Expert: Silva Mirovics - 12/13/2008

Question
Hi i my pit baby is 6 mo old and for the last month he has been itching and scratching and chewing his skin he is now losing patches of fur and now has horrid red raised bumps in patches down his leg. we love him dearly it troubling bc we also have a 5mo old baby. He eats 2x a day purina one advanced we also bath him every 2 weeks. he chews on eveything in the house and will eat anything from a piece of paper to odd things like pens or screws anything he can find and he is secretive about it. We love him dearly and will do anything, i am actually traines with animals and worked as a animal caretaker at a regional pet store, people came to me for there pet qs n as. i believe him to have a bacterial skin infection, no ear problems as i clean them after every bath. I hates vets and would love to do this wo takin him to one. please help us i will do anything for him, thank you for your time.  Angela

Answer
HI Angela
Firstly - the chewing and eating of everything is probably due to him being a puppy - that's what puppies do!
He will grow out of this stage.
However, the eating of everything can also be a nutritional deficiency.  
Commercial pet foods, no matter how top quality they are, are known to cause skin problems in dogs.  He may also be lacking in nutrients from this food.  I would take him off the dry and tinned foods and feed ONLY raw meats and finely chopped or grated veggies.  And a bone twice per week as well to keep teeth in good condition.  There is a company called BARF - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food - they make raw patties that contain all necessary nutrients and are a complete meal.  http://www.barfworld.com
Getting him onto the BARF will improve his skin and coat substantially.  Also, adding flax-seed oil (approx 1 teaspoon) daily to meals will help.
Without seeing him I would suspect that he either has mange or hotspots.  
I would certainly NOT wash him that regularly.  Really dogs should not be washed more than once per month, and even that can be too drying for their coats causing skin irritations.  If he is eating a raw and natural diet he will NOT smell and you will find that washing him once every couple of months is plenty.
If you are able to access Australian Bush Flower Essences then get some Mulla Mulla (not "tall Mulla Mulla") and Green Essence and put a drop on each sore/patch three times per day until you finish the bottles.  You may need to try a second round.
Start out with these changes and you should notice some great results.  Do keep in touch if you are needing further assistance.
Many thanks,
Silva.
www.roxysworld.com.au