Skin Problem

[RobChapman]

Could someone please help me I am at my whits end!!!!

My puppy Beagle is 4 months old. About two months ago he started to scratch and scratch and scratch.

I could not see what the problem was. There was nothing obvious to see and no fleas. I took him to the vet who gave him some deflea stuff. It was similar to Front Line but suitable for puppies.

After one week he got an infection in his front arm pit and a rash on his chest. The vet gave an oral antibiotic for one week and some nystatin cream. This cleared up the infection under his arm but did nothing for the scratching and rash.

The vet said it was an alergy. And sold me some very expensive hypoalergenic food and gave strict instructions not to give him anything else. Also an antibiotic shampoo.

That seemed to work a bit but never went away.

Then it came back with a vengence and he started scratching and crying at the same time.

So back to a different vet who said it was a skin condition similar to impetigo. He gave me some cimetidine antibiotic for two weeks. And sold be some more hypoalergenic food.

But it is still getting worse with errumptions on his tail, hind quaters, legs and flanks and is now starting to get patches of hair loss.

He is so uncompfortable and as we live in the South of France the heat is also making it worse.

Could someone please tell me what to do. I have lost faith in the French vets as they just seem to want to sell me something. It has already cost me over 600 euros to sort the problem out and I am so worried that he is going to be like this all of his life!!!!

Please help!!!!!!!!

[nuttynat1987]

Hi

My dog started scrating a lot a few months ago, when we took him to the vet she checked him over there were no fleas an no rashes or anything. She said it could be an airbourne alergy making him itch, like humans having hayfever. She gave me some antihistermine tablets for him which helped and now it is starting to get colder he doesnt really scratch that much now. It may be the heat thats getting too him? try and keep him cool somehow see if that helps.

Hope he gets better

[Tucker]

We sometimes give our Benydryl when their allergies are acting up. In case you don't have that there, it is a antihystamine.

[Lizsmit]

Our one dog Fred also has a skin problem - Vet said it was an allergy. It flairs up periodically and then we give him an antihistamine and it sorts it out.

[RobChapman]

Thank you all for your advice. I called the vet and suggested an antihistamine. His reply was that skin allergies are rare in puppies and to carry on with the antibiotics.

I asked him if allergies are rare why has he sold me 200 euros worth of hypoallergenic food. "C'est bon por chien" he replied.

I love livign in france but what I wouldn't do for my old English vet right now.

Any more suggestions would be greatfully recieved.

He is now getting sorse on the back of the knees because he is tapping the floor when he scratches.

[RosCole]

I don't know what is available to you in France but at one time we were using a vet-prescribed, expensive food for Roscoe. That started to wear thin very quickly and it honestly wasn't doing much for him.

It was a process of trial and error but we finally decided on a holistic, organic, human-grade ingredients dog food. We use Blue Buffalo but there are many on the market for dogs with sensitivities and allergies. Do some research and hopefully you can find such a food in your area.

I hate vets who are more concerned about being salespeople!

[RobChapman]

Thanks Lucy, I have contacted the company to see if they have any outlets in France.

By the way I gave him his first antihistamine today (Cetirizine 5mg) at lunch time today and he is already better. His skin feels much cooler!!!!

Guess the vet was wrong suprise suprise.

Rob

[baker'smom]

Thats great news! love the picture in your signature too. Monsieur Ferguson is adorable! will you be posting an album?

[ljas]

I am so glad that he is feeling better - he is adorable!

One shepherd, Xena, had skin allergies from the time she was a small puppy. We gave her Bendryl (antihistamine) and also discovered that she had a problem with the detergent that we were using on her blankets. Allergies can come from almost anything - and heat makes it worse.

Some dogs have a gluten intolerance - or celiac disease. They cannot have wheat oats, barley, or rye. Here are a couple of sites to help you get started:
Home Cooked Pet Diets,Home Made Recipes And Pet Nutrition
Dog food Allergies and their causes, symptoms & recipes to help your dog get back to his normal healthy self

Good Luck!

[RobChapman]

Well, although horrifying it all fits.

But firstly, thank you all for your help. It's been helpful and reasuring.

A diagnosis I actual belive in.

As you will see from my previous posts we changed vets. Because of my, almost biggoted attitude towards french vets I did not want to trust the second vet because I didn't trust the first one. As it turns out, it seems misdiagnosis, as in 'food alergy', is common in this case.

My partner, who is french (and I speak very little french) couldn't remember the name of the condition that the vet said until tonight.

He said it was Gale.

Those of you who speak more french than me will know, and I found out from google translate, that Gale means Scabies.

My poor little boy has Mange!!!!

It all fits! They symptoms, as researched on the internet, absolutly fit. Two of the charecteristc symptoms is distressing itching, so much they cry, and an involutary scratching motion of the back leg when you touch an afected area. (you know that motion that looks cute at first).

I almost cried when I was reading about it because it fit's so well.

His brother, who lives on a friends farm near us had an old dog who past away recently. I noticed that he had lots of patchy hairloss and did that exact same involutary leg action when you stroked his back. With hindsight he must of been so uncompfortable!!!!

My dog plays with his brother regulary although his brother has no symptoms that we can see. (see photo album to see both together (cute!))

I can't believe I am telling you my dog has Mange. I dont want to beleive it myself.

But as it turns out the new vet is treating him correctly with first treating the secondary infection with Cephroxine antibiotic. Then he will do a skin scraping to confirm scabies.

But, even so, he still continues to sell us the expensive hypoalergenic dog food which I will have a go at him about next visit. Language barrier or no language barrier!!!

Any further advice would be extremly welcome although I doubt if many of you in the UK or USA have experience this. I have had many dogs back home in the UK and never come accross Mange. Probably because of the previous strict quarentine rules!!!!

Bye for now and thanks again.

Do you think I should stop the antihistamine as it's not vet prescribed!!!!!

Rob