Irritated skin on 8 month old GSD - Page 5

Fred- Ravenhawk again....apple cider vinegar,the old addage an apple a day... well in vinegar form apples contain a large amt. of potassium,phosphorous,chlorine,sodium,magnesium,calcium,sulfur,iron,fluorine,silicon.and many trace minerals.ACV added to cows feedfewer incidences of mastitis,itchy skin influenza,respertory disease,were seen.ACV in horses feed raced better and never came down with distemper,even when exposed to it, ACV is credited with killing bacteria outright. The reason I mention the cows and horse is to show it's(ACV) all around wonderfull medicinal properties. Used in dgs it can be given orally  in food but with your situation I suggest soaking cotton batting with it and applying to sore spots.

I also use it to clean ears in my dogs never have to worry about ear infections. In humans in recent years they have come out with yet another new disease,acid reflux. This is merely heartburn and can beCURED by taking 1 tablespoon of ACV twice daily. It is a wonderful antiseptic on humans as well as dogs. One step at a time. I would suggest aftyer alleviating the symptoms with theACV getting some tee tree oil as someone else mentioned followed by pure vit E oil. Also vit c can be given in 1000mg every 2-3 hours and is a great anti-inflammatory as well as assists in cell turn over healing and immune booster. I do hope this all helps. Keep us posted when you're able as it sounds as though you have your hands quite fulll. Thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

Light,Lifeand Laughter,

RAVENHAWKlavender oil is also quite soothing any vitamin store should sell

wIZZUP:   There is a lyme dip, sold at Revivalanimal.com    same thing as your vet makes,,yes it is good and workd for scabies on pups, or skin disorders and dermadec....

Stinks to high heaven, don't get on hands, will tarnish your silver, and ruin clothes....wear gloves,   shampo dog, let drip dry , then dip in lyme dip, put in kennel to dry with a heater if done in winter. Repeat in 2 weeks.

Apple cider vinegar in food and on the wounds , will work well, also...use in food every day , good tablespoon or 2 tablespoons if large dog.

Fred -- the vet called me yesterday and said that my GSD lab work came back neg --great news!!  There is no specific reason why he got it at 2 years of age.  They just want to keep him on that cream ----sounds like your dog has similiar symptoms ---just in a wide spread area.  Keep us posted on how it works out.

Apple Cider Vinegar is good for keeping ears clean?  I may try that. .... have to clean my 1 yr old pups ears several times a week....his ears will stay dirty..........unlike my 2 year old.

Ravenhawk - thanks for all this.  Apple cidar vinegar is a regular diet supplement (with home produced honey) for us.  We have tried it as a topical application(when we heard that fungus doesn't like an acid environment. 

Diagnosis is the problem at present.  There is definitely fungus on the skin, but it is not clear whether that is the primary cause or just an opportunist infection taking advantage of a skin / system already compromised.

We are pinning our hopes on getting something from the blood test tomorrow.

The itching (at least) and ensuing skin damage is conrolled by the steroid injection, but the second one was not as dramatic as the first.  We have been told to hold off on the fungicide on broken skin.

SOUTH CAROLINA PRIDE.

Glad for you.  No mites have been found on Mishka - though he had the course of injections on spec. 

Yellowrose - our vet is aware of the lime/sulphur dip - he uses it on pigs, but hadn't heard of it for dogs - maybe we'll get around to it if nothing else works.

Thanks everybody.

OK we had the blood test today - a high white blood cell count (not unexpected given the skin problems and possible auto-immune reaction) but we won't know which types until Monday (fingers crossed).  In the meantime vet has prescribed  15 mg of Prednisolone a day for 7 days and 100mg Cefalexin twice a day for 3 weeks.

Hi Fred,

Glad that you are now getting somewhere, keep us updated when you get further results.

Pam

Hi Fred.

How are you and your boy doing? Whats the latest?I would love an update, hope it was good news from the vet

Regards Shirl.

The antibiotic and steroid combination seems to have stabilised, if not slightly improved, his skin and itching / scratching / licking he also seems brighter and more mischevous (sp?).  We have only had a brief message from the vet re blood test - there is a hormone deficiency, which can be treated with a tablet - we are going in Wednesday morning for a full explanation and supply of medication.

We are trying to train him to eat his tablets, but he doesn't  want to know.  My wife does it by pushing them into his throat and holding his muzzle shut until he swallows.  I do it by wrapping a piece of meat around the tablet, however he is very clever at separating the tablet from the meat and spitting it out.  Any comments / ideas?

Thanks, fred

Hi Fred

I just open their mouth and push the tablet over the back of the tongue they have no choice but to swallow it and I dont have to hold their mouth shut.

Pam

Thanks, but isn't there then a chance of it going down their windpipe instead - or is their geography different from ours?

fred