My Dog Has A Red Rash On Her Underside

[BlueDomino]

Hello i have an American Staffordshire which is 17 weeks old ... I have been having some issues with her belly there is a red rash thing on her belly and i dont know what it is , other then an allergy and i dont know what it is that is effecting her . I have tryed changing her diet and supplementing it for chicken mince and fresh vegies and rice , with also the use of BARF diet for a week and a half mixed with vegies and rice . With no kibble .

I have fed her the same stuff since we got her back in may , 26th . So im starting to think its not food related .... As its only really located on one area of her body too ...

(Currently in use of a medicated wash started today)

Does anyone else here have any history with this breed and can give me some solution to this problem .. I can attach a pic of the underside of her to this thread.

Any help would be appreiciated

Edited July 12, 2006 by BlueDomino

[Tassie]

Ouch - looks painful, poor baby.

Has the vet had a look at it yet? That would be my main suggestion at present. One of the problems with rashes like these is that, whatever the cause, they can get secondary infections.

[peigirl]

Hi bluedomino. A bit hard to tell from your photo but does it look like human pimples? Puppies can get puppy acne which occurs on their bellies and muzzles. Speak to your vet about it. My boy had a very mild case at about the same age which cleared up soon after I started using Malaseb shampoo that my vet suggested.

Good luck

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[Nadia]

Off to the Vet, and try to work out what chemicals you may use around the house on the floors etc, what plants you have in the garden, any Wandering Jew??

It could be a contact allergy. But off to the Vet and get that calmed down quickly.

[bloss344]

Oooh that looks really painful and possibly infected. Off to the vet and hopefully with treatment you'll notice a difference within a few days and some relief for your pup. Then you can work on finding out what is causing it.

As far as food allergy goes, just changing food for a few days won't help. You need to do an elimination diet for at least 8 weeks to get any reliable results. However food allergies are not all that common and usually it's a contact or environmental allergy. Good diet however will help with the healing process.

[BlueDomino]

Hey guys ,

Thanks heaps for your replys . ... I took that picture the other night . It looked rather sore , poor girl ... Shes only 4months old .

I have been to the vet , he gave me a medicated wash which i stated i was using now , it looked a little like strawberries and cream ... And smells like hospital ..

I have not been able to pin point the problem as i dont spray nor use anything different , i can only think it might be a possiblity of the dog lazing in front of the Halogen heater might of caused some sort of heat rash .. Or even quite possibly might even be right in front of us and be the carpet , but i dont see why this would inflame now .

I believe it started around 10th june, as u can see in previous pic ill post that there was no flare up but , within a month it flamed up .. I have been feeding her a substituted diet for 2 weeks or more now and can only hope that this wash works .. It was friggin $50!!!

And to answer the previous person , if it looks like pimples .. I would have to say it looks more like a scabby looking rash ... I think its clearing up somewhat as its changing color today

JUNE 7TH & JULY 12TH

Sorry i cant post a bigger picture it for some reason wont let me upload over 1MB silly forum board saying its unlimited.... I can send you the bigger pic if u PM me ur MSN or email

Edited July 12, 2006 by BlueDomino

[jls]

Poor pup, I think the rash looks like exposure to something, environmental or chemical etc too~!~

I know the bills aren't cheap, but better safe than sorry. Fingers crossed the shampoo helps etc

jls

Edited July 12, 2006 by jls

[SallyDog]

My dog had something like this many years ago. We found that it was an allergy to some of the plants in our backyard. At different times of the year some plants produce allergen that become more reactive on the dogs exposed skin (mainly underside). You may find that your dog is coming into contact with something similar (it could also be when you are out walking) Try restricting your dog to paved footpaths for a while and keeping away from your plants. By the way we also found that once she had the rash that heat made it significantly worse so don't let the dog sit infront of the heater and cook itself like mine use to do.

[bloss344]

Wandering Jew which is considered a weed can cause problems like this. A lot of dogs are allergic to it. Perhaps she came in contact with it on a walk. There's a lot of different grasses and plants they can be allergic to though. It's a very extensive rash isn't it? Poor baby. Good your seeing some improvement.

[BlueDomino]

Wandering Jew , never see it . ill have to find out about this .

I cant stand the look of it either, im sure it is as sore as it looks . Poor baby

[Scent Hound]

Yes, I was alo thinking a contact allergy from Wandering Jew. I say this as my Dachshund had exactly the same looking rash only a few weeks ago. Looked like pimples and then became inflamed. I put Betadine on it to avoid secondary infection and to reduce inflamtion/itch. Cleared up pretty quickly foming small brown scabs.

Hope this helps

[Staffy-Lover]

hi,

staffy's and the like tend to get alot of contact rashes from grasses, heat and you name it.... they are prone to it.

when my dog gets this similar rash i use two things...

firstly... and u should always have a tub in your cupboard..... from the petstore you can buy Aristopet Tea Tree Oil Antiseptic ointment (in a tub 250g for about $18). Apply this daily and it tends to clear up the rash. (white tub.. green and yellow and white label)

secondly...if it is more persistent you need to go to the vet and get some Illicourt cream...it works wonders and is also pretty cheap.

You need to check your yard for any spikey weeds,,, any wandering dew which is a vine like grass that has leaves shaped sort of like love hearts,,, any other long seedy grass. Even if you are not sure...pull them out and see if it makes a difference.

Bedding: you shouldn't have blankets and stuff... try a plain cotton sheet for a little while to see if it clears up

Fleas: advantix or the like

Shampoo: use a non allergenic one... not a perfume one.. as many staffs skin don't handle perfumed ones ----- i often just use baby soap.

Food: lots of staffies are allergic to fish.. so if you are feeding fish then try and change this and see what happens....

Good Luck - Your pup is gorgeous !!!!

[MellG]

Hey BlueDomino

It me mell from the shows! your poor little girl. Have you mowed your lawns lately? Koda got a nasty looking rash after we mowed the lawns on the weekend, he was dragging his belly along the freshly cut grass and that night he had a similar looking rash, we kept in side and used a medicated wash and it settled, the grass has settled since the weekend and he is outside again with no worries.

Also maybe give your breeder a call and see if there is any history of allergies in the bloodlines, sometimes these things can be genetic and they may be able to give you an insight.

I hope she gets better soon!! I look forward to catching up at the next show.

Cheers

Mell

[shoemonster]

Yeah alot of the staffs that I know who get rashes it is from the grass, and freshly mown lawns, poor delicate flowers

Edited August 3, 2006 by shoemonster

[BIG MAC]

years ago i had a staffy that used to get contact allergies around his mouth from his plastic food bowl and from the carpet freshner we used to use, needless to say we stopped using those. He also was allergic to ant bites and we almost lost him a couple of times to this. WE had to have strong antihistamine tablets on hand at all times just in case, but if he was outside by himself and he got bit he would swell up and couldnt breath in a matter of minutes.

So check out simple everyday things like concrete, plastic and even lino in the kitchen, if she lays on her stomach on any of these surfaces stop her from doing so one at a time to try and find the culperate.

[Staffy-Lover]

I just saw the second lot of photos and it definately looks like a contact rash... even his paws are pink.

definately ask for ilicourt at the vet and get the tea tree cream i suggested.

this is exactly what my staffy girl gets all the time... so keep a tube of both in the fridge

[Muttaburra]

Oh my, that's an nasty one. I am geussing it gets like that very quickly, forms the pustules then starts to scab a bit. My Maxi (JRT) got that a lot when I was staying on acreage with paddocks (lots of different grasses and plants).

It can be food allergies but from what I have read a good way to proceed is to try and eliminate any of the more obvious plant contact allergy candidates.

As mentioned

Various grasses

Wandering Dew

Plumbago (sky flower hedge plant, pretty blue flowers) Maxi very allergic to this.

Any "sandy" areas she may lie in, fleas and lots of little bities can live in the very sandy soils.

I find that since moving off the acreage and nailing down the exposure to plumbago I am pretty much on top of Maxi's allergy now, but still occassional occurances.

Now I have to hand a simple cortisone cream, available at chemists on request, and at the very first signs of the rash, rub it into the skin for about 1 minute. (after that he will lick it off). This usually settles it down after 2 or 3 applications. Never ever use Lanolin.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Looks to me like an allergy to wandering jew.

Sorry I havent worked out how to post a link but go into www.balgownievet.com.au, type in wandering jew into their search feature and it will give you the link, it shows some very nasty skin rashes similar to your dog's and some excellent photos of the various wandering jew species which will help you identify them.

With regards to the ilicourt cream from the vets. I had a skin problem with one of my dogs and the vet suggested we use Aristocort, a human cortisone cream as it was way cheaper then the veterinary one.

[zayda_asher]

Ok, what I'm gonna get you to do is search on my name "zayda_asher" and allergy in this health forum and you should get reams of old postings from me on allergies. I have two dogs with chroninc allergies so I've put a lot of info out there. Can't write it all again atm as I have some RSI problems.

Ok at that age it could just be "Puppy Staph" dogs do sometimes get staph over growths when they are young and they are treated and go away.

However, she could be developing allergies. There are different types of allergy, from most to least common:

Atopic (air born)

insect (flea, bee etc)

food

contact

Mine have all of the above between them - yipee!! She could well be developing allergies to anything you have or are using with her or anything around. You don't have to have changed anything: allergies develop to what we are exposed to, not just majically appear when we use a new product.

Do a search of the forum for my other posts, google "dog allergy symptoms" and have a read. Then if you have any questions feel free to ask, via the board or PM if you wish

Also if it is allergies we need to remember that there is a genetic component to this as it is a form of immune system disease. This should mean that a dog with true allergies is not used within a breeding program.

Cheers,

Dan

PS: Just to add, you should find my info if you do a search on having your dogs tested for allergies. But it is important to note that this sort of illness is the realm of specialists, i.e.: dermatologists. A lot of GP vets misdiagnose allergic reaction so if you think your dog does fit the symptoms, or continues to develop a symptom pattern that fits (as she is young and may not be displaying a full symptom pattern yet) then ask for a referral to a Derm if one is not forth coming. You can test and find out exactly what you dog is allergic to this way, much easier to deal with. And, as others have pointed out, our bullies are rather prone to allergies Good luck.

Edited August 4, 2006 by zayda_asher