Skin Problems!

[MarissaV]

Hello all!

Here's another skin problem thread! Hopefully y'all can help me out and point me in the right direction! My boy Sonny is 3 years old and he's always had skin issues, mostly little crusties that never seem to bother him and were just unsightly. We had previously done some testing (mites, mange, etc.) and all came out negative. So we just assumed it was seasonal allergies. Out of nowhere, a few months ago, a patch on his side started losing some hair and continued to grow in size. I got recommended a zinc supplement (Boreal Nutraceuticals) to add to his food for his immune system. He's been on it for about 3 weeks now and I can baaaaarely see a few tiny hairs starting to sprout. He still gets these little crusty scabs (staph, maybe?) mostly on his legs and sometimes his belly. They don't seem to make him itch or anything, but the scabs do come off (as you can see in the pictures) when he rubs himself on the carpet when he's doing his yoga stretches lol He is currently on Acana Single - Lamb and Apple. Any ideas? Switching foods? Should I continue with the zinc supplement? I'm thinking about taking him to the vet, maybe some antibiotics will help. I just wanted to get y'all's opinions on the issues! Thanks!!

 

[2bullymama]

Hello all!

Here's another skin problem thread! Hopefully y'all can help me out and point me in the right direction! My boy Sonny is 3 years old and he's always had skin issues, mostly little crusties that never seem to bother him and were just unsightly. We had previously done some testing (mites, mange, etc.) and all came out negative. So we just assumed it was seasonal allergies. Out of nowhere, a few months ago, a patch on his side started losing some hair and continued to grow in size. I got recommended a zinc supplement (Boreal Nutraceuticals) to add to his food for his immune system. He's been on it for about 3 weeks now and I can baaaaarely see a few tiny hairs starting to sprout. He still gets these little crusty scabs (staph, maybe?) mostly on his legs and sometimes his belly. They don't seem to make him itch or anything, but the scabs do come off (as you can see in the pictures) when he rubs himself on the carpet when he's doing his yoga stretches lol He is currently on Acana Single - Lamb and Apple. Any ideas? Switching foods? Should I continue with the zinc supplement? I'm thinking about taking him to the vet, maybe some antibiotics will help. I just wanted to get y'all's opinions on the issues! Thanks!!

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This could be staph or a bacterial infection, I’d have a vet check to rule out


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[Cbrugs]

I agree, take to vet to rule out staph. But has he always been on lamb or do you switch proteins? Jax has an allergic reaction to turkey one time and he broke out in sores all over his inner legs. He also does not do well with lamb. Also add in a good probiotic if you are not already.


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[MarissaV]

He’s previously been on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison then we switched to Primal Pronto Turkey & Sardine. I’m pretty sure he still had some issues with both of those foods, just nothing as severe as his side patch with the hair loss. Which probiotic would you recommend?

 

[Cbrugs]

He’s previously been on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison then we switched to Primal Pronto Turkey & Sardine. I’m pretty sure he still had some issues with both of those foods, just nothing as severe as his side patch with the hair loss. Which probiotic would you recommend?

I rotate between fresh refrigerated sauerkraut and raw goats milk. Kefir is also an option. I used to use Bene-Bac Plus (I think that’s the name) which is a powder.


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[2bullymama]

I go between raw goats milk and sauerkraut


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[Honeys Owners]

I'd recommend switch to frozen raw dog food in case he has food allergies. Start with a low allergy protein like duck, and try to get Prey model which just has muscle,bone and organs, no other ingredients. If he does well you can switch to a more complete frozen raw meal later. Cheapest would be to get from a local company near where you live, otherwise there are a lot of good national brands such as Answers.

i wouldn't supplement with zinc more than 2 months since it can cause copper deficiency.

As mentioned, you can get probiotics from natural sources such as fermented foods like live sauerkraut from refrigerator section of health food store ( or make your own ) , milk kefir, plain live culture yoghurt, or raw goats milk. You can also buy commercial dog probiotics such as Probiotic Mirable, Proviable DC.

As mentioned you might need oral antibiotics in an extended course to get rid of it. A 3-4 week course of cephalexin, 22-30mg/kg every 12 hours is the most common therapy.