Hi I have a 3 and half year old pug who has really bad skin problems and if anyone could help that would be great and much appreciated. She has lost all the hair on her belly and and now she is starting to get patches on her neck and her sides where she is starting to lose her hair. Underneith her legs are really raw and in some areas on her belly she will get spots sometimes that will ooze and puss.

I have taken her to vet quite a few times and all they tell me is it is a normal pug skin problem that some pugs get and that give her a cortozone shot but they are not really helping her. Right now she is not getting worse but not getting any better neither.

So I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with a similar problem or if you know of anything that could help me , vitamans , a certain kind of shampoo , anything.
I have tryed using tea tree oil and oatmeal shampoo and hot spot ointment, none really worked helped alittle but not that great.

Thanks

Hi, have you done the flea spray?  what food are you giving as this could be the problem? get some MALASEB shampoo from vet
and bath once a month dont give tit bits then you need to keep a check on how bad it gets or if it is looking bettter, also do you walk on grass as this can do it also with my Bulldogs i never bother with the vet for the skin as they have no idea i give mine a Piriton half a tab twice in a week just to stop the itch.

The first thing i would do is change vets,this one sounds useless,only bothering to cover up the problem not fixing it!
Change to as natural diet as possible,preferably home made,or try a dry food such as salmon and oats or venison and rice,i'm  not too familiar with u.k brands but i know you have some holistic selections.
I too would be interested to know what you are feeding,we need as much info as you can give,however trivial it may seem :)
Also try supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose capsules,1000mg each,these will help a great deal in keeping your dogs skin supple,there are a myriad of homeopathic remedies you can try,i would stay far,far away from steroids!

christine

I'm not a vet but you might want to ask your own vet about this
atopic dermatitis
Best wishes - and dont let him fob you off

I have a 2 1/2 year old pug called Oscar and for six months he suffered with a terrible skin condition. He lost all the hair on one of his back legs and the skin was sore and discoloured. After numerous visits to numerous vets I was informed by a skin specialist that my dog had an unidentified allergy and that the allergy could be diagnosed through a series of tests, at the cost of about £800. Failing that, the other alternative he offered was that the dog be injected with steroids for the rest of his life! I decided to investigate his symptoms on the internet and found some interesting sites on atopic dermatitis (Australian sites were the best). Anyway, to cut a long story short, I started to give Oscar 1000mg of Evening Primrose oil along with a anti-histimine Tavegil( which is purchase from any chemist over the counter). This anti-histimine contains clemastine which is a very effective treatment for dogs with dermatitis.
I did use Malaseb shampoo,tea tree oil etc. but they didn't offer any relief.
It's now 1 1/2 years since Oscar's troubles and his skin is perfect. His hair has grown back, but I have kept him on his medication as he is prone to skin eruptions,especially at high pollen times.
Good luck!       

Aloe vera gel with high aloe content is brilliant for dry itchy skin. My in-laws took in a dog with terrible skin problems, no vet could agree what the problem was. The dog was bald and scabby and constantly itching, some dog people told them about aloe and since nothing the vet had given had made any difference they gave it a go. Within 2 months the skin was in lovely condition and within 4 mths the coat had re-grown. The dog has not had any skin problems since then.

Hi Pugsley,

I've got a similar itchy problem with my 7 year old beagle bitch who has developed a skin problem over the past couple of months.  After several visits to the vets and a skin scrape to rule out mites we are still none the wiser what the problem may be.  The current thinking by the vet is to try a food intolerance diet (she's currenytly fed on Arden Grange classic) whereby we are to feed her rice and fish for the next 6 weeks.   If I can find a ready prepared food (cheaper than the vets recommended Hills prescription diet), any suggestions? - then that would be great.

In the meantime, I am a bit dissatisfied with my vets who gave me Sebocalm shampoo, and after reading up on skin allergies, this does not seem to be the best for her. 

I am considering antihistamines - thanks for recommending Tavegil - (this may sound daft, but) do they make the dog drowsy?

sarah

It was suggested that my dog had a food intolerance (that too was after the skin scrapes,the shampoos and ointments) and it was suggested I put him on Hills, which I did to no avail. He was on Eukanuba from birth and after trying Hills I put him back on Eukanuba (which I think is slightly cheaper than Hills?). Anyway, back to the antihistemines. I was really worried about the effects on the dog and fearful that they would make him sleepy. But even though I give him 3/4 tablet per day and considering he is a small dog( 20lb) he is not sleepy at all. Infact once the combination of the Evening Primrose Oil and the Tavegil (£4.14 per 60 tablets over the counter at Boots) kicked in, he was much more energetic because I think the skin problem really took it out of him. If you're worried, start your dog on a smaller dose. I have found a decent vet now and I have discussed the medication that I give Oscar and he thinks it's fine.
Hope this is of some assurance to you.
PS I rarely wash Oscar now, but when I do, I use aqeous cream(again dirt cheap from Boots) which is a water based emollient with no chemicals or soap in it. 

Thanks again.

I'll be off to Boots tomorrow!