...driving her and me nuts. She's scratching all the time, and in the past couple of weeks has lost a lot of fur on her rump. Lots of scaly, flaky skin. She's a black labradoodle, about 50 lbs, 3 years old.

I had the same thing on a smaller scale happen with her back in February, and a vet friend told me topical yeast infection. Stinky dog, and her coat had a sticky, greasy feel to it. I washed her a couple times a week with Nizoral shampoo (Ketoconazole; antifungal) for two weeks and changed her diet to Nutro Herring Meal, Rice and Potato formula...and it cleared up nicely.

I've been on a pretty tight budget, so I switched back to Purina One Sensitive Systems, and she's been eating that for a while with no bad results.

Now it's back, and my poor puppy scratches all the time. I don't know if the shampoo's doing much at all; I still think it's a recurrence of yeast infection, and I'm concerned that it's become systemic, as she has recently started exhibiting mild ocular conjunctivitis. Any thoughts on this?

I was thinking about starting her on a course of oral antifungal...but that's gotta wait until I get paid again so I can take her to the vet and get a prescription. The stuff's cheap, but I don't know about dosing and I don't know where I can get it without a prescription.

9/21/2010 3:29:10 PM

eww that sounds gross.

9/21/2010 3:29:47 PM

well, you may need to switch the food back. nutrition problems could be causing high blood sugar or another issue that fuels yeast growth. if the eyes start leaking, you see white yeast (thrush) on the tongue or signs of a vaginal yeast infection the dog should be seen right away. plenty of vets have payment plans so it could be the same for your budget as waiting but the dog doesn't have to suffer.

9/21/2010 3:35:51 PM

can you start bathing her again w/ the nizoral in the meantime?

9/21/2010 3:41:42 PM

I have started back bathing her already...

9/21/2010 3:42:41 PM

HIJACK


One of my dog's eyes is red and there seems a discharge coming out.

I have a vet appointment tomorrow...is it ok to wait until then or is it something serious I need to get looked at ASAP?

9/21/2010 3:46:34 PM

sorry. can't read. distracted.

9/21/2010 4:06:35 PM

so its not really serious it is just an annoyance

9/21/2010 4:06:57 PM

yeah, you could probably say that...just hate seein' Jemma scratch all the time.

9/21/2010 4:35:37 PM

aww

9/21/2010 4:39:00 PM

I am a vet student who happens to be on a dermatology rotation - based on the distribution you mentioned ("rump"/tail base) that is classic for flea allergy dermatitis. My first suggestion would be to make sure you control the fleas in her environment with something like KnockOut spray and make sure she's getting flea control every 4 weeks. She may need antibiotics or antifungals if there is a secondary skin infection as well (which is also very likely).
However, if she's had a history of recurrent skin problems then it might be much more complicated so I will just stop there for now Basically I would go see your vet.

9/21/2010 6:16:14 PM

And interestingly enough, when I got home last night, I was checking her over...she had an assload of fleas on her! I've been doing the flea shot, and it's supposed to last 6 months...and, well, the end of this month is six months. Wore off a little early...like a month early.

So out came the clippers and the #10 blade...which is like 1/16" for those of you who don't know. Two hours later, Jemma's dern near naked. Then tub time with Nizoral for the dermatitis. I think I got most of the fleas off, but you know how fleas are...you gotta take care of bedding and environment or you're pissing in the wind.

I think I'll be going the Advantix route from now on out. I use Advantage Multi on the cats with good results.

9/22/2010 12:37:27 PM

My gf has a goldendoodle that used to get terrible skin infections. Switched to the Blue Buffalo dog food brand and hasn't had a problem since. Although it sucks paying a little more from dog food, it was a lot better than paying the $300 vet bill for treating the skin infections each month. Might be something to consider.

Also, she would pop her dog a benadryl whenever he would get in his really itchy moods. He's a 90lb dog so the vet said that a single benadryl every now and then wouldn't hurt.

Hope your pup gets better soon.

9/22/2010 1:05:43 PM

one of my dogs has serious allergies (corn, pollen, & fleas) that all result in skin issues. she also doesn't like chicken or beef dog food. she eats nutro naturals venison & brown rice for sensitive systems. she takes either claritin or zyrtec everyday, we alternate so she can't build up a tolerance if that's possible. she also gets steroid shots during high allergen periods. the shots are $24 at my vet and last about 2.5-3 months. they're awesome.

flea shot?? i've never heard of that and can't find it online. i know there's one for heartworms. please link to whatever you're using. i'd like to look into that. my dogs take comfortis (a pill) once a month. it doesn't protect against ticks, but works a hell of a lot better than any of the topicals. i'm tired of having to shove it down their throats though.

[Edited on September 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ]

9/22/2010 1:09:25 PM

^^^ Comfortis is your best bet for fleas

9/22/2010 1:59:35 PM

I've heard that is some kick ass shit.

9/22/2010 2:09:08 PM

do you remember the name of the flea shot?

9/22/2010 5:50:52 PM

Prednisone will answer your prayers. Ask your vet about it, but it may come at the cost of an overweight dog if his/her feed is not managed properly because of its possible toll on the liver.

9/22/2010 5:53:25 PM

Could be a food allergy, though the fleas make it difficult to say. Our dog has horrible food allergies that give her yeast infections in her ears, and fleas make it worse (fur falling out etc). If you're on a budget, but still want to have some restricted ingredient food, we've been feeding ours California Natural Fish/Potato that we get from Phydeaux in Chapel Hill (http://phydeauxpets.com/product/7467.html?Category_Code=CalNatDogFood) and it's not much more than the IAMS she used to be on before we knew about the allergy.

As ^ says, prednisone does wonders for keeping these sorts of allergies under control, but it sucks for long term maintenance because of the health risks and the fact that while on it, your dog will act like you never feed her, making keeping her out of things she shouldn't eat that much more difficult.

9/22/2010 8:39:39 PM

There's no such thing as a flea shot - I've never heard of it before. However, there is a heartworm shot that's available from your veterinarian that lasts for 6 months (called ProHeart)

Please be careful when you use Advantix on your dog when you have cats in your household. It is highly toxic to felines when ingested. My personal favorite flea combo is Frontline Plus (can be applied up to every 3 weeks safely) and Comfortis with dogs who have severe flea bite allergic dermatitis. You also need to make sure you treat your environment - house and external if you own your own home. Just treating the animals will not work.

As far as Atopy is concerned on your dog's skin - my favorite combo is Ketochlor shampoo and Malacetic spray/rinse. I first wash the pet in a basic, astringent shampoo first, then wash a second time in the Ketochlor and allow to sit for 15 minutes. You can follow by doing a leave in rinse of the Malacetic product. Tea Tree Essential Oil is also very good at drying up areas that are affected by moist dermatitis.

And as others have said previously - getting your pet on a better food would help tremendously. The more carbohydrates, cereal grains and fillers that are in today's pet foods, the number of pets with allergies have increased. Dogs metabolisms weren't designed to process refined sugars, etc, and that, of course, is fuel for yeast. Decrease those amounts - or eliminate them entirely, and you can fix previous issues. A very affordable food that I have my dogs on is Nature's Recipe - a 35lb bag runs no more than $40, and contains NO wheat, beef, animal byproducts, corn and I believe soy.

9/22/2010 10:59:59 PM

thanks for clearing that up about the shot. i really didn't think there was one, bc i was pretty sure the vet would have mentioned it given mia's flea allergy. i thought maybe the vet was falling down on the job.

advantix is slimy/greasy, and the spot doesn't really go away. at least in my experience.

9/22/2010 11:22:53 PM

Everybody, please, use Frontline!

A lot of research (on animals) goes into these things so we might as well use them.

There's no reason to ever a have flea problem.

9/22/2010 11:52:57 PM

man, there's plenty of fleas in my mom's neighborhood that are immune to frontline. even with regularly cleaned bedding and spray and all, her dog routinely has fleas midmonth.

9/23/2010 12:40:21 AM

I've been fighting the same flea invasion recently. I've been putting Frontline on my dogs to some avail- it reduces the flea populations but not completely, even with vacuuming, mopping and washing bedding and the dogs themselves. Plus, we can't treat our yard with the pesticide for the fleas because it could affect our chickens.

It's driving me crazy .

9/23/2010 12:51:07 AM

Quote :

"Everybody, please, use Frontline or some other flea treatment"

Frontline's not the only thing out there.

9/23/2010 7:55:15 AM

True - I also use Advantage Multi for my dogs as well, and to be honest, I've never had a flea issue. We rotate between Frontline Plus and Advantage. My dogs also get a bath at least every 2 weeks.

I know of a woman at work and she hand makes her dog's flea collars - using rope twine that's braided and allowing it to soak in essential oils that make for natural flea repellent. I'll ask her this weekend what her concoction is. (c;

9/23/2010 8:56:51 AM

Hey Wheezer, what's your opinion on Taste of the Wild dog food? I've got my Weim and Beagle on it.

And btw, hi Kristin!

9/23/2010 11:27:01 AM

If I could afford it, I'd feed her a chunk of wild salmon every day.

9/23/2010 12:40:16 PM

I hate the fleas

My parents dogs have had them mildly but constantly for over two years now. We got fleas b/c they hitched a ride in the wedding presents that were in my parents house.

Please discuss flea pills more, so I can tell my parents and fix this shit!!!

9/23/2010 1:37:16 PM

it's been mentioned. it's call comfortis. once a month flavored chewable tablet, although neither of my dogs will chew it (even the one who acts like she's starving all the time). it works very well. doesn't protect against ticks.

9/23/2010 1:43:46 PM

Yup - Comfortis's main active compound is Spinosad - naturally produced by a common soil bacterium (Saccharopolyspora spinosa). Researchers have known about the natural advantages of these soil atinomycetes for some time now, in genetically engineering plants to become more insect resistant. This has crossed over into the animal industry. Comfortis is very safe - although at this time, it is not labeled for use in any other animal besides dogs.


HI LESLIE!! (c;

I have no qualms in Taste of the Wild. It's a great high protein, low carb food for dogs - and if your kids are doing well on it, by all means, keep them on it! For a good while, I was feeding exclusively Solid Gold, and when the prices increased (like everything else) I was encouraged by my colleagues to switch to Science Diet begrudgingly (being as most veterinarians are branded on that food from the get go). I wish I never did it - my one dog's allergies got so bad, I'm still trying to get her straightened out (after 1 year of switching food). I know she probably has environmental allergies as well, but the edema and atopy on her feet and between her toes has never been as bad as it was when she was on SD.

I actually had a representative from Eukanuba tell me that most dogs that have allergies are due to environmental allergies. I looked at him and very pleasantly said that his statement was interesting as the environment for them really hasn't changed much, however, the food people are feeding them has - in order to increase profit, more and more companies use fillers and fake nutrition in their foods that dogs aren't used to digesting...so you tell me.

9/23/2010 10:25:21 PM

Quote :

"it's been mentioned. it's call comfortis. once a month flavored chewable tablet, although neither of my dogs will chew it (even the one who acts like she's starving all the time). it works very well. doesn't protect against ticks."

i want to come in here and say i have had the exact opposite experience.
i freaking LOVE comfortis, works the best out of anything weve used, it will get ris of every damn flea on our dogs. you can literally see them fall off (i used the word literally because you actually can).
its really nice cause we live out in a wooded area too

9/25/2010 4:38:42 PM

...how is that opposite? i said it works well. it works better than any other flea treatment on the market. my dogs just don't like the taste. i still use it, i just cram it down their throats

[Edited on September 25, 2010 at 5:11 PM. Reason : ]

9/25/2010 5:10:51 PM

ahahah my fault. i TOTALLY read that it doesn't work very well.

DOOOHHHH. my fault man

9/25/2010 7:23:57 PM

i also want to add that my dog, carter, had a severe autoimmune reaction to her vaccines.

heres the thread:
http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=567866

but anyway, even after surgery she still has really bad flakey, scaley skin.
and its spreading. basically her body is eating itself

we randomly get clovamox (sp?) for her every few months or so and it really, really helps out a lot!

she has been doing SOOOOOOOOO well lately with it


thsi is how it started:


and it got bigger and bigger and deeper and deeper....

this is what we had to do:


it was rough

[Edited on September 25, 2010 at 7:33 PM. Reason : sdvsdf]

9/25/2010 7:31:58 PM

Joie, I can't even imagine going through that with one of my dogs!! And the vets are sure it wasn't some kind of necrotising fasciitis? It's just so crazy what the body and immune system can do. )c:

How old is your pup Joie? When's the last time she's had comprehensive bloodwork done? A lot of the time, skin conditions are a result of something awry biochemically. What are you doing to manage her condition currently?

Zxappeal - how's your dog doing now?

9/26/2010 12:08:54 AM

I read "severe autoimmune reaction to her vaccines" and immediately thought Banfield. Correct, incorrect?

9/26/2010 2:07:43 AM

^Banfield is right.

she's about 6 and it started after her second (maybe third?) distemper vaccine (which makes sense for a vaccine reaction). shes had bloodwork done several times and eveything is ok (well according to them, i havent seen it, i probably should ask for the records).

the clovanox is working wonderfully right now, the area is bald and flakey but thats it. no blood no scabs. but she cant stay on anitfungals forever :/


before we would jsut ride it out. we would wash her every so often with antifungal shamoo. she has real sensitive skin on top of this so occassionally she would get a couple fleas and it would drive her NUTS! she would scratch and scratch and scratch until the scab would peel off and she would have a raw spot on her side

that being said we try to keep her as flealess as posible (the comfortis is a lifesaver).

should i be testingher for something else?

she has been doing so freaking well the past 3 months or so, i hope it keeps up.

[Edited on September 26, 2010 at 10:34 AM. Reason : xdsfdx]

[Edited on September 26, 2010 at 10:34 AM. Reason : hgjfg]

9/26/2010 10:33:47 AM

it's clavamox btw. and it's an antibiotic, not an antifungal...

[Edited on September 26, 2010 at 12:45 PM. Reason : ]

9/26/2010 12:43:42 PM

^my b. whatever.....


the exact same thing applies.

9/26/2010 5:44:55 PM

Well wanted to make that clear in case your vet says he's prescribing it as an antifungal. It's not, so if he is then you need to find a new vet. If you're still at banfield you need to find a new vet anyway.

Good luck with everything though

9/26/2010 6:34:11 PM

Yeah, I would request records of her bloodwork - that way you can give complete record to your new vet if/when you get one. Blood is liquid gold (as well as urine) and changes in biochemistry levels can signal alerts if anything is going wrong.

I always tell clients who have dogs with particular skin issues to get the dog's thyroid tested, as well as to check for cushings disease.

I'm so glad she's doing well right now! just make sure you have her on a quality diet - watch/manage her treat intake and use good, topical skin/coat care.

9/26/2010 8:45:14 PM

Quote :

"If you're still at banfield you need to find a new vet anyway. "

SHIT i'm an idiot.


i don't take the to banfield, i take them to oberlin!! (lol, cody's sis just got a job at banfield and just got a little flustered in my head lol)


^it's funny you say that b/c they told me all of the same suggestions, and none of them seem to be the cause.
and also i will grab the blood work from them them next time i go....do they automatically test for thyroid stuff? i can probably read it myself )

[Edited on September 26, 2010 at 10:38 PM. Reason : this is joie]

9/26/2010 10:37:24 PM

All I can say is it's amazing how food choices can affect a dog's health and well-being. Never again will I buy dog food from a grocery store or Walmart, and NEVER will I buy anything made by Purina. Pure shit.

Hell, there's only one food that I would buy from Petsmart/Petco...and that's Blue Buffalo's Blue Wilderness.

Time to hit the specialty pet stores for hopefully some really good shit.

10/1/2010 11:06:07 AM

Wilderness is good - Petco also carries Natural Balance, Wellness and Solid Gold which are fantastic high end premium foods. (c;

10/1/2010 4:24:21 PM