Skin Condition On Neck

[dee lee]

Wobbly, my girl (staffyx) started with the same patchy hair loss and lumpy skin but on her head.

After our fleas got worse she scratched it and it got larger, scabby and inflamed.

I spent $200 last week at the vets to ask what my dogs bald scabby patch on her head was! I got 2weeks worth of antibiotics, a fungal test, some iodine (for $13!!!!) and an "I dont know what it is but I dont think its mange".

Was told to call him in 2 weeks if no progress and he'll do a scrape (hope I dont have to, he says it involves a day stay and sedation- is this right?).

Ten days on its less inflamed and some peripheral hair has grown back but we are back to the dry scaly skin. No fungal infection though.

It doesnt look at all like that GSD on the website.

What is going on with all these skin conditions!!!

[Muttaburra]

Sorry everyone if I am repeating something here, haven't read all the posts.

Sas, I would recommend getting rid of that collar, it could be spreading a Staphylococcal infection over inflamed skin. Is it possible to change to some collars that can be washed, or keep the collar off until the infection and rash has stopped.

Allergies can appear as a rash and then pustules, but normally this can resolve quite quickly if treated properly.

Once you get sores and scabbing for an extended period then that can mean a secondary bacterial Staphylococcal infection has set in. This bacteria is normally present on the skin but causes problems once it gets into open woulds and grazes etc. The Cortisone is not the solution for this case, cortisone will help with anti-inflammatory issues (early on with an allergy) but also reduces the auto-immune system making it hard to fight off infections.

CavsRcute

I had a similar problem about 5 years ago. The vet gave me chlorhexidine to wash the dog in twice a week. It's the stuff that surgeons used to wash their hands with before operating. It's pink in colour and worked a treat

At this point I would be looking at something like CavsRcute, the chlorhexidine will fight the staph infection. Get her off the cortisone ASAP, its not helping this problem in this case. You might also look at putting some Manuka honey on it too, it is anti-bacterial and promotes healing. Woolies has it in the health food section for around $10, look for the ones that are "active".

[sas]

Zayda - Jarrahs under a year old, and they said on the page link that prognosis for juveniles with dem is good, so not too worried about the dem in particular, but it gave me a shock because I've been so blase about this - it's been there for about 3 weeks and I've not seen a vet because I assumed it wasn't anything major b/c it hasn't been bothering her. But major problems can start as minor ones like this if they aren't treated, I should have got onto it ASAP - got a bit of a reality check there with that link.

SAS did you ask your vet about anithistamines? I wish I could be more help to you and Dante, poor guy, itchy skin is maddening.

Antihistamines were the first thing we tried, tried different brands, unfortunately turns out he's one of those dogs that they don't work on.

Edited April 12, 2008 by sas

[sas]

Hi Sas,

I cant help with a cure for the lumps but I can offer advice on the allergy blood test. We have a GSD bitch who 12 months ago had such bad allergies that almost all her hair came out, she was covered in scabs and her ears were sore, her feet were chewed to the bone almost. We had the SPOT blood test done and started on the de-sensitizing injections on 28th Sept 2007. Now she is off all cortizone, has grown her hair back, no longer chews her feet and her ears are only occasionally itchy. The only time I find she starts to get a bit itchy is about a week before her next injection is due but we give her a polaramine and it settles her. Some may say that the blood test is no good but I have living proof in my bitch that it can work. Its worth a try, a lot cheaper than the intra-dermal testing AND a lot less invasive to the dog and he doesnt have to come off cortisone for the testing to be done. Also the SPOT test can test for food allergies whereas the intra-dermal cant. Good Luck!

It's great to hear a positive story! I'm glad you're girl is more comfortable now!

Do you mind if I ask out of curiosity:

What your girl was allergic too?

How much was the Spot Test?

How long did the test take to come back?

How much are the ongoing injections?

How long was it before you could take her off the Cortisone?

Sorry for delay in replying, busy busy ,busy!

Hmm what wasnt she allergic too! I did post it somewhere else on here...looking looking..ahh found it!

Couch Grass, Paspalum,Orchard,Canary Grass,Johnson Grass, Dock/Sheep Sorrel, English Plantain,Oilseed Rape,Juniper/Cedar, Box Elder/Maple, Privet, Willow, Aspergillus,Alternaria, Cladosportum, Pullataria,Nigrospora, Cat hair, House dust mites, Chicken, Eggs, Milk, Turkey, Oatmeal, Barley,Tomato Pomace,Peas, Pyrethrum, Tobacco Smoke, House Fly and Malassezia.

Spot test cost $495.00

Test had to go to USA, took approx 2 weeks to return

Ongoing injections, first course which we are on now (9 months) was $525 but she has to have 2 lots of injections as she has so many allergies.

We had her off the cortisone by December but she was still on the polaramine until Feb this year. Now its only occasionally she needs a polaramine.

I was bathing her twice a week in Malaseb, which I honestly think helped heaps. She still gets a bath every couple of weeks and we now have to use the dryer as she has so much more hair

Good luck with your boy and the best advice I can give you is to be totally vigilant with the programme. I dont feed her ANY of the things she is allergic to, I even make her own dog biscuits as so many of them have some form of chicken in for flavouring. They cant make a serum to desensitize the food allergies., makes sense I guess as you can eliminate these.

The injections get easier also when you've done them a few times.

Let us know what the test reveals.

Wowee, that's a lot to be allergic too. We didn't do the $495 blood test, we did the $240 one as that is what I could manage at the time. Did you have to be off the Cortisone for the American test?

Interesting about the tobacco smoke, I had wondered about that myself as second hand smoke has a shit load of chemicals in it.

Hopefully the blood test should be back next week, I'll get the $495 one when I have some more $$$

Edited April 12, 2008 by sas

[sas]

It looks very like dalmatian bronzing and as the colour patterns are similar could be the same. I have known some dally owners who have had success in treating it by zinc supplement and curash

http://www.thedca.org/derm.html

Yep, we used the Zinc / curash, it just made the area moist which allwowed it to spread

You use curash powder not the cream and zinc as a dietary supplement.. The curash powder helps to dry it out.

Where do you get the Curash powder from? Dante was on Zinc Supplements for about 6 months without any change.

[sas]

Sorry everyone if I am repeating something here, haven't read all the posts.

Sas, I would recommend getting rid of that collar, it could be spreading a Staphylococcal infection over inflamed skin. Is it possible to change to some collars that can be washed, or keep the collar off until the infection and rash has stopped.

Allergies can appear as a rash and then pustules, but normally this can resolve quite quickly if treated properly.

Once you get sores and scabbing for an extended period then that can mean a secondary bacterial Staphylococcal infection has set in. This bacteria is normally present on the skin but causes problems once it gets into open woulds and grazes etc. The Cortisone is not the solution for this case, cortisone will help with anti-inflammatory issues (early on with an allergy) but also reduces the auto-immune system making it hard to fight off infections.

CavsRcute

I had a similar problem about 5 years ago. The vet gave me chlorhexidine to wash the dog in twice a week. It's the stuff that surgeons used to wash their hands with before operating. It's pink in colour and worked a treat

At this point I would be looking at something like CavsRcute, the chlorhexidine will fight the staph infection. Get her off the cortisone ASAP, its not helping this problem in this case. You might also look at putting some Manuka honey on it too, it is anti-bacterial and promotes healing. Woolies has it in the health food section for around $10, look for the ones that are "active".

He only wears a collar when I need it on him i.e. if we're going somewhere etc. He has a check chain for Showing and a cloth collar as his general collar when we go somewhere.

Just in regards to your comment on the Cortisone, he is on a safe dose that does not prevent him from fighting infections etc.

[Wobbly]

Sorry I didn't get to reply earlier, had a house full of Mr Wobbly's sisters visiting from Ireland, (Jarrah is in love with them). Well it's not mange or mites. Yay!!!!!

The vet thinks its most likely an allergic reaction she has had (but not currently active) - it's possibly linked to an allergy that has caused her eyes to discharge (I took her to the vet for this when it blew up into conjunctivitis about 6 weeks ago). When I took her in for that, she also had a rash on her belly which I got some cream for then - the two issues, eyes and skin have appeared to be be concurrent twice now - she had a clear eye discharge about a month ago too, but her eyes have been clear the last fortnight, and the skin issue has not worsened in the last 2 or three weeks.

Provided the skin issue isn't causing any bother, the vet is less worried about her skin and more her eyes - if the discharge from her eyes resumes at all I need to bring her in, he can check then if the conditions are linked then and we can narrow down causes. (interestingly the eye improvement has corresponded with no more walking in Strickland State Forest, which is full of weeds). Hopefully we're in the clear now, I just need to keep a good eye on her.

Sas - I hope Dante is feeling OK this week, our breeds both have very short fur - they seem a lot more sensitive skinned than dogs with thicker coats. Perhaps there might be a change as the weather cools down and that might enable you to at least narrow down the field of causes? Give him a good belly rub from me - I really hope you find a solution to this issue ASAP.

[twogrs]

sas - the Curash is in supermarkets and chemists - in the baby section.

White talcum powder style container.

its just the nappy rash powder for babies. Lots of people swear by it.

You can sprinkle it on hotspots, dries them out nicely.

Oh and also it comes in a cream too - but that doesn't dry out hotspots. So avoid that one

[k9katz]

Wowee, that's a lot to be allergic too. We didn't do the $495 blood test, we did the $240 one as that is what I could manage at the time. Did you have to be off the Cortisone for the American test?

Interesting about the tobacco smoke, I had wondered about that myself as second hand smoke has a shit load of chemicals in it.

Hopefully the blood test should be back next week, I'll get the $495 one when I have some more $$$

My vet didnt mention a $240 test, just the USA one and no she didnt have to be off the cortisone for it. Here is a link for you to read and hopefully it might be of interest to others, some vets may not know this is an option. http://www.vetallergy.com/index2.html

[puggy_puggy]

I was going to suggest antihistamines to Sas but just read that was the first hing you tried. Claratyne ( the human stuff) seems to work great for my pug and a few others I know that have been itching themselves to death.

Maybe it would be a good idea to go back to a full BARF diet. I have noted the amazing change in coat and the fact that my itchie pug is really no longer that itchie since I started on a full BARF diet a few months ago.

Trying the Groomers Choice EPO Shampoo might be an idea as well.

[sas]

Dante is a week into his full raw diet. His stools are amazing LOL It's funny to say that. he's always had soft stools or really really soft stools.

Also giving him some yoghurt in the evenings.

Allergy blood test is due back this week.

I've been reccomended to see a vet named Karen at North Richmond, apprantly a Dane specialist. I looked her up and she's quite into skin disorders.

Have been doing some research into Dante's lines too and found something that may help me pin point the issue.

[Clyde]

Hedburg?

[sas]

Hedburg?

That's the one!

[sas]

Hiya, here's an update.

Went and saw Karen Hedberg on Saturday, she wanted to test his Thyroid, the results came back today and his Thyroid is functioning very well. She has put him on some anti-biotics for 2 weeks and will re-assess after that.

Allergy blood tests came back today, all reading....would you believe it....ZERO!!! Vet asked us to come back and take more blood so they can send to a different Lab.

[The Spotted Devil]

Crikey, sas - you've got your work cut out with this one!!!!

Thanks for the update....I was wondering how everything was going. Out of curiosity, apart from failing to clear up the skin issues, how did the vege diet go?

[sas]

Crikey, sas - you've got your work cut out with this one!!!!

Thanks for the update....I was wondering how everything was going. Out of curiosity, apart from failing to clear up the skin issues, how did the vege diet go?

No dramas, but no cure either.

[k9katz]

Hiya, here's an update.

Went and saw Karen Hedberg on Saturday, she wanted to test his Thyroid, the results came back today and his Thyroid is functioning very well. She has put him on some anti-biotics for 2 weeks and will re-assess after that.

Allergy blood tests came back today, all reading....would you believe it....ZERO!!! Vet asked us to come back and take more blood so they can send to a different Lab.

Sas where did your vet send the blood test to? Even the things my dog isnt allergic to had a score with the lowest being 103. They state anything between 0 - 149 is a negative result. Did your vet show you a copy of the results?

If your vet is saying they want to take more blood and send it somewhere different I'd be a bit supsicious, hope they dont charge you for that extra test.

You could also try washing the affected area twice a week in Malaseb, I think it helped my girl a lot, just make sure you rinse thoroughly as it can actually iritate if left on.

Another topical treatment I found is pure emu oil, wont do any harm and might actually help:) I use it on the inside flaps of her ears if they get dry and itchy, works a treat.

[nillasdad]

Hmmm, sounds like an expensive nightmare...

Skin conditions can be like that, our dally has lumps on her backlegs, her shoulders and on her sides. As I'm not showing and they aren't bothering her I'm not doing anything about them. Some people say it's the bronzing dallies get but the skin never breaks and they're only lightly coloured. Bronzing indicates a too much protein/purine in the diet, she is on homemade well researched BARF and get's more vegs nowadays then meat (chicken mainly).

Here is a pic:

Edited April 25, 2008 by seagate

[Frodo]

http://www.thedca.org/derm.html

It looks very like what's known in the UK as 'Dally Rash'. Owners have tried all sorts of treatments and in the end the best treatment for it has been found to be .... nothing! Leave it well alone and it goes away by itself in a few weeks.

[sas]

Hiya, here's an update.

Went and saw Karen Hedberg on Saturday, she wanted to test his Thyroid, the results came back today and his Thyroid is functioning very well. She has put him on some anti-biotics for 2 weeks and will re-assess after that.

Allergy blood tests came back today, all reading....would you believe it....ZERO!!! Vet asked us to come back and take more blood so they can send to a different Lab.

Sas where did your vet send the blood test to? Even the things my dog isnt allergic to had a score with the lowest being 103. They state anything between 0 - 149 is a negative result. Did your vet show you a copy of the results?

If your vet is saying they want to take more blood and send it somewhere different I'd be a bit supsicious, hope they dont charge you for that extra test.

You could also try washing the affected area twice a week in Malaseb, I think it helped my girl a lot, just make sure you rinse thoroughly as it can actually iritate if left on.

Another topical treatment I found is pure emu oil, wont do any harm and might actually help:) I use it on the inside flaps of her ears if they get dry and itchy, works a treat.

Nope, didn't charge us a thing for a second test.

No idea where they sent the 1st one too. Yep I have a copy.....mmm somewhere LOL It was for a reading out of 3.

Malaseb doesn't agree with Dante sometimes, it makes the area inflamed and red.