skin problems with a shih tzu?
foreverana asked:
I have a 1 yr old shih tzu. She is a loving sweet dog, but is prone to skin problems, she gets an itchy spot and will scratch it, until it bleeds. Other times she is fine. I have taken her to the vet, who tested and prescribed antibiotics, which eventually worked. But the breakouts come again. Nothing in paticular seems to set them off. I have her flea treated and take her to the groomer regularly to keep her hair short. I’ve tried everything. Anyone have any insight on this? Thank you
I have a 1 yr old shih tzu. She is a loving sweet dog, but is prone to skin problems, she gets an itchy spot and will scratch it, until it bleeds. Other times she is fine. I have taken her to the vet, who tested and prescribed antibiotics, which eventually worked. But the breakouts come again. Nothing in paticular seems to set them off. I have her flea treated and take her to the groomer regularly to keep her hair short. I’ve tried everything. Anyone have any insight on this? Thank you
Tell the vet to get you a cream that puts off the itchiness and heels the wound. You need it long term because shih tzu’s get skin conditions easily. Esp if you’re living in a place with hot weather. Does the itchy spot seem flaky and dry? If it is, it’s scabies. You need to cut those dry parts off and get the cream on or it’ll not heal quickly and properly. Get her nails trimmed too because of all the scratching. Peiton
The most common issue is staph infections. Don’t panic, it is not the bad staph that you read about where people die. Dogs naturally have some staph on their skin, but sometimes due to allergies and other conditions, the staph goes crazy and becomes an infection. Some dogs get them all of the time and have to be on meds year round. Ask your vet if it is a staph infection for sure, then if it is, there are several things you can do. There are shampoos and leave on conditioners you can get and use weekly. This will help a lot. Your dog should have an antibiotic, usually cephalexin is best, or a new injection called Convenia is great because the injection lasts up to 2 weeks. Also antihistamines can help with the itch. If your dogs gets these infections often enough, you may have to do these treatments every 1-2 months. Remember to give ALL of the medicine, if you stop it will get worse again. Good luck! jvtech
There is some speculation that vaccines can cause skin issues in dogs. You might want to take a few years off from vaccination and see if the problem improves. You can have your dogs titers (antibodies) tested to make sure she is still covered for the diseases. Chances are, she is. Studies have shown that all vaccines for dogs last a minimum of 3 years. For some dogs, the immunity lasts a life time. Vaccines are immuno-suppressing and can cause auto-immune disorders. This might be what happened with your dog.
disclaimer!
I know vaccines are a controversial subject. I have a son who is vaccine injured, so I take the issue seriously. I am not anti-vaccine, but I am against one-size-fit-all mass-vaccination. Vaccination should always be individualized with the risk vs. benefit ratio taken into consideration. mom2gymbrat