# Dog with very sensitive skin.



## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

The week before Easter we rescued a little dog (****zu) we think he's about 3 yrs old, we've had him professionally clipped and are careful with the food he eats...all natural as much as possible. He doesn't have fleas but scratches all the time, some sort of skin sensitivity, we've been told all sorts of things, but am wondering if anyone has a "home remedy" that they know works. This morning I put a combination of water and lavendar drops on him, I hope it works.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers, Annie


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## waruikazi (Aug 5, 2010)

My dog has problems with certain kinds of grasses (atleast i think that's what it is) he has no problems at my house but does have them at my parents. We give him antihystamines like telfast and that helps him. 

If the dog has allergies i would be cautious putting any plant based treatment on it's skin. I used to use that expensive oatmeal shampoo and conditioner as a treatment under the advice of a vet and it was bad for my dog, now i use cheap human use stuff and it is way better on his skin.


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## Kristy_07 (Aug 5, 2010)

Hi, Annie

We've had heaps of ****zus and Lhasas in my family (I think just between me, mum, and mum's sister, currently there's 5 or 6  ) and, unfortunately, skin problems in these dogs are all too common. 

My auntie had massive problems in the past with skin issues in her dogs, and it almost always came down to diet. I remember the two dogs that suffered the most, she took off ALL preservatives and commercial food (even the "natural" commercial foods). I think their diets were essentially brown rice, veggies, good-quality mince, and chicken necks. 

Find the mildest all-natural or organic baby shampoo that you can, as well. 

It's becomes quite a commitment to do all the things that needs doing for dogs with skin conditions, but I'm sure it will be worth it. If you're still struggling, the best thing would be to get down to the vet. There are medications that can alleviate the symptoms, as well.

Good luck!


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## redbellybite (Aug 5, 2010)

grannie does he seem to scratch the back end more and go into chewing spasms on himself?

I have a maltese that was driving me insane watching him do that to himself ...I knew he had not a flea on him ,I had cut beef out of his diet this included his dry food(was told by vets that beef heats them up and this could be causing him to itch more) ..I only feed him chicken /fish dry biscuits and chicken or fish wet food ...he loves beef and gets it as a TINY treat here and there.
So after all the bloody washes and stuff ..I ended up giving him really salty salt baths (dont let him drink the water or get it in his face) what a difference ...as he had a severe area that he had almost chewed bald I use to also rub salt into that and leave it there for a few minutes then rinse him off ...he now has full fur everywhere ..people that know Moby make comments on how good he is looking now and I also found a wonderful leave in conditioner called 'aloveen'...it is an oatmeal and alo base ...soothes the skin and keeps them soft too.
I gave him salt baths every few days and normal wash every two weeks ...in summer get him clipped as short as possible cause it makes it easier to deal with skin problems ...I realise it is way too cold to do that to him at the moment,living where I do my two get a winter clip and two summer clips the winter is short but you can still grab it ..the summer is buzz cut short!


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## syeph8 (Aug 5, 2010)

waruikazi said:


> My dog has problems with certain kinds of grasses (atleast i think that's what it is) he has no problems at my house but does have them at my parents. We give him antihystamines like telfast and that helps him.
> 
> If the dog has allergies i would be cautious putting any plant based treatment on it's skin. I used to use that expensive oatmeal shampoo and conditioner as a treatment under the advice of a vet and it was bad for my dog, now i use cheap human use stuff and it is way better on his skin.



i would be careful giving telfast or any other drug intended for humans to small dogs like ****zu's. even if they do have quite a large therapeutic to toxic range. 
what type of dog do you have?


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## waruikazi (Aug 5, 2010)

Bull terrier who weighs about 30kg. I should have added that i am giving him these under vet advice.


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## syeph8 (Aug 5, 2010)

waruikazi said:


> Bull terrier who weighs about 30kg. I should have added that i am giving him these under vet advice.


 
i was about to say, we were given advice from a vet to give a very large rottie x lab with allergies telfast and it worked great. he died at a very young age from liver disease. (not saying the two are linked, as im sure the vet knows what hes talking about. Just making a note)


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## Fireflyshuffle (Aug 5, 2010)

Try a good diet, not sure what its on exactly, but our dog suffered severe food and grass alergies. Been on Hills Hypoalergenic for three years, never had a problem. The odd itch here and there, but batching in aloveen soothes it. You will need a vet to prescribe you the diet though, and it must be strictly that diet only. No treats etc. An unhealthy diet is the main cause for allergies these days, following grasses, pollens seeds etc. So a good diet is the start.


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## bat088 (Aug 5, 2010)

*itchy dogs*

Hi annie I have two dogs zena a white American staffiy and conan ****zu x staffy both have sentive skin.I have noticed since it has got cooler and i havent been taking them for there swim down the beach conan is scratching a bit. zena is the grass as she will pull here self along on here belly i agree about the shampoos maybe if your pup likes water try the beach walking thing thay love it so much it will help too with hot days and fleas dont like water hope it helps bat088


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## bat088 (Aug 5, 2010)

*itchy dogs*

Hi annie I have two dogs zena a white American staffiy and conan ****zu x staffy both have sentive skin.I have noticed since it has got cooler and i havent been taking them for there swim down the beach conan is scratching a bit. zena is the grass as she will pull here self along on here belly i agree about the shampoos maybe if your pup likes water try the beach walking thing thay love it so much it will help too with hot days and fleas dont like water hope it helps bat088


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## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

Thanks for your quick and great response guys. I've just done a little experiment....earlier this morning he (Roger) was scratching badly so I put a little water and lavendar drops on him....particularly his back end and tummy and it seemed to work well....at lunch time I gave him about 5 little pieces of my sausage....and guess what....back came the itching !!! So I've just given him the lavendar treatment again. That was an interesting experiment. I've made notes of the things you've suggested and I'm sure it will all help. We started using a T tree oil shampoo, but it was dreadful, made him itch like mad, now we just use oatmeal stuff and it's great.
We've never had a small breed of dog before, had Bearded Collies for 20 yrs, and it's a whole new ball game having a little one. Everyone who has or who has had small ones talk about their sensitive skins, we we're still on a learning curve. We adore this little bloke and want to make him feel as comfortable and loved as soon as possible. Once again, thanks for all your care and advice.
Cheers,
Annie


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## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

redbellybite said:


> grannie does he seem to scratch the back end more and go into chewing spasms on himself?
> 
> I have a maltese that was driving me insane watching him do that to himself ...I knew he had not a flea on him ,I had cut beef out of his diet this included his dry food(was told by vets that beef heats them up and this could be causing him to itch more) ..I only feed him chicken /fish dry biscuits and chicken or fish wet food ...he loves beef and gets it as a TINY treat here and there.
> So after all the bloody washes and stuff ..I ended up giving him really salty salt baths (dont let him drink the water or get it in his face) what a difference ...as he had a severe area that he had almost chewed bald I use to also rub salt into that and leave it there for a few minutes then rinse him off ...he now has full fur everywhere ..people that know Moby make comments on how good he is looking now and I also found a wonderful leave in conditioner called 'aloveen'...it is an oatmeal and alo base ...soothes the skin and keeps them soft too.
> I gave him salt baths every few days and normal wash every two weeks ...in summer get him clipped as short as possible cause it makes it easier to deal with skin problems ...I realise it is way too cold to do that to him at the moment,living where I do my two get a winter clip and two summer clips the winter is short but you can still grab it ..the summer is buzz cut short!


 
Yes, the scratching and biting is all towards his back, around the base of his tail, but also under his back legs too.


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## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

The grooming lady reckons we should get him clipped/groomed every 12 weeks. That's $50 a time, which for us pensioners isn't cheap, but it's the going rate. For years I clipped my Bearded Collies and it obviously saved me a fortune, Beardies aren't supposed to be clipped, but for the ones we didn't show it was the easiest way to keep them neat. Apparently when "Roger" went to be clipped he was very very naughty and tried to bite the lady. I've let him hear my clippers and blow dryer and he goes ballistic.....I'm hoping that "eventually" he'll calm down enough so I can do him myself. My beardies were used to being groomed, blow dried etc so they never played up for me. As Roger is a rescue dog, we don't really know what his past experiences have been so we have to go slowly with him.


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## redbellybite (Aug 5, 2010)

I have a shih tzu x maltese and a full maltese, if you are not worried about 'looks' so to speak go very short on his next cut ...it will be funny to look at but you will find he will be alot happier that the fur is gone ,and the shorter you go the longer between clips so its cheaper


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## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

redbellybite said:


> I have a shih tzu x maltese and a full maltese, if you are not worried about 'looks' so to speak go very short on his next cut ...it will be funny to look at but you will find he will be alot happier that the fur is gone ,and the shorter you go the longer between clips so its cheaper


 
Yeah, we had him done really short and he does look a bit funny, but still very cute....of course he could have 2 heads and we'd still think he was cute....  It's natural that the grooming lady would say....get him done every X number of weeks, it's her business and she wants the money.  I do have a couple of little coats for him too which some friends gave me. I don't think he's a full shih Tzu....we took him to a dog show and asked a breeder and she reckons he's got a lot of it in him, maybe 3/4 but he's also got a very curly coat, particularly at the back end and our vet reckoned he might have a bit of poodle in him. Mind you, we couldn't care less.


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## Kitah (Aug 5, 2010)

Just as a note, the most common cause of itchyness and hair loss on the back, near the base of the tail is flea allergies. Things like advantage don't kill fleas instantly, so they can still jump up and bite the dog. If the dog is allergic, all it takes is one flea bite to get an allergic reaction- so it could still be fleas, even if you don't see any! 

Does he have any redness, spots, pustules etc on his belly? what about the area between his toes, are they sweaty and redened? 

You could try checking out the dermcare website- this guy (Ken Mason) lectured us about dermatology at uni, and he's fantastic, definitely knows what he's talking about. This site has a list of plants that commonly cause allergies in domestic pets. Allergy Info ... from the sound of it though, I'd be more inclined to think it could be flea allergy dermatitis, but I haven't graduated yet and I haven't even seen your dog haha 

goodluck


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## grannieannie (Aug 5, 2010)

Kitah said:


> Just as a note, the most common cause of itchyness and hair loss on the back, near the base of the tail is flea allergies. Things like advantage don't kill fleas instantly, so they can still jump up and bite the dog. If the dog is allergic, all it takes is one flea bite to get an allergic reaction- so it could still be fleas, even if you don't see any!
> 
> Does he have any redness, spots, pustules etc on his belly? what about the area between his toes, are they sweaty and redened?
> 
> ...



Thanks for your advice, I'll certainly look up that web site.....I'm open to any possibilities at the moment.  So nice of everyone to care so much. And no, I haven't seen any actual red spots, but his tummy skin does seem a bit "warm" which makes me wonder what might be going on, but it's not an unusual colour.


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## ShnakeyGirl (Aug 5, 2010)

I had a Cavalier who was exactly the same, drove us up the wall watching her constantly scratching, apparently very common with them as well. Her vet put her on all natural vet as well, a specially designed dry food that you could only get through the vet clinic. She was also on herbal tablets from the vet as well. We were also told to try washing her with the Earth's Choice wool wash, worked a treat!


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## solar 17 (Aug 5, 2010)

*Too much protien in the diet, some dogs, particularly older ones don't handle protien to well, easiest way around this is to do homestews "well cooked and sloppy" plenty of liquid and no kibble [dry food]....liquid off the stew for breaky, sloppy stew for tea.....give it 3 weeks and l bet you will find you will be happy with the results.......solar 17 [Baden]*


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## hypochondroac (Aug 5, 2010)

solar 17 said:


> *Too much protien in the diet, some dogs, particularly older ones don't handle protien to well, easiest way around this is to do homestews "well cooked and sloppy" plenty of liquid and no kibble [dry food]....liquid off the stew for breaky, sloppy stew for tea.....give it 3 weeks and l bet you will find you will be happy with the results.......solar 17 [Baden]*


 
I agree with this, avoid any kind of red meat or preservatives.

Make sure you dog hasn't got fleas, being treated once every month with frontline or advantage is the only way to insure they arn't breeding on your dog. The flea treatment you buy at the supermarkets (the cheap stuff) doesn't work, waste of money.

Make sure your groomer or whoever is bathing the dog is not leaving ANY shampoo on the dogs coat, being a dog groomer i often wash off excess shampoo from my customers who's owners decide it's a good idea to give their dog a bath in between visits. Imagine having shampoo in your hair, it would drive you mad.

Everyone has mentioned the diet thing so i won't bother going over that again but putting a tablespoon of vegetable oil in your dogs dinner a few nights a week can work wonders for him/her if dry skin is an issue.

Grass allergies are common, and there will be a different solution for every dog but i advise looking for a pet bowen therapist in your area and paying them a visit, they can tell you exactly what is causing the allergy and what you can do to prevent it. I know there was a good one in Melbourne, i've got their card somewhere.

Bad breeding is also a possibility.


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## euphorion (Aug 5, 2010)

almost all of your options have already been outlined. i definitely recommend changing to a natural diet, without beef, wash with aloveen shampoo and use the leave in conditioner. ask your vet about prescrition diets from Hills and Royal Canin, supplement with oily fish like salmon, mackeral and sardines. flea allergy dermatitis could be the root, or it could be a bacterial or fungal irritation that washes like Phyohex and Malaseb can help with. and as has already been said you can have your vet prescribe anti-histamines for allergies  

good luck!


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## waruikazi (Aug 6, 2010)

I use ivamectin (spelling?) weekly for my dog. It does most parasites including biting lice which are a big problem out in these communities.



hypochondroac said:


> I agree with this, avoid any kind of red meat or preservatives.
> 
> *Make sure you dog hasn't got fleas, being treated once every month with frontline or advantage is the only way to insure they arn't breeding on your dog. The flea treatment you buy at the supermarkets (the cheap stuff) doesn't work, waste of money.*
> 
> ...


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## Helikaon (Aug 6, 2010)

the only thing i will mention, is make sure he hasnt scratched himself red raw,as you may then get secondary bacterial or fungal infections which make them more itchy and so the cycle continues. also as mentioned one flea bite can have them scratching for weeks. and if the scratching is bad, then get him treated. im you can imagine how terrible it would be to be that itchy and sore. some of the drugs can be nasty long term but if you use one injection to take away the itch for a week and one to cover bacteria for a week and then you fix everything you can, a diet like Hills Z/d, some soothing oatmeal baths and stay away from as many other allagens that you can, you should be sweet. theres a massive list of what your dog could be allergic to, it might be fleas or it might be grass, or potato or red meat proteins. only way to mark out diet is to use z/d


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