AboutDelores Beck Expertise Health, nutrition, and training issues.
NOTICE: I NO LONGER RECOMMEND CANIDAE DOG FOOD. DUE TO A CHANGE IN FORMULA AND MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, DOGS ARE GETTING SICK ON THIS BRAND.
Question Dear Delores,
My Cocker Spaniel,Nemo is 5 and a half yrs old and is having skin problems.and By this i mean that he is losing his hair in certain places,like on his tail and belly and his skin is very dry.Also he continuously scratches himself and due to this,his skin becomes red where he has scratched it.I've taken him to a vet and had a blood test done and the results are all ok indicating that there's nothing wrong internally.Also nemo is a typically sewwt natured dog,Healthy otherwise,active and friendly to everyone.What do you recommend for the skin problem?
Answer I have some questions, Jonathan.
Is that all your vet did? If so, you need a new vet. He should have taken a few skin cells by either using a piece of tape or a small scrape of Nemo's skin and then analyzed it to see if this is bacteria or yeast.
When you say his skin is dry - is it flaky? (Like dandruff).
Does his skin have any odor?
What are you feeding him?
What do you use for flea control?
What is the climate where you live?
How long has this been going on?
Does he scratch everywhere or just in particular spots?
Does he have ear problems?
One thing you can do immediately is to give Nemo a bath using a gentle oatmeal based or neem oil based dog shampoo. The most important thing is to rinse him extremely well and it's best if you have a hand-held shower attachment. When you think you've rinsed enough - rinse 10 more times in tepid water.
Then give him an oatmeal soak. You buy Aveeno - it comes in a box with packets of powder (pure colloidal oatmeal)and you fill the tub with tepid water, mix a packet in and keep him in it for 10 minutes.
I know Target carries a generic version - but the label should say "100% colloidal oatmeal".
The bath and soak will alleviate the itching and give Neemo some comfort. Do not rinse after the oatmeal soak.
If you'll answer my other questions I can help more.
It may sound counter-productive to bath when his skin is dry, but it's not.
Delores
