[MJ E]

we got a foster dog (basset, clumber, cocker mix?) from a rescue that erupts in hundreds of pimples that turn into spots that are like quarter size patches of dried peanut butter that grow into huge weepy raw spots. Thousands of dollars later, no answers. His first allergy tests showed about twenty allergens including foods and environmental. Two years later a second test showed almost completely different results. A bazillion treatments later, nothing has worked to slow it down better than baths. He does not seem very itchy, and the sores do not seems to hurt. It starts at various parts of his body and does not go away until it has traveled all over his body, with the first affected areas healing spontaneously but with horrible dandruff as it goes. After it has covered his entire body, it goes away for a few months, then whammo. We keep him shaved. We have tried three vets, tried everything they recommended to no avail. No one has seen it before. No fleas. He is a happy camper, the horrible condition does not seem to phase him. 15 different foods, booties in the grass, nothing changes it, it is never worse or better. Tried vinegar, probiotics, fish oil, selsun blue. Nothing changes. When he is well he has no skin issues. Rescue tried to put him down so we adopted. Going broke, help.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by MJ E.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by MJ E.

[Jaky S]

I’m no doctor but that sounds like an auto-immune disorder. I got with a pet homepath to help my cat recover from chronic wheezing. Our healer passed away sadly but I learned a lot about how to support our pets immune system. Maybe you can find one for a consult. Have you tried home cooked meals, removing toxins from the house, switching to stainless bowls, feeding home grown probiotics like milk kefir, try turmeric & pepper, goat milk from primal? My dogs don’t do well on grain free but we feed Tender and True and they do great but I cook for them too.

[MJ E]

we have him on local organic keifer but will try the others, thanks. His blood tests were fairly normal and it is not his thyroid, I forgot to say. Will look for a more natural doctor, he has seen our vet, a specialist and stayed at the ag college vets a few days.

[Jaky S]

I’m not sure how much you pay for your kefir but I ordered my grains from Amazon – vendor Fusion Tea and ferment it with Costco’s organic milk. I’ve got the system down where one nickel sized grain makes 16 oz of kefir a day. Have you tried CDB for dogs? Bleach almost killed my friends dog. The buildup on the floor was getting on her feet/fur and she consumed it while grooming. Life’s abundance sells pet safe bio cleaner and this deodorizer which get rid of the most noxious pet smells. My friend’s dog had bad skin allergies so I bought almond oil for her. It helped sooth the sores. You can also get homepathic remedies at Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods until u find a homepath that can provide a remedy specific to ur dog. The labels indicate what symptom it will help cure. Don’t give in pill form. Put one tab in a half full glass jar. Let dissolve. Smack on a phone book. I use my stairs. 😁 100 times for the 1st time and 10 times before each dose. That’s called succussion. Its a method of dilution and increasing potency. Let him drink a dose, u don’t have to be specific, a few times a day and see which helps. They’re relatively inexpensive. I’m so glad that pup has you!

[Jaky S]

Half full glass jar of water. sry

[anonymous]

For best results see a board certified veterinary dermatologist.

I hope you don’t fall down the homeopathic rabbit hole. A lot of scams out there.

See my posts per the search engine /forums/search/environmental+allergies/

[MJ E]

he saw board certified dermatologists at the ag college where he stayed for a few days. Stayed on their course 14 months, no results. They could not diagnose but gave him a lot of drugs, we saw zero difference.

[anonymous]

Did they do intradermal skin testing? Allergen specific immunotherapy?
These things had positive results for my dog.
It can take 1 year to a year and a half to see results.

I would go back to the specialists…….

[pitlove]

HI MJ E-

Geez, sounds very similar to what my bully mix goes through. His tends to be localized to his underside though. We’ve come to realize that most of the skin allergies we see with him are a reaction to something in his environment. Maybe the same is true for your dog?

Have you tried eliminating certain items from his inside environment? Like bedding, blankets, things like that that he lays on that could cause some type of contact allergy? A lady I knew found out her dog was allergic to the wool blanket he’d been sleeping on for years. Also washing the dogs bedding in something like All Free Clear instead of something with dyes and fragrances.

However, if hes reacting to something in his environment, but its outside thats a bit harder to manage. Bathing once a week in a medicated shampoo such as https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats-8/dp/119232 or https://www.chewy.com/miconahextriz-shampoo-dogs-cats-16-oz/dp/114184 has really helped our dog. I notice a difference with him when I don’t bathe him regularly, especially in the summer time.

As far as the doctors and testing goes, it definitely does seem like you’ve made a grand effort to get him a diagnosis. Doctors aren’t perfect and sometimes tests aren’t either. However, it does sound like someone at some point lead you astray when they offered you a test for food allergies. I’m assuming (but correct me if I’m wrong) that it was a blood test. Blood tests are by and large infamous for false positives and false negatives and are generally not recognized as a true diagnostic test for food allergies.

While his symptoms don’t sound food allergy related, it doesn’t hurt to rule it out. Since we’ve just started summer in the US, I would get with a regular vet and discuss a food trial. This is the golden standard for ruling in or ruling out food allergies. There are a couple different approaches you can take to what food you choose for a food trial but the end principle is the same. They must eat that food and that food only for the 3 months they are doing the food trial. No treats, no flavored meds, no table food, no nothing. As far as what food you use goes, you can choose to do a homecooked diet of one novel protein and one novel carb for 3 months or you can use a diet from the vet like Royal Canin Ultamino. With Ultamino, the protein source for the food is amino acids that have been extracted from feathers. The proteins molecular weight in daltons is so low (under 1000) that the body’s immune response doesn’t trigger because the molecules are not a threat. Royal Canin actually borrowed this science from human medicine involving babies with allergies to milk.

If after 3 months (and you’ve done the trial correctly) there is no improvement in his symptoms, the idea is that you can effectively say food allergies are not at play. After that you may want to go back to the derm specialist and try the therapy that anon101 suggested. They will basically inject various common/regional allergens under your dogs subcutaneous layer of skin (think of a TB test in humans) and measure the reaction your dog has to each. They will then cocktail together a “vaccine” that you give your dog as a method of desensitizing him to those allergens. It will likely be a lifelong treatment and can cost (at least what I was quoted from LSU vet school) around 200$ for a 6 month supply of the vaccine for your dog. However, results for most pets are usually very good with this course of treatment. It may also be safer and more cost effective depending on the size of your dog than say a drug like Apoquel or an allergy injection like Cytopoint which isn’t guarenteed to work on all pets.

[MJ E]

❤️ thanks so much. He did have the subcutaneous test and subsequent treatment for 14 months but we have seen no difference, and his second test at UC showed different results with just a few results in common so they are now focused on those but he erupted last week worse than ever. We are both sensitive to detergents so use perfume and dye free but maybe I should try a different brand. Will try all the suggestions for environmental and food trials, thanks. Switching out his blankies and plastic bowls today. He is still under care at UC Davis, have an upcoming appointment, I want to be able to ask more informed questions, so these caring, thoughtful responses are very helpful. He gets two to three baths a week during outbreaks, helps more than anything else. Otherwise he gets a bath about twice a month.

[Jaky S]

Here’s another resource for discovering your dog’s food allergies. Nutriscan is available through hemopet.org.

http://www.hemopet.org/hemolife-diagnostics/nutriscan-food-sensitivity-intolerance.html

[anonymous]

Regarding Nutriscan http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=nutriscan

Nutriscan is not an allergy test.

Remember what I said about falling down the homeopathic rabbit hole 😉

[Jaky S]

You can also try Bach Remedies, their rescue remedy works well, and aloe juice in a pump spray dispenser to alleviate irritation.

[anonymous]

Bach Flower Essences for Animals

(below is an excerpt, click on link for full article and comments)

*There is no evidence to support the notion that disease is caused primarily by spiritual and emotional imbalances or that flowers contain any mysterious energy that can correct these imbalances and improve health or treat illness.
*Clinical studies have shown that Bach flower remedies are no different from inert placebo substances in their effects on the emotions of humans using them. While the belief that they will help may itself change a person’s feelings, the remedies have no actual effect on mood or physical illness.
*No objective research on the effect of flower essences has been conducted in animals. Because their effects in humans relies on belief and expectation, it is unlikely that they would have benefit for veterinary patients. However, because owners and others providing care to animals are influenced but beliefs and expectations, they perceive a benefit for an animal given a flower remedy even if no real change has occurred.

[Jaky S]

Hi anon101,

Thank you for that very enlightening information. However, where science fails, which is the case in this circumstance, the natural path can sometimes succeed. I discovered Bach and homeopathy when my cat was given a death sentence due to FIP. Our homeopath did help a few cats recover from the disease where vets would give up. When the vet couldn’t figure out how to rid my cat of her wheezing after 3 yrs I finally got with the same homeopath for a consult and she rid her of her condition. Furthermore, as far as I can tell MJ is already doing everything conventionally possible to find a cure for their pet to no avail. I agree there are a lot of frauds out there so caution is advisable. I don’t advocate against science. We have a wonderful team of Vets which we love that cares for our 6 animal companions. However, I think its worth considering alternative healing in this case.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Jaky S.

[Spy Car]

Sorry, but homeopathy is a scam.

There is no scientific basis for believing the vibrational memories of a substance that has been diluted to the point where no molecules of the supposedly “active” ingredient remains, has any effect.

If it did all the water in the world would carry every sort of homeopathic “cure.”

Desperation often sets people up to be scammed. Don’t fall for quackery.

I wish I had an answer to the OP’s problem. Sounds vexing.

Bill

[Jaky S]

I wish you the best MJ and look forward to hearing about the progress of your pup. I hope you have more information than you came here with so you can make your own mind up on what’s best for your pup.

[Jaky S]

This book might interest you. The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat

His practice
http://www.smithridge.com

[Acroyali]

Jaky S, Smith Ridge is a top notch facility.
Unfortunately people here will come along calling them homeopathic and holistic and link ridiculous articles from vets living in the 1960’s to attempt to discredit them and steer people away.
This site is not raw friendly and is not holistic friendly.

[Jaky S]

Hi Acroyali! Thanks for the supportive response. It’s no problem. I respect everyone’s opinion and their willingness to share it. My biggest concern is the welfare of the pup and doing what I can to share information that may help the family.

Hi MJ E! It occurred to me to suggest that you setup a YouCaring, crowd fund for Mr. Basset Mix. Not GoFundMe. They take too much. I’m part of a few FB groups that support each other through crowd funding when members’ dogs become sick. They are unfortunately breed specific, but I’m sure there’s a basset hound group. I hope this can offset your cost and maybe you can do a consult with Smith Ridge if you so choose.

[HoundMusic]

“we have him on local organic keifer but will try the others, thanks. His blood tests were fairly normal and it is not his thyroid, I forgot to say. Will look for a more natural doctor, he has seen our vet, a specialist and stayed at the ag college vets a few days.”

For what it’s worth, you might want to reconsider the kefir. It contains yeast and might be seriously aggravating the condition. Since the dog’s immune system is already suppressed, any incoming bacteria or yeast, however beneficial in small amounts, can spread like wildfire throughout the body and just compile one problem atop another.

I’d also vote for staying the heck away from homeopathic Vets. Some remedies might be less dubious than others when used in combination with traditional medicine, but homeopathic Vets are little better than snake oil salesman, no matter how well intentioned they might be.

[InkedMarie]

HoundMusic: HI!! Hope you’re well!

[HoundMusic]

Hello there ::waves:: 🙂 Great to see you around! How are the puppers?

Doing well myself, only popping my head around here sporadically these days.

[InkedMarie]

:::waving back::::

Pups are good. Ginger was just 8, O’Malley will be 3 in just over a month & my little Boonie -Butt is 12.5! They’re enjoying me being home: I had my second hip replaced. Weeks ago…will be home for quite a few months as I’m having my right knee replaced in 8/27!

Send me an email sometime. Any chance you’ve joined FB?

[crazy4cats]

Wow, Marie! You’re gonna have all new parts! Hope all goes well.

[InkedMarie]

C4c: yep, on 8/27, I will have 3 out of 4 new joints & am pretty darn sure the fourth will be done by the end of next June!

[HoundMusic]

@ Marie – wow, I remember when you first got Boone. Can’t believe it was so long ago, but then, the two here from my first litter are 13 now. They’re retired from rabbit hunting as of last year, but the oldest is still head of ‘Possum/’Coon/Squirrel/Anything That Moves Patrol. My garbage men hate me :/ All the hounds are old now, except for the “puppy” (Brady) who ‘s 2yrs.

Sending you good wishes and lots of cyber hugs for the knee replacement. Getting the hip & knee done so close together must not be fun at all. My dislocating knees have always been craptastic so I wince in pain at the thought of a knee replacement. Take care of yourself, plz.

Btw, I’ve never been on Facebook in my life, lol 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Wow, our dog are growing up! Can’t believe Brady is two!

If you have dislocating knees, knee replacements might be in your future too!

Darn, was hoping you were on FB.

[Jack R]

Wonder if this isn’t a yeast infection?

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Jack R.

[HoundMusic]

I still call him the puppy. Probably will until he’s old and decrepit.

No knee replacements for me, tho. The issue isn’t really joint related, I just have flimsy, loose muscles holding in the kneecap, possibly from Ehlers Danlos syndrome, although I’m autistic (Asperger’s) and sometimes we just have Not The Best muscle tone. In high school I was 95lbs and told I needed to loose weight because their BMI index measuring thingy wasn’t registering any muscle mass. The look of pure confusion on my gym teacher’s face when she told me was priceless.

[Jaky S]

c

[Susan]

Hi MJ E,
Sounds like Envrionment Allergies, our weather has gone mad & so have our dogs with bad Allergies, my vet said, she is seeing more & more dogs come in with Environment allergies these days…
The best thing you can do is stick to a strict routine, bath twice a week or weekly baths when skin is good not itchy, bath in a medicated shampoo like “Malaseb Medicated shampoo, the days I don’t bath I use baby Wipes, Huggies Cucumber & Aloe baby wipes & I wipe down Patches stomach area then I get a new baby wipe & wipe his head,mouth, then new wipe & wipe his paws etc when he’s been out doors & on walks.

Another thing that helps my boy are creams, I use “Sudocrem” its an Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Fungal, Healing cream for Eczema, Dermatitis, Nappy Rash & it relieves itchy skin & paws & also protects skin & paws from allergens… at night before bed I check out Patches paws, stomah etc wipe him down with a baby wipes again, then I apply either Sudocrem or a Cortisone 1% cream on any itchy red areas…

Have you tried Cytopoint Injections yet? they’re the best less side effects for environemnt allergies…

“How CYTOPOINT helps reduce itch and allow damaged skin to heal”

CYTOPOINT is different from traditional drugs that treat itch. It is a biological therapy—a type of non-pharmaceutical treatment that works like your dog’s immune system. CYTOPOINT contains engineered antibodies very similar to natural dog antibodies. Antibodies are what an animal’s immune system uses to defend the body against infection or disease.
In this case, the antibodies in CYTOPOINT have been designed to specifically target and neutralize one of the main proteins that sends itch signals to your dog’s brain.
This helps reduce scratching so the skin has a chance to heal.
CYTOPOINT is an injection that your veterinarian gives your dog once every 4 to 8 weeks, as needed.
In studies, after one injection, CYTOPOINT started controlling itch within 1 day, and kept itch controlled for a month or longer. CYTOPOINT also helped damaged skin begin to heal within 7 days…

I live Australia & we are still waiting for Cytopoint to be approved here in Australia, hopefully Cytopoint will be here for this Summer.. Im worried about trying Apoquel with my boy, he has IBD but my vet said she is finding some of her IBD dogs who have Skin problems aswell are doing really well on Apoquel, she said it also helps their IBD when dog is having a bad flare….

If you on f/b search for “Canine Skin Solutions” f/b site is run by Dermatologist Karen Helton Rhodes, pop in & have a read…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1563654607200747/

Here’s one of her links a Skin Sympton Checker
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/skinsymptomchecker/

Keep us posted what ends up helping your dog.

[Yishua]

Your description of what happens to his skin sounds like he starts having a shingles breakout that becomes Psoriasis causing the shedding. I’m not a Dr. so not sure if dogs can even get those diseases it just sounds like it’s something like that. Have you looked into possibly doing an oatmeal bath during breakouts? Have you looked into an animal dermatologist? We had a basset that got a staff infection and the Vets. couldn’t figure out his problem so they sent us to him. You said his breakouts don’t bother him? Does he look or act uncomfortable, scratch to the point of bleeding? If not why keep spending tons of money going to places that don’t know what to do but still charge like they took care of the problem. Spend money on making the dog happy and comfortable. Do ask about a dermatologist for animals though. All he did when we took our basset in was take a sample then left, a few days later he called us, told us what he found, what we needed to do. I hope everything works out for your family. Finally I don’t know how to put this but you and your family deserve huge amounts of praise, respect, and love for what y’all have for that dog. Most would have let the dog be put down, not adopt it, put yourselves in financial binds in hopes of curing him like one would for any family member. NO you took in a stranger and made it into family knowing the dog had problems.

[Patricia A]

You say you shave your dog. Is it possible this is skin irritation from the shaving? Blade dull or too hot. If you take him to a groomer could he/she be using possibly a powder afterwards on him causing reaction?
post a reader comment
Can Dogs Get Skin Infections from Grooming?

Q: We have a Samoyed, about nine years old and in good health. Recently, he was shaved head to tail for an accumulation of burrs. Our previous groomer had not been brushing him well (it’s quite an event to brush him—he has a huge mane of white fur and a lot of undercoating), and the new groomer ended up having to shave him almost completely, even around the neck area. There were burrs embedded everywhere.

He soon developed a spot on his neck the size of a quarter that became redder and redder. And he has become very itchy, scratching and only making it worse. I’ve been putting warm salt compresses on the spot and that seems to relieve him for a while, but then he’s back at it. What’s going on?

Angela Miller
Llano, California

A: There’s something known as a post-clipping bacterial infection, technically named post-grooming bacterial folliculitis-furunculosis. “You see it occasionally after grooming or bathing,” says Tufts veterinary dermatologist Lluis Ferrer, DVM, PhD, DECVD. “It’s not a very frequent event, but it does happen.”

How can grooming lead to an infection? Sometimes the hair follicles, which become more exposed upon shaving, become contaminated with bacteria (in the vast majority of cases, Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus). This could occur because of trauma to the follicles when you cut or wash the hair or even because of bacteria in the water that can then colonize on a dog’s skin. There may even be inflammation of the hair follicles as a consequence of a bacterial infection. It can be localized, restricted to one skin site, or more generalized, affecting broad skin areas.

“You could also nick the skin with cutting or shaving and leave a cut, even a very small cut, that allows bacteria to enter,” Dr. Ferrer says. If you shave the hair all the way down to the skin, that’s certainly a possibility.

Sometimes it’s not the shaving or water but, rather, mild, transient contact dermatitis because of substances used to clean a dog that were never applied before.

You do mention that you have a new groomer, and he or she may use a shampoo with ingredients that don’t agree with your dog.

You should take your dog to the doctor. Sometimes a post-grooming bacterial infection clears on its own, but in most cases, antibiotics are needed. Also, post-grooming bacterial infections tend not to be very itchy, so your dog may have an infection or other problem that has nothing to do with the grooming and just happened to occur at the same time coincidentally.

Good luck solving this. The sooner you get your pet to your veterinarian or a veterinary dermatologist, the smaller the chance that whatever is wrong will not spiral into a problem that’s difficult to treat.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

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