My Basset Hound digging himself raw.?

Question

I have a 6 year old male Basset Hound. I first summer he was fine.But each summer since he has dug himself raw on his bottom. We have taken him to the vet. He has given him allergy shots. He has given him prednisone. It seems to help for awhile. He made through this summer but this weekend he dug himself raw. We bathe him in oatmeal shampoo for sensitive skin. WE don't bathe him too regular. We are up for any suggestion on get him to stop doing this. He is a really loved dog. I refer to him as my Grandson (my son's dog)..PLEASE HELP!!!

Answer 1

at wal-mart they have this stuff called hot spot.. my friends dog had the same problem and hot spot did the trick... it makes the skin heal and the fur grows back.. i don't know why but it helps allot.. the dog don't dig at him/her self with hot spot on because the smell is really strong for a dog.. its the only thing that helped her dog... and its only $4.00 a cheap fix for a family member...iv also seen it at some grocery stores.. (Kroger) and I'm sure pet stores have it...

Answer 2

Basset Hound Allergies

Answer 3

If it is an allergy, the only thing you can do is get the shots from the vet, or take away the allergen. Most dog allergies are from their food. Cheap foods are worse than higher quality foods, but dogs can have allergies to a quality ingridient (we belive one of our dogs is allergic to chicken, so no food with chicken, good or bad, will solve her chicken allergy). If it is a food allergy, bathing the dog will do nothing.

To find out if the dog has a food allergy, you have to get a protein free food. Usually you have to get this from the vet (Science Diet ZD [even though S.D. is a crappy food] is what is usually fed). The dog can only eat this and nothing else, but nothing else can change. If the reaction goes away, then that means that food is the problem, if not, then food is not the problem.

Now Judging by your post, it may not be food related. You mention spring only, so it may be a seasonal issue. If this is the case, then medication is the best treatment.

Talk with your vet to get some ideas, then talk to another vet. Having a second opinion is always a good idea.

Good Luck

Answer 4

You may want to change his dog food. You current food may have too many fillers in it causing the reaction in your dog.

We found this out my experience. Our Bichon did the same thing. Vet after vet allergy shot after allergy shot, a couple derma scrapings, different medicated shampoos. Nothing worked for long. By accident I stopped into a vet when we were on vacation. I described every ting that was done and nothing worked, His reply? Your dog is having a allergic reaction to the fillers in your dogs food causing hair loss, hot spot and totally raw areas. Since we switched to good quality dog food we have not had any problems. Try to stay away from dog food where the first couple ingredients are corn, meals and such.
Not saying that is what your dogs problem is but you may want to give it a try . Also check with different vets see what they have to say.

Make sure you dog does not have any fleas or any flea dirt that will also cause the problems.

Answer 5

Maybe he should be allergy tested to see exactly what is the cause behind the problem. This is done with a blood specimen and a thorough test will check for 95 or more environmental and food allergies. After this is done you will know what to avoid, and sometimes dog's who have severe environmental allergies need to be "desensitized" with allergy shots that have serum designed specifically for them.

SOme dog's do just have sensitive skin and slight irritants can set them off, once they start digging they develop a topical skin infection which spreads, and causes more digging. If you are in the US there is a very good prescription for this called Atopica. Check with your vet.
best wishes

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My Basset Hound digging himself raw.?
I have a 6 year old male Basset Hound. I first summer he was fine.But each summer since he has dug himself raw on his bottom. We have taken him to the vet. He has given him allergy shots. He has given him prednisone. It seems to help for awhile. He made through this summer but this weekend he dug...

Answer 7

Surprisingly, when dealing with allergies very few vets suggest looking at a dog's diet. This is where I would start.

First of all, make sure you are feeding a quality diet, not one that has lots of fillers and chemicals. Then look at the individual ingredients. Lots of dogs are allergic to corn, wheat, soy, or chicken. Or he may be allergic to other ingredients.

You could try switching foods. You may have to do this several times before you find one that he is not allergic to. Try different protein sources, different brands. Start reading the labels so you know what's in them.

Or you could try an elimination diet. Try feeding one or two ingredients (i.e. hamburger and rice, or fish and potato) for a week or two to see how he reacts. If you see an improvement, you know it's mainly food related.

I once had a dog that was highly allergic to a whole list of things, including chicken, beef, pork, lamb, canned tuna, eggs, all grains. I never did find a kibble he could eat, so I ended up making his food myself from frozen sardines, potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Answer 8

Did you know that the main reason dogs scratch is caused by the food they eat, or boxer scrached for the first year we had him, we then found out he was alergic to the food we were giving him, try Natural Choice brand, the healthy skin formula is best, and never give a dog anything but dog food. maybe some boiled chicken, or our dogs favorite is raw eggs on his food, once a week only, it is also good for the skin.

Answer 9

We had to put one of thoe cone collar things on our dog to keep him from biting himself. You can also use sprays to ease the itching and to put a bitter taste on the spot. I dont know the cause of your dog's specific skin problem so you should probably call your vet and explain the shots didnt help but for a short time. He may have another idea for the problem.

Answer 10

Poor baby! Nothing worse than perpetual itching.

Try a cooling cloth soaked in cold chammomile tea - this helps but only for all too short a while.