Hello Im new here, But Im desperate to find answers to what may be wrong with my 51/2 yr old boy Oscar, he has always had allergy problems rashes over his underside hes been treated the last couple of summers with low dose of steroids daily which keeps it under control very well until he started going bald, last week he was tested for cushings the vets never really explained exactly what the result meant she said he doesnt have any tumours, which she only told me when I dropped him off was what generally caused cushings!? So I asked so does he have cushings? She said the test is only 95% acurate? Dont know what that meant really but I personally dont think its cushings, esp as Ive now noticed that he has rashes everywhere he is scratching spots look quite red in places usually his tummy and back of his back legs but in other places he has been scratching and losing hair there are occasional dry looking spots that actually look more like warts? They're only small he has had one recurring one on his elbow which is on a site that he had radiation treatment on last year for a spindle cell sarcoma, which I had treated even though it was only an intermediate tumour but as he also has hip problems I couldnt risk him losing his leg if it came back. Has anyone else ever seen similar spots on their dogs? Any ideas? He is going in again on the 4/3 for a general to have biopsies taken, they said of hair follicle? But i only noticed wart type things over the last 36 hrs! He goes to the pdsa who for all the good they do are ruled by cost, but also they either dont explain stuff properly you cant just fone for advice, and they do treat you like youre stupid ie not explaining stuff properly, like you should shut up and be grateful I feel bad criticizing but I love my boy as much as anyone else on this site and obviously want the best for him! He is insured because of his hips but I cannot afford the £30 appointment just to see the vet has anyone any advice please? Ive tried evening primrose, cod liver oil, aloe vera more recently Ive changed him to a raw diet also that yumega oil. He has such a thin coat now im begining to worry ill get reported to rspca or something because it looks so bad :'(
Re: Itchy skin What a worry for you, sorry Im not much help, but just wanted to offer sympathy, I go to the pdsa to, they are probably a bit more basic in there treatment arent they. Just thought you could look at this site Dr Dobias, a vet in canada who specialises in natural holistic vetinary care, look at the stuff about allergies, it might give you some information. This is a lovely forum, and Im sure someone can give you more help than I can, take care, Maggie x
Re: Itchy skin Hello, and welcome to this lovely forum from me and my boy Charlie. It's a bit difficult to answer your question about what might be wrong with Oscar. And it's even more difficult to suggest what you might do if your access to a vet you trust is limited. Although, access to vets is not limited for me - arguably I have too many : - and I'm still often not satisfied with the explanations and care (I suspect I'm labelled as "tricky customer" on the file though : )! If you don't have access to information from a vet, all I can suggest is that you ask as many questions as are acceptable of the vets you do have access to (I write mine down, in advance, and work hard to make sure they are focused and relevant) and then research. Try to stick to recognised sources (rather than anything google throws up) and maybe try to check your conclusions with a vet before deciding what to so. Best of luck with finding a solution.
Re: Itchy skin Hi Sharon,,I can tell you are very worried and love your Oscar very much .I can't help you as Dexter is our first dog so I dont to have any experience of what you are experiencing but we have just had a recent Cushings diagnosis on the Forum....I think it was Meg....I'll have a look and see if I can find the thread for you. Julie's advice is spot on,if you feel rushed at the vets or that they aren't explaining properly making a list of questions is a really gold idea.could you take a friend next time maybe?someone else who is listening to what is said or who may ask something you don't think about at the time? Let me go and see if I can find the Cushings discussion Best wishes Angela x
Re: Itchy skin http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=4219.0 Here you go,think this will work ...if not have a look in Labrador Health 27th January Cushings Disease by Lablover ,something in there may help x
Re: Itchy skin My dog had spots on his belly and legs when much younger and we treated that by washing in diluted Hibiscrub and putting Sudocrem on it. I think your dog has a more severe problem but it might be worth a go. My dog also (he is 2 now) has thin hair down his inner legs, looks dry and moth eaten and lost a lot of hair on his stomach. For this I had 2 months of Advocate just in case it was fox mange, it wasn't and Effavet supplement for his skin. Does your dog swim in a pond or pool? Yesterday I met a girl whose dog had had similar symptoms and she had been to vet and many treatments were discussed which she really didn't want to put her dog on; she discovered it was all due to a pond that her dog swam in and as soon as he stopped doing that, the dog's skin recovered. Interesting that my dog swims in the same pool, so I am going to stop that now and hope his skin recovers. It is so difficult having a dog with skin problems, I do hope the problem can be resolved eventually. I am only 'offering a hand in the dark' as I do understand how you feel.
Re: Itchy skin Hi Sharon. Welcome to the forum. Sorry you are so worried about your dog though. I think it is so difficult diagnosing skin problems even when you see them in the flesh so to speak. We have quite a few skin issues come up on here and I don't think collectively we have come up with any great solutions. Apart from maybe field lice/mites or harvest mites being implicated in a couple of dogs I don't think we have helped. I would reckon your best bet is to get good vet advice. And rather than spending lots of little bit of money on unsuccessful tests and treatments maybe you need to bite the bullet and think about seeing an expert veterinary dermatologist. Or at least exploring how much this might cost and whether it would be covered by your insurance. At the end of the day you want to do what's best. Wishing you luck with this one. X
Re: Itchy skin Thank you all for your kind wishes and advice. Luckily the pdsa dont charge for the many tests theyve been doing I have decided to ask for a refferal to the vccr who did his radiation treatment, itll cost me £200 for initial consultation, but Oscar loves it there!?! He pulls me in the door they were amazing when he stayed there for 3 weeks for his treatment and its a hospital and manned all the time with top vets etc if I get nowhere It has also been suggested I could try an holistic vet? But i dont know of any so Ill have to search a good one down? Any ideas for one in south east? Im not sure if vet insurance companies cover it? But again i will find out. My poor boy has been frantic this evening so he has been basted in olive oil to moisten his skin its calmed him down and he is sleeping now. He hasnt been swimming since the summer his coat is too thin hed freeze brrr and we dont walk that often at the moment due to my illnesses i had read the whole of the cushings posts before I posted. Thanks again for all your concern and advice Sharon & oscar A quick update Ive found a specialist dermatologist for Oscar and she works in several different practices all over the south east one only a few miles away so Ive managed to get appointment for pdsa tomorrow so Ill get referral tomorrow but I noticed a case study with a picture of a dog with the same wart like lesions and its called sterile pyogranulomatous dermatitis, so thats what Ill talk to pdsa about tomorrow! possibly may have been caused by a wormer which I did change 6 months ago, i never even considered it?
Re: Itchy skin If you decide to go down the route of a holistic vet I can recommend my friend Vicky Payne, she is based in East Sussex. This is the link. http://holisticvetsussex.co.uk/the-practice/ Her website is also full of good articles.
Re: Itchy skin Ive seen the dermatology specialist vet and he has extensive bacterial infection on his skin that has basically caused by allergies, she told me the anti biotics hed been given by the pdsa most dogs become not imune but basically they no longer work, cant think of the word? But also because hes been on steroids alot that also lowers his resistance to infection! So he is now on different antibiotics and decent ear drops, as they were also infected, when his skin has cleared the infection, she will do allergy tests and make him up a vaccine to help him not react so much to the allergies. I feel so dreadful that basically the level of treatment he was getting was just making him worse! But he is getting the best care now bless him, he is still scratching but he certainly seems alot happier. Thanks again for all your support on here it has been much appreciated
Re: Itchy skin Really good news, so glad you have found the problem and that your boy is feeling less itchy!
