My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Can anyone help??{dogcry}My dog--Pongo (terrier) has been suffering from many types of skin problems since I first bought him last year in June. We brought him to different vets frequently to try to cure his skin problems but it will just be "cured" then get back again. Different vet gave different tablets and medicines to put on his infected skin and it works in the beginning but not for long.

First he got a type of mite (Sarcoptes mange), then after that problem is cured, he started to have serious hair fall at several parts of body, eg. elbow, ears, lower thigh, hock and tail. The vet says that he got allergy, and advised us to stop giving him chicken flavoured dog food but lamb/fish. So, we gave him the Blackwood lamb and rice dog food. Then, we brought him there again and the vet says that we should stop giving him this type of dog food. And then, we started giving him the PurinaOne sensitive dog system, which is fish flavoured. His problem still not cured. So we bring him there again. This time, the vet says we should stop giving him dog food, but maybe rice with some additional nutrients, like carrots/potatoes/eggs. We gave him that, and the next time we brought him there the vet told us better not to give him rice but dog food. It makes us very confusing but that is actually a very good vet, maybe different veterinarians got different opinion about my dog's problem.

Pongo had several injections for his skin problems, and a lot of medicine, to eat, and to put on. He even had to wear the E-collar because of his tail-ich making him kept biting it and make it bleed. We even thought of docking his tail when his tail is badly bitten, hanging behind him like a piece of meat sticking to the back of him. (No matter how we've tried, he managed to take of his E-collar and bite it into pieces) So, we decided to bring him to another vet. The vet gave him medicines and also suggests us to let him wear the E-collar. But when the situation is too critical, we decided to shave all his fur.

His problems started to get better without the thick thick wooly fur although the problem at the tip of his tail still wouldn't get any better. We continue giving him medicine but his fur justt can't grow back. Now his fur had grown back again, and his skin problems slowly come back again. His "unsolvable" had gave us a long-term headache and I hope there is anyone out there who had a dog which has been suffering from the same problem (and is now cured/or not) that can give some advise on my dog's problem.

You can see his profile pictured that showed his skin problem and recovering.

http://www.petfinder.my/pets/1261/

And here are the recent pictures of his tail's problem.
Sorry for the bad photo quality, but you can see his fur getting lesser.
Thank you very very much for replying.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

pongo not getting better now mar?

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

No... As I said, his skin problem recovers but then when I checked him again, there are obvious signs of the skin problem again...{cry}

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

I can help out but I need to know how much you are spending for his food n medication now monthly?

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

It depends... But average RM 500+- each month...

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Wow... That's a lot.. I have a toy poodle with bad skin for 3 yrs plus and is already 98% cured. I can help you out. How do you want to discuss this? Meet up or email?

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Email easier... maybe I'll send you a message for my email add

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Ok. Please also send me details of which vets you have visited, whwat kind of medication and food has been given and if possible describe the skin's condition a bit more. Thank you.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

I hope you are able to get some help. Have you tried a dog food made for dogs with allergies? My winston has had (minor) skin problems and we have been able to keep it under control with Natural Balance Vegetarian food. I also have used a deep conditioner that really help "soothe" he skin. I found a link, it was called Davis Advanced Conditioning Treatment. Doing these two things really helped out my dog 99%. When things start to flare up, we jump right up and keep on it, and it stays at bay. Good luck, I hope you find the best cure for your dog! It's not fun.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Pls don't dock Pongo's tail. That is not the solution and he will be very distressed by the loss of his tail.

I actually posted a response to your problem some time ago but it never appeared. I don't know what happened to it. I think Pongo's problem may be malessesia or yeast infection.

Pongo has a weak immune system which is why he is susceptible allergies that cause his skin to flare up with malessesia. Keep his hair as sort as possible because anything that gets caught up in it is irritating and once he starts to scratch, only makes it worse. Ask your vet for some antihistamines to break the itching cycle to help his system calm down.

Changing vets constantly is not a good idea. Pongo's skin problems can only be resolved by a process of elimination. Different vets have different ideas - as you have seen yourself - and different approaches towards the same goal - Pongo without skin problems. They will go through the process in a different order too. When you change vets the info already in the vet's notes is lost and wasted because the whole process of note taking has to start again.

Rice is fine for your dog. Allergy to white rice is very rare that is why it's babies' first food. Other foods you can try feeding your dog are boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. They are known to be low allergy foods.

Many dogs have allergies to chicken - it's not the chicken but the farming methods, the antibiotics and hormones. Kampung chicken should therefore be ok.

Good dog foods are Natural Balance (the one with duck) and Eagle Pro (sardine and salmon). I used to feed my dogs Blackwoods (Catfish formula) but that has an ingredient, vit K3, which is artificial, serves no known purpose and may be toxic in the long term. Please go to the link and take a look at it for info - it is very interesting. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index....badingredients.

Some people feed their dogs raw food but I don't because I don't like the look of it and used to feel sick when I fed it to my dogs. I feed my dogs dog food supplemented with steamed vegetables (carrots and cabbage) with some garlic (anti-tick and -fleas) and steamed fish (deboned patin). Two of my dogs have skin problems that flare up from time to time and this is a low allergy diet that works for them.
I also give them plain yoghurt. It is good for their digestive system. When dogs take too many medications - like antibiotics, especially - the bacteria in their digestive systems get destroyed. It can cause yeast that occurs naturally on the skin to grow out of control - it is already a delicate balancing act for a healthy immune system so one that is weak would find it even more difficult.

Finally, when you bathe Pongo, make sure you dry his hair thoroughly with a hair dryer - yeast thrives on damp skin. Letting him run in the sun is not enough - you have to dry his hair with a hair dryer.

Hope this helps.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

I was curious high quality dog food can cure the skin problem?
What type skin problem can cure by this few brands was mention?

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

PinkPuppy,
I saw from the photos, your dog look like get skin diseases, it almost look like Mange. The basic symptoms dog with skin irritation and hair loss, itching and inflammation.
What can you do is need get help from Vet, they going injection antibiotics 2 type by week. Beside that you need bath with medicated shampoos. Finally everyday you need spray 3 in 1 anti mange liquid to dog skin and coat.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Hi, May i know did the skin problem solve?
Because my schnauzer facing skin problem too this two weeks.
He constantly scratching chewing and biting himself.
Even during his sleep he wake up during the night to scratch and chew his own paw. His Paw turn red already.
Went to the vet and she gave him some medicine but it doesn't help.
Need help.
thanks!

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Hi Michelle, and welcome to PetFinder!

I just spotted an article recently on dogs who chew their paws:

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-exp...k&sf36770017=1

Basically, food allergies are a likely culprit. Skin diseases are difficult to diagnose and treat, and pedigreed dogs are more prone to them, as they often have a genetic component.

You will need to exercise a lot of patience and trial & error to find a solution. You might want to look for a holistic vet who will look into the causes rather than prescribing drugs to treat the symptoms, although this will likely mean travelling outside the Kajang area. Good luck!

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

Hi, Maneki!

Thanks for the article.
It helps. at least i know more about it.
Some say it may because of stress and friend of mine who work in a pet shop advice me to change my dog food.
He's having Canine Caviar wild ocean grain-free now.
They say the protein is too high and asked me to change to iskhan or Royal Canin.
But i don't want my dog to take chicken meat as it may cause allergy too so i might try Iskhan.
I don't mind travel out of Kajang area to treat his problems as long as he will recover.
That's the important thing.
I brought him for injection yesterday and the doc gave him some relax & calm pills for him to sleep better at night but he still woke up during midnight to chew his paw and scratch himself.

Re: My Dog's Skin Problem just Won't Cure!!
 

For all those who are coping with skin problems that are potentially food-related:

A friend recently told me about the Nutriscan test, for both dogs and cats, that you can run at home. From the Nutriscan web site:

"Since NutriScan is a salivary test, you have the convenience to complete the test at home or at your veterinarian’s office. Best of all, you and your veterinarian will have the NutriScan Report in approximately two weeks to discuss the best approach to address your pet's diet."

You can find out more on their web site: http://www.nutriscan.org/