[birdie]

I have a 6 month old basset hound that was abandoned and showed up in my yard two weeks ago. I made her a part of my family and now she lives with me. I noticed that she has been super itchy and has the worst "dandruff" that I have ever seen on a dog. She is not greasy like similar conditions that were described on the internet, and she has not lost any hair. She was filthy when I found her so she was bathed, and I have kept her clean since, but bathing does not help. She went to the vet to get her shots and at the time he did not think anything of her itching because she did not have fleas. I have looked on the internet and found all kinds of things it could be...food allergies, sebhorrea, and tons of other stuff. However, I don't really know what to make of all of that info. My neighbor gave me some food he had; I think it is Kibbles n Bits, but I was feeding her some ol roy puppy food before and she had the same problem. Has anyone else had this issue? It was obvious that whoever had her before did not take good care of her. Do you think it might be that she just needs some tlc to get her back to normal, or might it be a medical condition? Thanks!

 

[sadeyes2]

Just wondering where Toughy is. He would be the one for this.

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

Here's a previous thread about itchiness: http://www.basset.net/boards/general-basset-hound-discussion/12415-itching.html

I hope that works. If it doesn't, just search the board for the word itchy.

 

[SophieB]

Well done Birdie for taking your Basset in and looking after her rather than her straying and maybe get injured or run over by a car. In my experience, Bassets have no road sense... at least none of ours ever have... one sniff of a dog, cat or rabbit and they're off!

I was wondering what your Basset is sleeping on...

I knew someone who took an old mattress from a bed for their dog to sleep on and the poor dog never stopped itching and scratching and had pink skin underneath and then the woman was told it was probably the mattress because it would have some sort of 'mites' in, that all mattresses get, hence the reason mine get a good vacuuming every week when I change the duvet etc!

http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/dustmites.php

Once the mattress was thrown out, her dog bathed a couple of times and new bedding and bed, the dog was fine and no more scratching. It may have no relevance whatever to your dog's itching and scratching, but is just a thought!

Are you washing the bedding/blankets frequently? Another thing could be the washing powder if you wash her bedding... are you rinsing out all of the soap as that can be very irritating too? Just a couple of ideas but of course, I may be far wrong!

 

[Mikey T]

has the worst "dandruff" that I have ever seen on a dog

while most bassets suffer from the greassy/oily form of seborrhea there is a dry from as well. Lots of dandruff Indicates a keritization disorder in which the skin cells turn over more quickly than they should. Treatment for the oily and dry from of seborrhea is basical the same, the use of anti-sheborrhea shampoos like selsun blue ( on vrrieties that contain 1% selenium oxide) It must remain on the skin for at least 15 minutes. With the greasy form on general uses a more astrigent shampoo to remove the oil as well, with the dry form a moisturize shampoo or rinse can be use but the best moisturiser is water. Most do not spend enough time thoroughly rinsing the shampoo out. Bathing need to be frequent ie 1 week or more.

What is seborrhea?

Primary seborrhea is most commonly seen in the American cocker spaniel, West Highland white terrier, English springer spaniel, and Basset hound. It is also seen in the Irish setter, German shepherd, dachshund, Doberman pinscher, Chinese Shar-pei, and Labrador retriever. [/FONT]

...Early evidence of the disorder such as mild flaking and dullness of the coat may appear as young as 10 weeks of age. Because these signs are subtle, they often go unnoticed. However, usually by a year to 18 months, the signs have become pronounced. Affected dogs commonly have a dull coat with excessive scaling, a greasy feel and smell to the skin (especially in areas of body folds), smelly waxy ears which may be infected, thickening of the foot pads, and dry brittle claws. Some breeds (West Highland white terrier, cocker spaniel, springer spaniel, Basset hound, Shar-pei) are more prone to the greasy form of seborrhea (seborrhea oleosa) with chronic ear infections and greasy skin, while others (Doberman pinscher, Irish setter) are more likely to develop the dryer form (seborrhea sicca)

Dogs with seborrhea are prone to secondary infections, either bacterial or yeast, and frequently develop skin lesions and associated itching. This condition is called seborrheic dermatitis. Scratching leads to worsening of the lesions and spread of the infection.

Seborrhea in Dogs

MALESSEZIA INFECTION

 

[birdie]

Thanks!

I really appreciate all the advice. I'm going to be more careful about washing her bedding (its mostly just old towels and pillows in her crate that she sleeps in) and her food, and bathing her. If it keeps up or gets worse I will talk to her vet about it and tell him what I learned from all of you. Thanks!