Auto-immune Condition

[jasnick]

My 5 year old Red Cloud Kelpie was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition a few months ago. Cause unknown. He had raw patches on his eyelids, inside his ears and on his muzzle that scabbed over. Then the scabs come off and it starts again. He was put on Macrolone 20mg and a couple of times the vet has tried to wean him off them by reducing the dose to 1/2 tablet every second day but when it gets to that stage, the condition flares up all over again and I have to increase the dosage. The vet has warned that this could be a long process.

My dog now wants to sleep outside every night instead of in his bed indoors. I don' t like the idea of this but he seems happy enough and won't stay inside at all at night. The vet says it could be that he is too warm inside.

Has anyone had any experience with this condition and its prognosis?

Thanks.

[wolfgirl]

I don't have any experience with Auto Immune Diseases of that nature but for one of my dogs who had cancer I built up his immune system with Noni Juice and the difference in his condition was great. Maybe do some research on this and see what natural alternatives you can use to boost his system.

Good Luck.

[Poodle wrangler]

I've only had some experience with the human kind.

In general, auto-immune diseases are complicated to treat.

They're not curable- so it's all about treating the symptoms. Lots of trial and error, so frequent vet visits and changes to medication

It tends to go in cycles of being OK, then flare-ups.

Steroid medications like Macrolone can give great results while the dog's on the drug, but have lots of side effects (weight gain, reduced immunity etc.).

You have to weigh this up against the distress caused by the autoimmune disease. I'm not suggesting he doesn't have Macrolone at all. Talk it over with the vet as stopping these medications suddenly can cause major problems- they have to be weaned gradually.

Best wishes for you and your kelpie.

[Ptolomy]

Can I ask when was your dog last vaccinated

[dogbesotted]

auto immune disease is tricky to treat. as others have said macrolone is a good short term treatment but does not address the underlying causes. I am assuming that it is discoid lupus which can be aggravated by exposure to sunlight.. so keeping your pup indoors during peak sunlight time is a ggod idea also using a good sunblock... experiument to find one that your dog tolerates and does not rub off.

maybe a consult with a reputable holistic vet will help.

I am a great believer in a multi pronged assessment for health issues.

[Mizzi]

I had a BC with degenerative immune disorder. She started out with scabs on her nose and cracked pads. My vet treated her with Macrolone and I rubbed Calendula cream into her nose daily. Eventually she lost all the black pigmentation from her nose. She was on and off Macrolone for about two years, before the condition suddenly cleared up totally. She even regained all the lost black pigment.

[Stitch]

I have a Dobe that was diagnosed with the same condition.

Because the immune system is compromised it is the skin that suffers because it is unable to cope with the various irritants that bombard it daily.

I have found that skin conditions are always worse in the warmer weather however I found that it can be controlled to a degree with diet.

I feed raw all natural but with this dog I have to also cut out any yeast in the diet plus a few other things. Wheat products of any sort need to be viewed with suspicion and definitely no artificial colourings or preservatives.

I also found that Livamol added to the diet improved the coat condition noticeably and reduced and changed the appearance of the skin condition.

I am still in the process of working through this problem but I am encouraged by the progress I have made so far as this dog lost 60% of its body coat 6mths ago.

Immunisation, flea control treatments, heartworm medication also are suspect when it comes to compromising the immune system but I cannot say to what degree.

Of course it is necessary to prevent heartworm and to control fleas but the immunisation side of things is something that can be reduced.

[jasnick]

Thank you everyone for all your comments and suggestions. I will take them all on board. Re the last vaccinations: the vet held off on doing these for a few months while he was on the Macrolone. When he decided we wouldn't wait any longer, I took Nicky off the medication for a few days before and after the injections. Back on again now.

I can see this is going to be a long-term proposition. The strange thing is I had a Rottweiler about 10 years ago who suddenly popped out in scabs on the nose, ears etc - took him to the vet (same vet) can't remember the treatment but I think it consisted of an injection and tablets and putting Betadine on the scabs and the condition cleared up in a matter of days never to return. Unfortunately, this was before the days of computer records so we can't check on the treatment. In that case I am sure it was caused by stick-fast fleas. With Nicky there is no apparent cause. There are no fleas on this block so he does not get any flea treatments and rarely sees any other dogs.

Thank you all again for your advice and replies.

[Ptolomy]

My breed suffers from auto-immune problems and if it was my dog it wouldn't be getting vaccinated again. I am surprised your vet did it!