Poor Dino's itchy skin

[Charo]

Dino is *still* suffering from itchiness, and we're now trying lamb & rice
food/treats *only*, plus some oil supplements and a moisturizing skin spray
from the vet. Over the last few days, Dino's skin has deteriorated
tremendously - you could literally pet him and cause large flakes of skin to
appear on his coat - ALL OVER his coat! He was *covered* in his dry skin
yesterday morning. :-( His back is covered in scales and clumps of dry
skin, and he is soooo itchy (I believe from the dryness, and unfortunately
antihistamines don't seem to be helping with the itchiness).

So, we went from Iams Large Breed Puppy to Nutro Large Breed Puppy to Nutro
Lamb &Rice Puppy (over the last six or so weeks). We have eliminated
chicken and wheat from his diet completely (the only treats he can have are
nutro canned lamb/rice, nutro lamb/rice cookies, and nutro lamb/rice chewy
sticks). We are on our third brand of shampoo and our second brand of
all-natural skin moisturizing/leave-in conditioner. (Everything we are
using now is completely vet-recommended).

I'm trying to figure all this out. Dino had a skin infection early on,
which we knocked out with antibiotics. I noted his dry skin and what seemed
to be excessive itchiness, and the vet told me to add some oil to his diet.
We did that, and the skin didn't get any better - in fact, he has gotten
itchier as he's grown older (he's 17 weeks old now; we've been working on
this since 9 weeks of age). We switched shampoos and added fish to his
diet, then when he got his second skin infection we switched him to nutro
large breed puppy food, keeping the oils and fish in place. No help at all.
The vet said that if his infection came right back after ending the
antibiotics, she would start treating him for sarcoptic mange. I don't want
to treat him for something he doesn't have. Anyway, the infecion has not
come back *yet*, but I am beginning to think that he is getting skin
infections because he's scratching and digging into his skin, opening up
sores and allowing bacteria in. So how to stop the itching?????

We have ceased using fish in his diet at all, and we are only using an oil
supplement (linatone? sp??). To give him variety, since he is used to
having yummy sardines in his food, we are adding a spoonful of canned nutro
lamb/rice to his dry food, along with the recommended dose of oil. We're
not bathing him at all, and just brushing him more to help him shed the
loose hairs, and using the conditioner on his skin, which seems to soothe
the skin initially, but then he is back to scratching like crazy.

All three vets that have seen him said that his behavior and physical
appearance are not typical of either type of mange. They also said that the
dry skin isn't a symptom of mange, but is very likely to be a symptom of a
food allergy. Which is why we're on lamb & rice.

How long will it take for his body to adjust to the new food, and hopefully
for his skin to start healing (if it is, indeed, a food allergy?) And,
since antihistamines don't relieve him, what else can I do for him to soothe
his dry skin? I hate to bathe him, because it seems to make it worse. I
don't really even like brushing him, because that loosens up some bits of
skin which cause him to be even itchier. ARGH!!!

When should I start worrying about something other than allergies? I mean,
say in three weeks his skin is not improved and he is still scratching like
crazy... should we start sarcoptic treatment??? Or should I give the new
food about six weeks before giving up on it? I don't mind the expense or
the frequent vet trips *at all*, but I really mind watching Dino scratch
away without relief. Any ideas?

New pics to come shortly!

Thanks for all your help!

~Charo & Dino

[Kim Beverly]

Charo,
Before you go any further with jumping around with food, let the vet treat
him for mange. That should be simple and cheap...up here we do two shots of
Ivermectin two weeks apart. If, after that, there is no change, ask for a
referral to a specialist who deals only in dermatis OR your local vet
teaching school. Have they run blood work also? Frankly, I'm not a big fan
of all this Lamb based dog food...listen, there isn't enough Grade A lamb on
the North American continent to appease us so where is all this Lamb coming
from for dog food?? I would also say once you pinpoint the problem, I would
do a consult with a holistic vet to get a personal diet for Dino...only what
is good for him. And I doubt its gonna be anything in a commercial bag BUT
ONLY FEED NATURALLY WITH A DIET LAID OUT SPECIFICALLY FOR HIM.
For shampoo.....buy a product that is oatmeal based.
Also phone the breeder and ask about skin/food allergies within the
bloodline.
Good luck.

--
Kim, Pirate Labradors
Sutton ON Canada

[julio]

with regard to bathing how often are you doing that. Our breeder told us
every 6 months is fine, espically if they go swiming alot. Good brushing on a
regular schedule should be fine in between

Julio and Colin and Lyse

See my babies at

http://www.geocities.com/colin_and_lyse/colin_lyse.html

[kristen]

Charo -

So sorry to hear that Dino's skin hasnt gotten any better. I was
hoping that he would be "healed". I would be so frustrated if I had to
see Baloo going thru the same thing. My friend's dog has this horrible
skin rash too. He is very itchy also. Baloo has had a few mumps on his
skin on his belly and underarms, but it doesnt make him itchy, and
they are so few that I won't do anything about it. Probably mosquito
bites since we live next to a swamp. Good luck with Dino. I would give
the new food time to set it before taking any new steps. I hope things
get better for Dino.

Kristen

[Kim Beverly]

"julio" wrote in message :"> with regard to bathing how often are you doing

that. Our breeder told us
> every 6 months is fine, espically if they go swiming alot. Good brushing
on a
> regular schedule should be fine in between"

Normally that is all you would need. Too much bathing will dry out skin and
the wrong kind of shampoo will also dry out the skin. In Dino's case, he
might have to go to a medicated shampoo that would likely be done every two
weeks. We had a dog in here to 'rehab', he was a Standard Poodle my boss
bred. The dog was five years old, weighed only 45lbs(about 20 underweight)
and had EXREME flakey skin. Why? cuz his food needs were not being properly
met AND the owners kept his clipped way too short and bathed way to often.
Solution was Wysong dog food(he was a picky eater), oatmeal based shampoo,
Omega oils and grooming not as often and not clipped as close to skin.

[Marie Castellano]

My holistic vet gave me a product called "Animal Essentials" Omega 3 Plus.
My lab Sunny is on Wysong and Steve's Whole Food plus I add this to his
food. He would shed terribly until I finally, after trying many things,
found this to work for him. Good Luck.
Marie

"Charo" <ch...@charter.net> wrote in message
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[Liz D.]

"Kim Beverly" <pir...@netrover.com> wrote

: Solution was Wysong dog food(he was a picky eater), oatmeal based shampoo,

Hi Kim -

Lincoln's a picky eater too - he'll go for periods when he just won't eat
his food. He's been on Fromm's Adult Gold and RedBarn, and a combination of
the two. Sometimes he'll eat, sometimes he won't.

What's Wysong, and why do picky eaters like it?

Liz

PS - Lincoln's in Canada now - Kars, Lombardy and Limestone. If you're at
any of those shows, you might meet him in Open Yellow Dogs!

[Kim Beverly]

"Liz D." wrote in message :" What's Wysong, and why do picky eaters like it?

> Liz
> PS - Lincoln's in Canada now - Kars, Lombardy and Limestone. If you're at
> any of those shows, you might meet him in Open Yellow Dogs!

Hi Liz,
I don't know why picky eaters like it but its a dog food that is fairly
healthy and holistically geared. They even recommend you mix raw foods in
with it for variety. Do a search on Wysong...they have a website...and they
have stuff for humans too :)).
Yes, I'll be Limestone...so....Kathy Mines is coming up for the EOLBA
Specialty eh? I assume Lincoln is entered for that...its the only reason
I'm going to Limestone. I'll find Kathy and ask to see Lincoln and chat to
him. I don't have an Open Yellow...so maybe, if Willy is lucky and wins Snr
Puppy class...we'll see you in Winners! LOL.
cheers

[Dr. Puppy]

Charo,

It is quite evident that your dog has sarcoptic mange. I didn't read your
message in its entirety, but I'm guessing he is also losing hair on his legs
and face. You may also have noticed that his ears maybe getting "lighter"
in color. Dogs with this type of mange tend not to bark very much and do
not dig much in the yard (which may be a good thing :) Is this true with
your dog? I've also noticed that dogs first diagnosed with sarcoptic mange
usually eat their food very slowly. However, once the condition escalates,
the dog's original eating habits will be restored. If these items listed
above are true, have your vet treat Dinno for sarcoptic mange.

Good luck,

Dr. Puppy

"Charo" <ch...@charter.net> wrote in message
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