Help for dog dermititis

LETHAL LADY

My dog has dermititis and has inflamed areas (hot spots) between the pads on all of his paws made worse by his constant licking of them. The vet prescribed medicine for him but at €80 a time its becoming very costly so Im wondering has anyone any ideas on anything I could be doing or using home remedies etc to help speed up his recovery. I hate to see him in such pain and misery.

andreac

Have you tried to find out whats actually causing these?

My rottie suffers from them and its caused by food. Certain cheap foods will bring one on so ive learnt to just stick with the one food that suits him and he doesnt get many other treats.

I would try and find out whats causing them and try and narrow down what it is and eliminate this and see does it help.

Shanao

Well first things first, what kind of dog is it, and what kind of food have you been feeding him. 80% of behavioural and health problems in dogs come down to the type of food they've been eating.

LETHAL LADY

Thanks for your replies. He is a crossbreed we rescued about 2003 and although he has a flea allergy (he gets very sore skin if he gets a flea bite) have had no real health issues before about june of this year when this condition started. I feed him a complete dog food like madra or if Im a bit broke maybe the aldi complete. I also give him full fat milk and lots of water. The vet advised me in June that my dog was overweight and now I only feed him once a day and he has lost the weight but his paws are still very sore. I read online that apple cider vinegar was great for dog dermatitis but dont know whether to believe this or not. Any more suggestions would be great.

andreac

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. He is a crossbreed we rescued about 2003 and although he has a flea allergy (he gets very sore skin if he gets a flea bite) have had no real health issues before about june of this year when this condition started. I feed him a complete dog food like madra or if Im a bit broke maybe the aldi complete. I also give him full fat milk and lots of water. The vet advised me in June that my dog was overweight and now I only feed him once a day and he has lost the weight but his paws are still very sore. I read online that apple cider vinegar was great for dog dermatitis but dont know whether to believe this or not. Any more suggestions would be great.

Theres your problem there straight away. Do not give dogs milk, dogs are lactose intolerant so cant digest any dairy so i would stop that straight away. Theres no need for a dog to get milk and its also wouldnt be helping with the weight problem either.
I would also consider changing to a higher quality food from the pet shop which will help too.
Anything like Madra or supermarket brands really are very poor quality so if you could manage it i would try and change to a better quality food. It might seem expensive but it actually doesnt work out much more expensive as you dont have to feed as much.

I can almost guarantee thats whats causing your problem. I know someone who has a little dog who was coming out in lumps and scratching and when i asked what exactly they were feeding i was told the dog got cheese every night, which is so bad for them as they cant manage dairy.

LETHAL LADY

Thanks for your help. I didnt know that dogs were lactose intolerant Im a bit shocked to hear it I will never give him milk again. Hopefully it will make a big difference once again thanks.

karen2153

To ease the constant irritation until you determine the cause, there is a great product called Malaseb - shampoo your dog with it for a couple of weeks and it should ease the itching.

Regarding the price of complete foods, try a greyhound food supplier. You can get a 15kg bag of good quality complete food for around €13-€18. There are different protein levels i.e. 18%, 22%, 28%. The lowest protein level would probably be the best for a mixed breed.

LETHAL LADY

karen2153 wrote: »

To ease the constant irritation until you determine the cause, there is a great product called Malaseb - shampoo your dog with it for a couple of weeks and it should ease the itching.

Regarding the price of complete foods, try a greyhound food supplier. You can get a 15kg bag of good quality complete food for around €13-€18. There are different protein levels i.e. 18%, 22%, 28%. The lowest protein level would probably be the best for a mixed breed.[/QUOT

Thanks will try the shampoo presume its available in the vets or pet stores. Just a question on the dog food why do mixed breeds need less protein?

andreac

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

karen2153 wrote: »

To ease the constant irritation until you determine the cause, there is a great product called Malaseb - shampoo your dog with it for a couple of weeks and it should ease the itching.

Regarding the price of complete foods, try a greyhound food supplier. You can get a 15kg bag of good quality complete food for around €13-€18. There are different protein levels i.e. 18%, 22%, 28%. The lowest protein level would probably be the best for a mixed breed.[/QUOT

Thanks will try the shampoo presume its available in the vets or pet stores. Just a question on the dog food why do mixed breeds need less protein?

Higher protein gives more energy so greyhounds would need a higher protein than your average dog.
Personally i wouldnt feed a complete food that is only around 13 euro as i can almost guarantee that the quality ingredients wouldnt be the best.
If your dog suffers with irritations then its best to feed a high quality food as low grade/quality foods wouldnt help your dog as they could actually cause irritations like hot spots etc.

LETHAL LADY

Ok thanks for the recommendations will give it a go and keep you updated. What is your opinion on canned foods and mixers. The reason I ask this is because I have 2 dogs both mixed breeds fed on similar diets as I have mentioned before and Im beginning to think that the complete foods are not necessiarly (forgive my spelling )the best.

andreac

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

Ok thanks for the recommendations will give it a go and keep you updated. What is your opinion on canned foods and mixers. The reason I ask this is because I have 2 dogs both mixed breeds fed on similar diets as I have mentioned before and Im beginning to think that the complete foods are not necessiarly (forgive my spelling )the best.

The complete foods are much better for dogs than the likes of the supermarket brands and any of the canned food.

The problem with canned food is that its not full of any goodness whatsoever. Canned food is made up mostly of water so doesnt have any real nutritional value at all for a dog and the meat that is used in it is the worst bits of meat so really isnt good for a dog at all.

The mixers again, are made up with very low grade ingredients, very little meat and mostly cereals and meat and animal derivitives so its basically full of crap and isnt good for dogs.

Obviously not everyone can afford expensive foods for their dogs so i would always advise to buy the best you can afford. I personally would not feed sueprmarket brands or pedigree etc as its very low quality but im lucky that i can afford a more expensive food, for the moment anyway:)

boardbrowser

wet foods- James well beloved and Berties- 'natures harvest' are completely balanced nutritionally and are hypo allergenic.
Maybe look into Aloe vera juice to treat from the inside out as a more organic suggestion rather than steroids.

ISDW

andreac wrote: »

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

Higher protein gives more energy so greyhounds would need a higher protein than your average dog.
Personally i wouldnt feed a complete food that is only around 13 euro as i can almost guarantee that the quality ingredients wouldnt be the best.
If your dog suffers with irritations then its best to feed a high quality food as low grade/quality foods wouldnt help your dog as they could actually cause irritations like hot spots etc.

Totally understand what you're saying, but bear in mind that greyhound foods have lower VAT rate, which is why they are cheaper.

I am now feeding all of my dogs on the Red Mills Racer or Tracker if they're not working, with Chudleys Greyhound Crunch (dehydrated meat) and they are all flying on it. I pay €15 for a 15kg bag of the Tracker, and one dog that we have had here for a year has had constant diarrhoea, we have tried a lot of the better foods, no change. However, he did get better on Best For My Dog, and now the Red Mills. I add water to the Red Mills, I don't soak it, just had the water to ensure they stay hydrated, I put half a cup of water in with 1 cup of food.

andreac

ISDW wrote: »

andreac wrote: »

Totally understand what you're saying, but bear in mind that greyhound foods have lower VAT rate, which is why they are cheaper.
..

Oh i never knew that, you learn something new everyday:)

old_aussie

Good advice given by both andreac(milk intollerance) and karen2153 (Malaseb shampoo).

Also look out for a flat weed called "wandering jew", not sure if you have it in Ireland, which can cause all sorts of skin problems for dogs.

See link for wandering jew description....

http://www.ascotvetsurgery.com.au/index.php/News/Latest/Wandering-Jew.html

karen2153

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

Thanks will try the shampoo presume its available in the vets or pet stores. Just a question on the dog food why do mixed breeds need less protein?

High protein Greyhound feed is made to supply the energy that racing dogs need. However, even some racing dogs are made too 'hyper' by using the highest protein level.

If your mixed breed dog is already hyperactive then a lower protein feed would be a better option.

Regarding the Malaseb, you can get it from your Vet - I actually get it from the local Vet suppliers.

Just a thought, but has your dog got a flea allergy? I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback years ago that came to me from a UK Rescue. He had a lot of red, inflamed areas. I treated him with Malaseb, a good flea collar and a Frontline spot-on. Within three weeks there was no sight of the soreness etc.

I hope you find the solution soon, it is really distressing to see your dog uncomfortable all the time.

Karen

EGAR

Have an allergy test done and start feeding supplements high in Omega3. Malaseb is a great shampoo but it's medicated and I would be very slow to use it on a case of undetermined cause.

LETHAL LADY

Just a quick update have taken all advice into account and my dog is now on strict diet and am using malaseb shampoo. Have to say there is already a great improvement not fully recovered but a million times better. Thanks again all.

karen2153

That's great news!:D:):D:)

There is nothing worse than seeing your pet suffer from irritation, I'm so glad that there is some improvment - even just a little.

Karen

liquoriceall

Hi just my two cents worth my dog has multiple allergies I also add cod liver oil to his food he will never be itch free but between the strict diet the malaseb shampoo and the cod liver you should be fairly good. If my boy gets a really bad flair up I would add a piriton once or twice a day to stop him eating himself to bits
Good luck!

obi wan

Hi just to add that i also use Malaseb on my 9 year old spaniel X ,i massage it for about 10 mins into the affected area i find it fantastic,she is also on Piriton,hth