Pending lab results but what could it be? - Page 2

Bhaugh, yes, it definitely could. Also, if he's not absorbing nutrients from the food he's eating, that will add to the problem.

I had a dog like this that I never did figure out what was wrong w/her. All the same symptoms except the pyoderma. Spent a fortune on tests. Borderline diabetes is all that ever came up, and when retested, she tested normal. Still to this day eats like a horse and keeps normal weight, but she should be big as a house. Still loses the occasional clump of fur, but not nearly as bad as she was. Does best on a prey model raw diet w/salmon oil and vit.E.

Good luck!

What about Cushing's Disease( hyperadrenocorticism)
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2114&aid=416

Well I got my lab tests back and the vet said they look EXCELLENT. Go figure. Even though he was breaking out from the Pyoderma he had NO elevated white cells. Im glad I stopped the keflex when I did.

Ive decided to maintain him on kelp and tyrosine for now and may still add the porcine thyroid. The coconut old seems to be working along with the enzymes and all the other crap he gets. I laugh and tell the dogs when they are getting their meals that they should be damn lucky. Most people dont eat as good as they do.

Im still up for suggestions since Id like to one day place this dog (they seem to come and never want to leave) to keep him from future breakouts. Thanks for everyones input.

The pyoderma probably was localized to the skin and that is why you saw no elevation in his blood work white count. Stopping antibiotics before ALL the infection is killed can be very risky because all you do is allow the bacteria to adapt and then, if there are bacteria that do adapt, the next time you need the antibiotic it may not be as effective. I would be prepared for that to come back and he might need low dose antibiotics over some period of time to eradicate the infection.

Where does he stay most of the time? What type of surface is he on when he is lying down? Moisture on the skin provides a perfect environment for bacterial growth to thrive. Is the environment where he stays too warm or humid? Have you ever tried giving the dog some apple cider vinegar in his food? If, at this time, he is doing fine, I would change nothing. But I would be careful about giving him thyroid meds without vet assistance. Giving him some oils might be a good idea, but I would not over do it. Hopefully he will continue to do well. 

When you say 10 lbs in one month, what was your dog's wt to begin with? I am going to assume you already checked for intestinal parasites, if you are able to gauge the water intake, say 5 cups in a bowl would it be all gone in one half hour?
Then how much is he urinating.   With the pyoderma are you having to do bathe soaks with derm shampoo and feet soaks.
You did not say if they did a thyroid level, if he is lethargic, sluggish, when normally he is a bundle of energy then I would be asking the vet why if his (tests ? what did they test for?) come back all normal. This is just my opinion with questions that you need to ask and get answers to before you start adding anything to his diet or stopping medication that is needed.
I hope you find a great home for him. All dogs deserve great homes.
Always,
Cee 

Its hard to answer some of your questions Malshep since I took this dog in the firt of December. I dont know much about his past since his owner wasnt too forthcoming with his health only to say that he was "self mutilating" which I had never heard of in 2o years.  A tsh was done and came back low normal. I have always suspected a thyroid condition even before I started testing him., (dry puppy type coat, ill kept, no sex drive etc)  But there is also the possibility that this could be adrenal related and with no abnormal lab, will be hard to find. His December weight was 100lbs (not fat just big) Now he weighs 90lbs and skin and bones. His hip bones stick out.  Im maintaining his skin with Stridex pads which have done better than all the other creams, benzyl peroxide, shampoos etc I have tried.

He lives inside and is crated during the day when I am at work. This dog has been on antibiotics for almost 6 years and Im not sure at this time that the ones I was giving him were even working. I did take a risk but most likely wont put him back on traditional meds if he breaks out again. His best chance is a high immune system that can fight the infection before it takes hold . I wish I could put on a wound vac but they dont offer that to dogs. Too bad!

I hope I dont have to deal with this again on another dog.

I agree- low normal thyroid doesn't mean it's "normal enough" for him. I went for years w/hypothyroidism undiagnosed, really wreaking havoc on my body, my energy, my whole life, pretty much. I used to come back "low normal." Doctors didn't even want to test me because I'm only 120lbs...they look at me and say no way do I have a thyroid problem. Well, just testing for TSH isn't good enough; that's only the thyroid stimulating hormone; that doesn't necessarily translate into how well the body is actually producing and utilizing thryoid hormone. You have to go deeper, and most doctors/vets don't. I pushed and pushed and got my way. They actually tested for the full picture, called me and asked how I function and how I had been able to maintain a job- seriously.

TSH level is NOT enough to say that the dog doesn't have a thyroid problem. The levels also have a wide variance- and he is an individual, as we all are. No one number works for everyone.