I have a 4 year old horse coat shar-pei male who approx every 3-4months treat with steroids from the vets as he chews his feet until they bleed, ears smelly and discharge and scratches uncontrolably.. His coat gets greasy and produces a black like wax residue and his coat smells.. He also licks his skin (groin area) and his skin is hot to the touch and his arm pits sweat.. This is not constant, like I say, every few months.. Although I have not had him for an allergy test, his diet is wheat free, gluten free etc etc... I have been told by friends etc that he may have hot blood and I should put sulphur in his water, Ive also been told that I should give him fish oil for his skin / coat along with feeding him onions as this is a blood cooler??!!...  Any help / advice / suggestions would be most helpful..  Kind Regards

Yikes !!!..what ever you do, DON,T GIVE HIM ONIONS, onions can be very poisonous to dogs.
I think my first option would be a York Test which will filter out any thing he's allergic too, which can just as easily be meat as well as wheat.

I wonder if your friends meant he might have Familial Shar-Pei Fever (FSF).  There's a bit about it here:

http://www.drjwv.com/article.php?view=0004.php

I wonder if it's an allergy too, or maybe both.

Thanks for the heads up about the onions!!!  An allergy sounds likely however I dont think its his food as I monitor what he eats closely and he doesnt reallt have a varied diet as ive not had any problems with the foods I give him... The top of his feet are scabby which he gnaws at and he pull the skin from his pads... He scratches like mad and has an itchy spot on his back.. His skin is hot to the touch and bless him his fur stinks even though I wash him in prescribed shampoo from the vet as his fur gets very greasy and like I said above, develops a black film... Im no expert but I do think he has hot blood so Im willing to try sulphur tablets and fish oil??
BTW, he is a Blue horse coat and has rough skin on his elbows and his face is a lighter "mottled" colour from where he is scratching... His ears are also becoming red and sticky.. Like I said above, a course of steroids clears all of the above up however this re-occurs every 3-5 months or so... I dont know what makes these symptoms flare up

What shampoo do you use on him ?. My dog gets a very oily and greasy skin sometimes but after trying all sorts the vet finally suggested Sebolytic. It really suits him and when it's on his skin in the bath it's easy to see how relaxing and cooling it is.
Hope your dog feels more comfortable soon.

Since he is blue, could it be colour dilution alopecia?

You could try removing rice as that's also a likely allergy food.

Doesn't sound like dilute alopecia as that's really hair loss not the symptoms your describe.

He does not get any rice in his diet... Off hand I do not recall what shampoo I use but I will find out, I was also advised to wash him with Hibiscrub as well as diluting it and wash his ears out with it...  He is not losing any of his coat, just scratching and itching as well as having hard dry elbows... My main concern is his scabby, mottled tops of feet and legs which he gnaws and chews on and makes his pads bleed... Like I say, a course of steroids does the trick adn sorts all his complaints out, however I do not want to keep putting him on steroidsevery 3-5 months for the rest of his life.... Its my belief that he scratches because he is hot blooded as he sweats and his skin is hot to the touch, however I am no expert!!  Maybe sulphur tablets and fish oil in his diet may help??

Where does he mainly live (ie. kitchen, kennel)?

He lives indoors, he has the run of the house  :-)

I was just wondering in case maybe he was in the kitchen most of the time and the warmth etc. may have been causing problems :)

have you thought of raw feeding it has helped many dogs with health problems. I know its not for everyone but maybe a consideration. Have you spoken to his breeder for ideas ?

Is it seasonal as in worse at some times of the year than others?

have just googled skin conditions in this breed and a number of sites refer to dermadex (sp ) mange as a possible problem from the angle of an immune system problem  that the dog cant deal with and they also suggest skin scrape and or biospy as the only sure way fro diagnosis. maybe your vet has doen this particulalrly if the feet are invloved. How about a referral to a skin specialist poor thing sounds really uncomfortable I would be most concerned as I am sure you are.
personally other than a laymans explanation I am not happy with  having hot blood as a medical diagnosis. I have never cuddled a sharpei (yet) but many of the short hair and hairless breeds seem warm to the touch and I would regard that as normal

To be fair, it is usually in the spring / summer time this condition flares up and steroids sort it out completely....  He has a sensitive stomach and can only give him chicken as a treat as he usually ends up with the runs and dont get me started on heart / liver etc... they make a terrible stain on my carpet after theyve been digested!!....  Like ive said previously, he is not like this all of the time, every few months it flares up, no chnage in diet etc etc, it just occurs adn a months worth of steroids sorts it out completely but I dont want to have him on steroids for the rest of his life every few months... I guess a biopsy is the only way forward to find out why this condition suddenly flares up... God love him, his chin is like a scaley dragons all rough and cracked but savlon / sudo cream sorts that out when required... Guess this will be an ongoing battle... Any thought on sulphur tablets / fish oil???

> Its my belief that he scratches because he is hot blooded as he sweats and his skin is hot to the touch

No he's not hot blooded - no such thing - but dogs with allergies often do run at higher temperatures than their non allergic breed mates.  His skin will feel hotter to the touch and the sweaty tacky skin is another clue.  This shift in temp is very noticeable when your dog is going through a severe phase of irritation but this temp change can be seen in a number of skin conditions

You really must get him tested for allergies.  If his symptoms are seasonal and they subside at certain times of year then you will probably find it's an external irritant like dust mites or pollen.  However if they are present all year then it's more likely to be food.  Don't think that just because you monitor his food that it isn't food related - you could well find that trace elements of the specific allergens will be enough to trigger a response.  If you are feeding a dry kibble then your dog could well be allergic to storage mites, rather than the food itself.  A blood test - a York Test - will, for a relatively small fee, give you the answers you need to treat and will end up cheaper in the long term.

Finally do not discount Familial Shar-Pei Fever (FSF) and talk to a breed expert (breed club member or your breeder perhaps).

In the meantime you can wash him in a very dilute solution of Hibiscrub (less than 1:10 parts water) and it won't do any harm to wipe his ears with it too.  Do not flood his ears with anything other than a vet recommended solution unless you have them specifically checked for damage - you can do more harm than good.  Also do not add salmon oil or sulphur tablets or any other dietary supplements until you know exactly what you are dealing with.

Once you know exactly what his problem is then you will be better prepared to manage it.  I have a dog with severe allergies so I know how difficult it can be but believe me it's a lot easier to find coping strategies (for you and your dog) when you know with a degree of accuracy what causes his skin problems.

good advice from dab I would start as she has suggested and push for skin scrape/biopsy too. As you say poor thing cant go on like this.

> Doesn't sound like dilute alopecia as that's really hair loss not the symptoms your describe.

This.  I have a dog with severe CDA and it doesn't sound like this dog has it - sufferers can have skin trouble but this tends to be spots/pimples, and sometimes recurrent infections (stuff like mild staph).  I've certainly never come across a case with the greasiness and everything else being described here.  It all sounds more like an allergy to me.

There's also no mention of hair loss which of course, is the main symptom of alopecia.

Thank you DAB for your advice, I have found it most informative and useful, and thanks to everyone else that has contributed.. 
I will ask about the YORK test and take it from there. And yes, his condition does seem to be seasonal...
I dont want him on steroids every few months as up to now they are the only things that work

Thanks very much again.