Danois Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I am a bit stuck at the moment as to what is going on with Boo's coat. He is supposed to be a black dog and was until about 7 months and since then he has been more chocolate brown on his sides but stays black on the topline, tail and head etc. Sunbaking can be ruled out generally as he is like this even in winter and he does not spend a lot of time outside. He's now 17 months. I have tried using special black coat shampoos which would deal with it if sunbleaching but without any change. He does shed a lot and he gets frequent brushing with a curry comb and occasionally a stripping brush. Diet is currently Eagle Pack Fish. We have tried several other super premiums and even Bonnie without any change. His coat seems quite thin. Might also be relevant that he does get anxiety. The photos show what his skin has just done - the day I dropped him off at the kennels for several days he came up all lumpy - like hives but they went down with phenergen but he has been left with his skin looking like that shown. Seems confined to his hind quarters. he still has a few lumps there - they are only raised - not red, infected etc - nothing squeezable! In addition - for a while now he has had these leopard spots around his topline. The other thing at the moment is his topline - the hair here is thicker and longer and black but when you brush it backwards, there seems to be bald areas. He has been a dog which has been hard to keep weight on from the start and I am sure that there is some diet component to the coat so am waiting to see if the eagle pack changes this. He is now getting a larger dose of fish oils. Last month he went through an itchy phase - cannot determine whether it is seasonal allergy as it is short lived and coincides with trees in my street in flower (he gets the red eyes too) or whether he reacts more than usual to fleas - he had a few despite treatment. He's been home 2 days now and no itching. So - anyone experienced anything like this and what treatments etc helped? I'd love him to have the nice glossy black coat he is supposed to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Has he had a thyroid test Danois? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Girl Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Have your tried an allergy elimination diet or have allergy testing from a vet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 Thanks for your comments. Having done a little reading re thyroid just now I will speak with my vet about that as a first stop and then head down the allergy testing path if further testing is required. - have just been having a chat to sas about that path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Has he had a thyroid test Danois? That's the first one I'd do. He was not looking that bad last time I saw him, his coat was faded but the overall texture and condition was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Girl Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 We had a dog that had allergies, we did a food allergy elimination diet first, but it ended up being grass. always try the diet elimination first as it is the cheapest and easiest to do, and many dogs are allergic to poultry and beef, and whats in most dog food? If you haven't done it before, you have to choose 2 food types that your dog has never had before, kangaroo is good, perhaps with one vegie or rice, but not wheat/oats which tend to be in dog food. They need to be on this diet for 8 weeks with absolutely not other food allowed. Get kangaroo fillet and cut it into stips and bake it, this is a good treat. If that doesn't work, try another 2 food types, fish and potato is good. After 2 different diets have shown no improvement, then you can pay for the allergy testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 Thanks SwissGirl. I am fortunate in that I know 2 people with danes with allergies so have a wealth of knowledge re elimination diets and treatment options if we have to head down that path. Unfortunately he seems worse this morning - all lumpy around the neck area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisart Dobes Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 One of our girls had coat like this after she was baited. She had antifreeze detected in her system - she had ulcers in her stomach and had alot of issues digesting and absorbing her food for a long time - we were very lucky we didn't lose her but my point is that while we thank the vets for saving her life they certainly couldn't come up with anything to help her recover it wasn't until I found a fabulous natropath who tested her totally and gave us multiple drops and tablets - we went through retesting to see what her system needed every 4 to 6 weeks and modified what we were giving her as we went along. It took a good 12 months for her to fully recover and I still don't let her have any wheat products - and I never leave my dogs unattended or let anyone feed my dogs at shows either Get the vet tests done and once you know where you stand then tackle his system from the naturopath side. As you may well know the allergies will not be fixed via cortizone or antihistamines - they are useful to eleviate symptoms but really only mask the problem. PM me if you want this natropaths details - in Vic but can do hair analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) Get the vet tests done and once you know where you stand then tackle his system from the naturopath side. As you may well know the allergies will not be fixed via cortizone or antihistamines - they are useful to eleviate symptoms but really only mask the problem.PM me if you want this natropaths details - in Vic but can do hair analysis. Allergies can not be cured with herbal/homeopathy or any other 'complimentary' treatment, these treatments however can be of a great asset to manage symptoms as can western non-steroid treatments as well as steroids if it does come to that. Allergies are genetic and can not be cured, they can only be managed. Hair Analysis via hands over the hair and getting energy readings? *shakes head* Perhaps that $ is better spent at the Dermatologist... Allergic skin disease is a serious condition and needs to be addressed in an appropriate manner.....with a qualified Dermatologist before the owner starts to use Cortisone. Edited January 4, 2010 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) Hi Danois ..... Your dog's coat condition seems to be scarely similar to what my boy suffers. He too has been a dog that is very difficult to get (and then keep) weight on, even when his appetite is not diminished. I've posted pictures in THIS thread (Allergies) - refer pages 6 & 7. Edited January 4, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 Just an update: Diagnosis is hives and resulting staph infection so we have a long course of ABs and a very short course of cortisone. Also doing revolution for fleas and mites (on the off chance). Thyroid came back perfectly normal. We'll see what happens after the course of cortisone - if it returns then we will do further investigations. Am going to work on getting some more weight on him and see if that improves the coat condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaC Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) Hair Analysis via hands over the hair and getting energy readings? *shakes head* Perhaps that $ is better spent at the Dermatologist... I think the hair analysis technique that they are referring to is a physical analysis of a sample of the hair to a laboratory and a subsequent breakdown of minerals, chemical levels and such that build up in the hair strand itself over time ... its a common tool (and becoming more common) used for humans by Naturopaths (and some Herbalists) at the moment .... Edited January 6, 2010 by FionaC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 When you said about having staph... I have read somewhere that some dogs can have a bad allergic reaction to the naturally occurring staph on their skin.... Just a thought.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 When you said about having staph...I have read somewhere that some dogs can have a bad allergic reaction to the naturally occurring staph on their skin.... Just a thought.... yep that's true - one of the things on the allergy panels. Though hopefully unlikely in Baloo's case because it's a sudden acute attack - plus the hives came first, and most cases of hives turn into staph from all the irritation and inflammation etc. Fingers crossed you have no recurrence after the pred!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) Just an update:Diagnosis is hives and resulting staph infection so we have a long course of ABs and a very short course of cortisone. Also doing revolution for fleas and mites (on the off chance). I was going to say it looked like Staph infection, very common to get staph infection with allergies... pair it with hives as well and that makes allergies a very likely culprit! ETA: For the Dane people: it appears allergies are quite common in the breed, yes? Edited January 6, 2010 by zayda_asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) ETA: For the Dane people: it appears allergies are quite common in the breed, yes? Relatively, yes.. When we first spoke to the Derm, she asked what breed of dog Orbit was and when we said Dane, her reaction was 'ohh noooo why on earth did you get a dane - I'm seeing them all the time'. Edited January 6, 2010 by stormie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 ETA: For the Dane people: it appears allergies are quite common in the breed, yes? Relatively, yes.. When we first spoke to the Derm, she asked what breed of dog Orbit was and when we said Dane, her reaction was 'ohh noooo why on earth did you get a dane - I'm seeing them all the time'. Bummer Same in my breed, although many people don't want to admit it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 It is a little hard to tell sometimes Zayda as many in the dane world keep their cards very close to their chest which is a shame. Luckily sas and stormie are more than happy to talk about their experiences. Hopefully breeders (in all breeds) will start giving allergies in lines proper consideration and not perpetuating the issues - it is not fair for them to be passing that problem on to puppy buyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) It is a little hard to tell sometimes Zayda as many in the dane world keep their cards very close to their chest which is a shame. Luckily sas and stormie are more than happy to talk about their experiences.Hopefully breeders (in all breeds) will start giving allergies in lines proper consideration and not perpetuating the issues - it is not fair for them to be passing that problem on to puppy buyers. Yeah... very much the same in AmStaffs, drives me nuts... I'm trying to raise awareness of Allergies and not let people stick their heads in the sand! Its totally not fair at all and I wish they could live with and see what our dogs suffer and how much it costs in time, money and emotion / well-being. ETA: Good luck with your boy btw, hope he's feeling better soon. Edited January 6, 2010 by zayda_asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANERANGER Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 So pleased to hear you have some answers Danios....nothing worse when our fur kids are not well and we are not sure what we are dealing with. I do think with the power of the internet and these forums, many breeders and owners of dogs are coming out of the closet, so to speak and talking about the different problems they are encountering with their dogs....its very positive that some are and they are helping others with problems. My young pup seems to be showing signs of improving as well....his lumps have subsided and his skin doesn't look angry now...but I'm still keeping a close eye on him. I change his bedding daily and have changed his shampoo as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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