Dog/skin problem PLEASE HELP!?

Question

I have a year old Lab/Shar pei mix. He has been chewing and scratching all his hair off and making huge open sores. I took him to the vet, they ran test, gave him some antibiotics, only to find nothing and then charge me $400. I can not afford to pay the vet $400 again, for no results. Not to mention the fact that they won't allow me to make payments! I don't know what to do. I have tried everything! I have tried natural dog foods, using Gold bond for the itching, milder shampoos, tea tree oil, benedril among other things that have been suggested to me. Do you have any suggestions? I need help fast! I feel so bad for him, and he has to be miserable.

Answer 1

Sounds like hot spots, they would actually be hot to the touch. You can try Avoderm shampoo then rinse dog after bathing in a capfull of Alpha-Keri oil mixed into a gallon of warm water, let the rinse stay on him do not wash it off, it will condition his skin and make him feel better giving him some temporary relief. Go to the clinic or good pet store, find a good hot spot med, take dog with you, most people who own pet stores have tons of experience and are happy to help you.
It could be that he is allergic to one flea. One flea would do that to my Kuvasz. All my pets are on monthly care for fleas. If you can't afford the vet again, try the best helpful and wise place that deals with animals like yours.
Good luck and tell us how he does.

Answer 2

could be a ton of different problems. 1. Thyroid problems- usually in older dogs . Specific hair loss over the hips. 2. Mange. A tiny might related to the spider that burrows under the skin lays eggs and continues the vicious cycle. Mange is highly contagious to humans. Yuk. only seen under a microscope with skin scrapping.IT IS TREATABLE. Not that expensive ..Need maybe 6 baths tops of a special DIP. 3. Allergies: i.e. grass, food, carpet, dust.. There would be other locations of the problem in more sensitive places , Belly armpits .. Sometimes the feet ,specifically the HAIR that grows on the tips of toes and in pad of foot turn red, and the skin looks pinker , sometimes swollen... Only a vet can tell u 4 sure. Good Luck

Answer 3

your vet probably didn't do a good job examining your dog.please don't go back to him anymore(plus the fact that he don't want to allow you to make payment)

did the vet make a microscopic analysis of the skin tissue? if not go to another vet and explain what procedure your previous vet did and suggest microscopic analysis of skin tissue.

your dog probably have endocrine (hormonal) dermatitis

----endocrine (hormonal) dermatitis. This may have been caused by Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, sex hormone imbalance, or alopecia X, a strange disease where hair loss occurs but no specific cause can be found. Because there were no clinical signs and the preoperative blood testing was normal, we diagnosed Joey with alopecia X. This can be treated with mitotane or melatonin.

I know somebody who's dog had that. The owner elected melatonin plus a few other supplements (fatty acids and antioxidants)

Answer 4

he has a allergy to something,try slowly introducing a new food to him and see if this helps,use mild/puppy anti-bacterial shampoo when bathing him (not more than 3 times a year)too much bathing of a dog dry's out the natural oils in his skin or coat,and regularly exercise him daily as much as you can both stand,groom him gently and keep his bedding regularly washed and clean.also get a friend or relative to spray the places(not bedding or near his food)that he sits at in the house with a good brand flea-insecticide killer that is for furniture and carpets only(not the dog)while u and the dog are out of the house(drying time) do not use any flea/tick products on him or his coat whilst he is behaving this way it could make the situation worst.trial and error with a bit of planning and risk assesment before trying something new to see if it helps the animal out is the best thing for him/her until u get to the bottom of this.

Answer 5

I have a dog with itchy skin and we use a humidifier in the winter time. We also have tried drizzling olive oil over his dog food, but I don't know how well that one worked, the humidifier seems to have the best results. He still scratches but not as bad. Hope that helps!!

Answer 6

Your poor pup.

What tests did the vet run, that would be of help.

How often are you bathing him? To much bathing can cause dry itchy skin. Generally dogs only need to be bathed once every six months unless obviously dirty. Between baths daily brushing keeps them groomed. Frequent bathing will strip the dog's coat of its natural oils causing the dry itchy skin. If he has folds like shar pei's, simply wipe them out at least every other day with a damp washcloth, no soaps, just plain water.

If he doesn't have skin infection, which can be secondary to dry itchy skin, then you should have him tested for allergies.

Dogs can be allergic to many things. Ingredients in their food, your perfume, cleaners, grass, etc.

It is a very rare dog that is allergic to meat protein, so I don't recommend going the non meat route. Often times its corn or another filler in the food (if its a food related allergy) that causes the problem. You should switch to a high quality food with no fillers, I'll give some information on finding high quality foods, and raw diets as well. Raw diets can work wonders for dogs with allergies, just be sure you do your research first.

I know you said you've tried all natural foods, but you need to keep in mind it can take 6-8 weeks to see changes from a change in food. So when you switch give it at least 8 weeks to start to see a change.

Now this is probably going to be the oddest thing you've ever heard, but its worked many times for me. I don't even remember where I heard it was so long ago now. To help with the itching put a 100% cotton t-shirt on him. It worked with my foot chewer, and obviously the shirt didn't cover his feet. Its worth a try, t-shirts are cheap. But remember if it does work its just a bandaid while you find a cure.

Good luck with your poor itchy pup.

Nothing you find at a grocery store is going to be a good food. High quality foods can be found at large pet store chains, or online. A couple of foods I like are Nutro Natural, Innova, and Cannidae.

There are other high quality dog foods. Here's how to spot them:

A high quality food will have little or no fillers such as corn, wheat or soy. These aren't very digestable for dogs, and are common food related allergens. Since you were seeing corn meal in the first few ingredients, those are not high quality foods. Foods list ingredients by content, with the ingredient it contains most of at the top.

A high quality food will not contain BHT, BHA or Ethoxyquin, these are all chemical preservatives that have been linked to cancer.

A high quality food will not contain by-products of any kind. Meat meals are ok as long as the source of the meat is listed, such as Chicken Meal.

A high quality diet should have meat as at least the first ingredient., and be made from human grade ingredients. Foods that don't use human grade ingredients often get their ingredients from less than desirable sources, such as meat from animals that were diseased, or euthanized.

There is another diet option other than dog food. Some people choose to feed a raw diet. This involves feeding the dog raw meaty bones and organ meat. However it is not as simple as throwing a couple chicken bones in a bowl everyday. If you wish to feed this type of diet, do lots and lots of research first. Switching to this diet without knowing what your doing can lead to nutritional problems for your dog. I'll give you some links as a starting point in research if you are interested in this type of diet.

http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm.........

http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/diets.htm...

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.....

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html.....

http://www.rawdogranch.com

What's Really In Pet Food
http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359&m...

Answer 7

well for one the reason your vet won't let you make payments is because of the other people out there that didn't pay their bills, blame them for that not the vet. i mean do you get to make payments at the grocery store? you can apply for carecredit they are a credit card for your pet's medical needs.

as for the skin, did you try all of those things in a short period, that could be the problem right there. it sounds like you either need to get a second opinion from another vet, and have the first vet fax over your records so bloodwork results will be available to them. but i would highly reccomend seeing a veterinary dermatologist, they are going to be your best remedy for your little itchball. good luck to you. poor thing, has to be miserable!


sharpei's tend to have very bad skin conditions anyway. and you need to see someone who knows about that. it sounds like the vet tested for endocrine problems with the bloodwork. so no need to repeat that if not necessary.


and stop badmouthing the vet for not accepting payments, i mean really why should they, don't they deserve to get paid or their staff? does your human dr. accept payments? grocery store, gas stations, etc....why is the vet always the bad one because they have bills to pay too.

Answer 8

If you are not getting any results for your pet, I would recommend a Veterinary Dermatologist. You can usually find them at your larger/emergency hospitals or vet schools in your area. good luck.

Answer 9

Nutrition can cause a multitude of problems, check this web sight out http://www.healthypetnetshop.com

Answer 10

I have the same problem except i haven't gone to the vet yet.