Our dog has dry skin - any advice?

C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
Our black lab has a patch of dry skin on his side and his fur is very thin there. Otherwise, his coat is really thick, shiny and soft. Does anyone know what could be causing this? We've tried conditioning shampoo but it didn't help. He isn't scratching at it so it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I'm wondering if we should make an appointment with the vet now. His last visit was in October. TIA.
 
J

jp2854

Guest
I would take him to the vet to make sure it really isn't dry skin it could be something else you know.
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
jp2854 said:
I would take him to the vet to make sure it really isn't dry skin it could be something else you know.
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Yeah, that was our concern - what if it's a sign of something more serious than just dry skin? My hubby and I went to Mexico for a few days about a month ago and left Jake at a local kennel. I don't know if that had anything to do with this but we noticed his fur thining there a few days later.
 
DEEKAYPEE8569

DEEKAYPEE8569

Well-Known Member
I'm not a Vet, but it sounds like Puppy Dog could have the beginning stages of mange or some other degree of dermatitis; or is it possible he got into something; perhaps a cleanser of some type?

CalvertNewbie said:
Our black lab has a patch of dry skin on his side and his fur is very thin there. Otherwise, his coat is really thick, shiny and soft. Does anyone know what could be causing this? We've tried conditioning shampoo but it didn't help. He isn't scratching at it so it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I'm wondering if we should make an appointment with the vet now. His last visit was in October. TIA.
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C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
cattitude said:
Dogs should NOT eat raw eggs.

Make sure you are feeding a quality dog food and give them a fish oil capsule daily. :yay:
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We feed him IAMS and he doesn't eat table scraps (exept for an occasional pizza crust). The fish oil makes sense. I'll give it a try, thanks!
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
DEEKAYPEE8569 said:
I'm not a Vet, but it sounds like Puppy Dog could have the beginning stages of mange or some other degree of dermatitis; or is it possible he got into something; perhaps a cleanser of some type?
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Not here but I can't know for sure if he did at the kennel. The dogs there roam freely in a large fenced area and have access to a barn to sleep in. I doubt they would keep anything around that the dogs could get into but who knows?

We decided that we need to find a pet sitter anyway. I'd feel more comfortable having him in his own house if we need to leave town. Then I'll know for certain that he didn't eat anything he wasn't supposed to.
 
Cowgirl

Cowgirl

Well-Known Member
CalvertNewbie said:
Hmmm. Not here but I can't know for sure if he did at the kennel. The dogs there roam freely in a large fenced area and have access to a barn to sleep in. I doubt they would keep anything around that the dogs could get into but who knows?

We decided that we need to find a pet sitter anyway. I'd feel more comfortable having him in his own house if we need to leave town. Then I'll know for certain that he didn't eat anything he wasn't supposed to.
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Sleeping in a barn? :lol: Where in the world did you board him?
 
dawn

dawn

Well-Known Member
CalvertNewbie said:
Our black lab has a patch of dry skin on his side and his fur is very thin there. Otherwise, his coat is really thick, shiny and soft. Does anyone know what could be causing this? We've tried conditioning shampoo but it didn't help. He isn't scratching at it so it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I'm wondering if we should make an appointment with the vet now. His last visit was in October. TIA.
Click to expand...

I have a black lab also, and usually his coat is pretty full and for the most part shinny, (depends if he makes it to the creek) and about five years ago, (he is almost 11 now) he started to get a little bald in certain areas, the vet said they thought he was allergic to flea salvia he didnt have any fleas on him, but played with my neighbors dog and at that time she must have had some (I gave her front line same time as I gave it to my dog after that). They gave him I think was a steroid pill called Prednisone and an antibiotic called Cephleixn and within days his hair started coming back and he was looking like new!

Good Luck
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
Cowgirl said:
Sleeping in a barn? :lol: Where in the world did you board him?
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:lmao: It does sound kind of strange, doesn't it? It was on a farm. The barn had dog houses inside it and the weather was warm. The horses were obviously in a separate area. It was so funny watching my dog see them for the first time, he had never seen anything so big! A friend of ours always uses this place for doggie daycare and when she goes out of town. I took him there for a trial to see if it would work out. He loved it and was great with the other dogs. The staff is great. Our dog is really energetic (still a puppy) and they wore him out!
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
dawn said:
I have a black lab also, and usually his coat is pretty full and for the most part shinny, (depends if he makes it to the creek) and about five years ago, (he is almost 11 now) he started to get a little bald in certain areas, the vet said they thought he was allergic to flea salvia he didnt have any fleas on him, but played with my neighbors dog and at that time she must have had some (I gave her front line same time as I gave it to my dog after that). They gave him I think was a steroid pill called Prednisone and an antibiotic called Cephleixn and within days his hair started coming back and he was looking like new!

Good Luck
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The timing would make sense - there were about 5 other dogs there with him. The owner of the farm has 3 and there were 2 others. I just made an appt with the vet for tomorrow.
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
CalvertNewbie said:
The timing would make sense - there were about 5 other dogs there with him. The owner of the farm has 3 and there were 2 others. I just made an appt with the vet for tomorrow.
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I'd be very careful...

Unnecessary steroids (prednisone) and antibiotics can cause more harm than good.
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
dawn said:
:yeahthat:

Very true, they did strictly regulate the steroids, they said that it was bad for his I think liver.
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It messes with their immune system, which can cause more skin problems, etc.

If he's not itching it, I wouldn't worry about it. Give it a few weeks. If it looks raw put some Gold Bond medicated power on it..that is GREAT for hot spots. Dogs can get hot spots this time of year when trying to shed out their coats. It's good to brush them to remove excess hair.
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
cattitude said:
I'd be very careful...

Unnecessary steroids (prednisone) and antibiotics can cause more harm than good.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info. I'll definately express my concern to the vet. The last thing I'd want is to give Jake any issues that he doesn't have now. I'm also gonna pick up the fish oil caps for him. I now remember my Dad giving them to our old dog when I was a kid.
 
cattitude

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
DAMCAM said:
And may I ask why you feel dogs should not eat raw eggs?
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Well, raw eggs can contain salmonella for one thing. Also, there's an enzyme in raw eggs, avidin. It intereferes with dogs' absorption of biotin which can lead to problems with the skin and coat.
 
C

CalvertNewbie

Guest
cattitude said:
It messes with their immune system, which can cause more skin problems, etc.

If he's not itching it, I wouldn't worry about it. Give it a few weeks. If it looks raw put some Gold Bond medicated power on it..that is GREAT for hot spots. Dogs can get hot spots this time of year when trying to shed out their coats. It's good to brush them to remove excess hair.
Click to expand...

Yeah, we brush him pretty frequently. He's not scratching at it at all so it just looks dry and a little scaley. I haven't had a dog in many years so I don't remember hot spots at this time of year. He is starting to shed more (love having to vacuum 3 times a week because his black fur is everywhere!)
 
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