hi all ive been reading your posts for a few months to try and figure out what i can do for my poor baby westie Casper, before i pay out £500 to see a dermatologist next week at the University of Liverpool. I thought it may have been an allergy amoung other things, he has just turned 1 yr old and he is gradually losing more of his fur, some has grown back by using quistel. I have spent hundreds at the vets on steroids and anti biotics. With no improvement, ive changed his food to lamb kibble JWB from nature diet, this improved and the yeast started to clear up, but he has these lumps (some small and some biggish). They fill slightly with blood and then burst and leave horrible scabs on his body, then his fur falls out. He is like a pchitzo and always thinks things are touching him. This has got worse in the hotter weather. I was bathing him with maleseb without much luck so i changed to quistel but to stop the itching im having to bathe him every other day. I dont want him on long term steroids, i also use piriton. ANY help from anyone will be much appreciated before i spend out most of my wages. (and yes i do have insurance but they wont pay out coz i was too honest at the beginning...)!!! Maybe i could send a picture so someone can understand what i mean, and please dont say this is a "Westie Trait", it's all ive heard, although, i havent seen what my Casper has in any other Westie!! hope to hear back asap.

Faye + Casper xxx :)

Hi Faye, how long have you been on jwb? it is a good food to feed, you mighten see the  benefits for a few weeks.  Dogs can be allergic to anything ranging from capert fibres, grass, and the chemicals you use to clean your home, so if you haven't done this yet give it a go buy some non biological washing powder to wash his bedding in and your floors.  Also how often do you wash him?  you shouldn't wash them to much and if you do make sure you give them a good rinse because any shampoo left in the coat will really irritate their skin.  Buy a shredding comb to and do his coat.  When was he last treated for fleas some dogs can have a bad allergic reaction to they're bites so make sure he's flea free.  It's just trying to iliminate things to see whats causing it, i've heard of pustooles but i haven't had any experience myself so i'll leave that to someone else.   Try tea tree oil for sensitive skin this is a really good shampoo for dogs with allergies.  It still might be worth you taking a skin allergie test because at least you'll know whats causing it.  All the best, i hope this helps you a little.

Warm regards Susan

Hi Angelkiss,

Not sure what to suggest in a short answer but elimination seems to be the best way to find out the cause although easier send that done.

If it were me personally I would take the dog completely off all commerical dog foods and feed a diet that is suitable for humans with food intollerance..

Have a look at some of this link and  please also join the group I have linked. this group can help I think as they will have members with similar problems.

I have westies but none that have had skin trouble so although I can rattle of things to try I honestly have not had the real experience of it.

http://www.caberfeidh.com/Allergies.htm

http://www.westielovers.com/arf4westies/

hi there, please can you give me a full description of what you feed your dogs? the raw meat etc, many thanks faye :)

Hello angelkiss. It sounds as if you are going through exactly what we went through 2-3 years ago.

To be honest I would not go through it all again. I love my westie and all westies but I would not put another westie through what Mack had to go through. We took Mack to a dermatologist and he was put on a turkey only diet, he could not play with his toys because they could have caused his skin problem. He wasnt allowed any treats, he wasnt allowed walks (in case of a pollen allergy) - the list goes on. Mack was less than 1 year old and he was already being denied his toys. We spent, or should I say our insurance company spent £2000 on dermatology fees. By the way I was made to feel awful by my original vet when I took a sharp intake of breath when he mentioned the potential fees.

To this date we have not received a definitive answer!  We dont know what he is or isnt allergic to.

Of course I dont know how bad your little one is, but I would cancel the appointment and do what we did and put your westie on 1000mg of MSM (you can get this from a well known health shop). If your westie is very poorly then maybe you should go.

It may be an idea to contact westie rescue (there are 2 organisations) and ask them what they would recommend.

I am so sorry to hear of yet another westie going through this. As has already been said there are many lucky westies who dont have this problem, but there are many who do. It is not down to bad breeding or a "bad line" as Mack is related to the Olac line of Westies.

Please let me know how your westie gets on.

Gillie & Mack xx

I have just re-read the posts. Casper does seem to be suffering very badly. I have to say more than Mack. I really do feel for you, and for casper! Given the seriousness of Casper's condition it might be worth spending the dermatology fee but insist on receiving a diagnosis. Its very frustrating to put your dog through tests and more tests then to be told nothing! I understand Liverpool Uni has a very good veterinary department and I would hope that they can help Casper. Please do PM me as I am concerned about Casper's welfare.

Lots of love Gillie & Mack xx

hi there, how do i pm you? faye :) x

click on my name where it is underlined - then click on MESSAGE - then type your message

Hi Faye - sorry to hear about the problems you're having with your dog.  Westies do seem prone to this type of condition unfortunately.
Do you have Caspar boostered every year ?  If so can you see a link between the timings of the injections and any flare-ups ?

Hi Faye, one of my westies developed a skin problem when he was 12 months old and was treated by a top dermatologist in Manchester which cost over £1,000 (paid for by my pet insurance). He's allergic to house dust mites, flea bites, pollens, some trees, grasses and moulds. He received desensitising injections for 12 months but they only made him worse so I decided to stop the treatment. I didn't want to put him on steroids so began to surf the net looking for ways to improve his skin. After much trial and error, I've found the only way I can control his allergies is to feed him a BARF (raw meat & bones) diet, he doesn't recieve any booster vaccinations and I tried several different antihistimines before I found one that his skin responded to and it's called Atarax (only available on prescription). He now only needs the odd tablet. I also supplemented his diet with a product called 'Restore' and this really helped his coat to grow back (he had lost quite a lot of coat). I also changed a few things in his home environment including having all the grass from the back garden removed and replaced with flags. All the carpets were removed (except on the stairs) and replaced with either floor tiles or laminated flooring. Of course it took several months for his skin and overall health to improve but now you can't tell he has a skin problem at all. If he does happen to get an odd spot on his skin I immediately spray some Colliodial Silver on the area and it clears up in no time. Do you live near Liverpool Faye?

I am going through something similar with my goldie.He finishes his antiotics on Saturday then we have to see if the rash comes back .BUT in the meantime I have put him on Burns food. Tried JWB but no no, didnt like it, it has been a battle of wills though with the Burns,but he has been on it 2 weeks and his coat has gone all silky, smaller poos, sweeter breath.

If you try the Burns website it will tell you that a lot of commercial pet food is basically crap! additives galore, and if your dog has an allergy, the pustuals is his body trying to get rid of the toxins he is allergic too.www.Burnspet.co.uk.

You can also send for free samples for you to try, before you buy. He make take a while to get used to it, but thing is no additives sugar etc, so his tastebuds need to adjust.
I dont know how my boy is going to be when the antibotics finish but vets treat the symptoms, but not the cause, and it is that you need to find out. Have you thought that he could be wheat/allergic,try the search engine Google, then type in wheat allergies in dogs, lots of info there, see if your boy has any of the symptoms. mine had every one!! hence the Burns as it is wheat free.
Its a minefield and seeing them suffer is not nice, hope my info helps,let us know how you get on, you can as well ring Burns up or email them they are very helpful.Your man dosent want to be on Steroids for his life, vets will easily prescribe them as its a money making thing, get to the cause,and at least you know which route you are going down.
Good Luck.

Angelkiss i have sent you a pm.

Can I ask - what is Colliodial Silver? I am interested to learn.

Hi Gillie, Colloidal Silver (CS) is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and a powerful anti-microbial catalyst. It can be purchased from http://www.worldwideshoppingmall.co.uk/body-soul/rivers-colloidal-silver.asp - there is even a Yahoo Group called SilverPets@yahoogroups.com were you can get lots of information. Also, do a search of the net under 'colloidal silver' where again you will recieve lots more information. I purchase the spray bottle and when my westie develops a 'hot spot' I just spray some CS on the site and it clears up in no time.