trishareporter

My male Basset has developed a horrible skin/allergy/who knows problem. For about two months, he's developed what feels like little bumps under the skin and then round dry patches in which the hair is coming out. Some of the areas almost look at first like ring-worm. He rolls around on his back to scratch which has caused massive amounts of hair to come out. The only place he can reach to chew at in on his hips, which now are a mess. He had one round of antibiotics and benadryl, no luck...which was a visit to a weekend clinic because I couldn't get to regular vet, oh, and a cortisone shot. No help.

Regular vet is trying a different antibiotic and medicated shampoo.

Has anyone ever had a similar problem? We're supposed to try blood work this next week. Vet took a scraping, no fungal infection, some bacteria.

If it's an allergic reaction to something, only possibilities I can come up with...he had his yearly shots about two months ago, I adopted another Basset two months ago, switched from Advantix to Frontline Plus...but food is basically the same....human-grade quality dry food with broiled or boiled fresh chicken added to it.

Would appreciate any suggestions or comments that anyone has.....I hate to see him become a bald Bassett.. He otherwise seems to be fine.

thanks
trisha

[ October 12, 2004, 07:20 PM: Message edited by: poconostrisha ]

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trishareporter

[ October 12, 2004, 07:21 PM: Message edited by: poconostrisha ]

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Cynthia Swearingen

I've had to switch my Copper to a brand of food which contains no corn products at all. He was constantly scratching and losing hair, but he's doing better now. It was recommended to me by a friend in Alabama, and is called Solid Gold Holistique Blendz, and I forget the site I found it on. I ordered it over the net. It has made a world of difference in the ol' fella. I don't know if this is the problem with your pup, but it's worth a try, even though the food is pretty expensive!

Cindy, and thanks for the kind words about the slobberslingers nickname!

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Cindy
Raymond: http://www.dogster.com/?90026
Fredder: http://www.dogster.com/?71379
Buford: http://www.dogster.com/?117083 Copper, ATB: http://www.dogster.com/?71314

trishareporter

I've seen the Solid Gold in a local pet store...didn't look close enough for the holistic though. But did you dog develop this all of a sudden? Newman's Own Organic food has no corn and the chicken and a lot of the products are organic, but I'm definitely looking into the food issue. He goes to have blood work next week to rule out any thyroid or other problems but the vet didn't seem to think that was it.

Thanks for your response.
trisha

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Lisar4

Shyla did have this also and her hair fell out in circles. We did the hydrocortisone shot, the anti fungal, steriods, but the only thing that worked was some horrible smelling stuff called Sulfadene that I got at the grocery store in the pet aisle. Her hair grew back white though (where it should have been black) but it really worked fast. I really can't say enough about this stuff. It was fantastic.

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Heartslave to Shyla and Bailey

trishareporter

I know the stuff you're talking about...he's going back to the vet's tomorrow. I will ask h im about that...right now, I hate to put anything on him as it's so irritated right now...but, yes, it starts out feeling like a little bump under the skin and then the kind of circle that is dry and scaly looking. He so wants to be a lap dog right now wherever I'm sitting and even though he's lost weight (five poiunds) 62 pounds is still a lot on your lap while you're trying to work on the computer.

thanks for the suggesting of sulfadine...I will give it a shot.

trisha

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Cynthia Swearingen

Let us know how it goes at the vet's. I have used Sulfadene in the past on different dogs, with good results. If something definite doesn't show up with the blood workup, it's worth a try.
Cindy

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Cindy
Raymond: http://www.dogster.com/?90026
Fredder: http://www.dogster.com/?71379
Buford: http://www.dogster.com/?117083 Copper, ATB: http://www.dogster.com/?71314

Anonymous

Sorry to hear about your pup's problems. Chloe hasn't had any of the problems you are describing, but I did locate a good general website that describes many of the potential triggers for dog allergies.

Hope this helps.

Dog Allergy Website

trishareporter

Went to the vet again today. He's giving him a series of three shots for mites. Whatever kind of mite it is, it's hard to detect it on the slide from the scraping. But this mite can take several months to get itself worked into the system and comes from squirrels, skunks, etc...and since I live in a heavily wooded area with every wildlife you can think of (although I don't let the dogs run loose), it's at least worth a shot to treat that, along with a different antibiotic, an anti-itch shot (not cortisone) and then I'm going to get some of the shampoo that y'all mentioned...

If it's allergies, he basically said to try at least getting what he has calmed down...because he has it irritated and infected now. But evidently there's something going around because two vets offices I talked to said they've had a large number of dogs coming ing with skin irritations.

What makes it difficult, I moved here from Las Vegas, where I had a vet that I adored and trusted with my dogs' lives (along with about 20 people I knew personally that went to him)...this is my third vet I've tried in the area and I just don't have the same feeling towards any of them...this vet at least is a little more aggressive in trying to treat it, rather than "try this and come back in two weeks and see how he's doing"...in two weeks Dudley will be a bald old man...

Another thing they did was the anal glands and said they were very impacted, which also can cause skin irritations...so who knows...maybe we'll get lucky!!

Thanks for the responses...I have four dogs, two Bassets (one I just adopted) and two irritable, nasty, grump, foul old wienie dogs... and Dudley is (I hate to have favorites) but I am so attached to him and vice versa ... there's just about nothing I wouldn't do to keep him healthy....(this is the same dog that got into a sewing kit and swallowed a sewing needle, lodge crosswise in his throat - didn't know he had done this - nine days later, after having eaten every day, he stopped barking...x-rays showed the needle..) so he's my million-dollars-in-vet-bills basset...(too many other things to list that he's gotten into)...lol

okay..I'm rambling...thanks again

trisha

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