Bailey (a westie) has been scratching lately and i posted he has red lumpy scabs going to vet tomorrow morning as he is getting a bit irritated now. Is there anything i can do for him just now and in future is it better to keep his hair short for easier grooming as he does not want to be brushed with his skin being sore and itchy leaving a very scruffy skirt.

I have a westie and he has sore scabs all over his body. The only thing that will get rid of it, as far as I know, is steroids and anitbiotics. He has been on these tablets for just under a week now and he is feeling so much better.  So fingers crossed when Bailey goes to the vets he will get something which will help him no end.

There will be alot of posts on here about skin allergies and the like and it might be useful for you to read them as you will know that you and Bailey are not alone.

I am afraid there is very little that you can do for him tonight - see what the vet suggests tomorrow.

Do let us know how you & Bailey get on tomorrow.

Gillie & Mack x

Sorry I completely forgot to comment on Bailey having shorter hair.

I do tend to keep Mack's hair short just because I think he looks better that way, but I dont think having short hair helps him.

I'm afraid I think Bailey has a long run ahead of him. If Bailey has skin allergies you will probably never know what causes it! We've been on the trail since 2002.

Best of luck to you and Bailey

Poor you! I feel really bad for him as he is always on the move can never seem to settle I have had to leave him to sleep downstairs aswell as his scratching was keeping us up never mind 1 more day hopefully the vet can give us something to help him out will let you know. Thanks.

Bailey. It really is worth getting him allergy tested. The vet. takes a blood sample, sends it off to the testing place and then at least you know what you are dealing with, hopefully. but at least you will find out whats causing the problem. It took me a while before having my dog tested but it was worth it in the end. Also try and find a homeopathic vet as well if you can. They seem to be able to treat allergies a lot better and more naturally. Getting to the root of things and not just covering them up
Anne

If you have a dog with these problems I would tend to explore other options first as steroids merely suppress the symptoms, they do not identify the cause or cure it.

First of all I think if you ask for a blood test to be sent off to Yorktest this may reveal what is causing his problems, this will identify environmental and food allergens.

Armed with this knowledge you can eliminate some of the causes and take measures to mitigate others such as environmental concerns.

There are sprays that can help control house mites for example and you can have a custom made remedy made up by a BAHVS vet if say your dog is allergic to pollen.

Supplements such as Omega 3 EFAs and Vitamin C (natural antihistamine) can also assist.

The initial outlay may be expensive (covered by insurance) but it may be cheaper and more effective in the long run than repeated visits to the vet to treat rather than cure the dog's symptoms.

My dog is also allergic have so far been doing elimination tests and on JWB and it seems to be keeping him stable.For future reference though how much are the blood tests to Yorktest.??

Baily - I have to agree with AnnDee and Toome - allergy testing is the way to go. I had my Westie tested (paid for by my pet insurance) to find out what he was allergic too - turned out to be several things - and although he didn't respond to the desensitising formula - knowing what he was allergic too pointed me in the right direction in enabling me to help him. Have you been following the recent threads on allergies - they may help you ...

Sorry - forgot to mention about his coat. My Westie boy had been clipped but the more I read about his allergies and skin condition the more I was convinced that his coat needed to be stripped to allow the skin to breathe properly (recent threads have covered this). So I let his coat grow out (it was very sparse and missing in places) and began stripping it - slowly at first as his skin was so tender. Gradually over a period of months his coat began to take shape and as time went by it became thicker, his undercoat started to grow (he had lost it all) and his skin condition improved. I must add that I was also supplementing him with 'Restore' which I think is an excellent product for helping to restore coat and skin condition. It contains Vitamin A, D3, E, B6, Biotin, Zinc (especially good for Westies), Methionine and an Evening Primrose Oil base. Of course I was also feeding him a BARF diet and had changed things in his living conditions and home environment and he was under a homeopathic vet. You have to look at the 'whole picture' not just the itching. He needs to be healed from the inside out in a natural way - steriods will only mask his condition and compromise his immune system and you'll end up in a never ending circle. I refused to put my Westie on steriods - and boy am I glad now - to look at him you wouldn't even think he had a skin problem at all - his coat is lovely and thick with lots of undercoat and he has leg furnishings (something that he lost completely).

Hi Fourpaws

Could you tell me where i can get this restore from please, i managed to get Hamish some MSM and some Vit C from zipvits but could not find the restore anywhere, also the Vit C that i got has got blackcherry flavourings will this do him any harm? This was the only Vit C that they had available and it didn't say on the listing on the website but when the bottle arrived it said there were flavourings in the tablets.

Thanks

Helen

Helen - I'm so sorry for taking so long to get back to you - it's been rather hectic at home lately. Right - you can purchase Restore from a Company called Stock Nutrition - here is the link http://www.doghealth.co.uk/restore.htm  It's £12.95 for a 500g tub which will last for ages. As to feeding Vit C with blackcherry flavouring - I don't think I'd chance feeding it to Hamish in case he has a reaction - just my opinion. Is he still eating and have you seen an improvement in his condition yet?

Many of the 'cheaper' suppliments include extras and fillers that are no use to man nor beast!!
http://www.naturesbest.co.uk/ are an outfit that supply professional quality products to nutritionalists and kinesiologists who frequently deal with food sentivities.  And their prices are good too. :)

Hi

Thanks for getting back to me, it wasn't until i received this vitamins through that i said on the bottle they contained flavourings, i wish it would state it on the website!! What do you think about the MSM, i heard that this was good to give them?
I will get him some restore and see how he goes, does this just sprinkle on top of the food and how much do you give him each time? Sorry about all the questions but i have never used anything like this before.
Hamish is definitely eating better, he scoffs the whole pack of lamb prize choice meat per day and looks for more, at the moment he is still licking and scratching as soon as the collar comes off even on the steroids, which i thought by now may have improved, but i guess it is still early days, at least he is eating thats the main thing.
His behaviour has not been briliant lately though, ever since the collar has gone on he has been going through a stage of being stubborn and refusing to do what he is told, when it comes to putting him out late at night to go to wee he won't go and then a couple of nights he has wee'd overnight, the vet said that he is just being naughty and stubborn because we are making him wear the collar. We have never had problems since a puppy of him weeing indoors and i must admit my patience is starting to get thin, last night we put him out and left him out for 1/2 an hour and he was adamant that he wasn't going to go to wee and then he did it overnight, and suggestions as to what we can try to stop him resorting in this habit? I am concerned that he will grow to think this is acceptable if i don't stamp this out quickly.

Thanks again
Helen

Helen - I've just sent you a private message (pm). Look in your 'Messages' which should be allocated in the top right hand of the page. I hope it works cos this is the first time I've sent a pm.