Hello all!

[Maddy's Mommy]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new to the boards. I own an 8 year old Border Collie mix named Maddy. I got her off of the website "Petfinder.org" through a family that could no longer keep her (at 11 months old!) She's been with us ever since.

 

She has been through clicker training and obedience training and is a very smart dog. Shes excellent with my 11 month old son (they're practically best friends!). I would like to train her in herding and agility as I'm sure she'd love it...

 

She does have a few problems with her skin though... Allergies to something, we keep giving her flea dips at the vet yet every year in the spring she eats away at her back. Right now she's actually dug into it so deep that she has a leision on that spot. We try hard to keep her from eating away at it, but short of a collar we can't guarantee she will not eat at it.

 

- Ashley

[shatchp]

Food allergies is a good guess....what are you feeding? Kibble with corn ingredients is notorious for causing skin irritation...at least where I come from.

 

If you're asking, you can get some good dietary advice here. I'm sold on a raw diet for my dogs...but there's lots of variation in how folks here feed.

 

Welcome! Got any photos of Maddy to share?

[OurBoys]

I know exactly what you are going thru! Our JJ was so bad we use to have him on allergy pills. After doing my research, I switched him to a high protein, low carb kibble (EVO RF) and high omega 3 diet. He gets 1000 IU of flaxseed oil twice a day. A lot of people on the boards prefer fish oil and vit e.

 

When Jake developed a yeast infection in his ear, the vet said it was a secondary sign of allergies. By adding a little non-fat, plain yogurt to his diet, he has yet to get another ear infection.

[Kayleegator]

I remember going through that with my Collie, Lucy. Poor Lucy was so allergic she worried her back into a big black scab. I flea dipped her over and over and defleaed everything in sight, and did my best to eliminate all corn from her diet, which I think did help, but wasn't the whole problem.

 

What made a BIG difference in regrowing the hair on her back was adding Lipiderm to her food. Here's one resource: http://www.1800petmeds.com/pselect.asp?LV=...amp;PG=Lipiderm

 

I could write one of those glowing customer reviews: I've recommended it to others it has helped, too. Good luck!

[WyoBC]

Welcome. What kind of food to you feed Maddy? The brand of food like Shatchp said can sometimes give them skin problems. I would start there.

 

Pictures are always welcome too

[NorthfieldNick]

It may be beneficial to actually have Maddy allergy tested. It's just like they do for people- all the little dots on the belly. Don't assume that she's allergic to a"normal" allergen like corn.

 

Case in point, Lu, my mutt-dog, is allergic to everything under the sune EXCEPT corn, wheat, rice... all those things that usually bother dogs. She can't eat soy, eggs, dairy, beef, pork... the list goes on. She's been tested TWICE. Her hair falls out & she gets big sores from eating these foods. She (well, bot hdogs) eat a half-raw diet, and they both look great!

 

Good Luck! Many folks here have been through the what-do-I-feed-my-dog rigamarole!

[Maddy's Mommy]

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words... I have never thought about food allergies doing that with her skin. Right now we feed her "The Goodlife reciepie" mixed with Kibbles-n-bits. Once a week we will give her egg whites for her coat (which is beautiful other than that darn "hot spot")

 

Here is a link to my son and Maddy playing ball together: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=...ideoid=18492362

 

 

 

 

 

< this is an older picture with my Dalmatian (rip Indy, 2005)

[OffTopic]

I had a keeshond years ago who had one spot she'd bite until it was raw. I took her to vet after vet after vet. They kept saying allergies, but couldn't find what she was allergic to. They'd speculate flea allergy, food allergy, grass allergy, but couldn't find anything no matter how many tests they'd run. So they'd just shoot her with predisone, tell me to dose her with benadryl, change her diet and send me on my way. This went on for years.

Then I moved to a different city....so I had to find a new vet. This guy took one quick look at Loki's sore spot and said "staph infection". He gave her a shot of antibiotics and a 2 week prescription. Within 3 days the area cleared up and she never had a problem with it again.

I loved that vet. So did half the city. Unfortunately for our pets, he decided to go back to school and study human medicine.

 

Not saying that's Maddy's problem, but keep it in the back of your mind if nothing else works.

I have a keeshond now that has corn and soy allergies, so I feed a premium food (Blackwood 3000) that has no corn or soy. It's made a huge difference in his skin and fur.

Good luck! Maddy is a beauty!

[jamesqf]

I know just how Maddie feels. I've had a similar problem with itching on my forearms. In my case, it seems to be triggered by too much sun exposure. I use a really strong sunscreen now, and seldom have the problem. I don't know if there''s a sunscreen for dogs, or even whether sun would make it down to the skin.

 

Also, I've found that hand lotion with cocoa butter helps relieve the itch.

[WyoBC]

From looking at it the "Good Life" food isn't very good. IMO. I would go with something better like "Chicken Soup for the dog lovers soul" or Exclusive brand.

[Ceredwyn]

Our Girlfriend turned out to be allergic to certain wild grasses -- not something we could easily get her away from -- but she was once diagnosed with a secondary bacterial infection after worrying the itch to death. As has already been said, testing is the only way to know for sure. And there WAS relief to be had; in our case it was allergy meds, topical itch relief, and tincture of time.

[Maddy's Mommy]

Well, our vet had said it was flea allergies and gave us steriods to put her on for the past 2 years... She really bulked up and now she's huge... I am just wondering if that really is the case.

[Ceredwyn]

Well, our vet had said it was flea allergies and gave us steriods to put her on for the past 2 years... She really bulked up and now she's huge... I am just wondering if that really is the case.

 

Vet #1 gave Girlfriend steroids. Controlled the symptoms. But they came back.

 

Vet #2 gave her Keflex. Seemed to be the answer one year - the year of the diagnosed superimposed infection.

 

Vet #3 said Benedryl and "Cut Heal" (which we get from MFA and smells kinda turpentine-y). Worked the longest. The stinky stuff cleared up the scabs in no time. But our dogs with more sensitive skin (run around the house for an hour on their backs after Frontline) would never have been able to tolerate the Cut Heal. She had very little scab time this summer. But she also had an undiagnosed cancer going on, so...

 

I'm a little leery of long-term steroids. I do hospital transcription (great for producing hypochondria) and even the folks with big-time COPD exacerbations are weaned down with steroids as quickly as possible. But I am NOT a medical professional, and certainly not a veterinary professional. You might want a second vet's opinion.

[IronHorse]

Welcome to the Boards.

I would give Emu oil a try,it sure won't hurt and it could possibly clear her skin condition up in a short period.

I swear by the stuff

you can give it in gel caps,but I just use 100% Emu oil as a dietary supplement.

[Bo Peep]

Emu oil is great. I've used it on myself. A little spendy, but well worth it.

[OffTopic]

This is just my non medical opinion, but if she's been on steriods for 2 years and it's not working? I'd be looking for a different treatment* and different opinion as to the cause of the problem.

 

*If she's on prednisone and you decide to stop treatment, make sure you ask your vet first and see if he wants you to taper her off of them. I know with humans it's necessary to taper off the drug since prednisone suppresses the adrenal glands. I would assume the same with dogs, but don't know for certain.

[Maddy's Mommy]

This is just my non medical opinion, but if she's been on steriods for 2 years and it's not working? I'd be looking for a different treatment* and different opinion as to the cause of the problem.

 

*If she's on prednisone and you decide to stop treatment, make sure you ask your vet first and see if he wants you to taper her off of them. I know with humans it's necessary to taper off the drug since prednisone suppresses the adrenal glands. I would assume the same with dogs, but don't know for certain.

 

Yep, that is exactly what she was on. Our vet told us to only use it in the spring time when it's the worse.... I just don't see it helping her. She itches like crazy like there are tons of fleas on her, but we've never seen (or caught) a flea on her since we've had her.

 

I will try your guys' suggestions though, they seem reasonable.

 

Other than her itching problem she's a wonderful, loving, and loyal companion. In fact, we're looking for another BC next year to keep her even more entertained (I know that when my Dalmatian died she stopped being as active and she actually started moping around the house.. So I think she's kind of lonely without another dog companion.)

 

I would love to try her at hearding, but there is no one that I know around here with a farm that has animals. She's done agility a couple summers ago with the 4-H kids, but it's been about a year since she's been around any type of agility course. She loves to swim, though, so we take her to the beach about 4 times a week in the summer and let her have a ball.

 

I still think she's obese for what she is, but it might be because of the steriods the doctor was giving her. She just bulked up after taking them and has never lost the weight yet.

[hoku's mum]

Try putting her on a high quality food that is a single source carbohydrate, with single source protein, such as fish and sweet potato, no corn or wheat. And cut the amount back a tiny bit, and up her exersize so she can drop some weight. She sure is a cute girl!