Skin Problem Maybe Due To Our Yard?

[Zojambra]

Hello

I dont post too often but i have a problem which has me stumped and i thought i would try here!

I have a male pointer and he has some bumps on his skin which i thought were heat bumps as he has been to some shows which have been really hot. but now it is much cooler they are still there ive tried aloveen shampoo which is apparently good for skin didnt do much. So after awhile im beginning to anrrow it down to my backyard. It is just your basic backyard ive weeded everything etc in case it would be that but it isnt. Now he has dug enormous holes in the grass and in the garden beds naturally as pups do so im thinking something has come up in the soil that irritates him.

The bumps themselves you can notice them there not bright red and nasty or anything like that but in his fur you can notice a spot sticking out.

So i am asking if anyone knows anything about this/had experience and of course what did they do lol

thanks very much in advance

[persephone]

What did the vet think they were ?

[Bullbreedlover]

One scenario could be is that your puppy has a staph skin infection.

Another could be an allergy.

have you got any wandering jew around.

are you sure it is not mozzy bites.

just a few suggestions anyway

[Zojambra]

Well when he was younger he did have what i think the vet said a staph infection but it was on his belly and was like us humans getting pimples ad to use a wash and i did and they went away fine as she said she could use antibiotics but he was still quite young.

The vet said it could be mozzies but to keep an eye on it we dont have too many here and he is in at night.

What is a wandering jew? i am not too cluey on grass stuff besides those grass seeds which i got rid of them all lol.

[Erny]

Try not to shampoo him too much. Is he scratching at them?

[Nevafollo]

What do you was him in before shows?

[persephone]

any photos?????

[Bullbreedlover]

Well when he was younger he did have what i think the vet said a staph infection but it was on his belly and was like us humans getting pimples ad to use a wash and i did and they went away fine as she said she could use antibiotics but he was still quite young.

The vet said it could be mozzies but to keep an eye on it we dont have too many here and he is in at night.

What is a wandering jew? i am not too cluey on grass stuff besides those grass seeds which i got rid of them all lol.

wandering jew(I am not good on posting linkies sorry) but you could google it is a plant commonly found in gardens but it can be a pets worst nightmare for a contact skin allergy.

hhhhmmmmm maybe the staph is rearing its ugly head again??????

[Zojambra]

sammy- i washed him with stuff with keratin in it plus the blueo for the whitening but i have been pointed in the direction of something better and better for him. Because we have had shows every week for awhile he had been washed every week so maybe thats bad!

He isn't scratching at them he does the normal scratching any dog does i guess but maybe a course of AB's might cure it ill have to visit the vets again lol

I dont have a pic as it is hard to see if i took a picture the flash would blend in with his coat as its white if that makes sense but basical white bumps is what it looks like

[Erny]

sammy- i washed him with stuff with keratin in it plus the blueo for the whitening but i have been pointed in the direction of something better and better for him. Because we have had shows every week for awhile he had been washed every week so maybe thats bad!

Washing strips the skin of its natural oils and can send their system into a bit of a spin, working over-time trying to replace it all and bring back the natural PH. What chemicals are in the shampoo, conditioner and in the "Blueo"?

Is this something you can give just a little bit of time without washing/shampooing and see if it can sort itself through (with you just keeping an eye on it), without having to jump into anti-biotics or other drugs?

With what I've read from your posts, I'd be inclined to do this and, if it didn't seem to be settling in the short term (day or two), applying a tea made from Calendula.

HERE's a link to just one of many "Wandering Jew + dogs" sites.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Erny

[Nevafollo]

Yep I was going to say kite had exactly what you are discribing and I was washing her weekly in a blueo shampoo mix and I have had to sit her out for the past three weeks due to her being a goose and pulling a muscle and because of that I havent washed her and the lumps have magically disapeared so I will be avoiding blueo from now on! It may work for some and maybe I dont have the right ratio/mix and am making it too strong either way I can get her just as white with regualar horse whitening shampoos so will stick to that!

[Zojambra]

Thank you erny i will definantly do that! ill sit it out and wait and see how it goes and thanks for the link i googled the plant and we definantly dont have that! so thats a relief.

Sammy- I am glad kite is better and romeo is a crazy nut and has rolled on his foot a time or two so im keeping him quiet a bit lol I have been washing his bedding regularly also incase of anything .

Yes i have to admit i think i put a smidge too much and i think i remember a post u made how you put blueo entirely on kite without putting in shampoo blue and orange pointer! i dont really know a ratio i just guesstimated.

thanks everyone for your feedback and advice it is much appreciated.

[Nevafollo]

Thank you erny i will definantly do that! ill sit it out and wait and see how it goes and thanks for the link i googled the plant and we definantly dont have that! so thats a relief.

Sammy- I am glad kite is better and romeo is a crazy nut and has rolled on his foot a time or two so im keeping him quiet a bit lol I have been washing his bedding regularly also incase of anything .

Yes i have to admit i think i put a smidge too much and i think i remember a post u made how you put blueo entirely on kite without putting in shampoo blue and orange pointer! i dont really know a ratio i just guesstimated.

thanks everyone for your feedback and advice it is much appreciated.

Yeah she was fully blue!!!! Rare solid blue pointer!!! I cant beleive no one told me thou that it had to be diluted... Good luck with it, Im going to buy kite some new horsey shampoo this week...not sure what brand I will get thou need to do some research!!! I'm fairly paranoid about making sure she is very very clean and white LOL!

[Zojambra]

Well can i recommend animal house apparently it gets your dog VERY white an is really good for your dogs skin. you can buy it from shows or just go to their web page and get it online.

failing that or you can go to a horsey shop and get white tails or whatever it is called

[Zojambra]

oh one more thing erny where do you purchase the calendula tea? at health food shops?

[Erny]

Yes, PM - Health Food Stores. I pay about $8 for a 50g packet. It lasts for quite some time. I use about one or two tablespoons to about 1.5 cups of water. I'm not strict about it - I just grab and pour, without measuring. For your girl, I would say one tablespoon will do it. I use a cut off stocking, put the calendula tea in the toe and let it steep like you might a tea bag. Wait until the water is cooled to tepid (or cooler). Squeeze out the excess water from the Calendula in the stocking, throw the Calendula away and use the tea.

Someone was going to organise a 'sticky' with what to do with it etc. etc. Don't know if that got done.

[Zojambra]

Thank you its very helpful i wrote it down so i dont forget

[Crazy Daisy]

I used to use blueo but found a good horse one. It's by Equinade and is called Showsilk - Glo-white shampoo.

Don't use too much. I turned my Golden purple the first time I used it and had to wash him three times to get it all out. Because he is such a light cream it actually made him too white, so now I just use it on his feet, tummy and chest to stop that lovely red dirt stain he gets from lying in his favourite digging spot.

[Staranais]

Do check out your yard for wandering dew if you haven't done so, also check out where you take him for walks. Most dogs will react to it with little red lumps and bumps, especially on their bellies and other less furry parts. It's not an actual allergy, the plant itself is an irritant.

Could be a staph infection, but that usually requires a predisposing cause, e.g. it doesn't just happen to a perfectly healthy dog.

Like Erny says, I wouldn't go over-shampooing him, that can in itself hurt the skin & predispose to infection. If you do suspect an infection then rather than giving systemic Ab you could pick up some chlorhexidine wash from the vet (should be cheap as chips) and wash him with that every few days.

[Zojambra]

Yes i have checked every inch of my backyard for the plant and from the pictures i have seen we dont have it.

My vet says the staph infection is like humans getting pimples and no cure just to use the acne wash a mild one. and they went away.

Those chlorohexidine washes are they the ones you find in pet stores like pet barn etc or is it just the vets? thanks for your tips