Help

[gypsyrose21]

Hi my staffy girl Gypsy has had hair loss and itchy skin for the past 9 mths,she has been skin scraped 4 times and has come back negative for mites,which is great but the vet can't tell us what is wrong.We live in the Northern Territory and really there aren't many vets up here.She has hair loss on her back legs around her eyes and a few bald patches on her back,she gets a bad rash under her arms and on her belly that comes and goes,and is always chewing her back feet.I would like to try anything instead of going to the vet as she doesn't like going there anymore.Please help Debbie

[puggy_puggy]

The hairloss around the eyes really does sounds like mange. I beleve that sometimes vets can not pick up the mites under the microscope if they do not scrape a deep enough sample.

Have you treated her with a product like Revolution that actually kills the mites?

Another reason could be what you feed her. Exaclty what food do you feed?

Many dogs are allergic to grains that are contained in many dry foods. By changing a dog onto a diet that does not include any grains at all (rice, wheat, oats etc) a large number of dogs have massive improvements in their skin issues.

I notice in your photo that your dog seems to be swimming in a dam or river. Sometimes dogs can get irritated by dirty/muddy water. Have you noticed that she is worse after she has been swimming?

Have you checked your yard for irritating plants such as Wondering Dew?

What has your vet prescribed to help your girl? Instead of cortisones you can try human antihistamines. I have found Claratyne to be effective on my dogs and other that I have looked after and would give 1 a day to your girl for at least a week and see if there is any improvement. Sometimes one particular antihistamine works better then another depending on the dog so you might have to try a few to find the right one.

Lastly what do you bath her in? Many people have found that Evening Primrose Oil Shampoo from Groomers Choice has helped their itchie doggies. http://www.groomersproducts.com.au/groomersproducts.htm

[Nekhbet]

if she is negative for mites are you using something like Advocate or Revolution? She could still have them but the product reduces numbers.

Also look at diet. Some dogs can be allergic to red meats, wheat and wheat relatives, colours, flavours etc so put her on an elimination diet if you have no already. I second the antihistamines, cortisone is not a long term fix at all. Phenergen is good and they sleep better on it too.

[stormie]

All those areas are also typical of atopy - dog allergies. I would still use a product like Revolution - every 2 weeks for about 6 weeks - just to be sure it's not sarcoptes.

Otherwise though it sounds like an allergy, whether it be environmental eg pollens, grasses, dust mites, or food.

Once you've ruled out scabies with the revolution, start a food elimination diet. You'll need to feed something that your dog has not ever had before and feed only that food for alteast 10-12weeks. If you see any changes and the itching decreases after this time, you can then start to challenge her with some of the foods she has previously eaten, one at a time, to see if this sets off the itching again.

Also try limiting her to only inside for a few weeks to see if the itching decreases. If possible, you can do the opposite and limit her to outside to see if there are any changes. This will help give you an idea as to whether the problem is coming from something inside or outside.

Are there any specialists up there? Maybe speak to your vet and see if you can get a referral to a dermatologist?

Goodluck!

[LauraJane]

i just went through a similar thing with my Staffy - and same deal limited vets here. I'm no expert but this is what we did.

We did 10 skin scapings and eventually found mite (and the vet had to dig deep). Used a demodex dip, but cause i was wary of it only used it on his bald patches. he hated it. We also washed him in Phyoex (sp?) weekly.

He also suffers from grass allergy i think. We wash his feet every afternoon before he comes inside with fresh water, dry throughly and apply a really light soothing cream ( i think the brand is PAW - all natural if i remember correct) his underarms we used a antibacterial anti itch from the pet shop.

Oh - and swapped his dry food to Royal Canine Sensitivity (for his treat balls/training etc) his main meals are raw meat /veggies etc and supplements.

Now, 4 months down the track and his hair has grown back and no itchy tum tum

Goodluck

[gypsyrose21]

Thank you for all your great advice I will definitly be trying food elimination loking at what you have written about dry food I think this could have something to do with it.

In the photo she is at the beach, that doesn't seem to bother her too much there she rubs her belly on the grass and not long after she has a rash given her anything she said I had to get back to her in a couple of weeks and she might have an answer,so I thought I would get on the net and ask if anyone has had the same problem .

We have checked the yard as when she goes out ter she has a rash, so we know it has something to do with grass alergy.I didn't know you could give her human antihistamines how much do I give her? Once again thank you she rubs her belly on the grass and not long afhasn't .The vet

The hairloss around the eyes really does sounds like mange. I beleve that sometimes vets can not pick up the mites under the microscope if they do not scrape a deep enough sample.

Have you treated her with a product like Revolution that actually kills the mites?

Another reason could be what you feed her. Exaclty what food do you feed?

Many dogs are allergic to grains that are contained in many dry foods. By changing a dog onto a diet that does not include any grains at all (rice, wheat, oats etc) a large number of dogs have massive improvements in their skin issues.

I notice in your photo that your dog seems to be swimming in a dam or river. Sometimes dogs can get irritated by dirty/muddy water. Have you noticed that she is worse after she has been swimming?

Have you checked your yard for irritating plants such as Wondering Dew?

What has your vet prescribed to help your girl? Instead of cortisones you can try human antihistamines. I have found Claratyne to be effective on my dogs and other that I have looked after and would give 1 a day to your girl for at least a week and see if there is any improvement. Sometimes one particular antihistamine works better then another depending on the dog so you might have to try a few to find the right one.

Lastly what do you bath her in? Many people have found that Evening Primrose Oil Shampoo from Groomers Choice has helped their itchie doggies. http://www.groomersproducts.com.au/groomersproducts.htm

[gypsyrose21]

Thank you for all your great advice I will definitly be trying food elimination loking at what you have written about dry food I think this could have something to do with it.

In the photo she is at the beach, that doesn't seem to bother her too much there she rubs her belly on the grass and not long after she has a rash given her anything she said I had to get back to her in a couple of weeks and she might have an answer,so I thought I would get on the net and ask if anyone has had the same problem .

We have checked the yard as when she goes out ter she has a rash, so we know it has something to do with grass alergy.I didn't know you could give her human antihistamines how much do I give her? Once again thank you

The hairloss around the eyes really does sounds like mange. I beleve that sometimes vets can not pick up the mites under the microscope if they do not scrape a deep enough sample.

Have you treated her with a product like Revolution that actually kills the mites?

Another reason could be what you feed her. Exaclty what food do you feed?

Many dogs are allergic to grains that are contained in many dry foods. By changing a dog onto a diet that does not include any grains at all (rice, wheat, oats etc) a large number of dogs have massive improvements in their skin issues.

I notice in your photo that your dog seems to be swimming in a dam or river. Sometimes dogs can get irritated by dirty/muddy water. Have you noticed that she is worse after she has been swimming?

Have you checked your yard for irritating plants such as Wondering Dew?

What has your vet prescribed to help your girl? Instead of cortisones you can try human antihistamines. I have found Claratyne to be effective on my dogs and other that I have looked after and would give 1 a day to your girl for at least a week and see if there is any improvement. Sometimes one particular antihistamine works better then another depending on the dog so you might have to try a few to find the right one.

Lastly what do you bath her in? Many people have found that Evening Primrose Oil Shampoo from Groomers Choice has helped their itchie doggies. http://www.groomersproducts.com.au/groomersproducts.htm

[Got Spots]

Hi

I have a whippet with I think a grass allergy.

Evening primrose oil shampoo - google it - available from "Groomers" in melb + prestige pets in Brish - has worked awesome. The lovely people at Groomers also suggested they had one dog whose skin struggled with salt water. This stuff smells great and settles the itch the next day plus no chemicals.

You can also get a EPO supplement.

Lovely smell to dog as well

There is an awesome forum here from westie mum about this stuff and the success she and others have had. Can't talk enough about it.

Also some success with people who have eczema and it improving with this shampoo.

[puggy_puggy]

Gypsyrose you didn't tell us if you had used any products that actually kill mange mites. I know that Revolution does.

As for the Anthistamine - 1 claratyne a day for

With the diet start by cutting out all grains and any processed treats such as smachos & even pigs ears.

[Staffyluv]

We use malaseb shampoo for washing (fortnightly) as our lad used to get grass allergy every year in spring and summer.

We also used to dilute it (one part shampoo to 30 parts water - but 50 parts water is fine too) and use that to bathe areas in between baths. I put some in a bucket and dip his paws in and use a soft cloth to wipe around his ears (dont get it in or near the eyes though).

He also has a diet that consists of mainly chicken/turkey/beef and fruit and veg - no cereal products at all. He has yoghurt or cottage cheese every couple of days with some flaxseed oil (a couple of teaspoons) - he thinks it is a treat and loves it.

His diet changed to the above when he was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and his allergies have been gone since his diet change.

[gypsyrose21]

Would chicken necks be o.k?If so how many? could to many necks be causing this?

[MiniMum]

Hi, we are currently going through the itcy/scratch thing with our dog and have recently started seeing a specialist.

It is awful seeing them so uncomfortable

The derm did say that chicken is one of the foods that dogs can be intollerant to. We have switched our dog to turkey necks instead and he does seem to chew himself less. But every dog is different.

I have read that when you are feeding your dog on raw foods the amount should be 2% - 3% of their body weight. But this is just a guide. An active dog may need a more than that.

There are also some plants around on top of grasses that can cause allergy problems with dogs http://www.dermcare.com.au/pdf/Wandering_Jew.pdf. OH and I had to pull some of them out of our garden and ended up really itchy/scratcy from contact with them ourselves

[sas]

My boy has some hairloss around the eyes although he rubs, does your dog rub its' face?

I've had success with 2 products:

Rufus & Coco Itchy skin Shampoo: http://shop.rufusandcoco.com.au/p-7-itch-relief.aspx

Eqyss Microtek Medicated Shampoo: http://www.eqyss.com/equine_microtek_shampoo.asp

Eqyss Microtek Spray: http://www.eqyss.com/equine_microtek_spray.asp

Pets on the park stock the Eqyss, it's currently not on their website so you'd have to e-mail them about it: [email protected]

Edited February 9, 2009 by sas