Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/11/2009

Question
Please help: my sheltie is exhibiting dry, itchy, scaly,and bumpy patches all over his body. This all started two months ago. He is showing no sign of hair loss and has not appeared in his ear or around his face. He also has a lump under his right axilla. I took him to the doctor and to no avail. She didn't care, gave him rimadol and did nothing. I love him so much and it is so hard to see him go through such uncomfortability.  

Answer
If these patches are bumpy, then I would first think of a bacterial infection in the skin. He may need 2-3 weeks of an antibiotic. Most infections in the dog are secondary to allergies. He may need a short course of some steroids to stop the itching.  A good omega 3 fatty acid dietary supplement may help stop so much flaking.  Abd baths with special shampoos to remove dead skin scale would be needed.