8 1/2 Month Old GSD Puppy with skin problems - Page 2

Most skin allergies are food related. However, I owned a female Shepherd who had environmental allergies. I think to pollen, we never found out for sure. It was pretty awful. She was on steroids her entire life, along with fish oil supplements, etc etc.

If you want to rule out a food allergy, you need to do a food trial, for I would say 3 months. I would recommend salmon. Read the ingredients carefully and make sure it is a pure food with only salmon as the main protein. NO treats, snacks, ONLY the salmon food. You really can ruin your trial with just a treat here and there. You need to monitor what your dog eats very closely. It's a pain, but IMO the best way to get your answer.

If yuor dog is still breaking out afterwards, I would say it's environmental, and you should go to someone who specializes in skin... basically a dog dermatologist. They should be able to do a scratch test.

I would also expect that if it was a food allergy, the whole body (thinking blood stream) would be impacted.  Location says it is something that he lays on.  EuroShepherd has an excellent suggestion. 

I would start with the obvious: a chemical on the grass (maybe a bug treatment or a fertilizer).  Prevent him from lying directly on the grass and treat the spots as both vet and EuroShepherd suggest.  If they still return after a month, move to the next area.

Go to where he sleeps at night.  Repeat above.

Hopefully, through process of elimination, you can identify what is causing the reaction. 

If it is the grass, this is usually bug (again, I would think the issue would be all over though) or chemical.   Soak the lawn with a solution of soap (Dawn works well) and water.   Do this a couple of times and do not add any more chemicals.  If you have a bug issue you are treating, use DE; ground up shells instead.  If it is a fertlizer you are using, do some extensive research to find a non-chemical solution.

If it is the dog's bedding, wash all bedding in hot water with Dreft/ laundry soap for babies.  These are generally chemical free.

It also could be what your floor/ carpet is cleaned with.  Floor is simple; clean with dish soap.  Carpet, not sure, as I have not had carpet in my home for years.  A good carpet cleaning company should be able to help though.

If these do not pan out, I am stumped.  Hopefully it will be this easy.

Sometimes chicken protein is the culprit. We feed Blue buffalo, too, but use the lamb and rice, my dog really likes it. Also, if you feed salmon, make sure it is wild caught salmon and not farm raised.

Just to add to what everyone else is saying this is good to read, and it would suggest you stop the pumpkin:
 http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/systemic_yeast_mini_course.htm


This is a natural fungal remedy, but it is purple and messy: http://www.amazon.com/GENTIAN-VIOLET-SOL-HUM-Size/dp/B000GCQ05G

I love the article Beetree.  I have learned a lot and book marked the page to review often. 

Thank you

Making a homemade raw diet for dogs is often less time consuming then fixing homemade meals for people (that is, if it isn't "homemade" out of a box, lol)  In fact, I only "make" my dog's food once or twice a week and I freeze portions for use on later days. 

But, feeding raw inside the house is an issue, the thought of food being smeared on the carpet or furniture is gross, lol.   I have a large basement with a cement floor, my dogs crates are in the basement and my dogs are fed in the basement where it is easy for me to sanitize.  Before I moved into this house I lived where I could have outside kennels, back then I fed my dogs outside in their kennels. 

Dogs are VERY good at cleaning up their raw food, mine lick their paws clean (dog saliva has much better bacteria killing properties than human's, dog saliva is actually "cleaner" than human saliva.)   Actually, dog kibble is just as likely, if not more likely, to have bad bacteria on the surface as meat (given that the meat has been handled properly.)  Same goes for fresh vegetables, how many times have we heard about recalls on veggies because they were contaminated by bad bacteria? 

Personally, methinks, the best way to determine if it's food or environmental is to do that t-shirt/vest thingy to prevent the affected areas of his skin making any direct contact with any surfaces, while keeping him on the same diet he's on now.  If the problem seems to go away then you know it's environment, if it doesn't go away then you know it's most likely his diet. 
The skin of the belly and armpits are some of the most sensitive areas of skin on a dog, the fur is also much sparser in these body areas, which makes me think that it is something that is coming in direct contact with his skin that is causing his problem.  

Most canine allergies are not food mediated; at least 75 - 80% are the result of something the dog inhales or contacts. 


http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/ 
   
  
Looks like a bacterial infection to me in which case gently cleaning the area a few times a day with  Hebiclens, drying it well and sprinkling the area with Gold Bond Medicated Power or applying some Desitin Ointment should get it cleared up quickly.  Can also spray with witchhazel and then use the Gold Bond. Worst case he may need oral antibiotics; Keflex is generally the drug of choice for canine skin infections. This is common in puppies, he will probably outgrow it with or without treatment.

http://users.telenet.be/bloemen-online/impetigo-school-sores/dogs-impetigo-treatment-school-sores.html 

Too soon to conclude it is food related, IMO.

Here's another link about dogfood recalls,
make sure his food is not on the list, though I would switch him to the raw diet,
costs about the same and the food is fresh....

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/newpetfoodrecalls/brand_list.cfm?Trade_Name=BLUE%20BUFFALO&pet=Dog


http://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls/ucm228986.htm

Sorry to disagree with most of you BUT when only the skin on the areas underneath the dog where there is little or no hair the most likely problem is environmental, some thing the dogs lays on usually. I had a litter of 8 x 6 week old puppies and 5 were affected in this way, discovered that the straw I layed down on the grass after we had heavy rain was the cause.
I raked up the straw and kept the puppies on concrete for a week and it cleared up completely.

First I would check your environment before changing the diet ~~~~~~ far easier and cheaper also.

Do you have new plants, seasonal weeds, have you fertilized or treated your grass or garden with anything?

As your puppy has only just developed this rash, if the cause was diet related and you have not change that, then why would he have diet issues now?

We had same problem a couple months back. Got off the chicken and went to salmon meal. Solved problem. We also did and do the salmon oil. Works great, change diet.