Always Scratching?

[jennyr]

Hi my little Skye terrier has the itches we seem to be on top of the fleas we live in the tropics which doesnt help. Is it ok to rub Aloe Vera gel on dogs as this is such a wonder remedy for so many things I thought I might try it?

When she gets excited she scratches under her tummy with her back leg I look and can see no reason why she would be itchy there.

But she does get redness and irritations on her back especially.

Thank you Jen

[Isabel964]

I was told that Westies can be prone to skin problems, but not sure if it the case with all terriers. I think the trick is to stop itching ASAP so that it does not become habit. There are things you can do to prevent skin issues - like certain oils added to their food etc.

Options I can think of;

Take her to the vet to rule out tiny bugs

Ask the vet for advice

Try a medicated gentle anti-itch wash

Good luck

[jennyr]

She went to Vet he gave her antibiotics last time as her skin was bad it cleared up he wanted to do some tests but when he said $600 plus sorry havent got that sort of money.

This is why I want to see about some sort of natural remedy. She is on Phenabarb she is epileptic the dose seems to be right as she hasnt fitted for at least 2 years now.

We use a medicated shampoo and try to keep fleas under control.

Jen

[KitKat]

I'd probably give PawPaw Ointment a go...

[sas]

eeeek @ $600.00

For skin complaints I would reccomend fish oil and Vit E capsuls and then Vit E to the actual skin.

Hopefully a Westie person can pop on here and let you know if Westies are infact prone to certain skin complaints and what to do about that.

Are you sure she doesn't have any allergies?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

See you actually have a skye not a Westie

Westies are prone to skin complaints, and sometimes it is actually the diet which is causing the problem.

What do you feed your dog?.

[jennyr]

Skye usually has My Dog or Pal after seeing some of the comments maybe I should look at her diet?

With the Fish Oil and Vit E is their a recommended brand and dosage?

Thank you Jen

[sas]

Ok, I would highly reccomend you get your dog off the supermarket brand food, it's junk food for dogs, filled with preservatives & artifical colourings and God knows what else.

Look into a high grade Kibble such an Iams, Royal Canin, whatever is most suitable for a Westie, do you have a Breeder you can contact?

Pro Plan does one for sensitive skin and tummies.

Introduce the new feed over 1-2 weeks so you don't get tummy upsets.

Instead of the Kibble you may like to try a raw and fresh diet of raw meat + raw meaty bones and mashed veggies. You may like to stay away from Beef and just focus on Chicken such as chicken necks, chicken wings and chicken frames as quite alot of dogs have beef allergies.

Fish Oil dosage that we use is 1 capsule per 10 kg's of body weight. We buy the Thompson brand that already has the Vit E included. If you can't get the one with Vit E included you will need to give a Vit E tablet every 2nd day.

Some people also use pro-botics and yoghurt to assist with skin complaints. We always use pro-botics when a dog is having anti-botics.

I swear by by Fish Oil, it does great for my dogs coat condition as well as their inner health. I've used it on my own dogs and foster dogs. Below is a photo I have posted a few times, this is a previous foster dog, on the left is what he looked like on day 1 and on the right is what he looked like on day 31, this was done through the use of Fish Oil capsuals, Vit E capsuals, Vit E Cream morning and evening & a raw diet.

Edited November 18, 2006 by sas

[morgan]

A number of coated terrier breeds are prone to itchy skin - it is essential to stop all artificial colours and flavours in their food, add omega 3 oils (cod-liver, fish, flaxseed etc. Poor quality food with too many fillers in the form of grains will get them every time, as will most tinned foods. Soy and corn are the biggest allergens in dog food.

I know of a couple of coated terriers that stopped itching just with Imedeen tablets every day - a bit expensive, but cured really bad eczema!

Consider stopping the medicated shampoo as well - have never known the application of chemicals to irritated skin to work long term.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Just ask your Vet first to check into interactions with fish oil and phenobarb.

I know there are problems with giving fish oil and thyroid medications together.

Mel.

Edited November 18, 2006 by Staff'n'Toller

[sas]

Missed where it said the dog was on Thyroid medication?

I was under the impression the dog was not on any sort of medication apart from anti-botics?

[Staff'n'Toller]

She is on Phenabarb she is epileptic the dose seems to be right as she hasnt fitted for at least 2 years now.

[jennyr]

Thank you to all who answered my question about itchy skin. I think first of all I will look at her diet and give her fish oil and see how it goes.

Jen

[moirat]

I have a rescue Westie who came to me bald from her hips back, she would grind her belly on the concrete and scratch and itch almost every second of the day. Firstly we got on top of the fleas, I took her to the vet who put her on various antihistamines which did alleviate the scratching some what however, with not too much cash to spend on medications constantly I asked for advice here and thanks to advice from DOL we addressed her diet. I was feeding her Supercoat dry food and mince - we have since eliminated all dry food from her diet. (Although she has been caught with her head in the cats bowl). She now gets raw mince, chicken necks, wings and frames, brown rice and mashed vege occasionally sardines and daily fish oil . A variety of high quality dry foods were recommended to me and while I was tempted, I decided to forego the dry food altogether. She now has a fabulous coat and has improved health wise ( and has since been speyed and bladder stones removed), she still likes to have a slide around on her belly but it is not the grinding itching she had done previously. Good luck, I truly believe that a natural diet is best for the sensitive skin types ( for all dogs probably but absolutely for my girl).

[Ons]

changing my itchy golden retreiver puppy to holistic eaglepack food stopped her itches alot, she still itches a tiny bit but hardly ever really.

paw paw ointment is great, I put that on my other golden's skin once when I thought I had to take him to the vets but didnt want him anywhere near the only vet that was on duty that day and it healed the sore remarkably. So I keep that on hand.

I would give the change of diet a go but because of the epilepsy I would check with the vet first about anything you give, just to be on the safe side :-)

Edited November 18, 2006 by Onslowsmum

[sas]

Just ask your Vet first to check into interactions with fish oil and phenobarb.

I know there are problems with giving fish oil and thyroid medications together.

Mel.

Thanks Can you point me in the direction of information relating to that as I can't seem to find anything that says fish oil can be a bad combination?

[jennyr]

I rang my vet and he said he had not heard of Phenabarb and fish oil being a bad combination so I am going to give these a go. Is it ok to use Frontline every 2 weeks? I dont mean all the time just every now and then?

Thanks Jen

[cityslicker]

Hi my little Skye terrier has the itches we seem to be on top of the fleas we live in the tropics which doesnt help. Is it ok to rub Aloe Vera gel on dogs as this is such a wonder remedy for so many things I thought I might try it?

When she gets excited she scratches under her tummy with her back leg I look and can see no reason why she would be itchy there.

But she does get redness and irritations on her back especially.

Thank you Jen

Hi Jennyr

First of all you must get rid of the fleas, try Frontline an application on the back of the neck. You must also treat the soil/grass around where the dogs lay, sprinkle Lime, be careful it doesn't get on the dog. If the dog is laying around on concrete, then wash the concrete down with Phenyl mixed in water, I prefer the White Phenyl and you can also wash the bedding in it. If you have a hession hammock bed, get rid of it, they harbour fleas.

An old fashion flea repellant - drop of Penny Royal (health foodshop) at the base of tail and back of neck.

Now for the feeding - stop using Tin Food and Dry Food, avoid food colourings. Never feed Beef, a skye breeder told me that it heats the blood. I recommend using Eagle Pack Holistic Food. Another product is an all natural meat loaf actured by Ecopet, distributed by Complete Pet & Vet at Yatala, Qld. BARF - you can do this yourself, any veggies you have pulped and combine the juice and feed raw, Chicken Necks and Wings. Get onto the BARF website, and Feeding Book costs $16.00 plus postage.

As for the Fish Oil and Vitamin E, just one capsule per day.

Cold-pressed Neem Oil, available at Healthfood Shop. Use a small amount over the itch, great for the tropics.

Aloe Vera gel is good also, if you have the plant, just cut and squeeze and rub onto spots.

Washes you can try : Malaseb, Epi-Soothe etc. etc. and follow the directions, see The Vet Shed - they advertise on DOL.

Yes West Highland White Terriers do suffer from skin complaints, but so do : Golden Retrievers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, Dalmatians and many other breeds to numerous to mention here.

Cityslicker - living/breathing Westies