4 1/2 year old bitch has chronic skin rash, itching and hair loss starting 3 months after vac. and spaying. Started Raw Diet 1 mo after onset of symptoms. Not responding to prednosone. Getting worse by the day.
Please help!
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Your dogs itching has NOTHING to do with the fact she was vaccinated or spayed. What you need to do it find a veterinarian who is competent in treating diseases of the skin. Look for a member of the AAVD or DACVD to treat your dog. Just putting a dog on corticosteroids is not the way to go in 2007, and in fact long term can make the problem worse. It could be a chronic infection (pyoderma, malassizia, dermatophytosis), parasitic disease, adverse reaction to food, atopy, etc. You need to find a veterinarian who can diagnose the exact cause of the itching and provide proper treatment.
Mike Keem, DVM, member of the AAVD.
PS: Feeding a dog a “raw diet” is insane. It is dangerous for both the dog and you!!!!
A situation like this could be helped through alternative modalities, ie. classical homeopathy. Adjusting her diet to natural raw is a great start.
Marybeth Minter, DVM
Mariposa Mobile Veterinary Service
Kelly, WY
You don’t say what breed of dog this is, how long this problem has been going on, whether or not it is seasonal, or even where the rash is, which is often a big clue as to what may be going on. I would have a hard time blaming the vaccine or the surgery for something like this, and it also sounds like the raw diet isn’t making a difference, either, so I’d recommend switching foods before there is a problem with Salmonella, poorly balanced nutrition, or other issues. You may want to consider using a fish-based diet, as fish oils are very anti-inflammatory and helpful for many skin problems.
Be sure your veterinarian has checked for fleas and flea dirt, done skin scrapings for mange mites, done a fungal culture to check for ringworm, done a tape test to check for Malassezia (skin yeast infection), run a complete thyroid panel (not just a T4 and TSH), run a CBC, Profile, and fecal, run a bacterial culture on any major sores, tried long-term antibiotics and antifungals, and tried antihistamines and cortisones together. If all of that has been done and the problem is still present, consider a skin biopsy and/or referral to a Board-Certified Veterinary Dermatologist.
Melinda R. Burgwardt, DVM
Melinda R. Burgwardt, DVM
Lancaster, NY
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM……………
And I’m sure you think that the spay and vaccinations CAUSED the rash, right?
Your dog needs to have mange, pyoderma, dermatophytosis, FAD, inhalant allergy, contact allergy, food allergy and endocrine disease ruled-out.
Good luck.
(and lose the raw diet, unless you also eat raw hamburger)
Phillip McHugh, DVM
Park Veterinary Hospital
Durham, NC
Sarcoptic Mange was the culprit. Many veterinarians make the mistake of treating for allergies with corticosteroids when skin scrapings are negative, which is what happened to this dog. When her condition only worsened, a second skin scraping should have been done. By the time we switched vets and got that done, her condition was severe. Mites were present in the scraping and she has had one injection of Ivermectin. She has not improved greatly at this point and will have another injection in about a week. All of her people are infected, as well, and her son who had been adopted by another family. It’s probable they and their 3 other dogs are infected and the son has been returned to the breeder where he has been isolated. It’s probable the breeder and her 7 other dogs will become infected as well. A call has been placed to the park superintendent to get the water tested for scabies as this has already produced an epidemic.
The raw diet these dogs are on has been a real plus as high protein and fatty acids are very helpful with chronic skin conditions. Thanks for all your input.
Pam
What I can say for sure is that Provillus pills, massaging techniques and healthy eating will by no means do harm to your hair and health:) Why not try it?
Skin rashes have so many causes, some are more serious than the others but we must take care of every skin rash symptoms.
I want to give relief to my dog from itching and licking the paws, I used Skin Eze and Benadryl but no one works, after that I tried Dermapaw for my dog, and you know what it works.