coat and skin problem
My 1.5 yr old boy, Mickey, started to develop skin/coat problems a few months ago. I first noticed it when I was patting his back and I felt a patch of his coat had scabs. His coat was also dry with some flakes. It doesn't seem to bother him though as he does not seem to scratch or chew on himself any more than the norm. But the patch of scabs seemed to grow bigger and started to appear in different areas on his back and higher hind legs. I feed both Mickey and Mushu Blue Buffalo ever since they were puppies. Mushu's skin and coat look great but not Mickey's. I read in one of the discussions about people having good experience improving coat problems with grain free dog food such as with Wellness. So I switched them to Wellness core. The first few weeks Mickey's coat and skin seem to have improved dramatically. But it came back again after a couple of months. I then took him to the vet who prescribed 3 weeks worth of antibiotics. During the treatment, the patches were visibly getting smaller. But again, shortly after we finished all the prescribed antibiotics medication, the patches were back again. Throughout all this, even though Mickey and Mushu eat, sleep, and play together every day, Mushu's coat and skin remained fine so at least I know it is something specific to Mickey. Does anyone have any experience or suggestion on what I can do next to help improve Mickey's coat and skin condition? I really don't want to subject him to more antiobiotics treatment but I am eager to get rid of these patches of scabs.
thanks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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Could it be that he's allergic to something else? Is there a common ingredient in the BB and Wellness foods? Were you feeding him the same flavor? Not food related, have you changed cleaning products? Or changed anything that he could possibly have an allergy to?
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Permalink Reply by Mickey & Mushu & Essa on
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That's what I am wondering too. I have fed them chicken and fish but that didn't make a difference. What else have changed...hmmm.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Finnigan has a food allergy which caused digestive upset but not skin problems. He has scabs now that will come out with a tuft of hair but this I know if due to the groomer overdoing it with the brushing.
My in-laws' Corgi has very sensitive skin and does not tolerate being washed with any product at all. Nothing but water can go on his skin or he loses hair and develops scabs. I think this is something he's had all his life though so for your Corgi to develop this condition suddenly I would think points allergies or an infection. Did the vet not say what the cause was? He must have been thinking infection if he prescribed antibiotics.
Here's a site that discusses the common causes of skin irritation:
http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/why_does_my_dog_have_itchy_...
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Yes that is what the vet thinks. But 3 weeks worth of antibiotics is a lot in my mind. Because of the scabs, I reduced grooming frequency for Mickey significantly. Hoping to give the scabs time to heal. But it does not seem to help make the scabs go away completely
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Permalink Reply by christy fry on
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Adding a fish oil to your pets food should help with skin/coat issues you can buy human pills and feed them to them or pop the pill and squeeze it into their food. You can also but liqiud fish oil in a pump form from amazon they sell 3 different brands that are made specifically for canines which is what I use it's relatively cheap and they like it alot on the food. Nice oatmeal shampoos and leave-coat conditniors would help to moisturize the skin and coat from the outside also.
Cody(my lab) had a skin infection that took 4 different rounds of antibiotics to get rid of and sounds alot like this it was very frustrating going in and out of the vets because it would clear up he'd look fine for a week and then little patches would appear plus the expense of prolonged antibiotics and special shampoo/coat conditioners.
So you might have to experiment with different things and see which things he responds to good luck =)
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4 rounds of antibiotics. Yikes. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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My cat has a skin allergy and he gets scabs and bumps all over. They start small and spread apart and it gets worse and worse. Then he gets a steriod shot and the bumps start clearing up right away. He'll be good for awhile and then the whole thing starts all over again. The kitty gets a shot maybe 3 times a year, so it's not too bad. I don't know if this has anything to do with Mickey's condition, but it might be worth asking about.
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thanks for the tip
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Permalink Reply by Candy on
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You may want to check into possible allergies. Food is a common culprit. He may have a more pronounced reaction to flea bites. The scabs are likely from him scratching repeatedly and its kind of like a frustrated wound. If you pull off the scab (which I don't recommend)... and it will come off easily because the hair there will come off easily too... its all red and weepy... it cant seem to heal itself bc the dog will continue to scratch. My Bonni had skin allergies. Started right around when she was 3.... No need to pay to see an expensive doggie allergist (if there is such a word)... try some simple process of elimination to see if it will solve the problem. Look at the ingred of his food. Common things that dogs would be allergic to are: corn, wheat, soy, dairy, beef, chicken. Some protein in certain brand may be more antigenic. Try switching food to see if he improves. Another thing to consider is checking him for hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism in dogs often present with skin symptoms, in addition to others. Simple lab test can rule that out. Bonni turned out to be hypothyroid causing her skin condition (hair loss, patchyness, itchiness, etc). She is on thyroid replacement now, so things are better. Consider a sulfa-dog shampoo (Sulfodene) or the ointment. It helped with the itchness and redness. The ointment can be used on those scabby lesions, helps keep them comfortable... less itchy, and helps with healing.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the suggestions. The vet thought flea bites first too but he couldn't find any evidence of flea bites. There was one particularly large patch that the vet actually shaved off Mickey's fur to help it heal. It did recover after 3 weeks but it came back again...Process of elimination. Got it. I will give it a try. Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on
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If you want to see if it’s a food allergy there is a food called prescription diet Z/D ultra. You can purchase it at most animal hospitals. The food has a protein that is hydrolyzed, meaning broken down into a form that will not cause inflammation to the skin. It also has carbohydrates that are highly digestible. If Mickey has an allergy to the proteins or carbohydrates it should responded to this diet. The good thing about this diet is that you don’t have to try different food changes with different proteins and carbohydrates (Example: duck and potato, lamb and rice, etc) to see if it’s a true food allergy. I don’t know if you already know this but a diet should be fed for over 8 weeks until you start seeing a different with NO treats at this time..unless it also has the same ingredients as the food. Which prescription diet has one treat called hypoallergenic treats. This food is expensive but would be worth it if it’s a food allergy rather keeping your dog on steroids or antibiotics….=)
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that's very helpful tips. Thanks! I will talk to my vet about getting the z/d food
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