My dog has severe skin problems!PLEASE HELP?
christy sloan asked:
I have a shar pei I have to keep and E- collar on him. if i don’t he will scratch his lower body raw. I know that he is miserable and have taken him to the vet on several accounts i have even switched vets in hopes that someone could give me an answer on ways to give him some relief. Everyone keeps saying Shar Peis are known to have skin problems. I know this I just want to give him some relief and help the oder his skin produces. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP?!?!?!
yes everyone puts him on steroids,benedryl, oatmeal shampoo, and a powder to mix in with his food. I have also tried a few products from feed stores ant pet smart. but still no relief. Some said it may be fleas but i also have a Chihuahua and she is allergic to fleas they sleep together and she has no problems so I know thaat it is not fleas and they stay inside i would be aware if there were fleas.
I use to take him to a groomer every two weeks but it was not helping i dont want to bath him to much because i know it will dry his skin out more.
For those of you who do not know what an E-Collar is, it is a plastic cone shaped colled that keeps the animal frombeing able to reace around and chewing or licking him self. It is not harmful and doesnt shock or cause the do any pain. just makes him look a little funny
I have a shar pei I have to keep and E- collar on him. if i don’t he will scratch his lower body raw. I know that he is miserable and have taken him to the vet on several accounts i have even switched vets in hopes that someone could give me an answer on ways to give him some relief. Everyone keeps saying Shar Peis are known to have skin problems. I know this I just want to give him some relief and help the oder his skin produces. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP?!?!?!
yes everyone puts him on steroids,benedryl, oatmeal shampoo, and a powder to mix in with his food. I have also tried a few products from feed stores ant pet smart. but still no relief. Some said it may be fleas but i also have a Chihuahua and she is allergic to fleas they sleep together and she has no problems so I know thaat it is not fleas and they stay inside i would be aware if there were fleas.
I use to take him to a groomer every two weeks but it was not helping i dont want to bath him to much because i know it will dry his skin out more.
For those of you who do not know what an E-Collar is, it is a plastic cone shaped colled that keeps the animal frombeing able to reace around and chewing or licking him self. It is not harmful and doesnt shock or cause the do any pain. just makes him look a little funny
Did one of the vets not treat the problem? Find one that can treat the problem if the ones you have tried are inept! Donald L
you need to ask a vet to get some crem or sommat
if you have time reasearch his problem on the internet but i would go back to the vets and ask them good luck Mandy J
What are you feeding him?? The vets have done tests to see make sure that it’s not mites or mange? Sometimes dogs have severe allergic reactions to the food. Corn, Wheat and Soy are all grains and cause the allergies. There’s tons of grains in poor quality foods such as Alpo, Ol’Roy, Iams, Pedigree, Science Diet, Mighty Dog….and anything at the grocery store or Walmart.
Try a food that doesn’t have grains like Wellness, California Natural, Innova, Merrick, Solid Gold…it might be a little bit more expensive but you will have a healthier dog and less vet visits. Good luck and I hope he gets better!!! bean41289
I advise you to give him a bath. Really. If you don’t have pet shampoo don’t worry. Just give him a bath. He might feel dirty I don’t know.
Give him a bath! Please try.
GoOd LuCk! meltedxcaramel
first : your dog must have a skin scrape test to try to determine what is causing his discomfort
second: he probably has a secondary bacterial skin infection caused by all the scratching - antibiotics needed for this.
third - you must be diligent in feeding him a proper diet that contains NO CORN, WHEAT
fourth - if he is from a reputable breeder, you need to consult with them
( if he is a puppymill/dog - that is unfortunate
fifth- even 1 flea on a dog who has the allergy flea bite dermatitis will make a dog itch himself raw - so make sure he is on once monthly flea preventative
*** personnally i would start with diet. many dogs have food allergies AUSSIEMOM
Could be an allergy, there are a lot of dogs who are allergic to various ingredients in pet food. Some of the main culprits are corn and other grains. Fillers and by products and preservatives are also cause for concern. Are you feeding a high quality food? If not maybe you would like to look around your area and see what is available. The better quality foods cost a bit more but you feed less and get a healthier pet and have less vet bills so in the end it is a win win for you and your dog. KiddoSue
I’m not sure where you are located, however, I had an akita with a similar issue, and have had clients with similar issues as well. I referred them to my vet, who specializes in this, he is awesome. If you are not close to him, possibly you could contact him and he could get you a referral to someplace close tto you. His name is Dr. Rusty Muse, (949) 936-0066. They also have an office in Kentucky. He is worth the cost. Also, as someone mentioned previously, you could change his food. Flint River Ranch is a great food,. I feed all my dogs that food and it is excellent and again, I have some of my clients on it who have allergies. ilenehope725
If none of the vets helped you then go to wal-mart or a pet store they always have stuff for dogs that have bad skin problems. OR you could go to petco, because my dog had skin problems and I got him a dip for petco it worked and my dog felt so much better.
Hope i helped Afnan A
The reason your vets aren’t helping you is because you have a diet and nutrition issue. Unfortunately, now that your dog is already on steroids (under vet care), not sure what you can do holistically. There’s a regiment to steer a dog out of this. I’ve done it, but it’s hard to give instructions over YA, it takes time & money, and most don’t follow ALL the steps anyway. Basically, it’s the dogs immune system and what you are feeding. Genetics play a part too. You have to upgrade on the food, stabalize, then upgrade again. It’s a process. Supplements are also required. There are also possible relapses due to detoxing, which take your dog back to the vet, so really, it’s a long long process. Depends on how old your dog is too. Shelly
My GSD has multiple allergies and the vets cannot help a great deal - he has had a lot of tablets, creams and injections - antibiotics and steroids to no avail. So what I have had to do is a lot of trial and error where food is concerned to find what I can and cannot feed to him. Try cutting out one thing at a time and look for a difference.
One very common allergy in dogs is wheat allergy and most commercial dog foods contain this.
You might want to check out the raw diet
the BARF diet
Also you can get herbal remedies and immune boosters - ask at a good pet store or health shop.
Consider what washing powder you are using when you clean his bedding etc and what household products you use as these can also have a great effect on a sensitive dog.
If you bathe him make sure to use something that contains no chemicals or perfumes.
Also I have found that calamine cream is very soothing for my dog - you might want to try that.
Good luck - I know how annoying and miserable it can be to have a dog in this state - at the moment we don’t know if my GSD will ever grow all of his coat back but at least now there are no sores. Debi
Geez …. please, please take the E-collar of your dog. I understand your frustration and concern about the scratching, but shocking him is not the answer, please believe me.
It is very highly likely that your dog suffers from yeast overgrowth (Malasezzia) as well as very likely Hypothyroidism. Your vet schould do a skin scrape to determine if it is a yeast infection.
However, yeast infection or not, ALL skin conditions have an underlying cause, and in most cases the underlying cause are malfunctioning thyroids. (please read website below)
Please ask you vet to do a FULL thyroid panel - not just a TSH and T4 (!!)…. your dog needs a *full* panel, which comprises of T3, FT3, T4, FT4 and T3&T4 Autoantibodies. It is most important that ALL of THOSE parameters are checked, so that the thyroid function can be *reliably* evaluated. - You have to bear in mind that a TSH and T4 (which is what vets usually check) will not show positive results until at least 75% of the thyroid gland is already destroyed. Symptoms, however, will appear months, even years (!) before that happens, and your dog will suffer.
If at all possible, please beg your vet to send the blood for a thyroid test to Dr. Jean Dodds in California.
Not only is it the cheapest way of going about it, but Dr. Dodds is (argueably) the world’s greatest expert on Hypothyroidism. If your dog is on its way to becoming hypothyroid, she will find out. You will not find many laboratories which will routinely do a full thyroid test.
One other thing … I don’t know what you are feeding your dog, but if it is kibble, please switch to - ideally - a raw meaty bone diet (BARF) or home cooked diet, or even some canned food. Kibble is grain based, and it is highly likely that your dog is allergic to grains. Dogs digestive systems are not designed to digest grains - at best they tolerate it. Grains are Carbohydrates, and carbohydrates turn into sugar - and yeast thrives on sugar !! A lot of the itching could be due to unsuitable food (kibble).
And one other consideration…. please do not even think about vaccinating your dog in the near future, as this could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back . If he has been vaccinated at least once or twice in his life, then he will probably have immunity for life anyway and any further vaccinations would make matters worse. Please read the following site too…
Very best of luck. Christina I