Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 7/8/2005

Question
We have a 9 year old cocker spaniel the is losing his hair in spots all over his body.  Some places are as large as your hand. Our Vet has tested for Cushings, thyroid and diabetes. All normal,
She believes it to be from yeast. He was given
ketoconazole, yesterday to try for 2 weeks.  He is also taking anipryl.
He scratches a lot and is taking hydroxyzine about 3-4 times a day.  he also takes Derm Caps ES.  He is having a strong odor about him.  

Answer
If the therapy does not seem to help, ask your vet to do a skin biopsy to see just what the skin disease is. Cockers are prone to a disease called Idiopathic Seborrhea, which will present just the way you described it.  There are patchy plaques of greasy skin where there is no hair.  These are often infected with both bacteria and yeasts.  Bathing with a shampoo that has antibacterial and anti-yeast activity may alos help.  The dog may need steroids to calm down the itching.  Hydroxazine will not help. It will just make the dog sleepy. Sometimes, in hard to manage cases of idiopathic seborrhea, we will use a human anti-acne medication called Accutane.