ddsmom Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Hi all, I'm a new member and a bit desperate for help. My BC is almost 5 years old. End of last summer she developed eye and nose irritation - very itchy and redness. Skin around the eyes and nose became scaly and very dry. I thought it was allergies as she spent alot of time outside. The vet said she thinks it's lupus(canine discoid lupus erythematosus). She gave her a slew of meds but it didn't help. I gave her some homeopathic supplements with flaxseed oil. It helped a little. I got her some doggles and canine sunscreen as the vet said she's sensitive to UV rays and cannot go out in the sun! She's better but still has some issues. Summer is here and I'm worried the lupus will flair up again. She was never tested for lupus - could this be something else?? Any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated. I've been reading up on lupus but I haven't found much that seems to help with alleviating the symptoms. I would hate to keep her locked up inside all summer. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Lupus needs to be diagnosed with a special blood test plus biopsies and sometimes joint taps as well. Have you had that done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 If it's only in summer, could she be sensitive to sunlight itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddsmom Posted March 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 @Liz P - no she was never tested at all and that's why I'm thinking it may not be lupus. Perhaps it's allergies and it may be cheaper to get her tested for allergies? The vet was the one who said lupus and it's common in collies but I don't know if she meant BCs. None of the meds she gave helped at all. She was on it for a couple of months and the flair up did not change. @Sue R - the vet said UV rays causes the flair ups so yes, I think the sun is causing some problems. She has to wear the doggles for eye protection against the sun and I have sunscreen for her nose. May be it is just the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 I would speak with your vet about doing some more testing to confirm the diagnosis. Lupus can imitate many diseases. Also, sometimes you have to try different meds or combos of meds to get it under control, but given the side effects I wouldn't do that without a clear diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddsmom Posted March 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Thank you Liz P! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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