Dry Skin

[ladybluetarheels]

My border collie gets dry skin. It gets to the point where she loses hair and she gets sores. The vets have given her shots and also put her on prednizone which had a bad effect on her. They also told me to change food bowl from plastic to steel to glass. The vet also put her on a special food and I have tried oatmeal baths. They say she has allergies. There is an option of medicine that I can give her it costs $200 for just 2 weeks and then after that they will lower the amount of pills that she would have to take but that she would be on it for along time and they said that could cause side effects with her kidneys in the long run. The other is to spend more to test her on what she is having allergies to. Is there anything I can try before I have to spend the money I don't want to put her on a medicine that will cause problems with her kidneys she already has urinary control problem( she goes potty when she is laying down and does not realize that she is doing it) they put her on Proin for that and she has to be on that for life they said. I am hoping there are no side effects of that one either. She does not have fleas I give her the stuff for that too but I hate to see her scratching all the time because I know it bothers her. can someone please help me PLEASE!

[Sue R]

Just one simple suggestions that may have absolutely nothing to do with your poor dog's problem - when I got my pup in the winter several years ago, he quickly developed some dry, flaky, itchy skin. A tablespoon of fat (beef fat, pork fat, bacon fat, etc.) each day on his food has kept his coat nice and his skin in good condition.

 

This may do nothing for your dog but I think it's cheap and worth a try. Start with just a teaspoon of fat (some folks use oil from any of a number of sources, soybean, sunflower, olive, canola, etc.) and increase over a few days. Watch your dog closely to make sure that she doesn't develop any diarrhea from the change in diet.

 

What sort of "special" food do you feed? Our Aussie used to scratch all the time when he was younger. On the advice of our vet, we switched him to a lamb/rice-based feed (from a beef-based feed) and that totally solved his problem. Seems he was allergic to something in the feed (probably the beef). There are a number of alternative feeds for sensitive dogs. Perhaps what you are feeding might not be the best choice for your dog.

 

I am sure your vet is doing a careful and concerned job with your dog. I wish you all the best of luck in solving this very distressing problem.

[lylol]

I am sorry you and your dog are going through this experience. I too have begun the journey to reduce the itching on my young BC. I didnt want to start on steroids, etc so young. Luckily I got pointed to a good vet specialist in allergies. You dont say if the vet you have worked with is your family pet vet or a specialist... I apologise if this is the route you have already tried. The trouble with scratching is it can be SOOOO many things or combos of things. I am not a Dr, but here is what I have learned and tried.. that you might consider and discuss with a specialist. After examining my dog, discussing the pattern that he itches (where on the body, how often)and taking some samples off his skin/coat... she thought he would be a good candidate to do a skin allergy test like they do with people. Discovered he is allergic to dander... cats, feathers, wool... dust... and certain tree pollens... all of which I have in my house. I was surprised that it was recommended that I bathe the dog every 3 days alternating between an anti-fungal and a sensitive skin shampoo to wash off the irritants. This has really improved his skin and coat quality (I always thought less bathing for dry skin... but not for this guy). Though he doesnt appear to have significant food allergies... I did move him to a better quality food and away from lamb (which he had been on all his short life)... and I am very happy with the change in appetite, and coat and stool results. I add the fatty acids as well. We have since started to give him allergy shots (just like they do people) to desensitise him. This is a LONG process and no guarentee of results but for a young dog I am willing to give it a try if it can reduce his discomfort without going on to heavy steroid use. It isnt cheap but not too outrageous and overtime will be cheaper than other drugs. Because his problems really appear environmental (we took him on vacation for 10 days and he stopped itching) I think we have a good chance of success. Bottom line to this long post is that its different for each dog... if a specialist can localize the problem then you have a good chance of addressing it... knowledge is power. If you search on allergies you will see lots of other thoughts on this board. Good Luck. Lysa and Merlin