Expert: Delores Beck - 1/16/2009

Question
I have a Cocker/Springer Spaniel mix that seems to have some sort of skin
condition. My family aquired him about 5 years ago from a family we had met
through my school. When we first got him he was about 4 years old and
seemed in perfect health! Beautiful coat! Well after about a year or so he
developed a strange skin irritation.... he was itching all the time, was losing
hair and had a bad oder. We started bathing him alot more but it didn't seem
to help. I feel like we have tried everything! I heard about Vitamin A
Responsive Dermatosis. What is this and could this possibly be whats wrong
with my dog?

Thanks for your time!


Answer
I need some more information.

Has a vet been consulted?
What does his actual skin look like?  
What shampoo have you been using?

If this is a yeast or bacterial infection he'll need a medicated shampoo.

What are you feeding him and where do you live?
What flea/heartworm product is he on?
Has he gained or lost weight?

And no, Vitamin A won't help without ruling out other things. But I'd strongly suggest you get your vet to run a thyroid test.  But first ask where they send it for analysis.  The right answer is Michigan State.

Your vet should look at his skin with a "black light" and then use some plain tape to collect some cells from his skin to determine exactly what it is.  I suspect it's yeast.  

Whether it's yeast or bacteria, he may well need an antibiotic if there's infection and a medicated shampoo you'll have to leave on for 10 minutes and bath him every 3 days for a short time to really kill it all off.
Delores