ruthless Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 (edited) I did a search, but can't find the information I'm looking for... When we got Angel from Staffy Rescue she had pretty flakey skin, but it cleared up within a few weeks. That was almost a year ago. She hasn't had it since. For the last few months we've had flea allergy problems with her, but I think that's all under control now. She's on Sentinel and Advantix. She also had hives a fortnight ago. She gets washed every week or two weeks with Fidos oatmeal shampoo and conditioner. She sleeps in a crate in our bedroom and sometimes she wakes me up in the middle of the night with all her scratching and chewing herself. I was just giving her a tummy rub and I noticed she's got lots of flakey skin around her bum, on her tummy and behind her ears. Her skin doesn't feel dry, which I thought was odd. I also noticed a few bites, but I think/hope they're fly bites. I rubbed some Vit E cream onto her and sprayed her with fly repellant. I think she might just have dodgy skin and be prone to allergies. What is the best way to manage it? I know Supercoat isn't the best, but her and Ivan have been doing fine on it. We put Chopper on Eukanuba cause his farts were rancid! She gets kibble for breakfast, some sort of long lasting treat when I go to work [rawhide, pigs ear, Everlasting Treat Ball, kong, lamb shank, etc.] and for dinner she gets more kibble with ACV, sprint oil and either kangaroo, beef, tuna, mackerel, salmon or chicken necks. Do you think something in her diet could be causing it? Edited May 13, 2007 by ruthless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffy-Lover Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Feed her two capsules of fish oil a night with dinner, u get them in a tub of 200 for $20 from the chemist. At the pet store you can get a teatree cream it is in a white tub or tube with a green and white label on it, i find this FANTASTIC for both my staffies. and washing once a week is too often! you wash all the natural oils out of the coat.. so unless she is getting really dirty for some reason then only once a month is necessary. You can try to get rid of allergies if you think it is food related by slowly cutting things out until you find the culprite. Most staffies have allergies.. the hives i would say are actually from fleas as there is an outbreak at present according to the abc radio vet at Vineyard Hope it all works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 (edited) Yeah the fish oil will be good for her I only wash mine when I absolutely have to (if Ed has a show, so at the most once every month or 2), and they never have skin problems, Lots of staffs have allergies to grass too Keri oil may also be good for her coat and skin, I mix it with water in a spray bottle, shake it up and spray on, you can get it from the chemist Edited April 11, 2007 by shoemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 oh cool, thanks. i was only washing her that often since the flea issue as it seemed to give her relief from the itchiness. she gets quite dirty sometimes [she wrestles with chopper in the dust bowl that is our garden and she likes to wade in a muddy stream at the park!], but maybe she could just be hosed off afterwards as opposed to getting a proper wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 i found a container of fish oil capsules in the cupboard, must be hubbys. watching angel and chopper trying to figure out what to do with them was too funny! they had it sussed by the time i gave them the 2nd one though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoL Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Staffies are prone to allergies and itchy skin. The fish oil is good, try Dermaveen cream for a bit of topical relief or, if the worst comes to the worst take her to the vet and get some cortisone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 is dermaveen from the chemist or the petshop? also, does anyone know how long will it take to notice the effects of the fish oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffy-Lover Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 fish oil will take a week or two to really work. the tea tree cream is pretty cheap alternative that is a natural product, i use it on my staffies everything ... it is a wonder cream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asalei Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 (edited) My sister's staffy has a reaction to something in the yard and it comes every spring and she gets really bad and loses all her fur. They even went to the extreme's of finding an injection that would fight what ever it was she was allergic to. VERY expensive, and I think they've now found, not worth it. There's something they use on her skin that's worked wonders.. I have a feeling it's emu oil or something? She looks the best now than she has in ages.. I'll find out what it exactly is and let you know.. EDIT: Yeah, it's Emu Oil and Emu Soap.. It clears her skin up really well and stops the itching and flakey skin. Edited April 11, 2007 by ~Erin~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 I also used ACV for Atlas, just a bit in his water seems to stop him getting itchy !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Many dogs are also allergic to and are irritated by hession ( the cover on the tramp beds ). If you have one of those you might like to change it over to a shade cloth type. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Thanks, but we've got the shade cloth ones here. Good to know though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoL Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 is dermaveen from the chemist or the petshop?also, does anyone know how long will it take to notice the effects of the fish oil? It's from the chemist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted May 13, 2007 Author Share Posted May 13, 2007 I just thought I'd give an update here. I brought Angel to the vet yesterday to get her vaccinations and I asked him about her skin allergies. She's been chewing her paws quite a bit, so I thought he might be able to recommend something. He said the first line of defence with airborne allergies is to wash her weekly to ease the discomfort of the itching. As long as I use an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner it won't dry her skin out. He agreed with the tea tree lotion and the fish oil capsules. Just thought I should mention that washing her weekly is ok as long as she's conditioned also, and as long as it's not a medicated shampoo. He said when her allergies aren't bothering her that I should wash her every 2-4 wks. That would be normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Did the vet say what is causing it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted May 13, 2007 Author Share Posted May 13, 2007 Airborne allergies, pollen etc. He siad I can manage it with baths, lotion, fish oil etc. but if it ever gets really bad she might need a shot of cortisone. He looked in her ears and said he can see that cause they're pink she's a dog that's prone to allergies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 that sucks, so a change of diet wont help? Stupid staffys!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 he didn't mention her diet, but we have been thinking of going raw for a while now, might be worth a try. i remember you said before that raw didn't suit you, was it atlas or kaos that had a problem with it? what route did you take instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Atlas is the problem child I now feed nutro, never had a probem since i started it, i also add ACV to their water. I cant get Nutro in WA so when my last lot runs out, i am going to have eto go back to finding something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 My Stafford girl also has many allergies but going onto a prescription diet has improved her skin by about 50%. The pink colour has gone from her ears and belly and her ears are no longer hot to touch. Often skin and gastrointestinal allergies go together. Vaccinating dogs that are currently showing symptoms is not a good idea either. There are studies on that but I have done a google search and can't find them. I bet Morgan would have them though. Since I stopped Vaccinating my girl - no more hotspots. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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