My 5 1/2 month old pug puppy has recently developed sore patches on his skin. I haven't seen him scratching much but on his neck he is getting dry bald patches sometimes with little scabby bits.
Also it appears that he has statred chewing his legs a bit as he has small balds scabby patches there too.
When i first noticed this he was eating naturediet but he had a funny food phase and i had to change to JWB to get him to eat again. I've tried tea tree shampoos and antiseptic creams but it hasn't helped. Has anyone got any ideas?
Thanks!

poor baby!
did the srcatching occur before you changed his diet?or after?

sorry ive just read your post properally & answered my own question!

i love pugs but dont know much about them health wise,do you know if they are prone to skin conditions?alleregys?

I hadn't heard of it and i did try to research before i got him. But i am new to this as he's my first dog so i could be wrong! I was hoping someone else may have has a similar experience and be able to help.
It doesn't seem to bother him. He isn't constantly scratching all time, if he was in pain or uncomfortable i'd have taken him to the vet ages ago! but it can't be nice for him either!

First get some  frontline spray and spray him that will get rid of fleas/ticks and before you shout that he doesnt have fleas sorry but most do then if he is no better in 2/3/ weeks get a shampoo from vets called Malaseb and wash him once aweek for a month in the mean time take him off JW food and buy a small bag of Burns fish/brown rice and feed nothing else no titbits and i think in amonths time hewill be alot better.
And dont use any sprays in or around the house.

He gets frontline drops on him monthly, but i will try and spray him. I have tried burns food and he won't eat it, i have tried fish, chicken and lamb varieties as i got samples at crufts and he won't touch them!

If you are useing flea stuff already then dont buy any more as you can over load the dog and make it very ill. Okay it doesnt like burns then put it onto raw food/green tripe/minced chicken/beef/they come in 1lb packs frozen you can get them from most good pet stores/defrost over night and give some for breakfast and then some with puppy terrier meal at night he will love it.

Are you using any type of carpet freshener - such as shake'n'vac - or Dyson carpet powder?   That has a bad effect on dogs.

Margot

That sounds like a good idea, i will try that food, i expect he would like that.
No we don't really use any carpet powder stuff so it can't be that?

Hi Pugmum,
Yes pug's are prone to skin conditions,arent they the cutest little beans :)It sounds as if yours may have hot spots,i agree with bathing him with "malaseb" and dipping cotton wool soaked in a mixture of tee-tree oil and water,but dont use this remedy if he has open sores as it will sting,are you supplementing with any herbs?If not let me know and i can give you some remedies.
Shon i also have shih-tzu's,one of whom has grass/dust mite allergies,i have an excellent book called "natural health bible for dogs and cats" it has a huge list of herbs and their uses,this is what it says about borage oil.
Common uses:Adrenal,Addisons disease,Cushings disease.
Borage is often recommended as an adrenal gland stimulant and in cases of extended corticosteroid usage where there is temporary adrenal gland exhaustion. Borage may also be useful as an expectorant in patients with productive brinchitis,and as a mild diuretic.Applied topically,borage can act as an astringent and anti-inflammatory agent. The fatty acid content may help decrease blood chloesterol,blood pressure and aid in the treatment of cardiovascilar disorders.However GLA,an omega-6 fatty acid,is found in high amounts in borage.Since omega-6 fatty acids are proinflammatory compounds,supplemantation with omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish oil may be preffered for the treatment of medical disorders.
safety issues:Borage contains small amounts of compounds (alkaloids) that can be toxic to the liver;therefore,borage should not be used in pets with liver disease or in pregnant animals.Use of large amounts of borage,or prolonged ingestion of large amounts should be avoided.

Can i ask how you found out about borage and how it helps an allergic dog?I am willing to try anything to help my girl stop itching,she scratches on her inner thighs and chews on her paws,did your baby have these same symptoms?I am very interested in how borage can help?I would advise to also supplement with salmon oil.

look forward to hearing from you.
christine(Australia)

HI

The borage oil that i buy is from a Health store it is 100% borage oil.  My vet had me check her blood before starting the herbs and Lady had her blood rechecked every 2 weeks.  The vet recomended keeping Lady on the herbs daily for the first two weeks and then every 2 days after the first two week period.....

The reason i prefer the herbal approach is because the other vets i brought Lady to wanted to keep her on steriod type drugs like prednisone, and through research i've learned that those types of drugs also cause liver and kidney failure.   Through my experience the herbs worked faster and better therefore I didn't have to give it to her in large doses or for an extended period of time. Lady has been off her herbs for 2 weeks now and she is doing just fine.  If you have any more questions you can email me at dssk@earthlink.net

Thanks,
Shon

Hi,

I have a 6 Year old female Shih-Tzu named Lady...For years the vets have told me that I didn't wash her well enough and her irritations were caused by fleas...A friend told me she gave her dogs natural herbs, so i went to the book store and bought some books on herbal remedies for dogs and did LOTS of research online...I started giving her 1000mg of BORAGE OIL and within 1 week her skin began to improve, she has been taking borage oil now for 3 months and her hair as grown back and she has not had a soar in 2 months...I've done research and they haven't found any long or short term side effects when using borage oil...  If you have any more questions you can email me at dssk@earthlink.net   I hope this helps you as much as it did me...

Good Luck
Shon

That sounds like it could help, worth giving a try. Where do u get it and do u put it in their food? If so will it alter the taste as my dog is really fussy about his food!

Borage Oil is easily available from health food shops.  You can pierce and squeeze a capsule over the food or buy it in liquid form; make sure it is sold in dark containers and keep refrigerated.

Just to be on the safe side and to rule out things like mange or flea allergy, have a vet check him out. Once may years ago owned a GSD that was allergic to Daffodil pollen and it took years before either the vet or I realised these attacks started with the Daffodils. Most the remedies that people suggest will do no harm but always ask a vet first and let them see the problem, believe it or not he could even be allergic to the Frontline.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/healthnotes/Supp/Borage.htm