:Susan on…itchy skin
Posted: December 1, 2008 Filed under: Apso Aficionados, Lotsa Lhasa Info 5 CommentsOkay. Okay. So the graphic isn’t a dog itching. But it’s really cool!! Far more interesting than an actual photo of a dog itching! It’s called Guard Dog, found in the Street Art and Sculpture area of the Itchy Pixels website. You can understand why a google search on ‘itchy canines’ led to it. There’s a bunch of other cool street art to check out…in between itching.
Here’s several clips from correspondence with Susan…
Both Raji and Rinchen came home from the groomer with a report that
their skin seemed excessively dry.
Raji had actually dug herself a good sized hot spot on her neck that we
will be putting some Gentamycin on for a few days.
Rinchen hadn’t shown any obvious signs — at least not to me.
Sammy’s is fine.
Any easy suggestions for additions/changes to their diets?? to increase
either their Omega 3 or Omega 6 Fatty Acids/
I’m thinking that brushing them nightly (which I’ve gotten very lax on)
should help a bit by stimulating the oil producing glands in the skin,
but any other suggestions would be appreciated.
I myself seem to have a seborrhetic dermatitis (fungal). I wonder if
they could have the same thing???? I use a ketokonazole shampoo to
control the itchy scalp….Hmmm…back to Google.
So, as of today I am changing their diet in two ways: I’m gonna poach
their daily egg instead of giving it to them raw since I understand
there is an enzyme (avatin) in raw eggs that may block the absorbtion of
biotin and “cause skin problems”. And, I’m going to give them some
fish oil once a day…. Any other ideas will still and always be
appreciated.
This is a great topic. Input invited!
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 
Itchy dogs can be a pain especially when it’s not related to allergies. For me it’s dry skin especially in the winter – they all get a pump of salmon oil on their food and it seems to help alleviate the flakes and itching.
If only the same thing could be said for me – my skin gets so itchy during winter season that I will scratch my legs raw trying to get relief – antihistamines don’t work, lotion doesn’t work – just pure will power in trying to ignore it and sometimes it is unbearable – I put on my mittens and just rub.
Faye
Ali is my itchy/scratchy dog. She gets a 1000 mg cap of Omega 3 tossed on her food every day; twice a day in the winter because our humidity is so low. I get the human formula at Sam’s Club in the big bottle. This also helps with her allergies as it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Susan, hot spots are fungal and usually caused from moisture not being to dry. I have had dogs get hot spots around ears and under the neck and on their feet, areas I did not dry well. I would give each of your dogs a bath in the same shampoo you use (ketokonazole),dry them well,change their bedding and then also start adding some Omega oil to their diets. I have a dog scratching right now, first I thought it was the seasonal change, but we are good and frozen here in Minnesota by now and she is still scatching (I feed an all fish food-tons of omega) 2 days ago I put her on raw diet, I’ll let you know if it helps. There is now for sure answer.
Thanks, all. I bought a big jar of Fish Oil capsules at Costco last week and I’ve been puncturing one and splitting it between the three of them on their evening meal. I hate the smell of that stuff, but ….
They already get the raw diet….Nature’s Variety….and Julie I will be interested to know how you think she does on it. Mine have seemed to thrive….yeah, yeah, I know….except for this particular dry skin episode.
I suggested the fungal possibility to the groomer when the dogs were there, and Kathy seemed to think this particular outbreak was not that….?
Does anyone supplement with canned sardines? I used to put them into the mix when I was cooking all of their food myself; I may pick up a can or two today.
Hi Susan,
I feed my dogs raw, too. We’re eating Primal Lamb, Duck and beef, on a rotation and I’m very pleased with all the ingredients. I also puncture a fish oil capsule and split it between all three daily. And I feed them cooked fish, like wild salmon as often as we have it. Also feed them a can of whole Jack mackerel fairly often (not King Mackerel, as it contains too much mercury). Sardines are wonderful, especially the whole ones packed in olive oil (don’t buy any in cottonseed oil, very, very bad). You might try increasing the amount of fish oil (omega 3’s)they are getting.
We still have some itchies now and then, but I attribute it to the dryness here, and seasonal pollen allergies that we all seem to have. Once the hard freeze comes, most itching disappears.
A good anti-fungal treatment is to rinse or soak in water with a splash of cider vinegar, about 1/4 cup to a quart. Works as well for people as it does for critters. I still soak Sadie’s feet in vinegar water to treat one stubborn yeast spot, and always rinse her with it as a final rinse in her bath. And if you suspect any kind of yeast infection, always supplement with either a good probiotic capsule or some good quality yogurt or kefir. When Sadie was at her worst with the yeast infection, I bought a good quality probiotic and mixed it with the small amount of kefir she was eating, and in a month’s time, the yeast was gone.
I have always fed the Apsos cooked egg simply because Zeke didn’t like it raw, and it’s easier to divide up a couple eggs between three apsos if they’re cooked! I knew about the biotin problem, but not the itchy skin connection.