My 8 year old westie has had some Serious skin problems spread over the last 2 to 3 years . After a long spell on steroids and on and off with antibiotics our vet suggested trying Atopica . She has been taking it now for 8 weeks and her hair has come back lovely and she looks like her old self, but I have noticed  that while her fur has returned the scabby skin is still there . She has regular malaseb baths but it doesn't seem to have had an impact. The vet has put her on antibiotics for the next month to see if it will clear up what she thinks is a skin infection. The vet tested her for demedex ? Mites but was all clear. The biggest problem we have is the smell off her, it has been like it for a few weeks now and even though she has been on antibiotics for the past 2 weeks the smell is really bad.  Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated .

Sorry to hear about your poor girls skin problem. You could try bathing her with Polytar shampoo,it's for people but I know many people that have used it for their dogs with good results. I've used it on a couple of my dogs in the past (one for flea allergy,one for hot spots) and it does help soothe the skin. If you google it you will find lots of info on it. It will help get rid of all the scabby scaly bits and help reduce the itching. It smells nice as well,like coal tar soap. Good luck.

You could try this shampoo.  It's great for scabby skins, and really smells fresh and clean.

http://www.hiltonherbs.com/products/coal-tar-neem-tea-tree-shampoo/81

Thank you for the replies . I will get some for her. At this stage all help is appreciated .

Diet can play a large part in Westie skin problems.  What do you feed?

Has she had all thyroid tests done?  If not previously recently also.

Meg is fed on Eukanuba dermatosis , recommended by our vet . Meg has been on this for a approx 5 months . Also she has never been tested for thyroid problems . We just can not understand this smell . Today I bathed her in malaseb and you can smell it straight away . She doesn't seem uncomfortable and is not scratching herself but something is not right. The vet has only one other dog on Atopica so is new to side effects , reactions etc to Atopica. We feel it's unfair to her to be taking a drug that may not be working and the continue use of antibiotics is not ideal . She is going for another check up as her tablets are nearly out and we continue to look for answers . I've cried buckets this last few weeks as the thought of my trusted loyal little friend not being there is unbearable :(

Is the smell an all over smell or can it be isolated to a certain area of her body? I'm sure your vet will have checked her teeth, lip folds, ears, anal glands etc. but any one of those areas can cause a smell.

> she has been on antibiotics for the past 2 weeks the smell is really bad.

Is her skin and or coat oily/greasy looking? I'd have thought the smell would be from a yeast infection (smelly dog, scaby/scaly skin, sounds like yeast infection), which will not respond to anti-biotics it would require anti-fungal treatment (Malasab), the ABs would only be effective against secondary bacterial infections brought about from the dog scratching itself to relief the itching.

>The vet has put her on antibiotics for the next month to see if it will clear up what she thinks is a skin infection

A 1 month course of ABs becasue she *thinks* it's a skin infection? Has she not taken any cultures to see what bacteria she is dealing with? 4 weeks of a broad spectrum AB may do nothing, the ABs may need to be specific. Or is she planning on selling you a months AB's and then if they don't work, do some cultures to see what ABs would be needed to target the specific bacteria?

Have you tried an ellimination diet to see if that makes any difference?

".......Adverse reaction to food results in dermatological (pruritus, otitis externa, seborrheic dermatitis, recurrent bacterial or fungal dermatitis)........Food sensitivity is one of the most common causes of nonseasonal allergic skin disease in dogs. " taken from here

I'd personally try an exclusion diet and a different vet.

Wow what a relevant post. My white Boxer has just had an Op. Allergy test, they removed a very small lump from his n/s/r leg, washer his ears out and removed a couple of lumps from his mouth and not forgetting blood work. He was tested about 6 years ago, they found that he was allergic to everything apart from Cedar Wood and cats. So, unless we lived in a cedar house with cats we were in trouble. It took us around 5 years to find a diet that suited his tummy. The battle has just overcome us and he no longer has respite in between bouts. So we are getting tests done.