Skin issues

[lexiaustin]

I rescued a labradoodle puppy back in August when she was 14 weeks old. When she came she was itching like crazy, had a yeast infection on both ears, and very scarce hair. They had her on puppy chow so since then we have tried a special diet with no grain. We feed her Taste of the Wild salmon for the last 6 weeks. We also treated her yeast infection and gave her antibiotics for a secondary infection developed from the itching. The newest treatment is a shampoo called KetoChlor thati bathe her every three days. What a pain!! It seems better with her itching but she still gets rashes that flair up. Sometimes they even look like a clusters of large pimples. She also has a very oily coat and a strong doggy odor. My house smells like dog if I don't shampoo her with Ketochlor. Its awful. She had skin scrapping tests twice and nothing showed up. My main concern is that her coat is so thin! She barely has any hair on her back thighs and her front neck you can see her skin through the hair. Anyone go though this with thier labradoodle?

[Nikkiey]

Hmm, I've never experienced anything like this, the poor girl! I'm at a loss as what to suggest because you've done/doing everything that I would have done. I guess the only thing that I would try is some benadryl cream? Juneau got into some stinging nettle at the lake a month or so ago and he broke out in a rash. I put some benadryl cream on it and it seemed to help. We just had to watch him and only put the cream on him before going for a walk otherwise he would just lick it off!

I've never heard of KetoChlor so this might be a HUGE stretch, but perhaps your little girls coat is really oily because you're bathing her so often? Perhaps her body is over producing oils to keep up with the amount of baths she's having? I know you're not supposed to bath your dog too often because then you can break down their coat....could this be what is happening? Again, I just want to say I don't know anything about KetoChlor so this is just a thought I had and I have no veterinarian experience. Maybe just ask your vet about it.

I really hope you're able to figure something out to help her, it's got to be really stressful!! Best of luck.

[doodleheaven]

Hi there,

I have a 4 year old labradoodle who has been dealing with skin issues for a few years. His hairloss this past summer was profound. His belly was bare and his back had bald patches. I finally just found a vet who seems to be taking us seriously. All previous vets just put him on antibiotics and steroids and never seemed interested in getting to the root of the problem. They also push their vet type food which is garbage in my opinion.

First off, has your dog been on steroids at all? Steroids are miracle drugs in some ways but if they are on them too long they will cause alot of side effects. My dog was on steroids all summer and my new vet feels this caused alot of his hair loss in the end. She doesn't like a dog to be on them more then a couple of weeks if needed. I put him on for the whole summer because that's what the previous vet's answer was for me and I was desperate to help him.

My new vet said that often dogs aren't put on antibiotics long enough to rid of the skin infection if it's bad. My dog was put on for 3 weeks with the new vet because it was necessary and alot of his skin issues have finally cleared. The itching is better, the infection is gone. Still dealing with hairloss but hopefully that will start improving also. I don't like him being on antibiotics for that long but in his case it was necessary.

We haven't tested for allergies but that may be our next step. She said if there was food allergies you would often (but not always) see them rubbing their chin or dragging it along the floor because it's itchy. You may also see hair loss around their butt if food allergies. Again, not always, but because my dog doesn't have those two things she is reluctant to say it is food like all the other vets automatically say.

Bathing as often as you do is not a good thing in a normal dog without skin issues. But when you do have skin problems it is often required and a good thing. If your dog perhaps has environmental allergies then you are washing them off and giving them relief. It is more protective in this case. Right now I just finished a routine of bathing Bailey twice a week with a medicated shampoo and conditioner the vet gave me. We are now doing it once a week to see how it goes. He feels much better after a bath and the itching gets better. I know it's not great for their hair but for their skin it is better in some cases. I also put a medication on his skin twice a week called Douxo Spot which helps create a healthy skin barrier on him. This is all on the advice of my vet (who is a specialist in skin conditons).

The other thing I tried is health store quality coconut oil. After a month or so last year Bailey's skin and coat improved dramatically. It was full and soft. It had to be the coconut oil that did this. Do a search on coconut oil and you might be convinced to try it. I believe the Whole Dog Journal is the one who did a report on this a few years ago and supported it. It did wonders for Bailey's coat but alas he grew tired of it and I can't get him to eat it for the life of me (he is very picky). Most dogs find it more like a treat but not him. If you can get your dog to eat this it really is beneficial. I'm trying to get Bailey to eat it again. You need to find the unprocessed kind (it looks like lard but will melt in your hand). The best oil out there in my opinion. He was very happy and healthy on it. Because he won't touch it now I've got him on Vit A and E capsules. Not as good but maybe it will help.

This is just my experience with Bailey. It's still a work in progress. I wish you good luck with your pup - it's a long road for those with skin issues.

[Jeanne C]

How much coconut oil did you give your dog?? A friend recommended coconut oil to me for use on my hair. Leave on overnight, shampoo a.m. and your hair really feels and looks great.

Jeanne C

[doodleheaven]

HI Jeanne,

When I can get Bailey to eat it I give him 1 Tbsp in his breakfast food and 1 Tbsp at suppertime. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about how much to give but I do believe you need to start out slowly (maybe a tsp). As for hair, I wouldn't have any idea but I do believe it would work well. The lady that recommended it to me was working at a high quality pet store and did alternative treatments for dogs on the side. She said Bailey looked like he wasn't absorbing his fats and said the coconut would help with that. She also said it is really good for humans (helps with menopause, increases metabolism etc). Interesting when you do a search on it.

[browndog]

Try using omega oils such as a teaspoon of nutra sea canine. (fish oils) You can get it at the health food store. They love the taste...just put it in food bowl. Helped our dog's skin a lot.