Skin and fur problems - an ongoing saga

by ***Karen*** Tue Feb 19 2013, 10:53

Hi everyone, long time no post and unfortunately it's not great news! I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions as to things we could try because I'm fed up of seeing my little Mia poorly!

Before Xmas she was put on antibiotics and fuciderm (sp?) cream for 3 weeks to clear up some little bumps which appeared under her chin

It calmed them down but they're not completely gone, however in the meantime we told the vet she'd been licking her paws a lot and so we thought it was a food allergy.

Vets put her on wafcol salmon and potato exclusively, no treats no nothing, it's been 6 weeks on this diet now and the bumps on her chin are still there but not as bad, but her fur is awful, there's next to none on her whole underside, she's thin on her chest and head, her skin on her head seems a bit flakey too, and she is still licking her paws a lot and causing some fur loss there too.

We've been rubbing coconut oil on her and the fur she has got looks lovely, her skin on the whole is fine, it's not red or sore

The other thing is the heating is on in the house, and we have been doing some major DIY including knocking down a wall and lots of plastering so there has been a lot of dust and upheaval in the last two weeks which I guess are two things which may not be helping her

I'm reluctant to bath her incase it strips out natural oils, but I have given her a good brush this morning to try and help, she's going to the vets on Thursday but any advice in the meantime would be appreciated!
Thanks!

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 10:56

Have you thought about raw feeding?

by ***Karen*** Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:07

Its crossed my mind but oh isn't keen on having lots of raw meat around, I think it's because we've got a baby due in 3 weeks so he's worried about the hygiene plus we'd need the extra space for storing it all!
It's a consideration for the future though failing anything else!

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:08

Hi Karen,

You are both having a shocker aren't you? Sad

The only thing I would suggest that maybe you could ask your vet is Malassezia. The reason I say this is because a few weeks, maybe a month or so Logan was getting VERY itchy around his ears and sides of his head. He was also licking his feet uncontrollably, until he actually got so much hair on his tongue/throat he was choke!

I brought him to the vet initially about the licking thing months and months ago and they said it wasn't to do with health and it was behaviour. I thought this was a bit odd and didn't totally trust it. So I brought him back to the vets to speak to the vet I always speak to.

He took a swob of his skin, in his ear etc. He told me that Malassezia has been common in Staffies for him. It is a yeast infection where the yeast that exists naturally takes advantage of the host (Logan) and makes him itchy etc. He phoned me later that night to say that he has found Malassezia under the microscope in it's early stage and it is very easy to treat at this stage. However, he said if I hadn't dealt with it he could have experienced hair loss etc.

He gave me a medicine to give him for 7-10 days and it totally went away. Even his paw licking Surprised

Maybe you could ask this. I'm not sure if it will help, but I hope it does Smile

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:10

We had similar issues with Suki. We got an allergy test done and than just experimented until we found a food that worked. Their allergies can also change as they age so it's something you always have to monitor

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:11

If it is yeast based, then adding a few drops of Apple Cider Vinegar to food & drinking water can make quite a difference.

by ***Karen*** Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:28

Thanks guys, I'll definitely ask the vet about malassezia so far they haven't done any official testing so I think that'll be Thursdays mission!
Fingers crossed!

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:31

If it is, from what I was told it is very easy treated/managed. And from reading your story it reminded me of some of the stories I read of others who had experienced it.

If you can ask them to take a swob/sample and test that would be good

I'm hoping that will help Smile

by **goldie87** Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:43

jstaff wrote:We had similar issues with Suki. We got an allergy test done and than just experimented until we found a food that worked. Their allergies can also change as they age so it's something you always have to monitor

I had the same problem as jstaff, I've had Zeus for a year and he's constantly been itching/scratching/having irritable/red skin. I changed so many foods I've lost count (Wafcol, Fish4Dogs, Wainwrights, Applaws) and none of them did the trick.

I've just recently moved him onto Orijen and (touchwood) it seems to be working, he's not scratching as much and his skin looks better, the paw licking has stopped too. It could well be the food. We also stopped giving him treats as most of them have all sorts in them, the only treats he gets now is carrots which we dice up and put in a container in the fridge and charcoal biscuits to stop him from farting and aid his digestion.

As Caryll said too, I also put apple cider vinegar in his food, I use salmon oil and also give him 2/3 eggs a week in his food (not all at the same time, different feeds), all of which are meant to help his skin/coat.

by ***Karen*** Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:45

Just had a quick google and I'm really hoping this is the problem especially as she licks around her bum and vulva sometime too, making ideal breeing ground for the yeast!
only thing she doesn't seem to have is any ear infections but then again I'm not complaining!
Apparently (from the very limited research I've just done) it can be aggregated by food allergies too so it all looks promising, not that I want her to have something wrong it'll just be a relief to be able to treat it and clear it up for her!
Thanks again!

by Guest Tue Feb 19 2013, 11:48

*Karen* wrote:Just had a quick google and I'm really hoping this is the problem especially as she licks around her bum and vulva sometime too, making ideal breeing ground for the yeast!
only thing she doesn't seem to have is any ear infections but then again I'm not complaining!
Apparently (from the very limited research I've just done) it can be aggregated by food allergies too so it all looks promising, not that I want her to have something wrong it'll just be a relief to be able to treat it and clear it up for her!
Thanks again!

I think it is common around the ears possibly but doesn't have to be part of it. I also read that any food that has grains in it can make it flare up worse. So I have Logan on grain free James Wellbeloved just incase it would ever come back.

(I don't know if the grain thing is totally valid, just people experiences online)

by ***Karen*** Fri Feb 22 2013, 09:49

Well went to vets last night, mentioned possibility of a yeast infection but vet didn't seem to think so, apparently we would smell it really bad on her but I'm a bit disappointed that they wouldn't actually check for it

Anyway she did take bloods and is phoning me later with results, she suspects maybe a hormone imbalance could be causing the hair loss seeing as there is no obvious skin irritation.

Very frustrating and £95 later still no definite solution! Fingers crossed they call later with something conclusive!

by Guest Fri Feb 22 2013, 09:53

*Karen* wrote:Well went to vets last night, mentioned possibility of a yeast infection but vet didn't seem to think so, apparently we would smell it really bad on her but I'm a bit disappointed that they wouldn't actually check for it

Anyway she did take bloods and is phoning me later with results, she suspects maybe a hormone imbalance could be causing the hair loss seeing as there is no obvious skin irritation.

Very frustrating and £95 later still no definite solution! Fingers crossed they call later with something conclusive!

At least they took the blood samples and it'll give a good indication if there's anything hidden. Surprised they wouldn't take a swob/sample but they would know a lot better than me tbh. I didn't smell anything of Logan all the same.

Hoping you get some positive answers today then Smile

by **Jackieb** Fri Feb 22 2013, 10:58

I've been going thru skin and coat issues with Tank for a while. He currently is semi recovering from folliculitis. He is on his 4th week of antibiotics, and looking to be on them for at least another 2, as u have to carry on treatment one week over symptoms clearing up.
Anyway, he had fur loss because of the spots...he looked like a moth eaten chicken.
He has been tested for:
Demodex
Ringworm
Thyroid probs
And all hormones tested

Everything has come bk clear, thankfully.

Anyway... For the last 6weeks I've changed a few things.

1:he is raw fed a natures menu 'complete meal' twice a day.
2: a egg a day
3: apple cider vinegar - a tablespoon once a day
4: missing link supplement for skin and coat
5: Etiderm bath once a week
6: pet nat skin conditioning spray - used maby 3 times a day - it's natural oils, colloidal silver based spray. Anti fungal, antibacterial....

Over this last week it's like a switch has come on and his skin is so much better and fur growing back beautifully.

I'm convinced his body was out of wack, and being a blue dog it's guaranteed to be a pain with skin n coat issues.

Anyway, he's improving now and I'm very relieved !

by **Sazzle** Fri Feb 22 2013, 13:20

My vet said melatonin promotes hair growth and helps with hormones (Seasonal flank disorder), although I think the hair loss starts on the back end with that.

by **hollymolly** Fri Feb 22 2013, 15:49

*Karen* wrote:Hi everyone, long time no post and unfortunately it's not great news! I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions as to things we could try because I'm fed up of seeing my little Mia poorly!

Before Xmas she was put on antibiotics and fuciderm (sp?) cream for 3 weeks to clear up some little bumps which appeared under her chin

It calmed them down but they're not completely gone, however in the meantime we told the vet she'd been licking her paws a lot and so we thought it was a food allergy.

Vets put her on wafcol salmon and potato exclusively, no treats no nothing, it's been 6 weeks on this diet now and the bumps on her chin are still there but not as bad, but her fur is awful, there's next to none on her whole underside, she's thin on her chest and head, her skin on her head seems a bit flakey too, and she is still licking her paws a lot and causing some fur loss there too.

We've been rubbing coconut oil on her and the fur she has got looks lovely, her skin on the whole is fine, it's not red or sore

The other thing is the heating is on in the house, and we have been doing some major DIY including knocking down a wall and lots of plastering so there has been a lot of dust and upheaval in the last two weeks which I guess are two things which may not be helping her

I'm reluctant to bath her incase it strips out natural oils, but I have given her a good brush this morning to try and help, she's going to the vets on Thursday but any advice in the meantime would be appreciated!
Thanks!

Hiya Karen... I too was going through the exact same problems skin & coat wise so i took Sky the vets who said get her insured as its gunna cost me a small fortune to get her allergy tested & blood tested (which i did !!) but by chance i done alot of research and found a product called 'Dermacton Spray' which i use twice a a day and give her a supplement called 'Viacutan Plus' 3 tabs a day and her coat is soft and looking lush and her skin is no longer dry/flaky... So these 2 products have brought my Sky back to being a happy content doggy and hopefully saved me a vet bill of approx £300-£400 ... give them a try as theyv'e been a god send for Sky..

Am gunna put her then & now pics up in abit so check them out ...x

by ***Karen*** Fri Feb 22 2013, 17:03

Wow the pics look great thanks for sharing!
Still waiting to hear from the vet but will be ordering the spray soon as possible.

I believe we're to continue her strict food diet at the moment so will hold off on supplements but really pleased to hear it worked so well for your Sky!

by Guest Sat Feb 23 2013, 12:41

Well? Didya hear anything from them yesterday?

by ***Karen*** Sat Feb 23 2013, 12:51

Oops sorry didnt want to bore everyone wit the details!

Bloods were all normal so that's good but I was a bit peeved to have paid nearly £100 for the pleasure of finding that out!!

Vet said next thing would be to sedate her to take skin scrapings and some other bits, but that she didn't want to do that yet incase it was all just to do with the food allergy and stress or seasonal related, so we're basically waiting to see if it magically heals itself!

Anyway on a positive note the dermacton spray is on it's way so hopefully this will work and at least I know it won't just be masking a deeper problem!

by Guest Sat Feb 23 2013, 12:53

You'll def not bore us by letting us know, we'd all be waiting to hear! Smile

I saw that link for that spray too yesterday, looks fantastic!

I think skin scrapings/samples etc is def the next way forward if there is no big improvement. But lets all hope the spray works for you just as well!

by **hollymolly** Sun Feb 24 2013, 13:02

*Karen* wrote:Oops sorry didnt want to bore everyone wit the details!

Bloods were all normal so that's good but I was a bit peeved to have paid nearly £100 for the pleasure of finding that out!!

Vet said next thing would be to sedate her to take skin scrapings and some other bits, but that she didn't want to do that yet incase it was all just to do with the food allergy and stress or seasonal related, so we're basically waiting to see if it magically heals itself!

Anyway on a positive note the dermacton spray is on it's way so hopefully this will work and at least I know it won't just be masking a deeper problem!

I was told the exact same thing from my vet 'wer'e gunna need to sedate Sky an do some skin scraping and a wide range of blood tests and possibly a skin biopsy if she doesn't improve'... Well thats when i went home an done alot of checking up & research an came up with the Dermacton Spray & the Viacutan Plus tabs ... i just thought i'll try them atleast to see if anything changes or improves and i can't believe the difference in just 3 wks of starting them..
Fingers xd you get the same result i got and you save yourself a small fortune at the vets ...x

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