Hi,

I'm new and after reading some of the posts here, I'm hoping that someone can help give me some advice with my dog!!

I have a staffie bitch who is now 4.5 years old, who has always been in great health. Last October, I noticed that she had a nasty looking red bumpy rash around her vagina, which were red and raised and crusty, but didn't seem to cause her any pain/itching etc, but because of where I was, I thought she had peed in nettles etc. After some washing, savlon etc, it went away, but re-occurred under her armpit after one morning she was very hot and was being sick (just bile) - the vet said she had a skin yeast infection, she was given an anti-emetic, anti-biotics and a steroid jab and it all went away. A month or so later, she started getting what looked like a heat rash on her belly (she's brindle with a white belly) which was pimple, but not oozing, pus-filled or scabby - just very raised? It went down after a couple of hours, but it kept coming and going and she then developed a bumpy back from neck to tail - but not red, just raised?? she has an odd moth-eaten look as well down her mane, and very dry skin as well. Before all of this, she was allergy tested and she's very allergic to a lot of foods and grass (chicken, egg, tomato, carrot, soya, oats as well as rag weed, house mites, cockroaches (don't have them!!) - however, a lot of natural diets and those in the Hills range have either tomato or egg in them. Anyhow, I found Wainwrights, and although she has been fussy, she scoffs it down every day now and it contains (or so it says) no soya, dairy, mixed meats etc and has min 60% whole meat. It does have 5% chicken liver, but her test for chicken was borderline so it should be ok. She has been to and from the vets for thyroid tests, been on anti-biotics for 3 months, steroid jabs - we've changed washing poweder to ultra sensative non-perfume, non-biological washing powder and her blanket is hotwashed with just that (no fab conditioner) as often as possible to get all the dander and dust out of it, but the vet is now baffled. She wants her on an exclusion diet, but the problem is they all have something in which her tests contraindicated. She's been dewormed, deflead, de-mited, had blood tests. The main problem is that she does not itch at all, and it doesn't irritate her at all, and it keeps coming and going! sometimes, little bumps on her head, and tonight the big red rash on her belly and the hot, bumps from her neck to tail - and I know when I wake up, it will have gone away! But then it will return at a random point. I'm baffled - I'd sell my soul to pay for more extensive tests, the costs so far have mounted into the £1000s but I can't  do it anymore, yet I am really getting down at the fact I might be exposing my lil girl to something which is really irritating her.

I've not changed washing powder, floor cleaner etc, it's all as it always has been. I moved from London to Buckinghamshire, which is a bit more rural, but this started approx 7 months after moving, she was fine all through Spring and Summer.

I'm adding sunflower oil to her food because she has become really, REALLY flaky at the moment, that doesn't seem to be helping - I'm bathing her in Sebocalm, used to use coatex and occasionally malaseb - although i'm happy with the vet, I can't help feeling like I am propping up her surgery with my account(!) and sometimes, it's those who have experience of animals who give the best advice!!! Thank you from me and my girl in advance!!

Have you thought of trying a raw meaty bones diet  ? many dogs lose allergy problems/itchy skin when fed this way.

I've heard about the raw diet, i'm so way about it purely because she is such a fussy eater (yet no problem with human food!) and it's taken nearly 5 years to find a food she will go and eat as soon as it's down and loves!! although the food is the only constant, i have trouble considering that her food is as problem after all this time, but i know it could be a factor, although she only has either turkey or lamb dinners at the moment, all of her other treats have been removed (she's gained a bit of weight over the winter) for the last couple of months. She can go a week or two with having no skin complaints, it just arrives, stays for a bit then goes again - i would have thought diet would mean it was much more frequent than every week for a day or two??? but could be wrong, exclusion is the next step!! she also has a very sensative stomach which has calmed down so much since wainwrights, hardly every gets upset but then the wainwrights has virtually nothing she has tested positive for on the allergy side! without sounding stupid, where do i start on the raw diet, and how do i give it to her?

How do you do an exclusion diet if you are feeding complete or am i being stupiod. If you want to go raw meaty bones there is lots of info on here try searching on raw. I started with chichen wings then added all different types of meat and bones. I will pm you with a good website and if you goolge rmb you will find others. You don't have to include fruit/veg or carbs if they dont agree with your dog. RMB  is slightly different to barf which does include these and carbs too. Raw doesn't suit all dogs but is good for a lot of them and has resolved alot of problems for others.