Golden Retriever with recurring skin inflammation/outbreak/infection?

[ShrekDawg]

A lot of the food trials use really novel proteins like kangaroo (and sometimes rabbit). I always thought that was kind of funny, but it seems to work since most dogs here have never had kagaroo!

Zignature actually has a kangaroo flavor! And I believe Nature's Variety has rabbit but NV is pretty expensive.

It definitely is funny but I can see how it would work!!!

Duck isn't exactly novel but a lot of dogs have never had that either, a lot of foods use chicken, pork, beef type thing. Although some dogs are allergic to all poultry.

I think there's another brand that does kangaroo and lentils but i cant think of its name

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Another interesting tidbit is that dogs and cats that do develop allergies to food more often develop allergies to the protein (meat) source and not the grain.

This is very interesting. And just makes the whole situation even murkier since I have finally convinced my husband (as a result of all these helpful responses!) to change her over to a grain-free diet.

Quote: I honestly don't know. They did a lot of blood work and an x-ray. They hydrated her. She was really acting sick that time. Everything came back negative.

The dermatologist idea is probably a good one since our area is so well known for skin outbreaks on dogs that there is a condition known specifically as the "Santa Barbara itch". I don't think that is what she has, but I know that many local dogs are plagued with various skin issues. Our other dog recently developed a heart murmur at the age of 12 and the vet suggested we take her to a cardiologist, a suggestion that did not go over big with my husband. If I suggest a dog dermatologist, my husband may need a cardiologist...

 

[enola]

My suggestion would be start him on a grain free diet that doesn't include chicken as the meat base. And you will have to give him plenty of time to respond to the change in his diet. Like maybe up to eight weeks. You will not see improvement immediately.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

My suggestion would be start him on a grain free diet that doesn't include chicken as the meat base.

@enola why the specific proscription against chicken? I ask because our most frequent supplement to our dogs' kibble and wet food is poached chicken.

 

[ShrekDawg]

@enola
 why the specific proscription against chicken? I ask because our most frequent supplement to our dogs' kibble and wet food is poached chicken.

I think it is in case she happens to have an allergy to chicken or poultry, actually a fairly common allergy along with grain, corn, soy etc. Though you'd probably know if it was an allergy to chicken since it probably wouldn't be every few weeks, it'd probably be a lot of scratching and hot spots all the time but maybe not

But i think its just. temporary thing to just completely mix up the protein sources and see if it improves and then you can add it back.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Or you could just try wellness or wellness core which does have chicken and other meats but its grain free and really good. Not sure if all Wellness is grain free or just CORE

 

[enola]

My min pin started loosing her hair not long after I got her. We thought it was something in our house causing it. After several trips to the vet for ear problems and missing hair, medications and office visits were costing a fortune, and she was still miserable. Then we decided to go grain free. Her ears got better, but now it was summer and the hot spots started. My sister is a groomer and she suggested finding something that was grain free and chicken free. We saw improvement in just two weeks. We could see the hair beginning to grow and she was scratching and licking a lot less.

That was why I suggested maybe chicken free also.

 

[ashleymroles]

Maybe give this a shot:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153952865472028

 

[Imthe1whoquacks]

I had a dog with skin problems too. She would scratch and chew and itch till she was raw. But she never got scabs like yours. Vet told us to switch to a grain free dog food because that's what allergies in dogs usually are (didn't even give us the option of testing, we've since switched vets) Tried many different types of prescription dog foods, one even looked like Kix Cereal Finally found Taste of the Wild food at my local Tractor Supply store and it was cheaper and faster to get it there than going through the vet for prescription dog food.

However, nothing seemed to help. So we finally got her tested and turns out that grains weren't the problem at all. It was mostly meats, beef, poultry, fish, venison, the list goes on. You know how hard it is to find a dog food that doesn't have beef or chicken in it? Very. But thankfully, Taste of the Wild had a Lamb variety that would work and it meant we wouldn't have to switch dog food brands again, just flavors.

Well, that still didn't help. So we started giving her allergy shots. Still nothing.

We came to the conclusion that it was a yeast infection of the skin, though it was never professionally diagnosed. She smelled gross and bathing her with an anti fungal shampoo helped but only for a few days. And sulfur and lard on her wounds helped too.

We never found out what was truly wrong with her. We lost her due to an unrelated problem.

Keep a very close eye on her, watch (or even document) what she eats and see if it causes flair ups. Good luck and I hope she feels better. It's no fun being itchy.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'm still concerned that she is an older dog and all of a sudden having issues. Is there anything different in her environment? New cleaners? New perfumes or colognes? New laundry detergent?

A few other possibilities that came to mind includes an autoimmune disorder, demodex mange (though a lot of times you'll see lesions on the muzzle), and malessezia yeast infection. It could also potentially be a reaction to an insecticide (what do you use for preventatives and has it changed recently?), or a sensitivity to fleas or other insects (it can take just a single flea bite for some dogs to have major reactions!). Again, a skin scraping of the area could potentially give a lot of information. Generally, the common bacteria for skin infections is Staph. This is also a normal bacteria on dog skin, but can cause recurring issues if there is something else going on.

Is she itchy in that area?

My concern with the food allergy idea is that she is an older dog who it seems has not had issues before. It is just more unusal for a dog to start having reactions like this all of a sudden later in life.

However, slowly switching foods is not a bad idea, but I'm not sure I would count on that to solve the issue. I do understand not wanting to spend the money on specialists (I tend to be the same way!) but you can certainly ask your vet to further investigate, or to see if he/she has any other ideas for you.