Bad Dog Dandruff and Hair Loss in NM

[mwormser]

Thanks, going to the vet next week. He will get a throid test. He is on a low dose. He gets .6 mg L-thyroxin. Maybe he neds a higher dose although he was on a higher dose last year.

Will try Nutrived OFA Granules for Dogs. Looks great. Maybe I'll take some too.

Thanks for the replies. Something has to work.

martin and jet

[shepgirl]

Those pictures look identical to my what my cousin's dog had. They tried everything on her with no results. One vet suggested it was caused by the immune system and said to try the dog on raw food diet. It took about a month and she has no sores, hair loss or dandruff. Has beautiful skin and shiny coat. Don't know if it would work for your dog, might be worth trying.

[mwormser]

SHEPGIRL, just switched to raw food yesterday. I'll tell you, if Jet isn't hungry, then there is really something wrong. What a pigdog he is. He loves his duck.

FLATCOAT, Can't find anyone in town that sells Nutrived OFA. Am ordering is online today.

ZIPPYCAT, Can't find anyone who sells MTG in town. Am ordering it today.

Jet's scabs are growing. I also believe his immune system is down. I will try anything.

Thanks for all the replies.

martin and jet

[mwormser]

CATLADY711, I went to the Vet and he did an allergy test. It takes 2 weeks to get back. If allergic, the company makes a serum.

SHEPGIRL Still on raw food. He loves it.

FLATCOAT The vet said stick with the raw food diet for a couple of weeks. If the condition still doesn't change them try the Nutrived OFA.

ZIPPYCAT The vet said to hold off for now the the Shepleys MTG.

All of you thanks for your input.

Jet is still on Cephalexin and Prednisone.

I just hope something works although all the Vets say he has a chronic problem and he will not be entirely get cured.

Jet will be 12 next year and he is still a happy go lucky buddy. The skin condition really doesn't seem to bother him much. He's a trooper.

Martin and jet

[polarpooch]

Sounds similar to what our old poodle had when he got to his senior years-around 11 or 12. He was scabby, flakey, had lots huge patches of hair missing, and all the hair on his tail fell out. He was a mess. And he smelled awful. After many tests (including cancer tests and allergy screening), lots of money, lots of drugs, it turned out to be his thyroid that was causing most of his problem. (which had been tested before, by the way) The vet put him on a dose of medication for the thyroid, and it helped him quite a bit. He never did totally recover from the condition, however. It was something we just had to manage. He required baths in a special treatment shampoo, and an Rx salve for his scabbies when he'd scratch open a sore (which happened less frequently after the thyroid meds). Sometimes he'd need to be on a course of antibiotics, because his sores would get infected. We also gave him benedryl and a low dose aspirin occasionally, on vet's recommendation, just to make him feel better. But he never seemed to mind any of it. He lived till he was 16. Don't know if this helps. But I can say, it sure was a maddening process trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Best of luck.

[mwormser]

Thanks Polar,

Jet went to the vet yesterday. He did an expensive allergy screening and a thyroid test. He has been on thyroid pills since this horrible experience started. Maybe his thyroid has changed. Maybe a higher dose. One vet lowered it from .8 mg and is now getting .6 mg.

martin and jet

[shepgirl]

You have to give the dog about a month for his system to clear up on raw. Then his immune system starts picking up and it just disappears. You could try bathing him with a medicated shampoo every second day to help the itch and the pain. Good luck, I know it's no picnic.

[mwormser]

Thanks Shep, He gets a bath (shhhh don't say it too loudly) at least once a week with 4% Chlorhexiderm shampoo. He looks great after for about 4 days then the dandruff comes back.

His thyroid test came back. He is in the normal range but on the high side of normal. Which can cause other problems.

He gets a patty of duck in morning and night. It's mixed with a little Force.

Luckily my brother owns Long Leash on Life, a pet food store in Albuquerque.
longleashonlife.com. (They don't sell anything on their web site) He is just too busy. Recession has not hit any pet food store.

martin

[shepgirl]

Chlorhexiderm is a good shampoo used by many vets for skin conditions. I know giving it time is really hard but I guess it's like some conditions in humans, they just need time. If you don't see improvements in a month I would do another blood panel. Sounds a lot like food allergies.

[gargoylegabe]

hi martin and jet.

i was looking at your pictures and it looks damn similar to what my black lab mix has. kind of white clumpy scabs that creates a lot of dandruff and bits of hair loss. i believe i read that it doesn't itch excessively, which is consistent with my dog snefru, although it looks like it should itch him more. anyway, i'm curious as to your current findings. i wish you luck, and thank you for sharing.

[flip195]

Did they check for cushing, that is how my dog started then her coat started to lighten.

[mwormser]

4 vets can't figure it out and don't know what it is. I find that very odd.

The only thing that apperars to work is the 4% chlorohexaderm shampoo.

It keeps the dandruff down but does nothing for the scabs. I end up using my fingernails and scraping them off. It's gross. If I could wash Jet every day, I think it would keep the scabs down but that's not possible. I end up doing it once a week or less. Seems like 4 days is the best.

Cushing? I'll have to look that up.

Good luck with Snerfu. And yes thankfully, it doesn't itch him.

One other thing I didn't mention is that his toenails are pithy, curving and thin. Another side effect of his dissability.

martin

[mwormser]

Just put in a call to my vet. Chushing sounds almost like what he has.

Thanks martin

[kokopup]

Sorry to be posting late in your problem but I would like to relate how Koko was treated. Koko is a Golden/lab mix also. She had the same issues as your dog so we ended up at Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. They did all the allergy scratch and blood test that showed her allergic to common things like dust mites etc. She also had a low normal thyroid. When we started her treatment her back was one big crusted scab and dandruff so bad that it filled the brush when we brushed her. She was bald in spots all over her back and tail.

The School came up with an allergy shot that we had to first administer every other day and has now gotten down to once a month. She was on Cephalexin and Prednisone what seemed like and eternity. The first at home treatment was a bi-weekly shampoo in a lime/sulphur concoction that we had to leave on her. She recieved this shampoo twice weekly for a month. Since then I have shampooed her once a week in Virbac Etiderm Shampoo.

I have changed her food to eliminate all corn and beef. She is now on a "Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal" by Nutro.

The Auburn vet elected not to treat her thyroid even though my local Vet was.

She has TOTALLY cleared up and her coat now does not have a single trace of dandruff and no scabs. Every one comments on how shiney and soft her coat is. This time last year it was dry brittle and falling out. Her normally bushy tail was bald in spots.

I guess we were lucky that the Auburn Schools approach has been successful for us. I wish you luck.

[kokopup]

Quote by mwormser

Just put in a call to my vet. Chushing sounds almost like what he has.

Unless your dog has been getting to much Prednisone I doubt it has cushings. I haven't heard of any symptoms in your post that would lead me to believe this is the case. Cushings can be brought on by over adminstration of glucocorticoid drugs like prednisone. Otherwise it is usually a tumor or old age that can bring it on.