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My Staffy Has Dry And Itchy Skin


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Hi,

Ever since i got my staffy from my local pound about 2 years ago...she has stuffered with really Dry and Itchy skin, i have tried all the dog shampoos...im not to sure about the ones that say to leave on for 10 minutes ( we dont even have to leave our anti-dandruff shampoo on that long!...seems a bit strange to me) i have tried fish oils and baby oils, not washing her..as it was i was only washing her once a month.....i could handle the flakey skin but the Itch must be driving her insane, i know I hate having a itch that i cant get rid of. I have also asked the vet and they didn't seem that worried about it. Has anyone got an ideas that might help.

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Hi Tessa Bell

The dog really needs to be treated... Would you like to be left with dry itchy skin??? I know I wouldn't... :thumbsup:

If a shampoo states to leave it on for 10 minutes, then it should be left on - I know from experience that I need to leave Ollies shampoo (malaseb for itchy, dry skin) for that amount of time. We have not had a problem since we started using Malaseb. We wash every week in summer and fortnightly in winter time.

Someone on DOL has great results from Pinetarsol (from a chemist) for the same problems.

Sometimes it is a mite that causes these problems and only the vet will be able to determine this - that is why I say the dog needs to be treated, sometimes only the vet can help.

It could be from a food allergy, plant allergy or mites... They all need different treatments...

Good luck, I hope your pooch stops itching soon.

Jodie

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Zayder and someone else told me about keri oil, which you can get at the chemist, for scurf (dry neck skin) so it might be ok to try

It's in with all the itchy skin non-soap soaps at the chemist like qv and similar

It's very gentle

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Hi Tessa Bell'

These are a few things we give our SBT, we had a lot of trouble when we first started off 10 years ago and after trying these we have never had the problem again. But do keep in mind every dog is different.

We have also given these to our Poms and ETT's.

Omega 3 & 6

Cold Press Flaxseed Oil

Vit E Caps

Wheatgerm

Also we use natural coconut oil Soap when we wash them, just be careful because it smells good and our dogs love to eat it. I am always chasing them around the yard to get the soap back :thumbsup:

Hope you find something that works for you, it can be caused from so many things which makes it hard to treat.

bye for now

BeaBob

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hi,

have you tried increasing the amount of omega 3's in your dogs diet ?

Omega 3 oils are needed for a dog (or human) to have good skin and fur..

The amount of EPA in the omega 3 oil is the important part of the oil you need to check...

adding fish oil, or flaxseed oil is a good way to add EPA to your dogs diet.

Some supplements that you can get from your vet or pet shop are megaderm or omegamagic plus (the omega magic plus is cheaper than the megaderm)

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Hi there

Re shampoos. You may like to try VETADINE it is an iodine based shampoo for non-specific skin conditions which can be left on the coat. It has a conditioner in it as well.

I used it on a client's dog last week and when speaking to him today he made mention that his dog hasnt shown any signs of scratching since he was bathed.

Its is available on line at vetproductsdirect or from a saddlery shop, as is often used for horses.

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Hi Tessa Bell

The dog really needs to be treated... Would you like to be left with dry itchy skin??? I know I wouldn't... :thumbsup:

If a shampoo states to leave it on for 10 minutes, then it should be left on - I know from experience that I need to leave Ollies shampoo (malaseb for itchy, dry skin) for that amount of time. We have not had a problem since we started using Malaseb. We wash every week in summer and fortnightly in winter time.

Someone on DOL has great results from Pinetarsol (from a chemist) for the same problems.

Sometimes it is a mite that causes these problems and only the vet will be able to determine this - that is why I say the dog needs to be treated, sometimes only the vet can help.

It could be from a food allergy, plant allergy or mites... They all need different treatments...

Good luck, I hope your pooch stops itching soon.

Jodie

yeah i know she needs treatment and the vets have been no help, i have left the shampoos on for the time they say to but with still know luck...I hate the thought of her being itchy...first thing in the morning im off to the cemist to see if they have any Pintarsol....

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Thanks for all your help you guys i will give them all a try ... (well the ones that i haven't already tried that is)..

and sorry i quoted every thing you said staffyluv...i feel like a real dork....i have never used one of these sites before...

Thanks again everyone..

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Thanks for all your help you guys i will give them all a try ... (well the ones that i haven't already tried that is)..

and sorry i quoted every thing you said staffyluv...i feel like a real dork....i have never used one of these sites before...

Thanks again everyone..

Tessa Bell, it is probably wise to try one thing at a time and give it a week or so to work. Just check the instructions and dry her off really well. If you can get her used to the hair dryer, I use it on my boofer and it is great. Whatever you try, please do not use tea tree oil.

It can be a long road with the poor pooches that get itchy.

It took my sister about a year before she finally said enough is enough and relocated her beloved pooch back to my mothers.

All because she was allergic to the produce store across the road from where my sister lives - every time she came to my sisters house she would break out in a really red rash and scratch non stop...

She used to bring Elly up for sleep overs (because she missed her so much) and then she was stolen.. Got her back again when she was about 9 or 10 years old, only to have the itch return in a day or two, so she eventually had to give her away.

Hope it all gets better for you soon.

Jodie

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Treat the inside of the dog first. If mites have been ruled out, then it is quite possible that it's a food allergy or that your Staffy is lacking in the 0mega3's and 6's, zinc , vit e as suggested by others.

I would also consider contacting a vet or specialist in skin allergies and have your dog tested, they can be allergic to certain grass types, wool hessian and the list goes on.

Cheers :)

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Hi,

Ever since i got my staffy from my local pound about 2 years ago...she has stuffered with really Dry and Itchy skin, i have tried all the dog shampoos...im not to sure about the ones that say to leave on for 10 minutes ( we dont even have to leave our anti-dandruff shampoo on that long!...seems a bit strange to me) i have tried fish oils and baby oils, not washing her..as it was i was only washing her once a month.....i could handle the flakey skin but the Itch must be driving her insane, i know I hate having a itch that i cant get rid of. I have also asked the vet and they didn't seem that worried about it. Has anyone got an ideas that might help.

I've read through this thread and one question that hasnt been asked yet is -

What are you feeding her? Sometimes allergies manifest via skin complaints. Can you let us know what her current diet consists of some of us may be able to help steer you in the right direction once we know her diet.

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Hi,

I have thought it might be a food allergies, i have tried cooking all her meals but with still no luck...the poor girl still itches...i had increased her omega 3 oils...still no luck....i took her to the vets the day after i got her...she had been that itchy before i got her that she had taken big clumps of fur from her chest and behind her ears... i dont know how people can let there pets do that to them sleves without seeking help...the vet never asked to do a skin test or anythng just gave me cream to put on it and that was it...no help whats so ever...we have planned to go on a holiday...a puppy friendly hoilday...cant go with out her!!! i will hopefully be able to take her to a better vet someone that will do some tests on her skin....i really have to stop her itching and soon.... :)...i also have taken salt out of her diet to see if that helps...fingers crossed.

Edited by Tessa Bell
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Hi,

I have thought it might be a food allergies, i have tried cooking all her meals but with still no luck...the poor girl still itches...i had increased her omega 3 oils...still no luck....i took her to the vets the day after i got her...she had been that itchy before i got her that she had taken big clumps of fur from her chest and behind her ears... i dont know how people can let there pets do that to them sleves without seeking help...the vet never asked to do a skin test or anythng just gave me cream to put on it and that was it...no help whats so ever...we have planned to go on a holiday...a puppy friendly hoilday...cant go with out her!!! i will hopefully be able to take her to a better vet someone that will do some tests on her skin....i really have to stop her itching and soon.... :)...i also have taken salt out of her diet to see if that helps...fingers crossed.

If she is allergic to beef or chicken (cooked or raw) it can still manifest as itchies. What else do you give her. It may also be a contact allergy. Remember it can take weeks for a dog to completely detox and for you to get the itch under control. The only "quick fix" that takes the edge off the itch would be to find a vet willing to listen to what you are dealing with and possibly prescribe a short course of cortizone and antibiotics to clear things up. But you still have to find what is causing the problem.

It could be anything from diet related allergies (ie beef, chicken, wheat, garlic, kelp) or contact allergies (ie grass, pollen, wool carpet, fleas). Its a pain in the butt trying to narrow things down - believe me I know - but once you do it makes a world of difference. Worst case scenario it could be mange mites. These are all things you need to consider.

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Hi

I have staffords and do not generally have too many skin problems, though one of my boys does get extremely itchy when he is fed biscuits that have a higher protein content than 21%. He gets so bad, that he looses patches of hair in different parts of his body. I keep his food as natural as possible and that seems to keep it under control. We only found out what was causing it by trial and error. It takes time but you may get there in the end. We started with mites, shampoos etc until we discovered what it was.

Good luck :)

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My girl is a very fussy eater....she wont eat any raw meat, she doesn't have a lot of salt....she hardly ever touches her dry food...and its not the cheap stuff...shopping for her is a nightmare at times because she will only eat particular foods...the shop here has a very poor selection to i might add....she's even fussy with her treats lol...she mostly likes the natural dishes or the home cooked meals...but i will have a look at the ingredients and see if there is anything in there....i know its not mites or fleas she has been checked over and over for the little buggers...

Thanks again guys for all the help you have given me so far...

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I'm making app with the vet to have her skin tested and to try and come up with some sort of diet for her see if we can start to get some thing happing here or at least to get her some thing for the itch.

Edited by Tessa Bell
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Tessa Bell,

To get your doggie to eat more of her dry biscuits pop a table spoon of "natural" yoghurt into her biscuits and mix it all through. This should help you out and the yoghurt is good for her insides aswell.

If she has dry skin you could try Aloveen shampoo and conditioner (leave in) which has oils in it that might help you. But if pup has dandruff then don't use this one.

But if the dog has an ITCH from something else then you need to one by one elimiate things.

Ie.. for 2 weeks try a new dry biscuit... if no change... for 2 weeks substitute something and so on till you see a change.

Also - i have found a baby soap with no perfumes is always good for staffies, especially oatmeal based ones.

Good Luck !

Edited by Staffy-Lover
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Being a Staffy I'd say there's a high chance she has allergies.... Find a vet that will give you a referal to a dermatologist to get her tested... Also google "Allergies, dogs, symptoms" and see if any of it sounds like her...

I'm so lucky I have two bloody allergic dogs :rofl: Unfortunately its common with the Bull breeds...

There's a lot you can do, but unless you know what they are allergic too you will always just be trying to play catch up!

Good luck!

Dan

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Zayder and someone else told me about keri oil, which you can get at the chemist, for scurf (dry neck skin) so it might be ok to try

LOL - my reputation keeps catching up with me! I made it here eventually :rofl:

How did your guys go with the Keri oil??

Dan

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