduce new ones.

My best friend through all of this have been steroids and benadryl. When he gets some inflammation going, I get to the vet and get the steroids and ear drops to break the cycle, and then we're good for a while again.

He's also very sensitive to mosquitoes, incidentally. When we're in mosquito country, I have to spray him regularly; they're attracked to him and seem to focus on the white parts of his body, and he reacts quite strongly to them. I use "burt's bees" insect repellent. It smells good, it's non-toxic more or less, uses eucalyptus I think and lemon grass oil, and it REALLY works. It's what I use on my kids too.

Benadryl is a wonderful thing. It will stop that itching behavior. Both of my dogs will start chewing their feet compulsively, and itching, and when that happens I break out the benadryl and dose them off and on for a while. It makes them a little drowsy but it stops that itching.

 

[WillowTree]

My first dog had this problem. It drives them and you nutz. I took mine all the way down to gainsville for treatment. Number one make sure there are no skin infections from all that scratching, vet put mine on a course of antibiotics and sent him home with a yellow sulfur shampoos,, he did in fact turn yellow for a bit, secondly, to prove that the allergy was an environmental problem and not a food problem the vet put him in a cage at the vets for one month, stainless steel no pillows, no blankets no nothing, dog got to eat his regular diet, his skin cleared entirely up, no sores, no itch no scratching. so then he came home and it started all over again, so back on the corticosteroid shots,, about a year later our love bird died, gone is the bird, the bird cage and gone are the allergies, mystery solved. do you have any birds?

 

[koshergrl]

That's hilarious.

One of the vets..or actually, I think it was one of the assistants (they often know more about certain things, lol) told me that when the ears are getting inflamed and infected, it's almost always environmental (i.e., not food).

Dogs can have both food and airborne irritant allergies; but I dont' think the food allergies affect their ears.

I came back home, and poor klaus is starting to itch up again. I've given him benadryl a couple of time, I anticipate a vet visit before too long for the big guns.

And yes, skin infections can come on fast and can really be devastating, so you do want to take care that you don't get to that point. I didn't know what the issue was with klaus that first time..by the time I realized we had a problem that I couldn't fix, I couldn't get in to see a vet for like 4 days, and in that four days his condition plummeted, and he was a mess by the time we finally got in. The vet even chided me (gently) but I explained to her..I tried to get him in LAST week but this was the soonest your office mavens could get us in (we were new patients at that time). I don't think I did a good job of conveying his issue, and they didn't know us so they didn't realize it needed attention now.

Now when I call them they get me in right away.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that his allergy isn't a FOOD allergy. I just couldn't afford the $250 feed bill that goes with specialized food for a saint...and absolutely NO guarantee that you'll hit upon the right combo or effect any change in his condition at all. Now we can continue to feed the (relatively) cheap stuff, and just supplement him...and take care of the flea issue...and treat it when it gets bad without feeling like I'm actually CAUSING it with the food.

 

[Missourian]

Any updates?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Rub room temperature bacon grease on the affected area...

... the bacon grease shuts off air to the mites...

... also use the funnel collar...

... this also works for mange...

... give it about 3 weeks to kill off any nits...

... that may be laid under the skin.

Please do not do this without first talking to your vet. Bacon grease would do little more than cause infection to get worse or cause an infection where there was none. REALLY bad idea. Ask your vet. And read some of the crazy ideas on various sites.

If there are flakes on the dog's skin, there is an infection or yeast going on. If belly is red and sort of sweaty/wet/icky, infection or yeast.

E collar is torture. Not an answer even though the poor dog is all but shredding himself.

I'm sure your vet has already talked to you about Prednisone but if not, talk to him/her. Benedryl can help but its a small and temporary fix. Won't help a severe and long term problem. Your vet should have a (really expensive!) medicated shampoo as well.

Often, skin problems start with fleas and/or ticks. If you have fleas, stop treating the dog and start treating the environment. Even after you get rid of them the cycle is hard to stop.

If you do have fleas/ticks, I'll share an absolute cure for them. I've had to fight both and I've won. Also, have a sure fire way to get rid of cockroaches if anyone wants it.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Update!!! -

She has booties now to keep her feet from anything she may be allergic to. I also bought her medicated shampoo and conditioner for dry skin. She's got special food for sensitive skin, itchiness, and allergies. She also has a spray to rub on her coat to make it healthier with lots of Vitamin E.

I've looked up most of your suggestions and I'm trying this little set up first because many seem to have additional effects I may need to worry about. It's a lot of work but we'll see what happens.

 

[RosieS]

No one suggested this but doggies get fungal infections from soil. Even if they are indoor dogs, fungus gets tracked in by people.

Not all get fungus and no two react the same. Our oldest has a lot, the middle has just some on her rump, and the little Jack Russell has none.

The treatments are cheap. The dogs readily come over and want their dusting. Hubs is pretty heavy handed applying Desenex powder. It is for athlete's foot and is found in the foot care aisle everywhere. It is a yellow plastic container. The dogs sleep soundly after being powdered.

At bath time use Head and Shoulders shampoo.

Be faithful in treating and watch the hair slowly fill back in.

Good luck!

Regards from Rosie

 

[koshergrl]

I think it's environmental allergies.

Prednisone will work, but it makes my saint go absolutely apeshit, and he pisses GALLONS all over the place...he never pees in the house except when he's on that crap.

It clears him up for sure....but it makes him aggressive, hyper, he pants continually...and then there is the pissing.

So I use that when I really need it...antibiotics to clear up secondary infections when they occur, benadryl for flare-ups in between. And flea medication so the fuckers don't jump on him; he's allergic to them too...

 

[rdean]

Fruuuuuuuustrating itchy dog skin problem

Try divorce.

 

[HUGGY]

My Blue Pitbull Angel rolls over on her back and does the "mystery dance" for a few seconds on the carpet. She actually prefers to scratch her own back THAT way than have me do her with a brush or my fingernails. My Red Nose likes the human interaction and even bothers me for a scratch while I'm on the computer in the computer room...he comes in about every fifteen minutes for a hind leg/Butt/Back scratch. It's cute but the frequency can get annoying.

 

[koshergrl]

Yeah, that's not what we're talking about here though...this is crazy scratching/itching/hair loss/foot chewing/ear digging/inflamed red skin/hot spots/lesions....

My poor klaus is slowly getting worse...I'll have to take him in probably the first week of March, if we make it that far.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Pred is a wonderful horrible powerful drug. It can cause adrenal cancer; my own mother died of adrenal cancer after years of taking predisone witch she probably didn't need. Obviously, I cannot say with certainty that it was the pred that caused her cancer but I strongly suspect it.

I first used it on a dog after she suffered for years with skin allergies. I had tried every kind of treatment several different vets suggested. I resisted using pred because I knew of the dangers of the drug.

I finally agreed to give her pred because I believed the peace and comfort it offered was worth the possible shortening of her life and that turned out to be true. She could be miserable for a longer life or have a shorter life and be comfortable and happy. She was on pred for a while, just long enough to break the cycle of self-injury causing more itching.

I have used it on one other dog with the same results and, even considering the possible side effects, I don't regret using it.

 

[koshergrl]

I use it, every few months. We don't use it all the time. Because once he's clear, it takes him a while to get to the state where he's miserable again....

 

[HUGGY]

Yeah, that's not what we're talking about here though...this is crazy scratching/itching/hair loss/foot chewing/ear digging/inflamed red skin/hot spots/lesions....

My poor klaus is slowly getting worse...I'll have to take him in probably the first week of March, if we make it that far.

Clean...clean...clean. When I got my two pups they both had nasty skin on their backs and raw spots where they would scratch. Now they are both show dogs as far as having glorious coats and no redness from unneccesary scratching. I have NEVER used chemicals except for when I first got em we did the internal treatment for fleas and ticks. That was two years ago.

By clean..I mean CLEAN. I pick up all the poop and wash down ALL of the run areas with plenty of water and bleach on all of the pooped areas and urinated areas every day. Inside the rooms I occupy I just vacumm a couple of times a week. Wash all bedding at least once a week in hot water with BLEACH.

Diet. Nothing makes your dog feel so appreciated as a healthy and yummy food spread. Nothing WORRIES a dog as much as a sketchy food supply.

I do understand the nature of this thread and am just trying to give advice from the standpoint of a couple of mutts that USED to have problems of this nature and came back to the peak of health and happiness.

I have explained early on in this thread what I feed my dogs. My efforts would probably be considered going overboard but ya can't knock the results.

I don't care about KosherGerls feelings but I DO care about the dog's health and happiness.

 

[koshergrl]

Oh I agree...but I know what causes my dog's problems in that it's not us, or his feed...it's something particular to this area. Because when I go home (to the eastern part of the state) he clears up. We never had this problem before moving here, and it takes a few months to really, gloriously manifest itself...and clears up as soon as we hit the steroids....till it has a chance to accumulate again.

It's only the saint that suffers...well, Mylo does, but hers is primarily food related. The pit is in great shape.

 

[koshergrl]

I don't use chemicals on mine, either. I don't even give them baths unless I have to. I brush them when they are shedding and I have bathed my big boy maybe 3 x in his life....2x was as a way to give him some relief from his itchiness before we went to the vet the first time (we had already made the appointment) and I used plain water...the other time was after he had found a dead deer.

Mylo occasionally jumps into the shower with the kids. But she doesn't get soap.