Hi All

My westie Hamish keeps on getting recurring bouts of runny motion with blood in, he will get it for a couple of days where it is really running away from him then it clears up for about a week before returning. I have had to change his food recently from Nutro to Naturesdiet as the vet recommended this, it did firm his motion up but it gave him really bad skin, his belly is really red with spots and he keeps scratching, i spoke to the nurse at our practice and she said to put him back onto the Nutro again but on doing so the runny motion has reappeared and there is blood in it again. I expect you have seen my post on the feed section asking about the different sorts of food. I was speaking to somebody today who suggested that i take him to the vet and get him allergy tested, does anybody know what this involves and to how they test for different allergies? Never heard of this before with animals but this is the first time we have ever had a dog so sorry if i sound very vague!!!
I want to try and get this sorted out as it cannot be very nice for him keep on getting runny motion and also now he has got itchy skin, i have been advised to put him on a hypoallergenic food such as Wafcol or JWB but don't know whether to or not, i have looked on the Wafcol website and it seems that their Salmon and Potato variety is good for collitus and itchy skin but i am a bit warey of trying him on another food incase it makes him bad again, he seems okay in himself but i think i may have to phone the vet and ask for an appointment with the vet as the nurse keeps suggesting trying him on another food but on changing from Nutro to Naturesdiet we have still not corrected the problem and i feel yet another change may work but then again it may not.
Thanks
Helen

Hi Helen,
If its any help but my 7 month old basset had itchy skin from being born - she was diagnosed with Malasetia and her treatment is a shampoo called Malaseb. We changed her food to JWB and have kept her on it ever since. i really reccomend it, as it sorted her skin out a treat.

I dont much about westies but if you do a search on this forum you will find lots abaout westies with skin probs!
Hope this helps
Deb

which jwb did you try as there is several different varieties

Our dog has got itchy skin and is on the Lamb and Rice JWB and also is bathed in Malaseb shampoo.

If I were you, I would speak to your vet about allergy testing and ask what is involved.  To my mind it will be difficult to solve the problem if you don't know exactly what's causing it?

Hi

Angus the Westie had itchy skin and we did get an allergy test done. Basically the vet takes a blood sample and sends it off to the lab. It was found that he was allergic to soya which was used in his Wafcol feed!  We took him off that and the vet put him on anti-histamine tablets to stop the itching and in about a week he was fine.  We now feed him on Butcher's Tripe with mixer which seems to work OK. Its been about 6 months and no sighn of itching.  His runny poo may be connected to an allergy.

Regards

John

Helen;

That's a very difficult one to answer because there are so many possible causes.  I have a Westie who has had a number of issues, and we first treated him conventionally, but now homeopathically.  The former may produce quicker results by putting him on steriods, but this only masks the problem, while the latter tries to find the root cause and treat that over time.  Itchy skin could be an allergy to food, petro-chemicals in your carpet clearner, laundry detergent, something outside, or food.  The diarrhea could be gastrol intestinal.  i suggest you do research then be proactive with your vet even at the expense of pissing him/her off by questioning them and trying to work hand in hand.  Vets are like all doctors, their practicioners of medicine, which means that they don't know everything and they need to keep practicing.  We can help them, educate yourself, and alsways find out why they are doing something instead of another direction.

Best of Luck, Lagos.