Wonder if any Westie owners can help. A friend of mine has got a 7month old Westie that has recently developed a skin problen. I have heard that the breed can be prone to this condition. She has been to the vets with her and they put her on antibiotics, special shampoo and antihistamine. This seemed to clear the problem but it was only short term, within a couple of weeks it has flared up again, any ideas please.
Maddy

Hi,sadly these skin probs in westies are not always easily fixed - but here ae a few suggestions

It could be diet - change to Burns or Nutro or a real chicken and plain boiled rice diet, may be worthwhile looking into a BARF diet-lots of info on the web and hee if you search for old message threads.
Use non-bio powder for washing bedding or anything that comes into contact with the dog
Dont use carpet powder or Febreeze
Make sure she is completely flea free - including other pets like cats. IMO the only way to do this is to use a regular "drop-on" - ideally Stronghold as this kills mites as well as fleas - no offence intended but some dogs especially westies can get a flea allergy to just one bite - you may not even know she has fleas. Stronghold also worms for roundworms.
Dont over heat her environment .
Dont clip too often - it is better to clip once or twice a year at most and have her scissored down in between. I would not clip her if she is having a flare up, best to shorten with scissors.
Dont bath with shampoo unless you absolutely have to, to keep her clean - try plain water first. Use only a prescription shampoo as directed. I only bath mine about 2-3 times year, with spot washing ( say legs and tum) with water only when needed. Follow your vets advise re bathing as some recommend regular baths with a prescription shampoo.

Has she had a season yet? It may be a hormonal change as she approaches "puberty". Hope this is helpful, best of luck. If you would like to email me I would be happy to help furthur and can introduce you to people via the net who have allergy/skin probs in their Westies who may be able to give more help.