Dash is sick - update #27

[SleepyMom]

I have taken Dash to the vet for this several times, but thought maybe someone here might also have some thoughts about his situation.

He gets sore spots that look like a rash, right now they are on all 4 legs right where they meet his body, down one whole back leg, on his chest area and under his chin. He also has lost hair around his eyes and a small area on top of his head.

The vet gave us a cream, which sort of clears it up a bit, but never really makes it go away. They've done skin scrapings and can't find a reason for this (no fleas or mites). He had a shot and oral meds to help clear it up, they didn't work. We bought a medicated shampoo that is supposed to help soothe the skin.

His food is the same since he was about 3 months old (he's almost 8 months now). The vet said that should be our next step, so I am going out today to find something. He currently eats Innova puppy food, she said to try a lamb and rice food and if that won't work that next he will need a prescription food. The vet doesn't think it is allergies to anything outside because we are still in winter mode here and thought that would be more something we would see in the spring.

I hate seeing him like this, he has to wear a hood when we put the cream on, otherwise he licks it off. He hates it so bad! This morning he tried to bite us when we put it on.

I am just at a loss on what to do for him, has anyone ever dealt with anything like this before? Is there something we are missing?

 

[JoenAdamnErinnSam]

I took in a 16 month old springer as a foster in August of 2004-he's still here..lol..the only thing I knew of him was that he had a really bad staph infection as a puppy and some sort of skin allergy(although my vet says that any allergy manifests in a dogs skin) I was with one vet who did all the skin scrapings,etc and we changed his food, baths, everything-nothing made it better. I switched to a vet who is your old fashioned country vet, and she lets me keep him on intermittent courses of prednisone-the other vet would not-and we also did a course of Cephalexin(an antibiotic) with his first course of prednisone-I know why they don't want him on prednisone all the time, but he was miserable-biting and itching all the time, not sleeping, lost most of his hair, and hot pink skin all the time. So now I have him down to a course of prednisone(about a week) every 6-8 weeks, and his hair has grown back, he's a very happy "puppy". I know it may shorten his life in the long run, but she (the vet) and I agree that if its improving his quality of life now then its worth it. He is the sweetest dog I have ever had, and I would do anything to make him happy.Sorry so long, but if you have any other questions, I would be happy to help.Sue
PS They also treated him for mange-his "rash" was typical for mange(like if you drew an outline around his body if he was laying on his back with his legs out(not a good description) but that treatment didn't help Kodi either-but it may be something to look into.

 

[Disney Doll]

I have an English Springer Spaniel that we have had since he was 10 months old. He'll be 12 years old this year. We had him for about 4 or 5 years, when he developed a rash on his belly...itchy, oozy, he kept licking it. I'd take him to the vet, she'd give him oral antibiotics and this powder to put on it called Neo-Predef. He'd be on the antibiotics for a couple of weeks with the powder, the rash would clear up, but as soon as we stopped the meds, the rash would start to come back.

One day I was in the dog food store, and I got into a conversation with the girl behind the counter and was telling her about Ted. She recommended a dog food called California Natural. It has no wheat in it. Prior to that, I had been feeding him Purina One, which was a decent dog food, but had wheat in it.

I tried the California Natural and his belly cleared up and stayed that way. Just as an test, I gave him a couple of days of Purina One, and the rash started back up again!! He's been on California Natural ever since, and has never again had a problem.

 

[nwdisgal]

Well I don't know much experience raising dogs, but I wanted to say that Dash sure is a cutie. I hope he gets better.

 

[HERSEY]

I had a dog with a similar problem she was allergic to grass and fleas 2 things almost impossible to avoid. Try an oatmeal shampoo that may help with the itching giving the cream some time to work. It sounds like an allergy try washing his bedding in non scented soap. It could be an allergy to your laundry soap.

 

[SleepyMom]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

DD and I went out this afternoon and read every label on every dog food bag we could find, we finally found one with no wheat (several other people we have talked to say that wheat is often an allergy problem for dogs). It is Natural Balance. We gave him a few to snack on when we got home and he really liked them, so that was good. Hopefully this will help, I know it will take awhile to switch him over from the old food, the bag says 3 to 5 days. Does that seem pretty fast though?

I give him the final oral dose on Monday and then we go back to the vet later in the week. Hopefully there will be some improvement by then.

JoenAdamnErinnSam - Dash sounds a lot like your puppy, I will keep his treatment in mind when we go back to the vet.

Disney Doll - the store we were in today did not carry California Natural, but I do know a plaace that does... so if this one doesn't work I will try that one.

nwdisgal - thanks

HERSEY - The shampoo we bought does have oatmeal, we plan to continue using it. I never thought of the laundry soap though.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Dash is so darn cute.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I feed one of my dogs Natural Balance - it could be a wheat allergy. Some dogs are allergic to chicken, beef, lamb, etc too. You could try an elimination diet - just like you would with people.

I have another dog on California Natural, by the same company as Innova, he's on lamb and rice because he was allergic to Natural Balance! I think it was a protein in it that sent him over the edge. We have done GREAT on CA natural and it's afforable, as well.

Hopefully the NB will work. Have you tried just good ol' Benadryl? That might help, too, if it's an environmental allergy.

Don't be afraid to get a 2nd opinion from another vet. I preach holistic vets on this board but I'm serious when I say they're the best =) Course you might be already using one (they will recommend Innova a lot) but if not, you might consider a 2nd opinion by one in your area. Or just even another vet will have a thought.

I hope Dash starts feeling better soon!!!

 

[scoutsmom99]

I don't have any advice as we haven't ever experienced that, but Scout and I wanted to send out some hugs and a speedy recovery for Dash!

 

[Aidensmom]

I hope the food helps.

I had a Lhasa Apso that had a lot of skin problems, only thing that helped was switching him to Lamb & Rice food. That is the only thing I will feed any dog now. Good luck!

 

[golfgal]

Sleepmom, Corn allergies in Rat Terriers is very common so check for that too. There is also a kind of mange that Rat Terriers get. Try this website http://pocketpuppy.com/forum/default.asp . It is a Rat Terrier breeder website and they have GREAT information about such things.

 

[SleepyMom]

Dash is a Jack Russell, would the rat terrier site still be helpful?

So far Dash really likes the new food, but it's too soon though to see any improvement.

Something else occured to me this morning, we have this huge plant sitting on the floor and whenever Dash gets in his fiesty, looking for trouble mood he always goes to that plant and grabs a mouthfull of dirt and leaves to distribute around the house I wonder if he is getting something in his mouth that he shouldn't. I'm not allowed to take care of the plants (total black thumb) so I will have to ask DH at lunchtime if he puts anything in the plant. I moved the plant so he can't get to it anymore.

Thanks again everyone for the replies!

 

[Christine]

Dash is a Jack Russell, would the rat terrier site still be helpful?

So far Dash really likes the new food, but it's too soon though to see any improvement.

Something else occured to me this morning, we have this huge plant sitting on the floor and whenever Dash gets in his fiesty, looking for trouble mood he always goes to that plant and grabs a mouthfull of dirt and leaves to distribute around the house I wonder if he is getting something in his mouth that he shouldn't. I'm not allowed to take care of the plants (total black thumb) so I will have to ask DH at lunchtime if he puts anything in the plant. I moved the plant so he can't get to it anymore.

Thanks again everyone for the replies!

Many plants are very toxic to dogs. Even if you DH doesn't put anything in the soil, there could be some plant "particles" in there that are bothersome.

 

[zurgswife]

Good Luck with Dash...did want to suggest that there are Vets that specialize in allergies. Our beagle had some bad allergies for a while and we found a specialist and it really helped...

 

[hiwaygal]

I don't have any advice as we haven't ever experienced that, but Scout and I wanted to send out some hugs and a speedy recovery for Dash!

same from me and my crew!!!

Dash is just so cute!

 

[Disneyrsh]

Our 9 year old standard poodle will get staph infections on her belly, and the vet says that everyone has staph bacteria present on their skin, but it is a problem when the immune system goes out of whack and the staph multiply and are not controlled by the body's natural defenses.

Daphne's also allergic to wheat so she's on Innova, and we give her raw cow marrow bones 1x a week that I've flash boiled to at kill any klingon germs on the outside of the bone.

She also gets 500 mg of vitamin C a day. No more problems with staph. If she goes off the vitamin C though, boom, staph. If she eats food with wheat in it, boom, staph AND an ear infection.

It takes a while for the immune system to get back up to speed, you might want to try knocking the active infection out with a combination of internal antibiotics, cream, and a tea tree oil wash and switch his diet at the same time, let his immune system calm down and get up to speed with the good diet.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Oh, hey, have to add, if you spray the owies with Bitter Apple (you can get it at PetSmart) he won't lick the wounds-that really helped Daphne to heal faster when she couldn't constantly work at the infection.

 

[Jockaroo]

We suffered through several rounds of skin problems and a very itchy, half-bald Scottie. Terriers in general are prone to skin allergies. We have finally tracked his problem down to an allergy to fleas, so we must be diligent with flea control. Before figuring this out, we did the food change, but were told to avoid any foods with corn, and also told that the dyes used to color food and treats are problematic with many dogs. You may be feeding a high quality food, but look at the treats you are giving as well. We gave Mac allergy pills for an extended period, but they tended to dope him up, so we were glad to get things under control so he could play more. We also used an oil suppliment with his food.

We have a special oatmeal shampoo and a conditioner for Mac. Scotties are a breed that does not do well with frequent baths, so we limit these as well to protect his skin. Although yours may not be a flea allergy, fleas can live indoors year-round and go through extended periods of dormancy. Our largest problems were when we lived in apartments and people did not routinely treat their pets. The problem is much less now that we control our house. If he continually is licking his paws, he could have a allergy to grass. Good luck figuring all this out. It can take time, and worries you so much since your baby is suffering.

 

[imsorry]

just sending a hug to one of my favorite cuties! I am looking at his picture right now - hope he feels better soon!

 

[imsorry]

Just wondering how Dash is feeling today