Hair loss and crusty dry skin… What is it?
October 25, 2009 at 7:10 pm 160 comments
When the weather cooled down, thank goodness the red summer allergy rash on Boogie’s face went away. But we now have another skin-related problem. (Sigh – There’s always something else, isn’t there?)
In the sunlight, Boogie’s black coat looks like it has white splotches or specks all over it. On closer inspection these are bald patches of dry flaky crusty skin. And these patches are EVERYWHERE! I think they itch because Boogie loves rubbing his back on the grass way too much.
Does anyone know what causes these dry crusty patches?
What are they? An allergic reaction? Is it some type of MANGE? – I have no experience with mange so I don’t know.
I searched the WOOF forums. Other BT owners who have experienced similar dry skin issues said they switched foods and/or changed shampoos and the skin problems went away. Or they added a skin supplement to their dog’s diet, which is something I have already been doing from Day One.
This is what Boogie is eating everyday:
* HALO Spot’s Stew Chicken kibble
* The Honest Kitchen FORCE or KEEN
* The Honest Kitchen PERFECT FORM (digestive supplement)
* Sometimes – cooked chicken, or canned sardines/tuna
Treats: Wellness Lamb/Chicken jerky, Beef smokehouse jerky rolls, hot dogs, Zuke’s mini training treats…
For his skin and coat, I was giving him ULTRA OIL everyday for the past 6 months. One month ago I switched to HALO’s DREAM COAT oil but I am seeing no difference in his coat. If anything, I think the problem is getting worse. The crusty bald patches are multiplying…
This week I added MISSING LINK, yet another type of Omega 3/6 supplement.
The shampoo we use is by KELCO (Coco tar for dry skin).
Perhaps a visit to the vet is in order (to rule out mange) but if anyone knows what this is, please share your knowledge!
UPDATE – May 2016
This here is a really really old blog post but as I am still receiving so many comments and questions, I want to give a very quick update on Boogie’s skin problems which did in fact, repeat themselves every Summer until last year when we started him on Apoquel – an allergy medicine that does not carry the harmful effects of antibiotics or steroids or benadryl.
Boogie’s allergies were ENVIRONMENTAL, not food-related. So the grass, pollen, air, flea bites… etc.
Apoquel inhibits itching so that Boogie doesn’t feel the need to scratch – which means that his skin does not get infected (which leads to Staph infections). Boogie’s skin has cleared up and he looks great. He also has had blood work done and everything is normal. No bad side effects from the Apoquel except some weight gain.
The only problem so far with Apoquel is that it is expensive and Boogie has to take it EVERY DAY forever. When we ran out and he stopped taking it, the itchiness came back within days. It is also only available from an Animal Dermatologist. Vets have a limited supply.
The other very important life changer for Boogie is WEEKLY baths with Hexazole shampoo – this stuff is amazing. Everyone comments on how nice and shiny Boogie’s coat is. Also expensive, of course. But it works.
I am not a medical expert so don’t take my word for anything. Please talk to your vet or dermatology specialist. Hope this helps! – Lili
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Entry filed under: Skin issues, Supplements.
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1.
melly kay | October 25, 2009 at 8:04 pm
My dog gets those dry flaky spots a lot. I think it’s allergies. She’ll get a crusty reddish brown spot and then it may or may not leave a bald spot afterwards. She only gets them randomly and not all over though.
The only time she had anything that looked lite that (meaning all over) is when she got bit by mosquitos. Did Boogie ever have any small bumps before the bald spots? Bebe had small bumps that itched her really bad and then they scabbed and went bald just like on Boogie. The hair grew back shortly after they healed.
I know that probably doesn’t help much but I just wanted to share my experiences! I don’t think it’s mange but more allergy related. I hope Boogie finds some relief soon!
2.
Ann Estes | September 1, 2015 at 2:39 pm
My dog has these also. Make sure the diet is grain and gluten free. Used Halo shampoo and using Collidial Silver. Also going to try oils of Immupower and Purification. Has anyone used anything to help boost the Immune system?
3.
glenda | December 19, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Ann, how have the oils been working? I love my YL oils. Trying to figure out what to use on my choc lab that is having serious dry flaking skin with loss of hair including around eyes.
4.
lili | August 10, 2016 at 11:40 pm
I can’t do oils with Boogie because he doesn’t like them…. they are aversive to him. I know this, because whenever I put oils on myself, he will not come near me.
5.
lili | October 25, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Thanks, Melly Kay. Yes, Boogie gets small bumps quite often usually around his mouth area. He has one behind his right ear at the moment. I assumed those bumps were related to seasonal allergies because they’ve gone away now but now I am wondering if they have “shifted” over to his body… or if this is something totally different.
Mosquito bites did not cross my mind at all! Is it easy/hard to tell the difference between these and flea bites?
It would be relief if this isn’t mange. Can I ask what you used on Bebe’s mosquito bites?
6.
Kerri | October 28, 2009 at 2:05 am
Did you find out what this is? Our BT (also with a brown eye and a blue eye) has one patch of this.
7.
lili | October 28, 2009 at 2:35 am
Hi Kerri – I posted an update: This is what the vet said .
8.
Emma | December 15, 2010 at 12:12 am
I have the same issue with my BT since moving to Victoria. However she has see several vets and had many tests and the only solution was cycles antibiotics, and the last suggestion was to move back to AB.
9.
christy | March 11, 2011 at 4:31 pm
my dog looked like that, she had cushings. if he is excessively thirsty. developing fat in the belly area, it is possible and can be caused by steroids or a tumor in the pituitary or adrenal gland. look into it
10.
lili | March 11, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Thanks, Christy. I am sorry about your dog. No, Boogie doesn’t have Cushings symptoms. This was diagnosed by our vet as a staph infection.
11.
Gretchen Boudreaux | March 21, 2011 at 5:24 pm
My Min Pin has the exact same thing as boogie. What did you do to clear it up?
12.
lili | March 21, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Hi Gretchen, this was the vet diagnosis – https://boogiebt.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/staph/
13.
Danielle | June 19, 2012 at 12:15 am
Hello. Has anyone figured out what these spots are? I have a black lab with constant skin and ear irritations. His vet says she thinks its food allergies. It seems to be getting much worse and spreading all over.
14.
lili | June 19, 2012 at 4:04 am
Danielle – in Boogie’s case it’s a staph infection.
15.
Carolyn&John | June 26, 2012 at 6:16 am
Oh I can help you with this! Went through the same with my ridgeback. Spent a fortune and FINALLY found the answer. I wasted time with the specialists. My local RR Club hooked me up with an old school vet who had the solution. It is a staph infection and antibiotics won’t help long term because it’s so hard on the system and this whole thing is caused by a compromised immune system to start with. You need to start WEEKLY baths of chlorohexadine shampoo and add PB–8 probiotic to the diet. Basically treat the staph topically and bolster his immune system rather than tear if down. Also, I feed Honest Kitchen Thrive. It’s best for allergic dogs. I wish I could go on at greater length but I’m typing from my iPhone lol thumbs are sore Lol. But I found your blog by chance and wanted to help. Email me for more info as I have lots to share. We spent 2 years and spared no expense to fine what works. Silly thing is the solution isn’t even expensive. Ay! Best of luck!!
16.
Mike | July 1, 2012 at 10:23 pm
My dachshund has exactly the same symptoms. I have been searching online for weeks now and your picture is the first one that I know for sure is the same thing. You also posted an excerpt from something that said that as soon as anti-biotics are discontinued, the symptoms will return. In our case, they returned en force. I have been struggling to decide who to take him to since I don’t want to continue the barrage of anti-biotics. For some reason, I can’t reply to Caroline&John’s comment, but I would really appreciate some further information from someone who has experienced this. My email is m_astrella@yahoo.com if you would be so kind as to lend me a little hand here. Thanks. Mike
17.
lili | July 1, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Hi Mike, I am sorry you are experiencing the same thing. Our vet suggested that I keep Boogie on antibiotics for life (low dosage). He said that stopping the antibiotics compromises his immune system. Well, I stopped anyway when all the symptoms cleared up (after 3 months of daily antibiotics) because I feel the same way you do. And it’s summer again so once again I am seeing signs of itchy crusty patches reemerging. I am bathing Boogie now twice a week using Virbac Corthisoothe and Keto-? shampoos alternately. These were recommended by a different vet and so far I can see that his skin is NOT getting worse… I have also ordered some Chlorhexidine solution (amazon.com has it) as recommended in Caroline&John’s comment… I will post an update when this arrives.
18.
JoAnn | July 12, 2012 at 12:18 am
Carolyn & John, I wish you could email me with how to make the solution and what you have done. For the past year, I have spent a fortune on my GS. It started as a small crusty bald spot with hair loss. The doctor treated him for mange. That didn’t work. We have tried so many things with nothing working. He has lost almost all his fur, but thank goodness , it’s growing back. I found a spot yesterday that was all crusty and had sores underneath. I’m at my wits end and know it bothers him. He shivers and twitches anytime you pet or scratch him. I just don’t know what to do anymore.
19.
Ellie | October 16, 2013 at 1:43 pm
OH MY GOSH!!! I am SO thankful to have found this blog post. My BT, Louie, has had these exact spots for only two weeks (I thought I was looking at my own dog’s picture at the top of the post) and thought…YES, I will get to the bottom of this.
He got these spots AFTER I took him to the vet for a routine checkup, vaccinations, etc. He was given “Nutrisentials LeanTreats” from the Vet and we have been feeding him those since he got home from the Vet. Unless he picked up something from the office, that is the only “change” in my dog’s lifestyle that would cause these spots. He always has seasonal allergies and random skin things before, but these spots are something totally different (as you all know very well)
These treat ingredients are Chicken Liver, Skinless chicken, wheat flour and chicken-by-product-meal as the first ingredients and the percentages are 23% crude protein, 4% crude fat, 7% crude fat, 2%crude fiber and 32%moisture.
My Louie has had these treats before and I don’t remember him having an issue…but I don’t think he had as many at one time as before…
Anyway, I am going to try Braggs cider vinegar, liquid silver and essential oils. I am a massage therapist and use Young Living Essential Oils and one specifically works wonders on skin: it is a blend called “Purification”. The other that I am going to try as well is called “Immupower” because from Lawrence’s earlier post, this oil boosts all the immune supressing details he was discussing.
Please keep posting and I will do the same.
I am thankful that all of you have shared your own experiences. It has helped and calmed my nerves tremendously.
Sincerely, Ellie
20.
Tony | July 10, 2014 at 4:07 am
Saw you comment on solving your dog’s skin problem. I have the same issues going on with my dog. What ever added advice that you can offer me would be greatly appreciated.
21.
Siobhan O'Driscoll | March 18, 2015 at 1:54 am
Please could I get the email address of Carolyn & John or could my email address be sent to them. I have a black & tan dashund with the same problem. White crusty flackly skin and hair missing I have been to my vet over & over just for Fritz to be put on more tablets. And they don’t him. Many Thanks.
22.
Laura Cairnes | May 10, 2016 at 10:58 pm
I desperately need info. My poor lab, Max, has dry scaly skin, huge scales and loses all his hair on his backside and his back legs. I’m thinking it probably is the food. I’ve tried everything, vitamins, lotions, shampoos, allergy pills. Please tel me how I can help him
23.
Liz | October 12, 2012 at 1:54 am
Yes, i have a lab as well and she is having the same type of skin issues. The dry patches would come and go but niw they are getting worse and i dont know what to do.
24.
Rebecca | June 27, 2014 at 3:45 pm
My lab mix swims at the lake all the time and now his patchy dry spots are all over his back and belly areas. They don’t seem to itch, but he is loosing hair constantly. I don’t know what to do.
25.
lili | June 26, 2012 at 6:29 am
Hi Carolyn and John
We are now trying out some really expensive shampoos (Virbac Ketochlor and Cortisoothe – $25 each!! yikes) I am very very interested to know more about the treatment for your ridgeback. Could you send me links to the chlorohexadine shampoo & the probiotic? I couldn’t find your email address… BTW I feed The Honest Kitchen too, and Stella & Chewys. I need help because summer is here and I think the staph infection is returning 😦 I stopped giving Boogie the antibiotics, btw.
26.
runningdoc78 | August 29, 2012 at 3:06 pm
^Thanks for posting this blog post. My BT, Buster 4mth old Male, had that weird scaly hair lesions with resulting patchy hair loss too this summer. At first it was only one patch on the side of his belly, then it really spread around to the point where it was embarrassing.
I followed the advice of Carolyn&John (which lacked specific brands/products). I looked up pro-biotics and chlorohexadine shampoo and just bought what was popular/highly rated on amazon.
Here’s exactly what I used:
Chlorhexidine Products
-Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Shampoo
-Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Micro-Emulsion Spray
Supplements:
-PharmAssure – Acidophilus Capsules (this is the probiotics)
-Nature’s Bounty Odorels Fish Oil 1000mg (purified of Mercury PCBs and Dioxins)
I bathed my BT up to 3 times a week (also whenever dirty like after a dog run/day at the beach). I would spray him w/ Cholorhexidine spray once a day (a good 3-4 sprays around his whole body).
Then I would feed him the two supplements twice a day with meals.
It actually cleared up within 2 weeks completely in the middle of summer. The first week there was very noticeable results.
I added the fish oil for the fatty acids and omega 3 benefits.
I’m a doctor and understand the biochemistry/pathology behind this fungal infection. Its basically lack of absorption in the gut resulting in the fungal/bacterial lesions in the skin due to a bit of immunosuppression. Carolyn’s advice as scientifically sound.
The probiotics reboot the guts natural bacterial flora/fauna to normal, the fish oil provides nutrients specific for the rebuilding of skin layers (amongst other things like heart benefits), and the clorohexidine is basically a disinfectant/sanitizer that kills off the bacteria/fungus at the skin level.
Thanks again for posting your dogs skin infection and plight with pictures on your blog. It really helped me out and also helped me avoid going to an over zealous vet who might have put my puppy on long tern antibiotics that was not needed.
Hope this works for your guy as well.
– Lawrence
27.
lili | August 29, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Hi Lawrence, thank you for sharing these details!!!! I am so glad that your guy is fine now. Boogie is on “Canine Immune System Support” which I mix into his food twice daily, and I have been bathing him with Virbac KetoChlor & Cortisoothe shampoos but he still has very noticeable bald patches and the poor boy is still itchy. I am going to order the products you listed and reshare this info in a new Boogie blog post. Question: Is the probiotics the same kind that humans take? Does it matter? And how do you calculate how much to give to a 26lb boston terrier?
28.
sue | May 21, 2013 at 7:41 pm
I don’t have a BT but I do have a dachshund who experiences these exact symptoms! I have some medicated shampoo but it hasn’t seemed to help too much. I have him on fish oil, grain-free salmon dog food, and an herbal spray. I have a question, If I spray him with the chlorohexidine spray, will it affect my French bulldog if he were to lick it off him. My frenchie has a tendency of licking my dachshund, and I want to make sure he doesn’t get sick!
29.
Randi | August 14, 2013 at 3:11 am
I just have a quick question. Did any of the dogs on this blog suffer from the same crusty itchy patches on the inside of ear as well? My 9 year old lab has these same symptoms I just ordered all the shampoo sprays and supplements listed here but found some of these shall I say lesion like patches on the inside of his ear. Did anyone else have or notice this?
30.
Ellie | October 16, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Lawrence, can I purchase these products at any pet store (PetSmart, PetCo?) or do I need to special order from Amazon?
Thank you for your post.
Sincerely, Ellie
31.
Harriet | October 21, 2013 at 3:39 am
Lawrence- My French Bull Dog now has this awful condition. We have been on antibiotics for 2 months. I started searching tonight and found your post. It has been a while since you posted your experience. How is Buster now. Any new advice? Thank you.
Harriet. bynuminv@sbcglobal.net.
PS. I have had BTs for years and love them so much. The frenchy is our first deviation. He’s wonderful too!
32.
Whitney | December 18, 2015 at 8:04 am
My Redbone Coonhound has the same skin issues. The thing is I bought her this dog food with veal in it; Purina One. Ever since she has had these dry patches. But I have two dogs and only one has this issue. Thanks for the advice I will defiantly try it on out LADY.
33.
oscar | June 26, 2014 at 8:16 am
My dog gets the same thing any help what to give her well help out thanks
34.
Sarafina, Simba & Kiara | October 30, 2015 at 4:58 am
If you or anyone ever received any info from Carolyne and John could you please pass it on to me please. I have a 3 mixed chihuahuad that I had to bottle feed from 1 week old cuz mommy died (they are now goingon 3yrs old) and I just noticed 1 is getting those dry flaky patches. PLEASE my email is rguzmanv@comcast.net
Thank you i would be forever grateful !!
Rosa & 3 kiddos
35.
Snooks | February 6, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Virbac KetoChlor is not manufactured in U.S. any longer as last of 2015. There are now places in China or somewhere that will ship it to you. I need to know if anyone has ordered it and if it is the same as I have been buying in U.S. from vets for years. My yorkie has to have shot a week, simplicef if starts breaking out, atopica 3 pills a week and steroid prednisone if starts up with bumps/crusty breaking out on both side of tail neck back etc. Has become very expensive.. We have been taking her to a vet since 2013 dermatology center.
36.
Boogie’s skin problems – solutions! Fingers crossed. « Boogie’s blog | August 29, 2012 at 6:50 pm
[…] of the most popular posts on Boogie’s Blog is Hair loss and crusty dry skin… What is it? Many other dog owners are experiencing the same troubles, have spent as much money as I have, […]
37.
wendy carr | August 30, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Hi my name is Wendy Carr and my B.T. has the same exact thing on her skin. I find when she goes swimming she will get a little red rash that itches her and so I just put canestun on her rash and it seem to clear it up for the most part, but this last month I thought I would try a medicated shampoo on her and MAN did she ever break out. I had some meds left over from my male B.T and had enough for 10 days and it completely dried up so now I am combing it out with a fine tooth comb and she is loving it. If you have any other remedies could you please respond and let me know what it is. I was so afraid that she had Mange until I found this sight . Oh and how is your baby doing,well I hope.
38.
christina | September 1, 2012 at 1:27 am
Hi there! I’m another poster grateful that you posted about Boogie. I have a boxer/ pit with the exact same symptoms as your BT. Initially I thought that they were bug bites, and then I was paranoid that it was MANGE, however since reading your blog I’m now convinced that it’s a secondary staph infection due to allergies. I will be taking her to the vet after the holiday, and because of the many helpful post here I will be going better informed. Thanks so much for sharing your experience, it’s been helpful not only to me, but evidently to many others as well. I’m happy to hear that Boogie is doing well, what a great parent you are! 🙂
39.
lili | September 10, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Hi Christina, Glad that this blog is helping! Yes, get your doggie checked out… It could also be a yeast infection rather than a staph infection. It’s tough not knowing… Good luck!
40.
Carol | November 16, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Hey All
Our dog – a lab shepherd mix – had this condition also (only it was 10 times worse after months of troubleshooting) and we tried the baths, benedryl, antibiotics, changed his food; everything both the vet and us could think of.
Turns out it was the chicken jerky strips that are supposedly “all natural – 100% chicken – nothing added”. If you do a search on line you will see that all of these chicken strips are made in China or Thailand. Most of them don’t have it written on the bag. Some even say that they are quality checked in North America – but not MADE in North America. They have pesticides and the meat is aradiated and as you know there are no regulations in these countries to ensure that it is even actual chicken. Whenever they do a recall, the manufacturer just changes the name and it starts up again.
There are tons of dogs that are not just scaley and bald, but are actually dying! The strips we were using were called Vitalife Chicken Tenders sold at PetSmart and rated 5/5 on their website! We now buy liver and make our own treats so we know what’s in them, and Zack’s skin has cleared right up. Hope this helps 🙂
41.
Dee | September 20, 2015 at 3:05 pm
I have also experienced the problem with the chicken treats. My Lab developed the scsley, itchy and crusty spots last year. The vet suggested grain free diet and fish oil capsules. I switched to these things and she had a terrible reaction. Huge , reddish purple spots all over her body, large bald spots (6 inches by 6 inches) and biting til she bled. I gave her benedryl for 3 weeks and removed all the new things . the large red purple spots went away and the itching went back to the previous level but did not stop completely. I introduced one thing at a time and found the bad reaction was due to the chicken treats. Now we are on grain free diet and fish oil but still looking for a solution to the initial problem of dry, itchy crusty spots. I will try some of the suggestions from this blog. Thanks so much to all who shared.
42.
Jacqueline | November 18, 2012 at 7:45 am
I recently found your blog after searching different results of what skin condition my Chow Chow might have. He has flaky white patches on all over his back (although hard to see since he has so much hair, but you can feel them as they’re rough). When the little patch flakes off, a clump of hair comes out as well so he’s got a few bald spots. He does have allergies, but he hasn’t been scratching, although he has been biting at his tail something fierce to the point where it’s raw, so it was off to the vet we went.
He’s on antibiotics but the vet also mentioned the white patches could be calcium deposits but after reading your story and everyone’s comments, I’ll be taking him back on Monday for another answer. Our vet did give us some antibacterial shampoo with Chlorhexidine in it so come tomorrow my teddy bear will be getting a bath but it just worries me since he is getting up there in age.
He recently had some blood work done so I don’t believe it’s a parasite (although I know with dogs anything can change within a moments notice) but we’ll soon find out.
Glad you found out what was going on with your baby and I’m glad your blog was available.
43.
Raquel | March 27, 2016 at 6:22 pm
Hi, I was reading responses, and just saw Your letter, I said to myself, Thank You God!
Today is Easter Sunday, March, 26 2016.
I too, have a red haired Chow who is up in age! He will be 10 in April…
I Always comb his hair and have been noticing that lately I’ve been having a lot more hair than usual…I though he was just Shedding his Winter coat!
No! He has this Same Condition! I am Soooo going crazy right now, as i live on a Budget, I am disabled and I take him to the Humane Society for his annual shots, but it’s difficult to even afford that, on my SSI income. But I will do Whatever I have to Do, to make my baby well… even if meant I have to eat bread and water I wouldn’t care! I just want him to be okay!
Please have my email address and get in touch with me if you can that maybe you can explain what I can do, or buy without having to see a Veterinarian.
Childoflowers9@gmail.com
Thank You
Raquel
44.
Stacey | November 23, 2012 at 5:56 am
Hey there!
First, I just have to say that I am so happy to have found this blog! Finally!!!! Oh my goodness!!! Where were you guys a year ago??? 😉
(I see that the first posting is dated 2009… Lol!)
My mini dachshund, Veener, has been dealing with this type of skin issue for about a year now. He is only 2 years old.
We have had several visits to the vet… Even a canine dermatologist! Yeah, you read that right!
We have tried everything! By everything I mean:
Melatonin and Vit. E… daily (not sure if this is making any sort of difference) couldn’t be bad though, so we still give him this daily.
Virbac; chlorhexidine gluconate shampoo with Douxo calm shampoo twice a week. With little result. Made his skin a bit drier actually. Stopped doing this.
Antibiotics and prescribed antihistamines. Which did nothing. Once the 2 week prescription finished… We chose to not continue with any kind of antibiotic.
He’s had anti-parasite injections as well. With no noticeable results. These injections happened once every 2 weeks for 2 sessions… I was assured this would not have any adverse effects for my Veenie… It also did not prove to show any positive result either.
He’s gone through several scrapings for mites, fungi checks etc. All with negative results… The vet mentioned that these scrapings often show false negatives… Geez. How would you take that after the third visit? Yeah… You’re probably thinking what I am thinking.
I have recently (by recent, I mean in August) changed his diet to a raw diet. No more kibble for this guy… (I was feeding him Acana lamb and apple kibble… Perhaps not the best, but at the time I thought it was!).
Now, I feed him Smack. He loves the smack pet food. Which is a raw dehydrated food you add water to. I also add a kelp-based supplement to this food before adding the water. He just loves it!! Gobbles it up!!!
And treats are now made at home in the dehydrator…Though I still will purchase dehydrated treats by PuppyLove from time to time.
Oh! I can’t forget to add that he loves coconut oil too. Eats it right off the spoon!!!
What I want to share with everyone is that after changing his DIET, I noticed the patches clearing up and his hair starting to grow back. This did not happen right away, but after 6 weeks I can tell you I noticed a difference.
I was keeping it to the dehydrated salmon smack pet food and treats were beef based up until last week when I thought I’d give a bit of variety and gave him the smack chunky chicken once and a few dehydrated chicken treats (which I made myself). To my surprise, he’s developed a few new spots. For my Veenie here, there is definitely an allergic reaction to the chicken protein.
Perhaps chicken is an issue for some dogs?
Just wanted to share my experience.
I spent a lot of money at the vet… Only to now know it really was due to the food I was giving him!
45.
lili | November 23, 2012 at 6:46 pm
I love this story! Thanks so much for sharing! 6 weeks? – Wow.
This is exactly what I want to hear and believe: that I can “fix” Boogie’s skin issues by changing his diet rather than having to rely on antibiotics and steroids year after year. The problem I have is that Boogie already eats good food: also dehydrated raw. (The Honest Kitchen, Stella & Chewys, Nutrisca) So perhaps there are specific ingredients that he can’t tolerate and I don’t know how to figure out what these are.
I bought a food dehydrator to make treats – It is still in the box, I haven’t used it yet. On my TO DO list for the new year 🙂
46.
Stacey | January 26, 2013 at 8:30 am
Hi Lili!
Haven’t heard much from your blog…
Just wanted to give you a bit of an update, if you will…
My Veenie was doing just great, until about a few weeks ago – where he developed a few new “spots”. Here, I thought it had everything to do with chicken… I think I may have been mistaken.
He has not eaten anything chicken since what?.. September of 2012?..
I guess I was wrong.
It’s not the chicken. It’s something else. Of which I have no idea.
Did you ever figure out what was wrong with your Boogie?
I wanted to share;
On the advice of one of my closest friends, who is all holistic and such, I have been rubbing my Veenie down with coconut oil for the past 2 weeks.
Cold-pressed, extra-virgin, organic coconut oil (the one I cook with)… And, I think it’s working. Not perfect, but the crusty parts come off with ease and with little hair loss… I am not sure if Veener likes it, but by his stretching out and such, I can only assume he is feeling some kind of soothing….
I have applied coconut oil directly to some of his “spots” that looked worse, and they definitely look better now.
I don’t think I mentioned before that I have two mini dachshunds… And it’s only Veenie that has this issue.
From what I can tell, whatever he is going through, skin-wise, is not at all contagious. It’s just him.
The coconut oil seems to be working right now…
I will definitely post again if something else happens…
Would love to hear if you have had any success with anything!
Stacey
47.
Annika | July 6, 2015 at 1:41 am
Hi, thanks everyone for good advice. My pup has the same problem and it might be good to know many dogs are allergic to chicken and grain. The minute I changed to lamb and sweet potato formula for sensitive dogs the diarrhea stopped but the dry patches are still there so I’ll try the remedies above as well.
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Mo | November 28, 2012 at 8:43 pm
My dog has that 2
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Irene Jones | January 3, 2013 at 3:41 am
Hi lili! Did you ever follow Lawrence/runningdoc78’s advice and used all of the products he recommended on Boogie? If so, how did it work? My dog Grape recently started getting these same spots and I am leery of taking her to the vet because I feel that they will just put her on antibiotics. I would like to try a more holistic, natural approach first.
Has anyone else tried Lawrence’s advice?
Lawrence, how is Buster doing and are you still treating him the same way?
Hope to hear from all of you soon!
irene.
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Leah | January 3, 2013 at 3:55 pm
Hello–I was researching online for a friend who has a young mastiff with hairloss and previous chronic itching (though that has stopped.) Like so many on this list, they have tried different vets with different “treatments” that have not worked, from antibiotics to steroids, to scrapings and thyroid testing, and now acupuncture and herbs (itching has stopped, still no hair growth.) So much health evidence from folks who have switched their pets to a natural/raw diet. To Lili questioning how to figure out food intolerances, Dr. Jean Dodds has a great site at http://nutriscan.org/ for info on food intolerances and test ordering. Not the cheapest: 2 test panels for ten foods each, $130 each test; or $250 to run all twenty food tests. It’s an easy saliva collection test you can do at home and send it off. But then running to the vet constantly to try and find out what works isn’t cheap either…
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lili | January 31, 2013 at 8:48 am
Hi Stacey – I have been using coconut oil too! It does make a difference! I notice that his skin is not so scaly, dry, flakey, but I am still concerned about hair loss. His coat is thinning and not growing back. I am nervously wondering if this is a thyroid problem or something else.
Hi Irene – I added probiotics and fish oil to Boogie’s diet. i also used the chlorhexidine spray. Unfortunately I couldn’t see any major difference with this new routines. Boogie’s skin did not get worse (which I guess is a good thing) but it also did not get better. One thing that helps a bit… I just wrote about this recently – is extra virgin coconut oil applied topically… this also seems to prevent his skin from getting worse and keeps it moisturized.
Hi Leah – Someone else recommended nutriscan. It’s so pricey… that’s what makes me hesitate…. I am reading a book right now on nutrition that I hope will help me with Boogie’s diet. Boogie won’t eat raw, so it will have to be homecooked.
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rose | February 20, 2013 at 4:47 am
have a dacshund with the precise same symptoms. we had her tested for thyroid (both tests) and topical skin scrapings but no joy. she is also a bit over weight which the vets assumed it was thyroid but its not. i will try some of these solutions. good to see so many of you care so much about their friends.
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Barbara Hromada | February 28, 2013 at 10:33 pm
wow, does this ever look like my great dane’s skin. He has balding patches on his back and head too. Just like you described, I thought it might be white fur, but upon looking closer, he was losing his fur there. The vet gave him antibiotics, and he has been on them now for a little over a week, and it doesn’t look as though it made any difference. It doesn’t seem to itch him, like my poor boxer mix, who has terrible skin issues, and has to take steroids all the time, now she looks like a sausage, poor girl! I just don’t know what to do! And its getting quite expensive at the vet.
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Stacia | March 5, 2013 at 6:11 am
Hi Lili! Hi Everyone!
Well…
I am at a loss. I feel like I have tried everything! And trust me!!! I have!!!
(I have written on this blog before)
The coconut oil did work… For a while. It definitely does work for the dry skin issue. It does work to soothe the more sensitive patches, and yes… It does work if, and only if, your furry friend isn’t going through an episode!
For us here, we are now dealing with an explosion of “crusty spots” (they start off as little bumps, then turn into crusty patches of various sizes)… This happened within just a few days!!!
My poor Veenie’s left side of his body looks like he’s infested!!! I thought he might have been… And yes… of course, I took him to the vet!
He is not infested. It is NOT a bug/mite or any other creature/fungi etc.
Geez!!!
I think I would have been happier if it was in fact a fricken bug.
Actually, truth be told, I was hoping it was.
My vet told me again… Veener is likely allergic to something. This could be a seasonal allergy….
What the ??? Seasonal allergy? My peanuts do not have fur on their bellies… They do not go outside in the winter.,. If they do, it’s a quick in and out! Lol!
They are low riders!!!!
Due to the fact that there were too many spots… He is back on antibiotics (for the secondary infection; the crustiness of the patches) and on the antihistamine (for the itch… Although, he really wasn’t showing signs of itchiness)….
I really don’t know what more I can do now.
I am having his thyroid checked – just in case.
I am washing him with the Hexadene shampoo again too…
I know, I know… I do not want to do this. To me, it dries out his skin more. I do try to lather him with the Douxo calm shampoo after the fact… But he’s still super dry skin guy….
I don’t know!!!!
Has anyone had any luck with anything?!?
How is your Boogie now?
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Mike | March 6, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Stacia, my dachshund had the same problem. Tried everything too. Took a year and a half to “solve” it. Ultimately, we did the following: 1. got him a bio-analysis and resulting recommended nutritional supplements. Its expensive, but if you’re interested, look into Cold River Vet Center.
2. Started feeding him home-cooked food.
3. Used the Chlorhexidine Shampoo and Spray recommended earlier on this blog. Did shampoo, 2 days later one spray on each side of body, 2 days later shampoo, etc.
Who knows which of these things really did the trick or all of them, but I have a hunch it was the Chlorhexidine routine as much as I’d like to believe it was the more expensive and natural factors. He has had one “spot” pop up since we beat the last out break. As soon as I saw it, I did the Chlorhexidine routine again for 8-10 days and it stopped/went away.
I know its torturous to watch this and not be able to fix it, so I wish you the best of luck.
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Mike | March 6, 2013 at 4:33 pm
This is the link to the spray on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Douxo-Chlorhexidine-Micro-Emulsion-Spray-6-8/dp/B00198XFNG/ref=sr_1_9?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1362586792&sr=1-9&keywords=chlorhexidine
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Trev | March 6, 2013 at 9:47 pm
Hi All
My Pug Bella has suffered from this condition for the last two years, she’s now eight. Spent a fortune at the vets, but nothing helped. Just by chance a locum vet gave me some Cortavance spray . It’s a hydrocortisone spray and I put it on the bald patches when the fur has fallen out. It seems to work ? It can’t stop the fur from falling out so I’m going to try the Chlorohexadine products. All I can say it stops Bella’s itching. She’s having a flare up of the condition at the momment , no idea why.
Trev
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Nicki | April 9, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Hi Everyone,
It might be worth taking a look at Diatomaceous Earth. It’s natural, but it’s imperative that it must be the food grade type and 100% DE – no extra additives, no pool grade, etc! There’s lots of info/reviews on the web and it’s also sold on Amazon. As a start, this is a good website; this link takes you to the testimonials and you can then click on the page menu to read up on it. http:// www. earthworkshealth.com/human-use-testimonials.php People absolutely swear by it for themselves and their animals for curing all kinds of illnesses and issues. It certainly won’t do any harm, as long as you make sure it’s the food grade type! It’s already in many of the foods we eat and it’s quite cheap.
As it happens, I’ve been reading about the marvellous health benefits of both coconut oil and apple cider vinegar this morning. You could give your dog a teaspoonful of the coconut oil to eat daily, to work from the inside out, as well as mixing some with the ACV and applying it to the affected areas.
One last thing, I use Chris Christensen’s shampoos, conditioners, etc., on my two little Maltese as, thankfully, although made in the U.S., they’re available here in the UK, too and they both have beautiful coats. He also makes a product called Peace and Kindness which is even more amazing!! It’s colloidal silver, it’s natural, with absolutely no side effects and treats a myriad of skin problems. People also use it on themselves, as I did. I had a bit of psoriasis on the sides of my face and spreading and this stuff cleared it up – I can’t recommend it highly enough and will always keep a bottle in the house. It’s my little miracle in a bottle. The reviews from peoples’ own use, as well as results on their animals, are astounding. If you click on the following link it will take you to the testimonials and information on its uses http://www.chrissystems.com/natural-skin-product-for-dogs-and-cats.aspx
Good luck all, hope this may help.
Nicki x
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Crystal Starrett | May 11, 2013 at 7:31 pm
My 2 yr. old dachschund named Dooby has the same kind of spots on him. I have had him at the vet 3 times. They don’t think it is anything to worry about although they gave me a shampoo that is antifungal and antibacterial. This has helped tremendously along with me putting on Neosporin.
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Jewel | June 27, 2013 at 4:16 am
so does the neosporin really help?
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Michelle | May 29, 2013 at 7:29 pm
I read an interesting book called “Give a Dog a Bone” written by an Austrailian Vet. It seems that biologically, dogs were not meant to digest prepacked meals containing all the protein, carbs, etc packed into one meal. Rather, they are healthiest when they eat protein, carbs, fiber at different meals…more closely to how they would eat naturally in the wild. Dogs, he writes, were scavengers so their bodies adapted to thrive on some days protein, other days more fibrous bulk, etc.
My Frenchie used to have the SAME exact skin conditions. Now i alternate her feeding with some days a high quality grain free canned dog food. Other days chicken thighs I bake for her myself (450* for 45 minutes, debonned) and 3rd day baked sweet potatoe and peas.
This routine has been working amazing. The chicken is very inexpensive and costs less than the canned dog food. For now, you can treat the skin spots with 50/50 water and Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar….the skin will dry up and start to heal in 3 days. In between, spot treat with DDF Sulfur Masque (its for human acne but soothed her skin). You can purchase it at Sephora. It’s cheaper than a tri to the vet.
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jimpuder | September 24, 2013 at 2:04 pm
i just got back from my vet and i went on line and found theses posts here. My dog(a lab mix) just started losing hair in spots over the wknd and it is accelerating at an alarming pace. my vet gave her a steroid and a Chlorhexidine shampoo to use once a week. The picture and symptoms posted on this site are exactly the same….are there any updates of success for some of the anecdotes posted here?
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Sue | October 6, 2013 at 12:04 am
My dachsund had this for about 2 years. I tried fish oil, shampoos, etc. I switched him to costco’s grain free dog food – the red bag not the blue one and so far his skin is better!!! No scabs! Not sure if that’s what did it but nothing else seemed to work! 🙂
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Bri | February 16, 2015 at 4:02 am
Hello Sue,
I am wondering if the brand of dog food you used was Kirkland Nature’s Domain Turkey and Sweet Potato? Did you try the Chlorhexidine Pet Shampoo or just other shampoos? We have a mini Dauchsund with the same problems. Please let us know,
Thanks,
Brit
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Kristen | September 25, 2013 at 3:06 pm
I’m just wondering if you have found a solution to this? I have read that the dog could be allergic not to his food but to what ever surrounds him.
I have taken my great dNe puppy to the vet numerous times and they can not figure it out
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Stacia | October 8, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Hi Lili! Hi Everyone!
I often check back here to see if anyone has discovered the ultimate solution to this skin problem.
The last time I commented on this blog was in March.
Veener, was in a pretty bad state… skin wise.. and it was only getting worse (Even with using the Chlorhexidine spray and shampoo routine that was recommended on this blog, my Veenie just wasn’t getting any kind of relief).
I want to share some new (new to me) information which I learned from a recognized holistic vet.
Basically, after a thourough examination (which wasn’t cheap! HA!), she told me that Veener is allergic to the normal bacteria on his skin and by his rubbing on the carpet or scratching… he spreads this bacteria and it goes deeper into the skin thus creating the bumps (that look like pimples) which result in the circular spots of irritation with/and fur loss. She used the term ‘comedones’.
When I looked up ‘comedones in dogs’ via google, Veener’s skin is and isn’t what I saw… ??? The pictures are more of the “not Veener” kind but there are some that do look similar. ???? Confusion!!!
Anyways…
Just a bit of a recap, I feed my dogs a raw diet now… Since last November… They exercise regularly, and are by far very happy fur babes!!! Super spoiled! Fantastic temperaments! And, heck… They eat better than me!!! 🙂
I have 2 mini-dachshunds and Veenie is the only one dealing with this. By no means is he showing signs of being sickly or lethargic. He’s very active and there’s certainly no loss of appetite!!! No stomach issues etc. I guess, what I am trying to say is that this skin thing is not stopping him from being himself. A happy, happy fur babe!!
The solution, or rather, one major factor that was voiced in our meeting with this vet was: “we have to keep him from scratching/rubbing”.
We talked about the Chlorhexidine shampoo.
When I mentioned, to this holistic vet, that I thought the Chlorhexidine shampoo didn’t seem to work… she was surprised.
Apparently, I have not been shampooing my fur babe properly!
So, Ladies and Gents! Check this out! (If you haven’t heard or do this already) …
The Chlorhexidine shampoo needs to be diluted because the % of the active ingredient is strong. I had no knowledge of this at all… the vet that gave me the shampoo didn’t say anything except “wash him with this”. There are different brands.. the one I am using states 2% w/w on the bottle…
AND, you should be using a soft nail brush to scrub. And by scrub, you need to SCRUB!!! It doesn’t hurt… Try it on yourself… The soft nail brush is exactly that, soft. And you are to SCRUB everywhere and especially where there are spots.
Then, you are supposed to wait a minimum of 10 minutes before rinsing.
I wasn’t doing this. I was just pouring the shampoo into my hands and lathering him up, waiting a few minutes and then rinsing him off.
😦
I can tell you that 10 minutes feels like an eternity when you have a wet -getting cold- dog waiting around in the tub. Treats are essential! I use a timer…
I have been bathing him like this once a week now (for 4 weeks) and I AM seeing a difference!!!! YAY!!! His spots are not completely gone, but he is not getting anymore… I check him always and I haven’t seen any new bumps/spots.
She also recommended no chicken treats or chicken based food as she is seeing more and more dogs with allergic reactions to chicken – specifically. She spoke of how a lot of dog food is made with chicken by-products and more and more furbabes are developing allergies towards this protein. For us here, I stopped the chicken thing awhile ago. I am not convinced my Veenie is dealing with a chicken/turkey/duck allergy… My dudes are eating lamb and beef…
She also told me that she wanted me to stop feeding the Smack because they use millet as a filler. I can’t remember exactly why, but it has something to do with the thyroid gland.
Veener did have his thyroid checked and everything came back normal. Still, she wasn’t keen on the Smack. ???
That’s about it, really.
I hope this information helps!
I know, I know… It totally sucks not being able to fix your fur babe.
Veener is not fixed *sigh*…. But, I am hoping I can manage the outbreaks. It’s been 4 weeks now and I am seeing results…
this is super good!!! 😀
But, you know, I just don’t want other dog owners to think that there is something wrong with him. Something contagious. Because it isn’t.
I can’t blame them though… He looks spotted… He looks like he has some kind of “contagious” issue… 😦 My poor Veenie. 😦
Well… Of course he doesn’t know about any issue! Hahahaaa! It’s only bothering me. 😦
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lili | October 8, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Thanks so much for sharing, Stacy!
Here is an update on Boogie (October 2013): we are now going to a Dermatologist. It is definitely a seasonal allergies thing (not food related)… and Boogie is on corticosteroids (Medrol), which I am not thrilled about, but I can’t afford allergy testing/serums right now, and I am nervous about Atopica (which was the other suggestion), and nothing else has worked.
Boogie is already on a raw grain-free diet. I am also giving him apple cider vinegar, as well as a topical essential oil.
Thanks for the shampoo-ing tip. I agree with you – 10 mins is a LOOOONNGGG TIME! I feed him his dinner while we wait. I will also brush him next time he has a bath.
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Nimmi | August 20, 2014 at 1:36 am
Hi Lili,
How is Boogi doing? Did the Apple Cidar Vinegar bath improved the conditions.
I have a Great Dane he is 7 months now & his name is Loki.
Loki also has the same skin problem like Boogi, he was on 2 Antibiotics course & medicated shampooing it didn’t resolve . Any feed back and suggestion will be much appreciated .
Thanks….Nimmi
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suzanne | October 24, 2013 at 11:28 pm
I have the same problem with my dog. I was wondering if all these dogs are older dogs. I was feeding her a regular dog food for a 6 year old dogs, I have a lab and she likes to pass wind with this dog food. It was suggested that I change her food to a food with less protein. So I changed her food to a older dog food ages 9 – 14 because she is 13 years old. Now she has hair coming out in patches, white dry skin in the patches and some are slightly bleeding. Would the senior dog food have something in it that would causing this problem or is the low protein in the food causing the problem ?
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Tatianna | November 3, 2013 at 9:02 pm
I am really happy that I found this blog…my 6 year old min pin started developing these exact same spots about 6 months ago. I took him to the vets as soon as I noticed it and the vet literally sat there and said that he had no idea what was causing it. He gave Odie 2 doses of antibiotics and a medicated shampoo. His skin got 100 times better but once the antibiotics were gone it came right back and was even worse. I am so fed up and dont want to take him back so they can take my $$ without actually diagnosing my dog with anything. I am going to some of the things suggested in this blog….fingers crossed 🙂
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Amanda | November 5, 2013 at 1:53 am
Months ago I noticed my 5yr old lab/mix had about a quarter size, scaly, bald, patch of fur missing on her hip. I didn’t think much of it, but it never got better, or worse. About a month ago she began to lose weight, no appetite and became very lethargic. We took her to the vet who had no clue. Long story short, our beloved angel (Lessie) has a very aggressive cancer, a mass in her lungs. I don’t know if the patch has anything to do with the cancer, but I got her back only a week ago after diagnosis. I got her some supplements from K9 immunity and have put her on an all raw diet. It hasn’t been long but her hair is growing back and she feels so much better. I know this won’t cure her cancer, but maybe we will buy her some time. I am convinced after reading up on diet that we are killing our dogs with processed dog food (grains are terrible for dogs). Just like our own, SAD (standard American diet). We need to get back to our natural diet.
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Jessica | December 26, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Help me! My 3months old minipin has exactly the same issue. And we’ve been to 2 vets, but nothing had happened.
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Debra Austin Ernst | January 8, 2014 at 4:32 am
Our dachshund has the same skin problem. It starts out with a small bump, like a scab and get dry and this the hair falls out. We have had him to the vet many times. I am so glad I found this blog. BTW, our dachshund’s name is Boogie also. Really he is Clyde and his sister is Bonnie, we we have always called him Boogie. We are going to try the Chlorhexidine routine and see what happens. Thanks for all your input.
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Sue | January 12, 2014 at 12:27 pm
My dachshund no longer suffers from this. He is on a grain free diet with fish oil supplements. Sometimes it does return seasonally so I use the medicated shampoo but overall he is much better!!
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Rocko | January 24, 2014 at 7:01 pm
I have a min pin, a few years ago the same exact thing happened on his back just like bogie. The dry patches with the hairless spots look identical to what rocko looked like. I took him to the vet and he was put on meds. The problem cleared; haven’t seen a re occurrence since then until now. I thought I was bathing him too much or it was allergies. Now the dry bumps/patches are on the back and side of his legs. It’s not as noticeable as what occurred years ago and it hasn’t started spreading to his back yet. I just ordered the bath product recommended and I wiped him down with the iodine yesterday after bathing him. I also ordered the other products recommended with the spray, fish oil and spray.
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karen | November 17, 2014 at 5:37 pm
Hi, I was wondering how your min pin is doing. My dog has had skin problems for the last few years. Just as I seem to get one cleared up, here comes another. I have had very good success in the past with the iodine too. But, this time, her skin problem is proving to be more difficult. Have you found anything to work this time? I think I’ve tried it all. She eats an excellent diet, takes many supplements. In the past I’ve had success with coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, neem oil, and countless others. But, none of these are having any effect this time.
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Mia Burke | March 5, 2015 at 7:07 pm
I have a min pin as well….see my comment below. I had success w/ organic treatment. I hope you found a solution.
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Bree | March 4, 2014 at 5:30 pm
I have an 11 year old min pin I rescued from a woman. He struggles with skin care. I have him on a Demerol shot for the really bad times but I only bathe few times a year, stick omega fish oil in his food. I stay away from all chicken, grains, and apples I saw made him go into a frantic itch. I also have put plain yogurt on his food. The bacteria helps him 🙂 Dont worry its the healthy bacteria not harmful kind. usually about once or twice a year in a bad outbreak when he gets a hold of a chicken product or treat and goes into a chewing furry I cover him in Trophy Animal Health Care Red Jel ointment typically used on horses with their abrasions. It was magic for him. The Demerol shot is also magic for him. He does a complete turn around after just a week and hair grows back. Be wary the red jel does stain so put him out porch on somewhere away from furniture or carpet. Just leave it on for hour or so and then rub it off or bath off but with min pins the less bathing is preferred for their health I have found. Calmcoat natural topical oil is a great thing too just sprays on Also usually used on horses or green tea oil spray I have used. He loved that. Good luck with your baby! 🙂
Also I want to note if you are using foods like Iams or Purina it is mostly garbage and can hurt the outcome of his skin. Try to switch to a better food like Blue, taste of Wild, Wilderness, Merricks, etc. Here is link to food I use http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Wild-Pacific-Formula-15-Pound/dp/B0018CE6ZE It is only $28-32 for 15lbs of food here for the one I use and it lasts the three dogs I have about two weeks. They are smaller but the min pin is a muscular 18lbs. I rescued a red line aggressive chihuahua mix female and she had hot spot outbreaks for first few months I had her, switched her to organic better dog food and its been years now since she ever had a hot spot again. I only used Purina food at first to boost her weight back up first few weeks as she was in dire need of weight gain at first. I knew the garbage would boost her weight. Foods like kibble and bit, Iams, Purina, usually are just filled with byproducts and fillers. Dogs with health problems really show the effects from those type of foods.
One good rule of thumb is if it sold at walmart, petsmart, any big name brand dog foods it is usually junk. The cheaper the price, the junkier it is. There is exception now Petsmart here sells a lot of the good foods like Blue and such. There are dogs that live all their life on Iams or Purina just fine and live long just as there are people who can eat mcd’s every day and still live till 80. For dogs that need skin care though I would recommend staying far away from the “McDonalds” of dog foods. You may have to look for a speciality store. Here there is a store that carries it that is mainly a store for horses named Charr and also there is mom/pop pet store here in town that carries all the good brands of natural/organic dog food. http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/10-best-dog-food-options.html here is great list you can google how to pick out dog foods and they will give you the typical checklist first five ingredients to look for and avoid….etc.
When people ask me to explain the easiest way I can break it down is Theres McDonalds or Fruits and veggies for humans…Sure you can eat McDonalds but its not great for you and not eating it will improve your health a lot more. Its same thing with certain types of dog foods. One is garbage food with mostly fillers and byproducts and other is a lot more nutritious and healthier. Organic dog foods are better. I would also look up raw diet for your min pin but that can be expensive and tedious. I have done away with that. He did not take onto it and we ended up donating the food and giving some as treats to other dogs.
Hope this helps and anyone else who reads it 🙂 We are hoping for at least 5 more years with this guy 🙂
My number one rule for Chopper is avoid chicken and a lot of treats also have chicken or grains. You can tell he goes into an itching furry about 15 mins after eating something with chicken, grains, or apples. His previous owner took him to specialists and spent thousands trying to help him. Lots of testing and scrapings and all sorts of things. Also my dog gets the fatty tumors occasionally normal with his itch and age. They do go away on their own I have found no medicine. I still watch them like a hawk for hardness, growth, etc just in case of cancer. I watch to make sure he is playing, eating, etc. They can be scary, but are harmless. I also found keeping him on his Frontline flea meds is necessary for him to survive. Fleas are active even in winter so even when snow is on the ground he needs it and if I miss a month I will know he will go into an itch rage. You can buy big doses online of frontline to save money and dose out .67 for a 19lb min pin from a needle less syringe.
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Martina | January 18, 2016 at 5:27 pm
Please I have min pin it is the same thing patches with skin scabs and red green on his legs I have been giving him baths and meds from vet..her hacks also spent do much money at vets.. He is overweight I feel like the steroids didn’t help from vet..his ears also..I’m sad with him don’t know what to do..my email is toby153@aol.com..any help appreciated.. Martina
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Carrie | March 12, 2014 at 7:15 am
You have no idea how happy I am to find all this information! My English Bulldog Lucy has the same symptoms as far as I can tell, the only thing that may be different is if I put oil on her skin sometimes a small chunk of hair will come out. Almost looks like from follicle & it’s yellow & crusty. We too have taken her in numerous times, allergies was always the vets answer. So I’m on to Amazon to see if these things you have mentioned work, I really hope so!!!
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Myia Friend | March 28, 2014 at 2:44 am
borax and vinegar baths cured our dog!
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Nez | March 28, 2014 at 4:03 am
How much do you use? My dog now has patches of bald spots everywhere now. Each patch started out as a scab and when it fell off, a chunk of fur did too. 😫.
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Barbara | March 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm
this is interesting. I’m going to have to try this, thanks!
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Sarah | July 27, 2015 at 6:27 pm
My 7 month old american rednose , has that same rash wth is it? What’s the measurements for borax and vingar ? And how to apply it thnx
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Glynis | July 5, 2016 at 8:18 am
Hi. What is the recipe delusion in water?
My bridle bull mastiff has dry flaky balled spots. Have changed flea treatment. Will take advise from this blog on changing diet! Would like to bath him in the borax and vinegar!
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lili | August 10, 2016 at 11:34 pm
I can’t answer this question, but a really excellent shampoo is Hexazole.
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SugarsMom | March 31, 2014 at 5:32 am
My dog has the same thing but also a sore spot that will not heal. She wears a cone and just finished another round of antibiotics. It is almost healed and then the antibiotic runs out and her sore spot is back ?
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Judy Liberti | June 4, 2014 at 10:53 pm
Our dog had these white crusty patches around her mouth, on her ear flaps, the back of her hind legs and under her front armpit. We were told it was likely food allergies, and with the steps we’ve taken she is about 90% clear now one month in on the new routine. We took her off her poultry & grain based dog food. It’s hard to fine foods with no poultry at all and no grain at all. There is one by Blue Wilderness and one by Diamond in pet food stores. However, we found that the Beef & Sweet Potato adult dog kibble sold by Costco has the same ingredients as the Diamond and the cost is extremely reasonable. Her treats are now exclusively Salmon treats by Blue Wilderness. We also started giving her fish oil supplements. The new dog food is rich in probiotics so we didn’t add that as a supplement. She gets a bath once a week with a chlorhexidrine shampoo (scrubbing with a very soft bristled brush) and conditioner, and we have a chlorhexidrine spray we use on her in between baths. In addition to clearing up her skin problem, her digestion has improved, and her nasal allergies have disappeared as well.
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Bonnie | July 14, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Thank-you all for posting what you have found to help this condition. My Dachshund, Sarah, developed this skin condition in February and I’ve tried many things to help her but it’s only slowed down the occurrence of these spots. I’ve searched all over the internet trying to find out what’s wrong and none of the photos on the medical sites looked like what she has but the pictures posted here and the description is exactly what she has…starts out as a small white pimple, quickly develops into a larger dry, flaky area and then leaves her skin black where it was. It doesn’t seem to itch her but when I’m touching that spot she starts to move her leg like it hurts or itches. When I move my figures to touch a spot not impacted, she doesn’t move her leg. Some areas completely clear up and some remain black. The spots have spread all over her body (torso); not her head, tail and legs. When I initially took her to the vet, he said to use Neosporin on the spots. I don’t think that helped at all. I added fish oil to her diet, later changed it to flaxseed oil, gave her Greek yogurt (she doesn’t like it), put vitamin E on the spots, aloe, Polysporin, and used a povidone-iodine scrub on the spots. I changed her diet to eliminate chicken and called the vet to get some medicated shampoo. The shampoo is a Universal medicated shampoo with Chloroxylenol (2%) so don’t know how that compares to Chlorhexidine. I think it helped but I didn’t know I should be bathing her so frequently and using the nail brush. I was bathing her every 3 weeks. Nothing was curing her skin completely but it was slowing how rapidly it was spreading. I was going to call the vet to take her back today but will try Lawrence’s recommendations of Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Shampoo and Spray with Probiotic and Fish Oil supplements and Stacia’s recommendations from the holistic vet about how to properly bathe her with the Chlorhexidine Shampoo. Will also try the Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar/water and coconut oil. I almost cried in relief when I started reading these posts. Thank-you all so much for your help! Bonnie
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Dawn | July 16, 2014 at 3:14 pm
Same problem here with my 12 yr. old Brittney Spaniel, started with one or two spots. Vet thought ringworm~as I was freaking out thinking WHAT & HOW? Turns out negative, puts her on steroids, pees all over the new carpet and does nothing for the balding, itching, redness. Next method was foam topical & ointment topical creams together, along with benedryl tabs. seems to work but just as soon as a couple clear up, new ones appear in other areas~ugh! I’m wondering if the new flea/heartworm treatment is the reason for this newly developed condition? (Trifexis) Anyone else have this reaction?
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Maggie | August 14, 2014 at 9:48 pm
My pug suffers from this too. One antibiotics and steroids stop, the scabs return :(. I read about using dandruff shampoo to relieve the itching and discomfort, also baby shampoo with a leave in apple cider vinegar rinse. Worth a shot. Dermatologist said allergies. Now on raw diet, no change. Ugh
92. What Is Healthy Food For Skin « Recipes for Health | August 19, 2014 at 10:35 pm
[…] Hair loss and crusty dry skin… What is it? | Boogie’s blog – Oct 25, 2009 · Hair loss and crusty dry skin… What is it? October 25, 2009 at 7:10 pm 54 comments. When the weather cooled down, thank goodness the red summer … […]
93.
Juliana | August 24, 2014 at 9:54 pm
my BT had her first bump on top of her head when she was 4months old. I thought it was a bump she got trying to get her toys under the couch. after a month her hair started to falling off and left a bold spot on the same place she had the bump. when I took her to the vet and $600 later…they removed a small piece of this skin and run a test. came out it is something very common in BT and it is passed from mother to puppies (most cases) and the vet said that they have proved that medicine doesn’t work for this cases and the new ways they are treating this is with baths…the thing is that they were charging me $100 for each bath and they believed that 4 baths were enough…..and here I am…doing the research on my own. Im ordering the Douxo chlorohexadine shampoo…Im sure this is the same thing they were going to do at the vets. I also believe my dog’s case has nothing to do with food, because I have always avoid chicken products and I have always feed her Instinct Raw beef and bison…
I’ll let you guys know the results……for some reason I feel very optimistic =)
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Sandra Berry | September 4, 2014 at 12:34 am
Get your baby tested for allergies. Worked great for my westie.
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Emily | September 7, 2014 at 3:53 pm
My black lab gunner has these little bald spots he started out with one above his eye and now he has 4 they look kind of red and iratated and then they dry out but its been 2 weeks and the hair never came back! !!!
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laura | September 22, 2014 at 12:15 am
Im still womdering too. Took to vet,with our pug max. We have a pig book and pugs suffer from many different ailmments and skin diseases and/or problems it says. Not a vet, but love our pug amd i didnt get to go to vet, but myb20 yr old son did cuz its his est riend along with my grandfather who is very hard of hearing. Lol Anyway, Vet Dr pointed to a pic on poster my son said about what it seems to look like, nut he couldnt read v what it was. Lol and gpa prob didnt pay s ttention
But he did give him a shot of atibiotic and gave us cephalexin (spell?)which is an antibiotic , and also an ear drop that goes in fridge, both for 2 times a day. Food chamgimg can also create the problem but i believe ot os am i n fection of some sort since he was given the antibiotic. And you are correct about it itching necauseour maxy taps his foot when we scratch the patches. He got ear drops because he also had an ear problem, which smelled badblike ear mites, but also dried amd scabbed upclike the circle patches, but then escalatedto this horrible swollen oozing ears. I felt so nadly for him because i could see hw badly it itched. I cleaned him all up with Qtips and warm cloth to get crust off. And cleaned his ears with earoxide for doggies. Lastly, i believe its all connected. His shot from vet took swelling in ears down a bunch, and ear drops are cold so soothes the itch and is dried out the moisture to a flaky film that i now clean every. I was afraid infection wouldtravel to brain and cause brain damage, but luckily, the antibiotic and ear drops are working so farv
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Elizabeth B. | November 24, 2014 at 2:23 am
I, too, have a 5 yr old red Doberman who has had everything for her itching skin. Antiobiotics, predisone – and before the predisone is finished she flares up again. Even had testing done (oh, so expensive) Allergic to Blue Grass (2000 count – very high) Foods are out of sight with allergies to potatoes and almost all grains including rice (and did you ever see many cans of dog food without rice in them?) I feel so sorry for her itching all the time – I know she is miserable. I guess I will try the shampoo and coconut oil. She is even on hypoallergenic treats and dog food that the vet sells, but I haven’t seen any improvement. Thanks Liz from Illinois
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Teresa Coleman | December 19, 2014 at 12:18 pm
We have a british bulldog with the same problems. We have paid a fortune to find out what it is. We’ve done the vets over 4 times and a dermatologist as well. All no help. The first time we ended up using Comfortis and within 2 weeks he was clearing up. Been great for 6 months and then hello…its back and its bad. We’ve tried diet,shampoos ( and yes we leave it on for 10 mins) and still nothing working this time. Going to give coconut oil a go though. Cant hurt.
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Frank | January 7, 2015 at 4:04 am
Greetings,from new mexico.
I have a black lab,and we work around livestock.goats,sheep,chickens,turkeys,rabbits,etc but specifically horses are what we handle every single day.
My lab,varmint has these same spots.after years of vets,home remedies and guessing an old cowboy pegged the problem.
Varmint has “rain rot” in cowboy vernacular.its a fungal infection and a yeast infection.once diagnosed,thevet sold us an unguent similar to monistat.it also has an antifungal.in it.i cant tell you the strength as im no vet,and wouldnt want to poison your critter with too strong a dose or wrong medecine.for instance a lot of collies cannot use ivermectin (heartguard).other breeds are fine.grey cats are moee sensitive to anasthesia.i dont want to steer you wrong.oh i didnt mention rain rot was passed.from an old.mare’s hind legs.hope this has helped
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Dwight | January 22, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Hi there. This has all been very useful. I have a 12 wk Cane Corso pup (Luna) with the exact same spots, but only on her head… about a half dozen of varying sizes. Started as a tiny bump in the skin ending with hair loss to that area. No obvious itching. Vet has diagnosed a bacterial infection and provided an antibacterial shampoo twice a wk. My concern is that we live in Barbados where it’s ‘summer’ all year round, so if its secondary to a possible environmental allergen how do we get around it?
How is Boogie coping with his these days?
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Mia Burke | March 5, 2015 at 7:03 pm
My dog had this. I followed advice from this site. I washed my dog w/ head and shoulders (she was dry). Assuming the spot was due to a bacterial infection I dabbed the spot w/ vinegar. I may have cleaned the spot w/ hydrogen peroxide. To fight the bacterial infection I made a mixture of equal parts cinnamon and honey (anti-fungal and anti-bacterial mix). The honey additionally will add moisture to expedite the healing process. I left this on a couple days. I then used a dab of coconut oil on the spot (anti-bacterial). Coconut oil additionally adds the moisture needed for healing. Hair grew back eventually and the infection did not spread from that spot.
THANK YOU!!!
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Greg | April 14, 2015 at 3:30 am
I wish I could post a picture my BT just started getting these spots where his hair would fall out. He went to the vet about two months ago for skin irritation and put him on antibiotics. His skin cleared up quick and was totally fine and now he just started getting these. And it’s very noticeable because he is a all white BT. I feel bad for him. He seems happy and not in pain.
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sarah lantz | May 29, 2015 at 3:59 am
I too am having a skin issue with my dog she’s lost a strip of fur on her back.she likes to roll on carpet thought it may be that
It’s strangest thing any tips?
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yvonne wuamett | June 19, 2015 at 12:59 am
My Doberman pup had exactly what is pictured. Arcana Duck and Bartlett Pear, probiotics fixed it after spending major bucks at the vet and getting meds that had nasty side effects and did not make it better.
I thought it just has to be diet.
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Savannah | June 30, 2015 at 6:53 pm
If Boogie had an allergy rash than your vet probably gave your dog a steroid such as cortisone. Cortisone can cause the flakes and hair loss. I think that’s your problem. The diet you have your dog on is fine.
106.
Debbie Goodman | July 6, 2015 at 2:51 pm
My chihuahua has had skin alert for years mainly during hotter seasons rather than cooler.Went to N M and he cleared completely, moved back to Mo. And here we go again =< gads!! Son thought food alergies, he's worked with pets at veterans clinic,put him on mighty dog chicken ,turkey,fish rather than grains and red meat he likes it better and don't have to keep food in his bowl. Bath him with moisture flea shampoo,even flea collar didn't help.Also, sand fleas that live in dry desert don't dwell in homes or on oets, is probably why he cleared up there.Even thought he may be elergic to grass.?? I've been told chihuahua s are greatly known for skin problems, go figure =\, hope this helos, now, any suggestions am open for any.
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Becca m | July 16, 2015 at 5:47 am
I rarely comment On posts, but I felt a need to do so. I have a 4.5 year old bulldog whom has been fine for 3.5 years, then he started to show signs of “allergies”. We put him on a no animal protein diet, allergy shots, allergy meds, FOR MONTHS!, He got worse, hair loss, dry flaking skin, thick edges of his ears, pink skin at first then darkening of his hide (where the fur loss was), ear infections, pads of his feet changing color from dark to cracking lighter near his nails, he look spotted, like a cheetah or hyena, and not in the exotic animal type of look. His face turned pink and he was always itching himself, rubbing on walls, blankets, pillows, anything that was near him. all the vets thought it was allergies, to food, climate, season etc….. IT WAS NOT! Then we went to a veterinarian dermatologist, and within 2 minutes of seeing our dog, he told us he suspected he had PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS, an autoimmune disease, and now he is FINALLY getting comfortable. Not the diagnosis I wanted, but we now have a place to move forward with.
Hope this post helps with anyone in the future
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Erica | July 25, 2015 at 2:09 am
Hey my dog kinda had the same thing and they told me it was demedex mites. Go to the vet and ask them to check for it. They will do a scraping and tell you if your dog has it or not. They gave me medication for it and she cleared right up!
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Taylor | August 6, 2015 at 4:43 am
Feed raw organ + muscle meat and bone plus a very tiny amount of fiber like spinach (a pinch). Add sardine oil. Hare-today.com
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Jen | August 17, 2015 at 11:37 am
hi I know the last post was quite a while ago but I thought I would share my experience in case anybody else comes across this or if you guys are still struggling with this, I have a 3 yr old staffy who has this condition also, he gets one scabby patch on he’s side and one on each leg, we first noticed it last summer on he’s side when it was pea sized. We took him to the vet who was uncertain, but thought it may be dermatitis, he gave us something to apply daily to keep the area clean and he also recommended to try a tea tree spray which is great for dogs with skin conditions, unfortunately this didn’t work for us, the tea tree spray would cause the scab to fall off leaving the area raw!
We tried all sorts including sudocrem, which did work to a certain extent, but nothing had ever cleared this up fully and it was getting bigger and on top of that know body could even tell us what it was for sure?!!
Anyway after searching the internet a family friend suggested flowers of sulphur.. I looked into this more and discovered how great it was for treating animals with skin conditions, and there are no harmful ingredients.
So I ordered some from amazon straight away, I think I paid around £10 for a large bag, and it goes a very long way!! We used every day twice a day and we started to see improvements within a week.
It is the only product that has cleared the scabs up completely, and the hair has all grown back!
It is like talc so keeps it dry and helps to clear up fast!
Unfortunately if we leave it a while without use the scabs do start to come back, but once you have cleared it all up you will not need to keep using on a daily basis.
One thing I will advise is to keep one item only for applying this to your dog and wash it separately, when a large amount of powder gets wet it can give off a funny smell so don’t mix it with anything of your own.
hope this works for you, it isn’t expensive so worth a try!
good luck!!
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Cd | August 27, 2015 at 5:09 am
My dog just broke out the same way and I just started giving her the jerky that you have listed also. I am eliminating to see if it goes away…I had also introduced her to two other treats but none that you are listing just the jerky
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David Acquarulo | August 31, 2015 at 12:59 pm
I am in the early stages of testing and trying new things for mine. We adopted a 2 year old rescue, Pit/American Bulldog about 2 months ago and we are dealing with this for the first time. Our vet, like many, first went to the antibiotic, steroid combo, but was very aware that it was only a short term fix to alleviate the itching and immediate patches, and that we were in for a long trial and error process. He did seem to point directly to the possibilities of allergies and staph, but didn’t offer any further remedies beyond his medications, at the time. She was much better while she was on the meds, but the steroid made her crazy, hard to live with, and tripled her bathroom breaks (no fun in the middle of the night). As soon as we started to lessen the dosage of the steroid the patches started coming back. First the bumps (lower stomach area, and some around the face for her) and then hair starting to thin in patches, eventual falling out completely and crusting over with a deep red/brown scab. She is so happy to be rescued and has such an upbeat personality that she won’t even show signs of agitation, but I know they much be so itchy! She also problems between the pads of her feet that get so bad she will sometimes bleed from walking around. To me they look the same, but the vet thinks it might be unrelated. She was treated for burns when we first got her from being left out on hot pavement, so maybe still related to that. She is so young and energetic and so strong and we so badly want to get her out to run and play and hike and walk, but it’s the worst catch 22 knowing that it would hurt her feet so badly.
At first we thought we had inherited some preexisting conditions from negligence, but after reading this, it seems like something much more common, that she has probably been dealing with for a long time. She did have some fur missing when we adopted her.
We actually have a follow up appt with our vet in just a couple of hours and I initially jumped on the internet to try to educate myself and be able to ask specific questions for possible treatment. After reading all of this great information, I almost feel like I don’t even need the vet! We are still going to go (she actually has a huge crush on her vet, so I wouldn’t deny her a scheduled trip there) but I will certainly be discussing a lot of the things that some of you have found to have worked. If our Doc has any new insight, I will certainly follow up later today. If not, I’ll be looking into her diet and trying the 10 minute shampoos, sprays, and supplements, and keeping a close eye on this blog. I think is speaks volumes about how important our furry friends are to our lives to see that this post has been active for 6 years!
Thank you for sharing all of the information. I hope Boogie and all of our other friends are doing well.
Wish Matti luck!
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Shawnda | September 1, 2015 at 3:45 am
My Great Dane is having this same problem. Been to the vet who said thought it was an allergy. We changed food and use special shampoo. He was on antibiotics and prednisone for a couple weeks. He also take trifexis. It got better until I gave him his trifexis, so I’m thinking he is allergic to the Trifexis. Has anyone else connected this to their pets?
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Heather Youngblood | September 3, 2015 at 11:07 pm
Staph infection. wipe the pup down a couple times a day with provodine iodine (sold under brand name betadine) and pat dry twice a day. Give antihistimes for the itchiness. And try fish oil or vitamin e supplements.
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Lisa | September 8, 2015 at 12:11 am
I have an English Bulldog (Chubbs) that has the same skin irritations as the above stories. I have been using cocnut oil in his food as well as on his skin. He doesn’t seem to have any pain or discompfort but it sure looks real bad (kind of like mange). He is 6 yrs old and has just developed this issue. The vet said this is an “unusually” BAD year for allergens for the dogs. I am going to try the Chlorhexadine wash to see if helps. Any other suggestions and/or progress would be greatly appreciated!
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bootsy | September 30, 2015 at 10:51 pm
My dog has spots on her right back side. And it looks like some1 scald her but i know its not. It started in a spot now its spreading down her leg. I think its ringworm i cant afford to rake her to th vet. Can some1 help me with a cheap remedy or something at th pet store that can help her. PLEASE I NEED HELP FOR MY BABY
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Bobby | October 5, 2015 at 8:28 pm
My Boston has had 2 bumps about a 1/2 in in diameter. He has one right now and another about 6 months ago. It takes a few weeks but it starts to get crusty like a layer of skin and the hair in the patch fall out. Would like to know if anyone knows what it is
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Chowdown | October 10, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Hello, i had my battles with mange before. A tell tale sign your dog has mange is if you notice hair loss around mouth, eyes, area on head between the ear and eyes, down the chest, legs, and feet. Your dog will rub its face on the ground and run around like mad! Its scaly, stinky, and bright pink…very little to no crusty scabbing(like im dealing with now with my chow) this is from a low or deficient immune system, mange mites are everywhere, so you may have to fight these little buggers for the life of your dog! But there is a simple and safe solution. First have a scraping done by a vet to be sure. Remove ALL bedding, stuffed animals, ect. and wash with hot water and PineSol or throw out. Mix 1 part regular old PineSol floor cleaner, (must be the original PINE scent) and 1 part shampoo with conditioner (usually Pantene), half and half, shake well before each use. Shampoo your poor itchy guy getting those bad spots first, gently massaging, use a micro fiber cloth for the face(try your best not to get into the eyes). Make sure you get in every nook and cranny inside the ears and even between the toes! This MUST stay on skin for at LEAST 15 minutes, no longer than 30min, try to keep the room warm and dont let him lick it off. Rinse your pooch and rinse again, making sure NOTHING is left, then rinse again! if you have a long hair dog i would have it clipped until treated. Repeat in 2 days, then again in 3 days. After the first week of treatment shampoo your dog 1-2 times per week until healed (no more than 30 days) Keep stress levels low, make sure you provide extra oils in its diet, I like to use coconut oil on dry food. You can use mineral oil on the balding skin after washes. This will kill fleas and leave your pup smelling good! I used this method on my 3 lb. Chihuahua and it works! Everything the vets game me never helped. She had puppy mange that developed around 16 weeks old and luckily she grew out of it…or the continued use of it kept the infestation at bay…???
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Alison | October 31, 2015 at 12:47 am
I have the same issue with my Boston. Did you end up going to the vet? If so what did they say?
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Trudi | November 3, 2015 at 8:14 am
My poor dog has this too, it only started about a month ago and the vet has no idea what it is! They did culture some of his skin to see if it was ringworm but it turned out to be negative. I was at my wits end until I came across this post, I’m going to try one of the sprays mentioned so fingers crossed 😊
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Liliya S | November 8, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Hello everyone. I want to share my experience too.
I have a 4 yo poodle mix. He started suffering with itching about 3 years ago. After numerous trips to the vets I am pretty sure he has flea allergies. He’s on Frontline and doesn’t have fleas but we cant controll if they jump on him. What it takes is one flea and if she bites…. As you can probably guess for severe itching vets prescribe steroid shot with suppresses dogs immune system. I only d I d it a few times and in severe situations.
We have switched foods,give no treats and use organic hypoallergenic shampoo now. The food we eat is Nulo.
After the last visit to the vet for severe itching I addressed very dry skin. He had them in patches. No scabs but just little areas,no redness, but the hair was very thin there. The vet recommended Sebozole shampoo up to every week.I use it one a week but on those areas only and it looks like it helps. After the shot I noticed 2 dry patchy scabs that didn’t bother my dog but looked awful. At first it was a little pimple ,it grew and later became dry spot that look like wart with severe dry skin on top. In about a week one of the started disappearing by itself leaving thin layer of dry skin that is clearing up. I wish I can post a picture here.
I think medicated shampoo is the way to go. I am using it and I think it helps.
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Daisy | December 11, 2015 at 6:03 am
Stay away from chicken!! You would be surprised at the amount of dogs that are actually allergic to chicken!!
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Leilani | December 13, 2015 at 6:48 pm
Anyone figure out how to stop this, I’ve changed food, used the medicated shampoo, antibiotics, Omega fish oils and still my dog has this problem 😦
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Stephanie Antala | December 28, 2015 at 7:49 pm
My French Bull dog has the same scabbing which leads to hair loss in each area. We took MACABE to vet after vet and finally our regular vet had a visiting canine Dermatologist come in. He scraped and cultured the areas and he came back allergic to both mosquito and flea saliva. So regardless of the flea larvae pill and topical Advantix; the insect or parasite(if you will) has to bite him at least once to have them die (be poisoned and die). Thus, every time he passes a dog out for a walk or even near another dog at daycare; he has to be bitten by just one new flea and b/c it’s 70 degrees here in Jersey in Dec, 2015…I can even see Mosquitos flying around the grass where he poops. So, he’s over treated with anti-parasitic measures and it only takes one new one to bite him to start a spot where a reaction is set off. I’m finding a dead flea here or there, but that had to expose him to their saliva to have killed it and that’s all each area needs to initiate a new reaction area. Of course, he’s a little better now, but in the summer he looked like he had a million raised bumps. He would start rolling and scratching everywhere, so we finally shaved his short hair down to his cream/white scalp and he had no parasite presence (live) or flea “dirt” which shows us that nothing can live on him but all they have to do is bite that one time, then die and he’s got an area that starts the alopecia spot all over again. On a black dog the vet said it’s more of a visual contrast so they often treat it as mange, when it is NOT. So, my Mac has been on multiple trials of ABT(antibiotic therapy) and I’m a trauma surgeon and was scared to have him on so many rounds of ABT. They did nothing. Before he was shaved, any topical treatment was absorbed more so by his fur than his skin. He’s so kind and so beautiful he doesn’t deserve to look like he has or feel something so uncomfortable. The vet is annoyed b/c I keep making him do blood work, including Lyme titer. Everything fortunately, WNL(within normal limits). But, if I didn’t do blood work I’d be a negligent pet owner, so I can’t win. So, He’s been responding better to topical treatment now that he’s down to his scalp and he’s more comfortable. After his baths, he dashes around the house one hundred miles an hour. He’s so hilarious. I’m just glad he’s slightly more comfortable. The prescription Virbac Dermacool HC also helps relieve itching a little as well. Thank you every one for describing the same occurrence so well, I was scared thinking it was only happening to him. He’s more than a pet. I was hit on my way to work in the ER by my house and by a drunk driver, 3 yrs ago. My head injury resulted in seizures. This Bulldog, this little guy was trained as a medical alert dog and has saved my life on more than one occasion. So, your helping me understand how to help him feel better after all he has done for me; you can’t imagine how much you have all helped. People doctors I have learned know nothing about pet medicine. I’ve learned not to try and treat him. Thank you, Stephanie
125.
Carla Torres | January 9, 2016 at 11:06 pm
I think my dog has same problem. I took him to free vet a few months back.she was not sure what it is but gave me medicine for fungal and bacterial and it went away but came back. I don’t thin k it’s ringworm ethier,dies not spread to other dogs or people in house or me, I have touched it. I’m frustrated too, it might be food allergies,but, I’m trying to get my dashound on better dog food. I’m trying apple cider vinager. Here’s my email, please let me know what u find out.also his skin turns dark after scabs come off, I have even scraped them to look at better and I’m sure it inches him to. My email is CarTorres201@gmail.com.
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deb capaldi | February 2, 2016 at 8:58 pm
Hi My BT has this too. Vets tested for skin cancer since we live in AZ. My groomer said its a staph infection. We changed foods and shampoo is medicated. Olive is on antibiotic and topical. I feel so bad because its in areas on her back and around her eyes.
Its not getting better.
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Nina | February 3, 2016 at 2:13 pm
My dog Buddy has the same issue which started about a month ago. Since then, I’ve taken him to the vet who in turn, put him on an antibiotic and decreasing doses of steroids. He’s been on the meds for a little over 2 weeks but he doesn’t seem to be getting any better. I feed him Wellness Dry Limited Ingredients food and Wellness Can LI. The vet doesn’t know what is causing the problem. Like many following this post, Buddy has bumps with dry patchy spots. Can anyone email me and offer guidance? Not sure what else to do.
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deb capaldi | February 9, 2016 at 9:00 pm
my dog has the same thing. Have you found a cure?
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Mandy | February 14, 2016 at 4:00 am
My frenchie had the same problem and as soon as I took the zukes treats away her allergies cleared up.
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Jenny | February 17, 2016 at 9:43 pm
I googled and found this info. My dog has the samething! I just started putting coconut oil on his skin and letting him eat some too. I’ll give it one week. Then I’ll go to the vet .
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Linda | March 29, 2016 at 8:13 am
I finally see some relief for my black lab. I got some spray pig conditioner at the local feed supply it has allowed most of the hair to grow back. It’s not a cure just helps with the symptoms. Cost 15.00 at the tractor supply store. I also give benedryl 100mg for a 100 pound dog.
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Rainy | March 31, 2016 at 4:12 am
My baby has same thing and I’ve tried just about everything when vet gave her antibiotics it cleared up but when she was off it came back about 2 weeks got antibiotics again it didn’t do anything I just bought zymox shampoo, conditioner and itch relief she if that makes it go away 😦
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absfuzzybabies | April 11, 2016 at 11:43 pm
Thanks to Lili and Carol and John! I have ordered those products and will post an update on how my 15 yr old Cairn Terrier is doing. So glad I found this stream. Lili described exactly what is going on with my pooch. I had been treating it incorrectly. Hopefully the products will save me in Vet bills!
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Jessica.Lynn | April 12, 2016 at 2:01 pm
I know this is a pretty old thread but I see some recent comments so here goes. My 8 year old Boston has had these issues all her life. My first vet said it was a staph infection and went the route of antibiotics. I got tired of filling up her poor body with antibiotics, and when I stopped them, the symptoms would always come back. They were worse when it was also paired with ear infections that were so bad I had to drain her ears two or three times a day. I moved and have a new vet, and said I did not want to go the antibiotics way if we didn’t have to. He gave me a treatment for the ears but suggested I change her food. I said she was already on a grain free diet, but he suggested I stop giving her anything with chicken in it. Lamb, salmon, even kangaroo meat would be better. Lo and behold, after changing her to a chicken free and chicken byproduct free diet, her ear infections have not come back and her skin issues are few and far between. I use Maleseb shampoo when she has a flare up and it works wonders. (You can only get it from Amazon. I haven’t found it anywhere else). Hope this helps someone!
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Bryan Tan | May 2, 2016 at 2:28 am
Hello
Just thought I’d leave my 2 cents worth.
I was combing the net for a solution to Crumples’ skin issue a few months ago. He’s slightly over 1 year now, neutered.
He developed multiple spots on his body, usually over the flanks and belly. They appear as bumps initially. Then the skin over the bump becomes dry and flaky – almost like a localised area of dense dandruff. Then the flakes fall off together with clumps of fur. They measure anything from 2-3mm to up to 2cm in diameter. The skin underlying is slightly red and inflamed.
But he was not scratching much more than usual.
I saw quite a few vets. He had multiple skin scrapes for parasites. All were negative. Couple of times, there was some fungus seen.
He was put on 2 week courses of antibiotics and antifungals. The first course worked wonders but the spots reappeared within 1 week of stopping the antibiotics.
The vets were convinced it was some form of allergy (either food or something in the environment). Cumples went from normal kibbles to grain free kibbles, to fish only (trout) kibbles, to salmon only kibbles, to home cooked food only (strictly salmon and sweet potatoes). Nothing worked.
Crumples was also put on omega 3 oils and probiotics.
Finally I gave up on the vets.
I knew that for some severe soft tissue infections, patients are put on 6 weeks of antibiotics (I’m a doctor by profession).
So I self medicated him with twice a day dose of augmentin (amoxycillin+clavulanate potassium), dose adjusted for his weight. I also bathed him every 2-3 days with chlorhexidine gluconate 4% (surgical hand wash for surgeries). I left him soaked with the chlorhexidine for about 5 minutes each time.
I reverted him to whatever food any other puppy would have eaten and forgot about the grain-free nonsense.
Within a week or 2, there was marked improvement in his skin condition. Bumps still appeared but in much smaller numbers. They also resolved quickly without taking clumps of hair out. After a couple more weeks, the bumps completely stopped appearing. The ugly bald spots filled in with fur again.
He’s finished with his antibiotic course now, for 2-3 weeks. So far, no new spots have appeared. He still gets his chlorhexidine bath every 3 days. He’s a handsome boy again and his fur looks nice and shiny with no bald spots
I realize I’ll probably get some flak from some readers/ animal lovers/ vets/ self professed dog experts about the long course of antibiotics, how it is harmful to a dog’s health, how dogs aren’t meant to be bathed so often, how other homeopathic or alternative methods like coconut oils, olive oils etc would have been safer. Or how he should have gotten allergy tested, gotten blood tests for endocrine issues etc.
But here’s the fact of the matter at this point in time.
Crumples’ skin now is perfect. He has no new spots. His skin is not dry or irritable, as some would suggest since he bathes so often. His fur is nice, shiny and homogenous. He’s happy every moment of every day. He’s comfortably sleeping beside me now and not scratching. He’s eating whatever I feed him (he’s currently on Avoderm Chicken Meal and Brown Rice but he’s not a big fan of it so I add boiled chicken and pumpkin with the “soup” to make is more palatable). He gets too many treats from my doting parents and these include anything from chicken, pork, fish, duck etc from the dinner table (yes, I know we should not be spoiling him or feeding him like this!). And I’ve got pre and post pictures to prove it.
I’m not advocating my treatment to anybody. I’m just sharing what worked after months of worry and frustration. This was the case for my BT and is not applicable to every other case.
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Mike | May 11, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Hi. I posted here once a while back. My name is Mike. My Dachshund had this and we solved it. I had to take a minute out of my day to post again because I get emails from time to time from this blog about it and I love these doggies too much to let it go.
First, PLEASE stop with the antibiotics. They will work while they are on it and then the will come back almost immediately.
This is a staph infection. The staph bacteria is always present on dogs skin, but only when the immune system is weakened does the bacteria population grow out of control. You need to treat the immune system issue, not just the symptom.
For my dog, and I would guess most of your dogs, it was food allergy . . and not just the usual suspect grains. I found he is allergic to potato, sweet potato, corn, peas, and believe that he develops allergies to proteins if he eats them exclusively for long periods of time.
So, I recommend getting a chlorhexidine shampoo and spray to clear up the spots. And, as you are using that shampoo, change your pup’s diet to a food with a novel protein and very few ingredients (we have been using primal – Rabbit formula, but its expensive). The shampoo and spray took about two weeks to dry up the spots (a little longer til the hair grew back). If the spots stay away after you stop with the shampoo, then it was something they were eating.
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Greg Quiring | June 9, 2016 at 5:04 pm
BIG THANKS for this!! Chlorohexine works!! Out of all the crazy stuff I tried from tea tree oil to apple cider vinegar, this shampoo was Harry Potter Magic.
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lili | August 10, 2016 at 11:35 pm
A really good shampoo is Hexazole – it’s pricey, but it’s great!
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lili | May 11, 2016 at 5:09 pm
Hi everyone, I haven’t read all your comments, but I added an update to this blog post (which is several years old). Please read above ^^^
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Vivienne Barrows | June 4, 2016 at 5:19 pm
I think my dog gets reinfected every time he goes to the vet. The rooms look clean, but they are not. They do not sanitize in between pets. Thanks for all the suggestions, I will try them.
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lili | August 10, 2016 at 11:36 pm
With Boogie, the reinfection happens when he scratches.
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Greg Quiring | June 9, 2016 at 4:54 pm
CHLOROHEXIDINE is the ANSWER! One shampoo every 4 days for 2 weeks and all spots & itching GONE! Tried tea tree oil, tried vet prescribed calm shampoo, tried fish oil, tried apple cider vinegar. What worked? CHLOROHEXIDINE! Get it! Also SERESTO collars WORK! Expensive? Yes! But so are vets. No fleas, no ticks. Period.
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Jackie | June 12, 2016 at 7:08 pm
Just found your post. My BT, Roosevelt, has the SAME problem! Guess some allergy tests are in his future-thanks for the update!!
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nancy whitehead | June 15, 2016 at 10:08 pm
I have a 9 month old black lab who was just diagnosed with Lymes disease, so he was put on amoxicillin and anti-inflammatory. Within 2 days of using his medication, we noticed balding with hair falling out and dry skin above his tail. The vet assured us that the balding/dry skin has nothing to do with having Lymes or any of the meds he’s on. They suggested fleas, but he was just at the vets 2 days ago and they never addressed a flea problem. Any suggestions on what it is and how to treat it?
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renee | July 11, 2016 at 4:50 pm
Does Boogie take Trifexis?? My dog has developed the same issue that started when I switched from Frontline to Trifexis.
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lili | August 10, 2016 at 11:34 pm
I never thought of this. Boogie takes Comfortis (I think there is trifexis in it?) He has been taking it for many years.
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Irene brignolo | September 22, 2016 at 5:17 pm
Hi my dog is a frenchie and she has a rash on the tummy and some spot on her fur which are clearing up , i am using coconut oil on her whole body but her tummy taking time she still has a rash i have her on a raw diet now i hope i made the right choose but she not really eating i have appt with the vet next week but vet are not alway right so i like to go on this site to educate myself any advise i hope its allgery not something wrong with her tummy she goes number two fine not soft not throwing up wouldnt that be a sign i just notice she sleeping alot can i use something else to boost her immune system up help me please
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lili | September 22, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Hi Irene! Sorry you are going through this! I am not a vet so I am not qualified to suggest anything. Vets know better than what you read on the internet!
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stephanie amoia | November 25, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Hi everyone. I am no vet what so ever.. But my poor dog has serious allergy issues. He has recently developed extremely dry skin, massive flakes (dandruff) and raised itchy bumps that peel away and leave the spot hairless. I’ve been doing my research and found a shampoo and lotion that the reviews had been phenomenal on so i purchesed the item. After two days it seems to really be helping already. It’s an antifungal shampoo/lotion set for $40. The site is jaxndaisy.com. I wanted to try something not as harsh and drugs and such before and I think this will finally be it! Thanks everyone. Hope all the fur babies find relief! =)
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Kathleen Kordesich | January 6, 2017 at 6:01 pm
My dog has been suffering from the same thing as Boogie. She has been on the Apoquel too. As soon as I take her off, the skin problems come right back. She has gained a lot of weight over this past year. Very frustrating!
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Patricia Varanai | August 1, 2017 at 4:04 pm
We have been battling this for over four years and three vets. Every cream,ointment, lotion, shampoo and pill. Diet changes and all else we could think of. We used apoquel which worked the first month then tapered to being less effective. Often there will be bumps that irritate, some about the size of a pencil eraser to almost dime-sized. I sheared the fur from his back and sides two summers ago and his large spots were bleeding around the edges. My dogs’ spots are large. He itches and seems to be in pain. At this point I would welcome help, comments, thoughts….
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Shannon | March 3, 2018 at 9:02 pm
We have gone homeopathic after dealing with skin allergies for 3.5 years. Done with the vacs, medications, etc. Apoquel and cytopoint did not work. I’m a bit relieved because I honestly did not want her on them anyway. The side effects are atrocious. Our regular vet is working in conjunction with the homeopathic vet. We’ve only been at it a month now and are expecting a 1 to 2 year “recovery” period. The amount of drugs that have been pumped into this poor dog is horrendous and more than likely what has caused her suppressed immune system. I might also suggest Dr Harvey’s paradigm. None of this is cheap, but neither are literally weekly trips to the vet. We are in it for the long haul to help our little one.
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Karrie | August 30, 2017 at 9:32 pm
Thanks for posting my black pit bull has the same thing! Apaquel is very expensive she takes it daily. We ran out and she’s back to dry crusty flakey skin with bald patches from me brushing her and her fur falling out. We bath her weekly with an anti-bacterial shampoo & conditioner containing chlorhexidine It helps a lot.
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heather | September 27, 2017 at 6:44 pm
My dog had the exact same thing. I changed her diet to grain free, no beef, no chicken and she does great.
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Naomia Paris | October 26, 2017 at 2:55 am
My boxer has a grey crusty scab on her head that won’t heal. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by it unless I’m trying to get a look at it. Any idea what it could be?
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Heather | December 23, 2017 at 10:25 pm
My dog looks just like that. He’s a one year old Great Dane. We carried him to the vet a couple of months ago and she put him one 2 types of meds and one was a steroid type med. once he came off the spots came back and have multiplied very quickly. From hour to hours we see more white dry crusty patches with hair loss on that spot. We are going back home for Christmas and can’t get him to vet right now and vets are closed for the holidays. I’m not sure what to do until the beginning of the year when we can get him back to vet. I’m using a rinse that the vet told me to use. I wish I could attach a picture.
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Stacie | May 10, 2018 at 7:33 pm
I’m wondering if any of these remedies are safe for senior dogs (I mean really senior dogs…like an 18-year-old Corgi mix). My poor baby has always had sensitive skin and gets flea dermatitis at the drop of a hat (Bravecto has worked well to keep those nasty fleas away). However, she has now developed hair loss in patches with scales at the base of the fur next to the skin. She has always had an itching problem, but it is now keeping her up at night and nothing we try is working, so she now has an appointment next Thursday to see her vet. Hoping something can be done. She may be old as dirt, but I think she still has some good life left in her, if we can just get this skin issue under control and have her be much more comfortable.
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lili | June 17, 2018 at 7:44 pm
I am not a vet so I can’t recommend anything… Only sharing my own personal experiences!
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Stacie | June 18, 2018 at 6:20 am
Well, good news is that the vet put her on antibiotics (which she is still taking) and a low-dose steroid with a taper, as well as medicine for an ear infection. She was also put on a special food for environmental skin allergies (she’s not allergic to food). She has improved by 200%. The vet was very happy with what he saw at her followup appointment a week ago. She is more spry and her fur has filled back in (she is half Corgi, so she has a lot of undercoat). We are all happy with her major improvement.
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lili | June 18, 2018 at 10:46 am
YAY! That’s great to hear.