Help! I have had this dog to many vets and no one knows what is wrong with him.
He is a dead grass color and has pink skin.
The problem is his skin turns bright red and gets lesions and then the hair falls out never to grow back
The skin it self gets inflamed and weeps fluid for a few days.
The vets have taken blood no anwsers have put him on antibiotics helps .
but comes back and seams to be getting worst has had this condition over a year and a half
Looking for any help or sites that may shed some light onto this subject
Nancy

Can you tell us more?

What breed it he?

How old?

What do you feed him?

Is he itching?

He's a Chesapeake Bay Retriever !!

Hi Nancy,
              If you could supply a few more details that would help, I have a Chessie as well so might be able to help, feel free to pm me if you prefer.

Hi Jeff,

There seams to be no cause to this skin problem.
lesions start out dry turn black hair fall out skin clears and it moves on to an other spot He has been having more and more trouble with his ears the skin on the flap gets thick and the inside of ear flap get total inflamed and weeps fluid and really smells foul, Vet gave me a cream cleared ear up but came back again.
Has had it in both ears I have owned 7 Chessie and have never seen any thing like this before.
I am begining to belevie that maybe it is an internal problem like a tumor on a gland.
I have heard the chessies in the past 3 years are coming up with more and more skin issues.
But have found no help from the vets he has been to one vet was sure it was hot spots (Wrong!)
The others have just striched there heads.
Thanks
nancy

Hi Nancy,
              Seven Chessies! Glutton for punishment.:-) The only thing I have seen that sounds like your description is when Chessies have been kept outside where there is lots of livestock, horses, cows and sheep. This means lots of flies and they appear to bite the dogs and because of the stratching the dogs develop callouses, these are black and then the hair falls out. Sorry I can't be any more help. Whereabouts are you based? I f you don't mind me asking.

Hi Jeff,

We still don't know what is wrong with him he has a vet appointment on Monday new vet hope she has more info for us will keep all posted.
We live in Conn. USA
Nancy

Best of luck on Monday

Jeff

Have they done allergy tests on him ? It maybe something in his food or something he is allergic to externally such as grass ?

Lucy
xx

His skin sounds like my eldest cavalier's skin on his tummy & after months of vet treatment of all kinds I was in the Netherlands & was told about Quistel shampoo & lotion & I tried it & whatever it was it has gone & never come back-not animal tested either

Nancy

It sounds very much like 'elephant skin'. My first Lab suffered from it. We had every investigation done but they never came up with an answer. Poor girl was always scratching but we always put tea tree gel to try and soothe and calm her skin down. It always got worse in Spring and Summer so I am sure it was an allergy based condition but they never got to the bottom of it. She ended up a very crusty smelly girl in the end but we still loved her :) She lived til a ripe old age of 14 3/4 so she didn't do too badly :)

I found this as well which maybe worth investigating :) http://www.englishsetterassociation.co.uk/thyroidism.htm

Lucy
xx

Do you think he may be suffering from an allergy ? If so which ??? I have been all throu this with one of my dogs. Tried the washing powders and fabric softeners, washing at different temps etc. Then went to food allergys. I would leave out one food for 14 days and see if there was the slightest improvement. Tried the hypoallergenic foods. Tried giving zinc tablets which are said to be for skin conditions, also tried giving evening primrose oil capsules all this and more over a period of 3 years and the one thing that did clear the itching was a course of antibiotics and a course of steroids. Then my vet suggested I try masaleb shampoo, £10-£12 for one bottle. I had to wash her every day and had to leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes exactly for 4 days and then go onto every second day for about 2 weeks and then very gradually I have managed to get her to only needing bathed once every 2 weeks adn hoping to get up to once a month. So far she is  without any scratching and no scabby bits all over her body, her coat is looking fabulous now and long may it continue.
Hope you find this helpful

Margaret

It could be demodectic mange - this is a condition caused by a mite, so antibiotics would have no effect on it other than to clear up secondary infections. How old is your dog? Demodectic mange is more common amongst young dogs and pups. Here is a description of the disease:

"A common skin disease of dogs, demodectic mange (canine demodecosis) is caused by the mite Demodex canis.  This mite is found as a normal resident in the hair follicles of all dogs. Mites are naturally transmitted from nursing mothers to their puppies within the first few days of life.  Signs of disease appear only when mites reproduce unchecked and occur in unnaturally high numbers .
In mild cases, signs of demodectic mange include itching and scratching, reddened or scaly skin, blackheads, and patchy hair loss.  More severe cases are accompanied by widespread hair loss, pustules (pimples), and a crusty appearance of affected areas.  The head and feet are most commonly involved.
The exact reasons that dogs develop mange are not fully understood, but genetics and immune suppression both play a role.  A tendency to develop demodicosis runs in some families, with the same parents consistently producing affected puppies.  While all breeds are susceptible, some are at increased risk.  Some of the breeds in which demodecosis can be particularly common or severe are Old English Sheepdogs, Dobermans, Boxers, Shar-Peis, Shih-Tzus, and Lhasa Apsos.  Immune suppression due to underlying diseases (such as Cushings's disease and hypothyroidism), or drugs (like steroids and chemotherapy drugs) may increase the risk of a dog developing mange as well.
Mange is diagnosed based on signs and history combined with deep skin scrapings.  When viewed under a microscope, these scrapings reveal mites recovered from the hair follicles"

I would go back to the vet and ask him if he has considered demodectic mange as a possibility.