Skin Irritations In Dogs

[Lexi-Taj]

Good morning all.

I hope that everyone is having a lovely Easter long weekend (if you celebrate), or just having a fantastic weekend (if you don't).

I need some advice on dog skin irritation. I will be taking my dog to the vet, however, the appointment is for Tuesday and I'm needing a little advice now.

My dog Indie is a 12 month old labrador X

We noticed on Monday that she was itching a little, Thursday night (when I got back from interstate) I noticed she was itching a lot and nibbling her skin.

She is scratching her legs (upper leg), chest area, tummy. These areas appear red, and looks as if here is a rash. She is also losing hair on the part of her leg that she is itching.

This morning her eyes look a little mucky.

I have so noticed her fur seems a little dry maybe, sort of coarser?

She seems happy and bouncy, is eating and drinking normally. I don't know what to do our how to make her less irritated till I can see the vet on Tuesday.

I don't know if it's allergy related or mites?

I tend to think maybe it's allergy, as our other dog is perfectly ok, no itching, redness or mucky eyes.

any advice on what I can do, or how I can tell the difference between allergy and mites?

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

That sounds like contact irritation, ie where she's been laying/walking through as it is all underneath.

Generally I look for Wandering Jew and it sounds like there could have been a whole bed of it that she has laid in. Can cause really bad skin reactions in some dogs.

Alternatively look for some sort of chemical that has been used on grass etc?

Look in your garden or where you have walked her, this is quite possibly the cause.

[Lexi-Taj]

That sounds like contact irritation, ie where she's been laying/walking through as it is all underneath.

Generally I look for Wandering Jew and it sounds like there could have been a whole bed of it that she has laid in. Can cause really bad skin reactions in some dogs.

Alternatively look for some sort of chemical that has been used on grass etc?

Look in your garden or where you have walked her, this is quite possibly the cause.

Thank you I will have a trek around. We have had a lot of rain lately so the little amount of grass we have has grown. Most of our yard is mud though (we finished building 6 months ago haven't gotten round to landscaping yet).

Is there anything I can try to sooth symptoms for her?

[poochmad]

Our Field Spaniel Henschke was scratching himself so much he was making himself bleed. We tried using all sorts of shampoo, changing his diet, but nothing worked. Until we went to the vet and he suggested adding olive oil, a tablespoon a meal. It's taken a while, but now his coat is soft and shiny and he smells great! I've found the Woolies green bottled oil to be the best. I no longer put a tablespoon in, he gets roughly a dessert spoon now and he still looks good.

[Lexi-Taj]

Our Field Spaniel Henschke was scratching himself so much he was making himself bleed. We tried using all sorts of shampoo, changing his diet, but nothing worked. Until we went to the vet and he suggested adding olive oil, a tablespoon a meal. It's taken a while, but now his coat is soft and shiny and he smells great! I've found the Woolies green bottled oil to be the best. I no longer put a tablespoon in, he gets roughly a dessert spoon now and he still looks good.

That sounds good, I may have to give that a go! we currently give our two coconut oil (extra virgin organic coldpressed) and they normally look great (taj still does) it's indie that is the issue. She is just so irritated :)

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Have you bathed her in a special skin soothing shampoo (not anything from the supermarket)?

The olive/fish/coconut oil might help but the issue is as she keeps scratching (if you can't relieve it), the skin gets infected and the vet will need to give antibiotics and/or cortisone to stop the itching cycle.

It would be great if you could find the cause, maybe it could be something used in the building process somewhere?

Hope she's feeling better soon!

[sheena]

What about Erny's Calendula Tea

Edited April 19, 2014 by sheena

[essentialdog]

If it is an allergy, it is a case of trial and error to find out what is irritating her and what remedy works for her and that can take some time. All the suggestions above are great alternatives to steroids which most vets would probably recommend if it is an allergy. There are some vets out there who see the merit in natural remedies and all of the above ingredients mentioned in these posts can help. Another great remedy that has helped numerous dogs is administering a teaspoon of flaxseed oil. Just pour it over her food. Every dog is different and it is a matter of finding what works for your dog.

I've also found with some dogs, lavender essential oil helps soothe itching. Put a few drops of lavender in a trigger spray bottle that's over 200ml, shake it up thoroughly and spray it on her. Make sure you shake it thoroughly each time you spray it as the oils and water will separate and make a fresh batch every time you want to use it.

Best of luck

[Erny]

What about Erny's Calendula Tea

Lol ..... what I was going to say. Give her a good wash over with the Calendula Tea and leave it in to dry. Immediate sooth is only one of the great effects of this tea.

ETA: Use the tea to bath her eyes as well.

Can feed her the spent tea by mixing it with her meal time meat.

If this is a once-off (eg. maybe came into contact with something a bit different that she doesn't always come into contact with, or ate something different), you might find the Calendula Tea will save you the Vet's visit and fee, as well as avoid administration of anti-biotic and cortisone drugs, but it will help in the interim anyway. If it does help, you might want to question antibiotic/cortisone, if that's what the Vet prescribes, and perhaps run some bloods as a preliminary investigation as to what might be the cause of the irritation.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Erny

[Lexi-Taj]

Thank you to everyone who replied.

Indie is still itchy my husband bathed her in a dog- anti-itch wash, and finished off with an oatmeal conditioner - she is still itchy and red though. Maybe not quite as itchy as before it's hard to tell But will repeat the anti-itch wash tomorrow. She is still her bouncy self however, and seems fine except for the itch, the mucky eyes seemed to be a morning thing.

I can't wait to try Erny's tea! I live out of town and the local shops has nothing like it there, however I am hoping I can make it to the city or Monday (fingers crossed health food shop is open). I prefer to treat dog (and people) problems naturally where I can in the first instance so this may really help.

[Erny]

I now purchase mine on-line from DOL Member Steve ..... SHALARM

Rather than washing again with shampoo, especially so soon after, have you got something like chamomile tea you can use and just pour on as a rinse, whilst you're waiting to get the Calendula Tea? I've not used this myself, so I can't attest to it, but it is calming/soothing to the skin I believe. I'm just a bit concerned that the shampoo you use will strip the pH balance and send the skin into a cyclic down-spiral.

ETA: The mucky eyes in the morning .... not saying it is, but I tend to find with my boy it is a sign that his immune system is taking a nose dive (usually because it's busy with something else it is dealing with). In the interim of Vet, if that proves to still be needed due to insufficient improvement in quick-time, keep the eyes clear by using saline solution, until you can get your hands on the Calendula Tea, then you can brew up some to bath them with. Make sure the Calendula Tea is cool for use around the eyes, and cool to tepid for use elsewhere.

Always your judgement call regards Vet though. We can't see what's happening. Only you.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Erny

[Yonjuro]

I bought the Hilde Hemmes Calendula tea from a health food shop and it is fine to get you started, however the stuff from Steve as mentioned above has a much bigger and fresher aroma and contains whole flowers along with the petals so I wholly recommend you get some of that if you can, they are priced so close as to not make cost an issue. They also send an excellent fact sheet and directions for use.

Good luck with it and I hope your dog gets some relief soon.

[oakway]

If you want to cut to the chase and get a quick result it would be wise to get your vet to draw some blood and send it to Dr. Jean Dodds of HemoPet California as she has a blood test for allergies.

[Florise]

You need to avoid washing/rinsing the dog too often as moisture harbours bacteria and increases irritattion. Avoid using shampoos and conditioners as they remove natural oils. Preferable to bathe as little as possible and dry thoroughly when you do bathe them. Apple cider vinegar diluted half strength and used as a leave in rinse will help settle itching when you do bathe the dog. Best to look for possible causes of irritation and add omega three oils to the diet. There is no quick fix for skin issues. Please also consider seeking a specialist dermatolgy opinion.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Florise

[essentialdog]

As a starting point, you may want to check if the oatmeal product contains sulphates or synthetic fragrances. If it has a sweet honey-like oatmeal smell, it's a synthetic fragrance. Synthetic fragrances contain all sorts of harmful chemicals like DPG, Silicones and Pthalates, all of which encapsulate and extend the fragrance and they're not good for dogs, let alone those with itchy skin or a skin condition.

Secondly, if doesn't say the product is sulphate free, it probably contains sulphates. All of the above ingredients are highly irritating for a dog and the major cause for itching and even worse if your dog is itchy before their bath. I'm not saying this is the only reason why your dog is itching. You'd need to see a vet about that one, but for starters you may want to use a shampoo and conditioner that doesn't contain these ingredients.

[Lexi-Taj]

Update on Indie -

So Indie appeared to be getting some relief after hubby gave her the initial bath, we used aloveen oatmeal shampoo and conditioner. She was less itchy and seemed content he also dabbed on some stop itch stuff.

Her relief lasted a day or so... Then he improvement seemed to disappear, she was itchy and red again. I'm reluctant to give her another bath in the aloveen so soon (will wait till tomorrow when I can try Erny's tea) We were supposed to take her to the vet today, but they rang and cancelled as there was an emergency (I totally understand emergencies but bummer for us) the next time we can take her now will be next week

We will be getting Erny's tea tomorrow YAY and I can't wait to use it, am I able to use it daily or just a few times a week? We have dabbed her itchy patches with diluted apple cider vinegar, and also moisturised with coconut oil. She is also getting coconut oil in her food (as she usually does a few times per week).

Hubby also went crazy with the minimal grass patch we have and cut it right down (now it looks like the rest of out block - MUD).

As for diet, how would I start an elimination diet? I.e what should I start feeding her with first?

Also what do people reccomend for boosting immune systems?

I'm just trying to do whatever I can untill the vet can give us an answer as to if it is allergies or other causes. I still think it's allergies as our other dog has no symptoms. If it is allergies then hopefully out actions will give us a head start in helping to diagnose and treat the cause.

[Erny]

We will be getting Erny's tea tomorrow YAY and I can't wait to use it, am I able to use it daily or just a few times a week?

You can use it as much and as often as you need to. I do like to give the skin a chance to be dry, but for the real hot flare-ups, it's nothing for me to dab the affected areas 4 times a day or so. If that appeases the angriness of the rash a little, I back off a little .... until the skin is down to a 'cool' pink colour and looking a bit healthy. Then I'll drop off to perhaps once a day, then every other day, until I'm not needing to do it for the while. For me, there have been no rule books - I applied on a "gut feeling/sense" basis, taking into account the angriness of the skin and my dog's behaviour towards it.

Hubby also went crazy with the minimal grass patch we have and cut it right down (now it looks like the rest of out block - MUD).

Lol. I have read of someone's dog who was reactive to kykuya, but then they found the dog was ok if it wasn't cut. Lol ..... I'm sure they ended up with a super long lawn. Not suggesting this is feasible.

As for diet, how would I start an elimination diet? I.e what should I start feeding her with first?

I didn't do an elimination diet per se ..... there wasn't much to eliminate because we'd come to what seemed the end of the road as Mandela simply stopped eating, even though he was obviously hungering for food and too skinny. That's when I turned to the diet recommended/suggested by Augustine Approved. The diet's up there on his website. That's the "full-blown" diet - not everyone follows it to the 'T', but because my boy's issues were pretty extreme, I did and do. And it helped a lot.

Also what do people reccomend for boosting immune systems?

It's not so much that you should aim to "boost" the immune system - it's already working over-time as it is. You need to support it, so it can balance itself out a bit. This is where I turned to the hair-DNA testing. What my boy gets is not just a "one thing" herbal supplement. It's a mix of things. I know Steve will have some input to this as soon as she gets half a second - she's mega knowledgeable about this stuff.

[Lexi-Taj]

We will be getting Erny's tea tomorrow YAY and I can't wait to use it, am I able to use it daily or just a few times a week?

You can use it as much and as often as you need to. I do like to give the skin a chance to be dry, but for the real hot flare-ups, it's nothing for me to dab the affected areas 4 times a day or so. If that appeases the angriness of the rash a little, I back off a little .... until the skin is down to a 'cool' pink colour and looking a bit healthy. Then I'll drop off to perhaps once a day, then every other day, until I'm not needing to do it for the while. For me, there have been no rule books - I applied on a "gut feeling/sense" basis, taking into account the angriness of the skin and my dog's behaviour towards it.

Hubby also went crazy with the minimal grass patch we have and cut it right down (now it looks like the rest of out block - MUD).

Lol. I have read of someone's dog who was reactive to kykuya, but then they found the dog was ok if it wasn't cut. Lol ..... I'm sure they ended up with a super long lawn. Not suggesting this is feasible.

As for diet, how would I start an elimination diet? I.e what should I start feeding her with first?

I didn't do an elimination diet per se ..... there wasn't much to eliminate because we'd come to what seemed the end of the road as Mandela simply stopped eating, even though he was obviously hungering for food and too skinny. That's when I turned to the diet recommended/suggested by Augustine Approved. The diet's up there on his website. That's the "full-blown" diet - not everyone follows it to the 'T', but because my boy's issues were pretty extreme, I did and do. And it helped a lot.

Also what do people reccomend for boosting immune systems?

It's not so much that you should aim to "boost" the immune system - it's already working over-time as it is. You need to support it, so it can balance itself out a bit. This is where I turned to the hair-DNA testing. What my boy gets is not just a "one thing" herbal supplement. It's a mix of things. I know Steve will have some input to this as soon as she gets half a second - she's mega knowledgeable about this stuff.

I'm glad it can be used when the need arrises without worrying about 'overdose' that helps settle my mind. I can use it when Indie needs. The health food store i went to today was out on calendula (we are having no luck with anything at the moment), but a neighbour of ours is looking at another place tomorrow that ma have some. I really cant wait to use it and give her some relief!

Ha ha, my 'grass' is more like weeks while I could leave it longer in winter, in summer it gets cut right back to prevent snakes coming to hide. However we could just keep it mud..... I hope Indie isn't allergic to mud, that would be very bad.

Looking at the Augustine website, I like what I'm reading. Does this mean that with the addition of the Augustine boost, with the recipe's on the site, that the meal is then nutritionally balanced and correct? And that I wont have to add things like organ meat/liver to the dogs diet? I only ask as my two won't touch organ meat - (no matter what I try).

The DNA testing may be something that I try out if the vet and I cann't identify the issue and get it solved - It may be something I do anyway just to check

[essentialdog]

Thank you to everyone who replied.

Indie is still itchy my husband bathed her in a dog- anti-itch wash, and finished off with an oatmeal conditioner - she is still itchy and red though. Maybe not quite as itchy as before it's hard to tell But will repeat the anti-itch wash tomorrow. She is still her bouncy self however, and seems fine except for the itch, the mucky eyes seemed to be a morning thing.

I can't wait to try Erny's tea! I live out of town and the local shops has nothing like it there, however I am hoping I can make it to the city or Monday (fingers crossed health food shop is open). I prefer to treat dog (and people) problems naturally where I can in the first instance so this may really help.

Apologies for repeating myself in these types of posts, but aloveen contains sulphates and synthetic fragrances which are irritating for sensitive skin. Whilst it has helped a little for some dogs I know alot of them itch after using it.

[Erny]

Looking at the Augustine website, I like what I'm reading. Does this mean that with the addition of the Augustine boost, with the recipe's on the site, that the meal is then nutritionally balanced and correct? And that I wont have to add things like organ meat/liver to the dogs diet? I only ask as my two won't touch organ meat - (no matter what I try).

The AA recommended diet (i.e. roo mince and veggies) plus the SuperBoost, along with the herbal supplements I add as prescribed via Ross Wilson (hair-DNA) Naturopath is ALL that Mandela gets. I don't add offal or anything else. Not because I want to preclude it, but because Mandela will usually not eat it. Mandela will also not eat bones, sadly. Totally balanced? I couldn't answer that. I can only tell you that in the absence of being able to give Mandela much or anything else, he's been doing very well on the "AA diet", much better and for much longer than previously before the AA diet and supplements.

ETA: And he has been admired by others who think he is younger than their own young RR's for the fact of his energy and sprightliness, and often comment on his gleaming coat condition. He's lean (as I find it difficult to get and then keep weight on him) but I don't usually get comments on that because yes, his condition is lean, but not really skinny (like he used to be).

He's not totally 100%. I'm still battling some things, feeling as though I haven't completely put my finger on why he has the troubles he has and has had, although I'm still in the throws of researching and investigating that and it is something that may not relate to diet, per se. But that's another story.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Erny