Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) I have a 7-8yo Dobermann foster dog here at the moment. He came from the pound so we have no history on him. Apart from his many other health problems, he has very very itchy skin. His coat is very dull and his skin is very dry and flakey all over, but there is no redness at all. He has some hairloss on his ears which I thought was due to flies but may be related? He also has some hairloss and large bumps on his chest and elbows. The bumps are up to the size of a pea and some of them are full of puss. I have had him for over 4 weeks now and there has been no change in the amount of hairloss or itching. He is on Bonnie working dog dryfood, as well as some raw meat and bones. He has nice firm poops. He has been treated twice with Revolution in the time I've had him, so I am fairly confident it is not fleas or sarcoptic mange. I guess it could be demodex but I would have expected more hairloss by now? I was also thinking allergies but I would have expected redness? He has been bathed in Oatmeal shampoo and also Malaseb shampoo with no changes. I have some new shampoo which is meant to be great for itchy dogs so I'll wash him tomorrow with that. I have just given him a really good brush with a shedding blade and got off TONNES of dry, dead coat. Does anyone have any ideas on what it might be? And more importantly, what can I try to help him? I'm going to start adding some fish to his diet to see if that helps. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!! Edited February 8, 2011 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Allergies don't always display redness. With allergies, where in people we get runny noses, sneezing etc when our bodies release histamines, dogs get itchy. Sometimes too, the skin can have been so chronically inflamed it's thickened and changed colour, so redness isn't visible. The areas sound very classic of allergies unfortunately. I know many don't like it, but I'd be giving a course of cortisone (as low as you can) to provide some immediate relief and see if you can break the cycle. It may possibly be that there's been a skin reaction which has inflamed his skin and made him itchy, he's scratched, broken and ruined his natural skin barrier, bacteria overgrowth has happened, makes him itchier and so the cycle continues. Orbit is the most allergic dog we've seen and when he's itchy, he's generally not that red. He mostly gets red after scratching himself raw. this is sort of an example of a dog that was very allergic and untreated, but not really red. He did have some places he was quite red, but that was from trauma. You can see how his skin has thickened around his face too, from the constant inflammation and rubbing etc. Edited February 8, 2011 by stormie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Thanks stormie. I'll take him into work this week and see if I can get something for him. He isn't scratching enough to break the skin and like I said, the areas are very localised. His face is fine and its just that one patch on the point of his chest and his elbows. He was like that when he came here and it hasn't changed at all since he's been here, that's what's confusing me. He LOVED being brushed with the blade tonight, it must have felt so good to have me scratching the areas he can't reach! LOL! I suspect he has wobblers and possibly a heart condition too, which just complicates everything unfortunately. ETA: And when you say allergies, are you thinking diet or contact? Should I try him on chicken and rice for a while? Edited February 8, 2011 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Diet is often the next place to start after you've ruled out fleas, scabies etc. I would go for something more novel if you're going to look at diet, such as roo and potato. Omega oils could benefit but make sure you use something with the correct ratio and also with Vitamin E. When I mean allergies, I mean environmental. True contact allergies are actually not that common, apparently. In that I mean, the skin having an allergic reaction when it comes into contact with an allergen. So I mean things like pollens, dust mites etc. Pollens from trees, grasses, weeds - it's everywhere. They inhale it and can also absorb it through their skin. I would also look at really hydrating his skin. So a good bath with something that doesn't contain plants, just in case they set him off. A rinse with diluted alpha kerri oil is great for putting moisture back in but also helps to create a bit of a skin barrier. Lots of Dermatologists love it, too. What are his ears like on the inside? Poor fellow, sounds like he copped a beating from mother nature. But he's sure lucky to be where he is now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Inside his ears are OK. They are a bit dirty looking, but no inflammation etc. I'll take some photos tomorrow in the light and show you what all his manky bits look like. Might even see if I can rope the ex-derm nurse into doing a skin scraping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Dobes can suffer from Thyroid issues and some of the symptoms are balding especially on the ears, but a thin coat in general and also flakey skin and a dry coat. I would get his thyroid tested. Edited February 8, 2011 by OSoSwift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Oh great, another condition to add to his list!! ETA: I just googled thyroid problems in Dobes and found this website, which pretty much lists his symptoms. It says it can also cause wobbly gait, which might be the real cause of his 'wobblers' and corneal problems - which he also has! http://www.animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/view/2/3/99 Edited February 8, 2011 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Dobes can suffer from Thyroid issues and some of the symptoms are balding especially on the ears, but a thin coat in general and also flakey skin and a dry coat. I would get his thyroid tested. x 2 You beat me to it Oso. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkabull Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What colour is he? I know that Blues can and do have skin issues and hair loss is common. I would also maybe look at changing his diet, more raw and less processed. My last Dobe used to get dry skin and dandruff (but no hair loss) when fed Bonnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 He is a normal black and tan. Will see if I can get a blood test done tomorrow at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisart Dobes Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Is this the same boy as about a month ago ?? Poor bubba - he had no id did he ?? If you can id him we can trace heritage and very often pinpoint genetic issues. Test Thyroid and for yeast infection in ears - for some reason which our vets are putting down to the 'wonderful ' weather we have this year there is a 60 % increase in yeast infections in dogs over the past year - it can also travel down their coats. Sounds alot like it to me. Fairly easy to treat too (in a healthy dog). Good luck with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Yep, same boy. He has put on weight and he seems so much brighter, but his skin and his gait are not improving. The episodes where he turned purple seem to have stopped so I am thinking (hoping) that it was just due to his severe kennel cough (which has now completely gone). He is such a gorgeous dog and I just know he is going to break my heart. He has even started playing with toys and playing with my dogs, but he is so unco-ordinated. He struggles to get up the two steps onto the deck. Its like his legs won't do what his mind wants them to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Does sound rather like wobblers Kirty. Hope it isn't but with steroids they can get about okay and comfortably for some time. Dobes potentially can have a myriad of diseases which is why it is so very important to get one from breeders who test. I know what it is like to live with one that comes from someone who didn't Fingers crossed for your big guy. Have you had his neck xrayed??? My young Dobe had spondylosis of her spine which caused her to have wobblers like symptoms. She had a course of steriods, had a lifestyle change and was going well until she died of Dilated Cardio myopathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Good news is if it is his thyroid causing his issues then giving him thyroid replacement tablets should fix it up Edited February 8, 2011 by OSoSwift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Can you get xrays to have a look, I know xrays can't diagnose Wobblers although it might give you a better idea? What does the Vet think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Took him to work today and the vet said they are pretty sure it is not his thyroid, so not to bother with the blood test just yet. His cloudy eye is caused by dry eye so he now has meds for that. He had a skin scraping and there were no mites but there is bacteria in his lumps, so he has meds for that. The derm nurse is pretty sure its environmental allergies so she has given me some shampoo, cream and supplements to try for him. She doesn't want him on steroids just yet. His legs are unfortunately still a mystery. I'd love to get him x-rayed but we don't have an x-ray at work and I just can't afford it right now. The vet said he has muscle wastage all over and thinks he may have been tied up a lot? So we are going to try and build up his muscles and see if that helps at all. Unfortunately I have to do a bit of trial and error because there is no way I can afford the specialist visit that would diagnose his legs/spine issues. Thankfully he is not in any pain so we'll just have to see what happens. I feel awful saying this but I would not have taken on this dog had I know the issues he has. I am glad he is enjoying his time here but I don't know how much time he has. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 take him off the bonnie working dog. Too much cereal if he's already got crappy skin. Put him on raw if you can't afford a good dry food, like Stormie said give him a novel source of protein like roo. An omega oil supplement wont hurt either, try him on the ethical nutrients liquid fish oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Perhaps your Vet is better than some Vets I've seen. I had one lot who were very sceptical that my boy's issues could even in part be thyroid related and essentially just humoured me by agreeing to draw the bloods for the test. But it turned out this was a part of his problem and although not the total answer (yet, at least .... with more time, it could well prove to be the most if not the whole answer) he has been much better since medication. I have bloods sent OS to Dr Jean Dodds as their testing facilities and analysis are better (more thorough) than ours. When I sent the bloods OS I sent them with the attitude that I was spending the money to rule out thyroid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 The reason they think its not his thyroid is because all of the symptoms have been attributed to something else (which has been proven). If he doesn't improve in the next few weeks, we will do the test. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 The reason they think its not his thyroid is because all of the symptoms have been attributed to something else (which has been proven). If he doesn't improve in the next few weeks, we will do the test. :rolleyes: It can be and is confusing, I agree. They thyroid is responsible for the proper function of almost every organ in the body. I guess I'm wishing for this dog that his problem is thyroid related because if it is they generally respond very well and quickly with medication, the medication is not overly expensive and it can fix a multitude of symptoms rather than the very hard yacka of investigating and treating each one individually. Good luck. One way or the other I hope you can track to the actual reason this dog has skin issues and find that it is easy to remedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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