Help -- skin problem

[scout]

Rebel --- is 9 years old. A year ago I took him to 2 different vets. One said he had mange (without doing a test) and another said he is possibly allergic to fleas.

 

1.) He does NOT have mange --- we have 3 other dogs that he hangs with along with horses. None of them have it

Let me add I let the vet talk me into two costly treatments

 

2.) The Vet we have gone to for years suggested he has allergies or could be something environmental. We thought possibly environmental since Rebel rolled around into some insulation. (This has since been put away). The vet put him on steriods and anti biotics.

 

Rebel --- Tri Color BC-- really looks alot like Lassie (lol)

I got back from a trip (was gone for two weeks and my kids were telling me that Rebel didn't look good but acted like he felt well).

Underneath his belly it is very red. He has chewed alot of the hair off around the back of his legs (hindquarters)

 

I have given him benadryl. flaxseed, fish oil, etc.

He has no fleas on his body and he is allergic to Frontline and Advantage. Since it has been really cold here in Tennessee this year, my hubby thinks Rebel might be suffering from dry skin like he does.

 

Anyway --- he has a vet appt on Friday and I'm pretty sure they will give him meds. I'm upset because I love this dog so much and do NOT want nothing to happen to him.

[Guest echoica]

I wish I had something useful to say that might help you figure this out!! I really hope the vet has some insight and you all can clear this up soon. Sending positive thoughts to Rebel!!

[Shetlander]

1.) He does NOT have mange --- we have 3 other dogs that he hangs with along with horses. None of them have it

Let me add I let the vet talk me into two costly treatments

 

Aren't there two kinds of mange -- one that is very contagious and the other that is not? I thought the non-contagious kind could indicate immune system issues. What treatments did the vet try? I know sometimes they will use Revolution for the problem.

 

Is this a new vet you are going to on Friday? Is there a good holistic vet within reasonable driving distance?

 

Sorry to hear Rebel is having this problem. Please let us know what the vet says.

[scout]

Our regular vet ruled out both kinds of mange. They actually did a test. I can tell you that Rebel never has this kind of problem during the summer. He is still very active and acts like he feels well. Rebel has been working our horses and seems "ok". I thought it was mange too at first. The weird thing is during the summer he has such a pretty coat and never has the redness under his skin.

 

[MicheleS.]

One of my dogs seems very similar to how you describe Rebel. When the cooler weather came and the heat came on, she would start to scratch herselfand lick herself incessantly. Never in the summertime like that, the worst of it always seemed to start later Fall and lasted through the winter. She also has allergic reactions (scratching herself, licking, ear infections) when she eats certain things - beef and wheat are the 2 big ones. The regular vet wanted to put her on medicine and I just didn't want that for her so I sought out the help of a holistic vet.

Although Gypsy never lost hair, she would scratch herself to the point of leaving scabs and her skin is definitely red.

The holistic vet had me change her food and also did acupuncture (and chiropractic for other reasons) and concocted a *remedy* to help Gyp get through the worst months. Gyp has also experienced bad reactions when applying flea control such as Frontline so we stopped that for her and only use natural flea and tick repellents. I also don't vaccinate her every year. I do feel she has extremely sensitive and dry skin so she is on flaxseed oil and sometimes fish oil (or sardines) to her diet.

There is a big improvement with the itching and scratching with Gypsy to the point where she acts like she feels more comfortable and it is more tolerable for her.

My holistic vet has taught me so much about how to tell if my dog is having an allergic reaction and in general, what allergies are and how they affect the body.

I'm certainly no expert in the holistic approach and I'm still learning myself but I wanted to share my experiences with you in case in helps.

 

Good luck with Rebel, I hope he's feeling better soon.

[juliepoudrier]

Just a note: fleas spend the majority of their time *off* the dog. If a dog has flea allergy dermatitis, it takes just one flea bite to set them off. So you don't have to be overrun with fleas for a reactive dog to have a reaction.

 

It's possible that Rebel is having an allergic reaction to *something,* be that fleas, or food, or dry air/dust from the heating system. It's also possible that all the scratching has created a secondary skin infection, which will need to be treated.

 

The fact that he got worse while you were gone makes me wonder if something else changed in his management during that time. Was he fed something different? Was he allowed to get into areas where he doesn't normally go?

 

I just automatically give my dogs Benadryl (or its generic equivalent) if they get itchy for any reason. You could certainly do that now to help with the itchiness until you get to the vet.

 

I would second Michele's recommendation of a holistic vet.

 

J.

[scout]

Rebel's hair loss is due to his excessive licking, biting, etc. I have heard that one flea bite can set off an excessive allergic reaction. Rebel stays in during the night (we have a log house and everything is natural), no paint, nothing (I have a daughter with asthma). He stays outside during the day on the farm. He always helps out with the horses. There isn't anything unusual on the farm, other than we have VERY RICH high PROTEIN Grass. The farmer that had it before used to sow the heck out of it. We have people that will bring their cattle to our farm for a month or two just to fatten them up!.

 

Anyway --- while I was gone --- my family kept Rebel's same routine. We have two BC's. Scout is 12 and she is short haired. She has never had this problem. Our other two dogs are rescue dogs that are older than Rebel. Again the other 3 don't have this problem. Our horses don't have skin problems either.

 

It's ONLY during the fall-winter. I do keep Rebel's hair trimmed during the summer. My vet did tell me that I can use permethrin on the dogs instead of Front line. I buy this at the coop and dilute it with water. I dont' use very much. We also use this on the horses. The dogs and horses never have flies, fleas, etc. Anyway -- I have started giving him fish oil and flaxseed, benadryl.

 

He has beautiful eyes. He looks at me with those eyes and I melt. People have said they have never seen this color of Border collie.

 

Anyway -- thanks for the advice. I'm going to see if I can find someone that can help me with this on the holistic side. If you know of anyone in Tennessee --- please let me know..

Thanks...

 

Liz (aka Scout)

[Jacks_Mom]

Jack has the mange, demodectic mange the non-contagious kind. He started loosing hair on his nose and the spot just kept getting bigger and bigger so we took him to the Vet and learned that he had the mange. The Vet has him on Promeris every 3 weeks, I really don't like putting that much stuff on him it makes him lay around for the day, but about 24 hrs later he is back to normal. We caught it at a small spot and healed it, but he never scratched at it or has he ever developed another spot so I guess that the Promeris works. My in-laws have 2 bc's that scratch all winter and Ralph was pulling the fur off of his feet in patches, she took them to the Vet and they get a shot and she gives them benadryl when it flairs up.

[scout]

Jack has the mange, demodectic mange the non-contagious kind. He started loosing hair on his nose and the spot just kept getting bigger and bigger so we took him to the Vet and learned that he had the mange. The Vet has him on Promeris every 3 weeks, I really don't like putting that much stuff on him it makes him lay around for the day, but about 24 hrs later he is back to normal. We caught it at a small spot and healed it, but he never scratched at it or has he ever developed another spot so I guess that the Promeris works. My in-laws have 2 bc's that scratch all winter and Ralph was pulling the fur off of his feet in patches, she took them to the Vet and they get a shot and she gives them benadryl when it flairs up.

 

 

Thank you...Rebel and Ralph sound alike...

[nancyp]

Thank you...Rebel and Ralph sound alike...

One thing you can try is , first take him OFF FLAX, alot of dogs are allergic to flax, then put him on a simple food, one meat source and one carb, Like Holistic Duck, I have a BC that became allergic to Chicken..... Also Allergic to flea bites, luckily we dont have many fleas were i am , but hen he was in Oklahoma for trainig thats were it started.....

 

Good Luck, these things are hard to figure out sometimes....

[trailrider]

I have 2 sisters that had similar conditions. The worst one was tested for allergies (using the pulse taking method) The worst 2 reactions were corn and canola oil. I have put them on a food without these, and still use the tested natural foods. She is 90% and has no more skin problems.