I don't know if anyone else has had this problem with their dog but i'll describe as best I can. She is a white dog (vet says this is a reason?) and she constantly loses her fur on her back, from about the middle down to her tail. All her underneath is sore and her 'bits' often appear swollen. She has been to the vets constantly, they give her an injection, it almost goes away then it just comes back again. They have admitted (after about five years) that it is an allergy, nothing to do with fleas by the way, she is done with frontline and i check often. Yet they won't put her on anything permanently which leaves me needing to take her to the vets every fortnight which is just crap. and yes i have seen different vets. Has anyone else had a similar problem or know of a herbal or human equivilent of anything that I can give her. She is bad tempered and has started snapping. Her ears seem to be troubling her too. She isn't a nasty dog and only snaps if someone touches where it really hurts! I have some antibacterial shampoo which soothes for about 12 hours but thats it!

Any suggestions?

get something from your petshop called scratch, or use lavender oil works a treat ;)

get something from your petshop called scratch, or use lavender oil works a treat ;)

What is scratch? Never heard of it before! How do I use the oil and where do I get it from? I'm willing to try anything at the minute! I heard tea tree is good for dogs skin too, anyone tried it?

It's true that cats and dogs with white fur tend to have thin, itchy and fragile skin, and to suffer allergies (I have a white cat who permanently has scabby patches where he scratches and it takes the skin off). Lavender oil is a lot gentler than tea tree, although you can apply both the same way- just a couple of drops on a piece of cotton wool and dabbed on, or in a small bowl of water that you use as a final rinse when you've washed them. They have the added side effect of making your pooch smell good.

Another thing you can do is to make sure that her claws are very carefully clipped and filed to take off sharp edges.

Either way round- good luck with this, it's a management issue, not the sort of thing that you can 'cure'.

Thank you, i will try this as soon as i get hold of the oil, i love lavendar!

try health shops or somewherethat sells scented stuff. Scratch is available from most pet shops, I know my local one stocks it?

My dog sometimes gets a bit of flaky skin, that I sometimes put down to fleas,i personally dont like using frontline, I've got some stuff called DYNA-MITE its from DOGHEALTH.CO.UK, and it's brilliant and completly natural it contains herbal oils,lavender and citronella, you only need a bit diluted in water, the instructions are on the bottle,it always works for my dogs, or cats its mainly for fleas etc or ear mites I've even used it on my rabbit a realy weak solution when she got a fly strike during the summer,also it can be used on humans, it keeps midges away, its realy good I wouldn't be without it,also try rubbing aloe vera on the sore bits that realy soothes.

Buster has allergies.
He has hypoallergenic food and treats and only has things like oily fish when I want to give him something nice.
He doesn't have wheat or dairy and I give him starflower oil as a supplement.
You can also use that for bathing, it reduces the inflammation of the skin.
JWB is a good food but we've just started getting Wainrights which is much cheaper and just as good.
It has worked wonders up to now and his skin is much better and the vet is impressed with his recovery.
I'm not saying it will work but it's worth a try.
Watch what you use for a bath, get a special shampoo, they're cheaper from pet shops that the vets. We get coal tar shampoo, it's very soothing for him.

You could try a product called RESTORE - I'll look for the company that does it, it's online. A lot of dalmatian breeders, handlers etc use it for their dogs as they are notorious for skin problems.

Is your bitch spayed?
If she has it so regularly it could be a condition called Short Hair Folliculitis. A lot of dalmatians get it due to their white coats (hence it's colloquial term is 'dally rash') and it tends to happen each year maybe twice a year, or after a season or pregnancy.

It is often on the dog's back or the top of the head and looks like lots of small bald patches that spread until there is a larger bald patch (although my bitch stopped at the small patches thankfully).

You can't really do much about dally rash but a lot of dally people do use Restore to help the coat regrow. It doesn't tend to bother the animal, just looks unsightly and spaying can be (although drastic) a way to prevent it as it's thought to be due to hormone imbalances.

Of course, it may just be an allergy but if you want any more info pm me and meanwhile I'll try and find the RESTORE online.

also - if it's causing the dog discomfort you can bathe with teatree oil which is supposed to soothe irritation.

Thank you all for the advice. The vets aren't helpful at all. One vet gave me some brilliant tablets, the redness went, her fur grew back and he said she would have to have them for life. Went back and it was a different vet and they won't give them to her. Hopefully I can find a shop nearby that stocks these things!!

Another thing that we've tried and works wonders with cats with skin problems is Viacutin, which is evening primrose oil in a pump dispenser that you put a squirt or two on their food- it helps all sorts of dry and itchy skin conditions. I'm sure you could get the same effect by giving your dog an EPO capsule too.

Cod Liver Oil is also good as a regular thing to give them, just a small drizzle on each meal - if they don't have a fish intolerance of course!

Another thing that we've tried and works wonders with cats with skin problems is Viacutin, which is evening primrose oil in a pump dispenser that you put a squirt or two on their food- it helps all sorts of dry and itchy skin conditions. I'm sure you could get the same effect by giving your dog an EPO capsule too.
Ahhh, that ties up with Lotti's comment about hormone imbalance, as Evening Primrose Oil is supposed to be good for PMS/PMT in humans :)

I was going to suggest Aloe Vera (a breeder I know has loads of the plants, and keeps the leaves in her fridge for immediate use - much cheaper ;) ), or we gave up with concoctions from the vet for our westie (but we knew that was excema(sp) he had) and just shampooed him weekly in Savlon or Dettol, which turned the dead skin orange for a bit, but worked a treat :)

I heard tea tree is good for dogs skin too, anyone tried it?
Great advice my dog years ago had a similar problem it turned out he was allergic to fleas, one bite and he would rip his fur out in a long line, even when we got rid of the fleas the reaction was still there for some time he looked like a dog with scabies , thankfully the vets injected him with stuff to keep fleas away every 6 months and since then he has been fine. but we used Tee tree oil if i remember rightly i bough tone for use on babys as it wasnt a recomendation from a Vet it was of word of mouth, this helped with the sores and eventually healed the problem the only thing is i would say prevent them from licking it after application as i doubt it is good for there belly,.

also - if it's causing the dog discomfort you can bathe with teatree oil which is supposed to soothe irritation.
Ahh yes i remember we bathed him in tee tree oil and if i remember rightly it was Johnsons which i bought from pets at home although i am sure you can get it cheaper else where

is it a special one for animals or could you go to somehwhere like superdrug for example?

did you get the site for the scratch I mentioned? If not pm me and I'll give it to you

You can get tea tree oil from all sorts of places (chemists, natural health stores etc) and you use the same for animals as you do for humans.

You can get tea tree oil from all sorts of places (chemists, natural health stores etc) and you use the same for animals as you do for humans.

Thankyou! Will start looking tomorrow!

what breed is your dog? some breeds can suffer from specific skin conditions (huskies can get one caused by a zinc deficiency disorder). has your vet done skin scrapes and a full blood profile?. we feed codliver/evening primrose combined capsules once a week (though to date we have not had a dog with a skin problem). you might also want to consider a change of diet, as some foods can cause problems like these in certain dogs.

my mothers border terrier had this problem and she had to take him to a specialist in stockport who tested him for his allergies and then created a jab for him which had to have once every month for 4 months. followed by a course of tablets it cleared up and he is now fine. it could be a combination of several small allergies
hope this helps

what breed is your dog? some breeds can suffer from specific skin conditions (huskies can get one caused by a zinc deficiency disorder). has your vet done skin scrapes and a full blood profile?. we feed codliver/evening primrose combined capsules once a week (though to date we have not had a dog with a skin problem). you might also want to consider a change of diet, as some foods can cause problems like these in certain dogs.

This is good advice. (can't remember if I mentioned it in a previous post!) I feed mine on James Wellbeloved since she got dally rash and also because dallies are prone to allergies. If it is an allergy, something like James Wellbeloved would be a good idea as it is hypoallergenic so shouldn't spark anything off in your dog and can prevent other intolerances too.

bluesandtwos - with the capsules - do you just give them how they are in their food?

James wellbeloved is a good additive-free diet, or go back to basics and feed a raw food diet (raw meat+ lightly steamed fruit and veg, vitamin/mineral suppliment, boiled rice, potatos etc). a little more hassle than complete or tinned foods I know, but as near as you get to a dogs natural diet with little risk of allergies etc. Ours thrive on it. happy to give you more info and websites on this if you want to try it. as you describe your dogs problem, it certainly sounds like either an allergy or deficiency. Discuss this one with your vet: we have a dog who suffers from hayfever, this is treated with piriton with good effect, may help your dog if this is an allergy without the need for strong steroids (which is probably what your vet is injecting), but do check with your vet first (then buy it from a chemists, as loads cheaper)

Lotti: we just put the whole capsule in the food bowl, dont think the dogs even notice it most of the time

Thanks bluesandtwos.

Kittenta, bluesandtwos is right about the raw food diet, it's an excellent diet and dogs thrive on it. I used to feed it Takara but be aware that you need to read up on it, make sure you get the right balance of everything in there.

I stopped feeding it Takara because she refused to eat a balanced diet and would only touch the raw bones! If you can suss out all the amounts to give and your dog will eat it all - then great! Give him that but you may need to watch him when eating raw chicken legs etc the trick is to chew, not crunch!

oooo! another B.A.R.F fan!. will second that, you do need to do your research on it and get the amounts right. Ours scoff the lot and are very fond of apples, bananas and carrots. a raw carrot does wonders for your dogs dental hygene too and far better for them than some dog treats.

My dog is a cross english bull, she doesn't look much like one in the face tho.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k298/kittenta/Skegnesssands2006035.jpg

Thats her. It took me years to get the vet to admit that it was some sort of allergy she has and not me mistreating her! I constantly got the blame for not fleaing her even though she and my cats are done with frontline and the house sprayed with that £15 a tin home spray and they couldn't find any evidence of fleas on her. They give her steroid injections yes and i've been told that whatever she has causes an infection in her skin. This is something she has all year round although the summer months are always much worse. It causes her ears to become sore too. The tip of one her ears has gobne really hard and sticks slightly upwards, vet says it's due to infection, it's a real puzzle, i just never get a straight answer from the vet, they don't know what it is. They did give her some tablets once that were perfect but now they won't give them to her, said they were unsuitable. the vet that gave them to her and said she should really be on them permanently didn't think so!

sorry bit long winded!

simple solution, change vets!. Have a fantastic relationship with ours (owning a small menagerie, we should do) but if he hacked me off, i would go elsewhere, simple as that.

hi - what skin allergy or symptoms did the dog have. I have a border terrier that is losing hair and has spots/boils where there is no hair. we have changed her diet, but I can't see any improvement. I can't bear to have to wait another 4 weeks. we are local to Stockport.

Has the vet given you a name for this condition.its sounds something like ive heard that some westies can get. for which one of the treatments is a steriod injection every so many weeks and usually a course of anti-biotics.. did the vet mention...SARCOPTIC MANGE

Is that not a condition caused by parasitic mites?. diagnosed by skin scrapes and treated with mite-killing topical treatment

possibly.thats why i asked if the vet had given a name to the condition.:) plus im going on the ear problem too as this condition can affect the ears.
some info here.

http://www.provet.co.uk/petfacts/healthtips/sarcoptes.htm#a

Has your vet tested for zinc responsive dermatitis?, can cause the problem your describing. diagnosed by a blood test and skin biopsy.

The vet hasn't given any name for my dogs problem. They just say it is some sort of allergy. It actually gets worse if shes been in fields etc, where there is plenty of grass. They seem to think that her problem is due to more than one thing but they never do tests on her. They just blame me, like how is it my fault??? She is going back next week anyhow when this shampoo stuff runs out as it isn't really doing the job. Do you reckon I should demand they do some sort of tests or something?
Her ears fill up will waxy stuff andl ots of little cuts and scabs yuck. It isn't mange though, thats what they thought when i first took her years ago but they ruled that out.

Is the skin condition affecting her muzzle and paws!, would defo rule out the zinc problem with the vet if so. we have one dog with a zinc disorder who needs a supplement for the rest of her life to prevent skin problems. she is also being neutered as a genetic link so will not ever breed from her. would defo get vet to do a blood profile if he/she hasn't already.

sounds like ear mites too ...try vets4pets abbeydale road

Whatever it is she has it kind of spreads. She now has it slightly tho under her chin and on her nose and down all four paws. it is always mainly on her back to. She is defo going back next week and i'm taking no crap this time! The shampoo she was given is for dermatitus i looked earlier but other than taking the redness away for 1-2 hours thats all it does.

They once gave her some tablets that worked a dream but i can't remember what they were called and I haven't got the bottle either but I may ask them to have alook and find out what they are.

I'll let you know how she goes next week.

oh she did once have a diabites (can't spell it) check and something else to do with her blood but they came back negative.

was it steroids they gave her? that seems to be a cure all :suspect:

I believe they gave her a steroid injection but I was told she would need to take these tablets for life should they work, they began with P but can't remember the name. They worked really well all her fur grew back and everything then they didn't give her any more??

Is this down to a banning of a particular product, or a change in 'sponsorship'?

Is this down to a banning of a particular product, or a change in 'sponsorship'?

More like a difference in opinion between the vets as to what the actual problem is as I asked if the tablets were still available and they said yes.

The other thing that you need to bear in mind is that there are some products which are known to have potentially life shortening side effects in some animals, even though they're very effective. It is down to the individual opinion of the vet as to whether they're prepared to use those products on animals of certain ages.

For instance, the same steroids that are used to treat lots of skin and inflammatory conditions also can accelerate kidney failure and the loss of kidney function. For that reason I know of a couple of vets that refuse to use them in young animals unless there really is no other alternative and the owners understand the implication for their animal (and treating a cat for long term kidney failure is an expensive and heart rending thing to do). The steroids are still licenced, but there's nothing that says that the vet has to use something where they believe that the benefit/risk balance is in the wrong place.

I didn't know that thx for the info. Time for an in depth conversation with the vet I think :thumbsup: Sick of going back again and again now.

Ok back from the vets! Susike got an allergic reaction again yesterday, covered in lumps, she wasn't happy. They have prescribed her some antibiotics and put her back on those tablets i have mentioned before, the only ones which work they are called Prednisolone. Granted I have to give her as little of them as possible as she will be on them permanently so I have to find the minimum dose that will sort her out. I figured quality of life was a better choice that quantity, and it is only a smallish risk. Poor thing is sat in her basket not wanting to do anything but at least she didn't turn down her dinner with tablets hidden in it :thumbsup: