Spaniel skin problems?
PurpleStar asked:
I have an 11 year old black king charles spaniel and for a few years now he has had a rather severe skin problem where he itches and stratches his skin whilst ripping his fur out. He has been to the vets many times but with no solution as to what the problem is, he has been on special gluten-free diets with no success. Any ideas as to what the problem might be?
I have an 11 year old black king charles spaniel and for a few years now he has had a rather severe skin problem where he itches and stratches his skin whilst ripping his fur out. He has been to the vets many times but with no solution as to what the problem is, he has been on special gluten-free diets with no success. Any ideas as to what the problem might be?
dry skin? or it could be that it itches because after he rips the hair out, the hair has to grow back in and thats itchy, which makes him rip the hair out, and the cycle begins again Claire Bear
well mae sure he doesnt have any ticks???or bites??? give him a good bath?? maybe he has dry skin?? brush him,might help a little. asian_bon3crush3r
Wash him with a good conditioner Kaska
He has allergies. Talk to your vet about allergy shots. herberylong
I had a dog with the bizarre scatching issue that no vet could solve. Coal-Tar shampoo helped quite a bit, but your dog will smell like a tire factory. If you are willing to pay a bit more for food and aren’t disgusted by your dog eating nasty things the raw diet worked the best for her. The prednisilone (sp?) that the vet prescribed eventually led to her demise. I wish you lots of luck as I know how hard it is to watch your dog suffer with itchy skin all the time. nicknamehere
What causes skin problems
The most common culprits include:
* Allergies to substances such as food, pollen, cleaners, or even flea saliva. Keep your dog away from caustic products such as carpet cleaners or lawn treatments. A vet can help pinpoint the cause and prescribe medicines to relieve the itching.
* Infections from cuts or flea bites, or bacterial or fungal infections. These sorts of problems all require professional diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.
* Too-frequent baths, regular or prolonged swimming in dirty water or highly chlorinated pools, and exposure to environmental hazards.
* Flea and tick bites, which can quickly turn into infections and bigger problems. Be sure to practice good flea and tick control. arvin
If you give your dog a bath regularly (1-3 times a month) then that can give them dry skin.
It’s better to just give it a bath maybe … once every 6 months bubbly boo2
Your dog is 11!!Did you think about that?? garfield123
It is probably a rash of some kind. One of my dogs used to do that he wouldn’t have any hair half way up his back. There is a shampoo called Sulfidene and there is also an oil of the same name . It is a medicated shampoo for skin irritations. Use the shampoo then twice a day apply the oil. Within a a week my dog was clearing up and the condition never came back it took about a month for the hair to start completly growing back. I have recommended this to several of my friends and it worked for all of them. You can get it at a pet store and walmart carries it now. Listerine is also good for skin conditions. However I do not recommend this if the dog has opened up the skin as it burns. Daisey Duck
These mysterious skin conditions are the very devil to sort out. Is there a vet in your practice who specialises in skin problems? Mine has one, although I’ve not put her to the test - yet! I assume your vet has done skin scrapes just to rule out parasites? I think, at this age, I’d be looking at something more to do with his overall condition. After all the skin is the biggest organ in the body, and quite often this sort of condition isn’t down to any external problem to do with the skin, but more to do with something that’s going on with his overall constitution. Has he been castrated - sometimes the skin reacts to a hormonal problem.
Sounds as if you have gone down many roads so far with this lad and I really can’t add any more suggestions, other than maybe take a second opinion, and find a vet who does specialise in skin problems? An itching dog is a miserable dog, so I hope you can get to the bottom of this. MamaB
If you have insurance I would suggest getting a blood test for all allergens.
Assuming it may be an allergy then gluten is only one of thousands of causes.
He could be allergic to any number of foods, grasses, pollens, trees, plants, fleas, house dustmites etc etc etc!
Skin problems are a nightmare to sort and can take months to solve, I would have a chat with your vet about trying to isolate the allergy with a blood test. Gartom