Severly irritated lab skin.. advice please.

[amberstarr]

I groom this particular lab every two weeks. She had hotspots & flaming red skin & issuses long before I became her groomer and I would love to see her comfortable in her own skin poor girl. The owner has her on steroids & a good food so this just boggles me. I have used everything I can think of on her and she continues to just rub herself raw in some spots ( her neck & belly in particualr) we make sure to rinse rinse rinse and dry her fully to avoid irritation.

Products we have used include quadruped yucca medicated, quadruped hypo tearless, les pooch (the clear with no scent no dyes) why itch b3 shampoo, eqyss micro-tek, best shot m.e.d.

Does anyone have any suggestions what to do?? The only other thing I can think of now is using a mud on her but I have never attempted this before and scared of the mess it can make although if it worked for her it would be worth it just for her relief.

I even suggested she go to her vet & ask for a medicated shampoo & all they suggest for her is an oatmeal shampoo left on for 10 mins... we have done that so many times with no results.

[k9cosmetologist]

Relief is what he needs

......suggested she go to her vet & ask for a medicated shampoo & all they suggest for her is an oatmeal shampoo left on for 10 mins... we have done that so many times with no results.

Here is a soap free, hypoallergenic shampoo
Relief Shampoo, a Pramoxine Hydrochloride 1% formulation, complemented with colloidal oatmeal and Omega-6 fatty acids for relief of itching and dermal renourishing, is supplemented with coat conditioners for superior grooming. Use Relief Shampoo for the temporary relief of itching and flaking caused by seborrheic dermatitis and other skin disorders.

The Colloidal Oatmeal and Pramoxine Hydrochloride in Relief Creme Rinse are for the palliation of itching occurring in a wide variety of dermatologic syndromes. Relief Creme Rinse, formulated in a quaternary-based, anti-static vehicle containing moisturizers, emollients, coat conditioners and Omega-6 fatty acids for dermal renourishing. Relief Creme rinse may be rinsed off or left on for residual activity.

[PoodleeDoo]

first - did they take the dog to the vet to diagnose these hot spots?

have they changed the dog over to a limited ingredient allergy diet?

I once had a dog that could not eat any food other than dick van pattens allergy foods. Prior to my switching him to this, he had a bad red hot spot that would not go away with vet abx..etc the vet did tests could not find anything..

came across something on the net called blue power ear treatment you make it at home it is natural antibiotic and antiungal. I put it on his hot spot -- and instantly within about 3 times it began to heal..andhealed within a week I'd say of putting this on, letting it sit or a few seconds...and then just catching any run off (it will stain floor etc)... and leaving it dry.

and then of course I finally put him on the dick van pattens natural balance allergy (he happened to eat the duck and potatoe and the vennison one..but they now make other types)... and he never had another hot spot again

so these would be my suggestions. I would definitely use a hypoallergenic mix on him or maybe even just plain old ivory soap (I used this on this dog..he did fine but he wasn't washed that often either, he was an akita)... ivory has no perumes, no dyes etc and yes, it can be drying to our skin..but my dog always had beautiful skin and coat.

soooo those are my suggestions. blue power you make at home, cheaply. i use it in my standard poodle's ears on a regular basis as a preventative. I never pluck their ears forceffully - only loose gentle finger pull to find any loose dead stuff in there..so they keep hair in their ears..and they have never had an infection using this in ears preventatively as "the cleaner" about every 2 weeks (I'm not in a humid environment at all or I'd do it every week).

I'd check into that stuff if I were them.

[sittingpretty]

You are certainly trying many different products, odd that you haven't seen any improvement.

My first question would be exactly which "good food" are they feeding? Maybe she can't tolerate somethng in the food. Then ask what is in her environment? What is she sleeping on? What do they use to clean the house? What do they use to spray in their yard? She is coming in contact with something that obviously is not good for her (either internally or externally).

They are lucky to have you try so hard!



sittingpretty

[scullysmom]

This is going to sound like it comes from outer space because of the brand, but I found the best relief with top performance (yep I know) oatmeal. Also, for some reason I have had great results with veterinarians best hypo. It might be time also to talk to the vet, this guy could really probably use a prescribed shampoo.

[SwissNChow]

Her neck in particular? What kind of collar does this dog wear? I've known dogs allergic to nylon, which is why I am asking.

Also keep in mind that a good food doesn't mean it's the right food.

[puppy love]

I groom this particular lab every two weeks. She had hotspots & flaming ...with no results.

Are they taking her to a regular vet or to a canine dermatologist? She needs to be seen by a dermatologist. Even though she is on a "good food" there may be something in it she is allergic to. Or it could be environmental. There are so many possibilities.

Sounds like their vet is missing something.

[Particentral]

Skin scraping required. That is a sign of mange in my eyes and there is a theory bandying around these days that chronic itchiness and red spots need to be addressed as possible mange. You would be surprised how many times what appears to be a normal level of mites can cause a problem in some dogs. The last vet I spoke to about it said, when in doubt, or at wits end treat for it and see what happens. ALso, just becaue she is on a good food doesn;t mean that something in it is not causing an allergic reaction in HER. I mean, I can feed Kermit a salmon based diet with no issues, but switch to chicken or lamb and pay the price. Those trigger problems in him. ALSO Steroids are great at supressing the dogs natural immune system and will cause Mange and other problems like infection to run rampant sometimes. Long term use is not good for the dog.

[Posh Pooch]

try this - water is often overlooked as a theraputic agent

I took a skin care class at one of the grooming conferences and was told this. Try bathing her in cool water.. not cold but not warm either. The cool water should help sooth her skin and I believe when its warm or hot water it is a stimulus to the skin causing a cellular response which can cause her to itch more and lead to more irritation. You can also try cool compress for 10 minutes on the irritated areas. I believe she said you could also fill the tub with cool water and let her just soak in the water for 10-15 mins. I would probably use the hypo allergenic shampoo as well.

I was told by the vet to use cool water and Not to blow dry probably for the same reason as using the cool water, b/c the heat from the dryer is a stimulus to the skin cells causing more irritation.

I really hope this helps the poor girl out =( I hate to see them miserable with skin issues. I'm going to get my notes out and read up on it. I will send you more information as I find it. Pls let me know if you try it and it helps at all!

[4Sibes]

I'm w/ Parti AND puppy love on this one. Astonished the vet hasn't referred to a dermatologist by now and has opted to continue a program of steroid use (w/ seemingly little relief, at that).

In addition, I was going to mention that even though a skin scraping is done for detection of mange....a lot of times the mites won't show up on a slide. Doesn't mean the dog doesn't have it.
We live in an area where mange (sarcoptic) is very common, and my (ex) boss, veterinarian, surmised that mites were only seen on about 40% of the skin scraping slides.
The way he knew the dog had mange? It responded to treatment. Treatment varies depending on the breed of dog, but it's certainly worth ruling mange out as a possibility if further shampoos and diet change result in no change.

[Helly]

I also agree with Parti. The areas reported as being itchy are prime examples of sarcoptic mange.

Skin scrapings may or may not reveal the mites, though. The condition known as sarcoptes incognito refers to the dog having mange, but the mites are so deep that scraping doesn't reach them. A punch biopsy can sometimes find them, but that's more invasive and costly.

Even years ago vet dermatologists suggested treating for sarcoptes incogonito if no mites were found in the scrapings. Treatment is the same if you find the mites or not. And if the dog gets better after treatment, that's a positive diagnosis, LOL.

[pooh13]

If this were my client I would recommend weekly treatments to even 2 times a week treatments with nutragena Tgel (tar and sulfa) shampoo for those bare patches of skin I would apply mineral oil(vit E) daily( Not baby oil).after bathing also. the biggest problem I see with any treatment is it is not done often enough to make a difference for the pet .The responsibility cannot be left to the groomer alone the pet owner has to take part in this to have it be effective.This product is readily available to the public with minimal cost at any store that sells shampoos.I always dilute the product before use, let it sit on the dog for 15 min then rinse thoroughly. Dry as normal then apply small amount of mineral oil to the bare skin patches. I have used this remedy for many years as it was passed down to me personally by my vet many yrs ago.It always had good result when the clients listened to this advice. Although this may not be a cure for the underlining issue itself, it is a treatment for the symptom .

[Debbiedogs]

Steriods could be worsening the problem

Let's say this dog had a hot spot once that the dog got steroids for. Then maybe it was OK for a bit, then another hot spot. More steroids.

These people sound like they have been on this type of cycle for quite a while with the dog. I know that steroids have an impact on the immune system and can help demodectic mange get a hold on an animal; maybe it can do the same with sarcoptic mange, which others said this sounds like. Any time the immune system is compromised it leaves the door open for imbalances.

An antifungal shampoo would probably help, at least a bit. But the dog needs some good food and less stuff that wallops his immune system! Again, steroids suppress the immune system as far as I have been told, and therefore other things can - and do! - go wrong. This dog sounds like he is a good example of the supposed treatment making him worse off!

Eqyss Micro-Tek Shampoo, Show Seasons Soothe, and other shampoos are antifungal and antibacterial. I hope they can get this dog back on the right track. It's either that or they will probably kill him with the wrong approach, unfortunately.

[sky05]

response

I don't know if you know any holistic doctors (vet or for people) but this sounds like something more serious than just a shampoo to solve the problem. There are so many herbs that you could get her on that could help her skin. If you can find a Natures Sunshine representative in your area maybe give them a call and talk to them about what herbs the dog could get put on. My holistic doctor helps me with some of my clients who have skin problems and she has her own dogs on herbs so it is completely natural and safe!

[keyray]

Here is a soap free, hypoallergenic shampoo
Relief Shampoo, a Pramoxine Hydrochloride 1% formulation, complemented with colloidal oatmeal and Omega-6 fatty acids for relief of itching and dermal renourishing, is supplemented with coat conditioners for superior grooming. Use Relief Shampoo for the temporary relief of itching and flaking caused by seborrheic dermatitis and other skin disorders.

FYI the Relief Shampoo and Creme Rinse is still not being currently manufactured. Epi-Soothe would be the equivalent.