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Nidoba Has Skin/fur Issues - Need Help


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Tried to search but the word "fur" is only 3 letters so the system can't handle it.

 

 

Hi all - it's been a while. We finally "finished" our remodel which more or less consumed us into a black hole.

 

Nidoba is 4.5 years old now and a great dog. However, she has always had some issues with chewing her fur off in the area at the top of her hind legs, just ahead of where her tail is attached.

 

Food: We tried a variety of foods, etc and have settled on Nature's Balance L.I.D. Venison. She seems to do well with it. Treats are the same manufacture but Bison flavored. Both of these she has been on for about 3 years now.

 

We found early on that she does have some food allergies; beef, chicken. If she eats them, she chews the fur off her feet. That (from what we know) is a sign of food allergies.

 

Occasionally she would chew off her fur in the area mentioned above but we thought that was due to the occasional flea. But she receives flea medicine (Advantix, or Bayer Defense) every month on the 30th day. Close inspection by us and the vet found no fleas.

 

She really went after herself this past month. The vet prescribed steroids, spray and antibiotics. All being administered but she keeps stripping her fur off. We put a collar on her during the day when we go to work...which she hates and we hate too, but it does keep her from reaching the area.

 

Anyone have a similar experience? We really want her suffering to stop.

 

Thank you

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Is she completely nude where the red skin / hot spot is? Shiva had hot spots for many years. We would have to shave the hot spot to get it to dry out. He'd chew himself bloody. He's been fine for several years now. We moved from TX to Michigan so flee season is short and so is the heat of the summer. We had dog sheers. Suggest scissors if you don't have a specific dog grooming sheer.

Edited by Sherab
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Hi - thank you for the links...I didn't search for "Hot Spots" because it didn't occur to me that they would be considered that; it's not summer, etc. I will read all the posts tonight.

 

Yes, she removes the fur completely and the skin turns red and eventually she opens the skin. There are no fleas.

 

Why do you suggest removing the fur? i.e. 'dog sheers, scissors'

Edited by Roots
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Try no dog food. Meat and veggies.

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Just a random thought.. initial cause might not be skin issues. Have you had the vet check for structural issues in her hips? The "pain" may be causing the fretting at the area, which then causes skin inflammation and then skin itch which exacerbates the issue. Just askin'

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cutting the fur off the hot spot helps it to dry out and not get infected. May not be as much of a problem with an AID but on a GSD they have thick undercoat and guard hairs so the skin stays wet with seliva that doesnt dry out and helps nasties grow.

 

Good though on the pain possibility.

 

Also if the chewing happens while you are away vs random (including when you are home / right in front of you) it could be stress from separation or bordome.

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Thank you all for helping.

 

 

Lots of information to take in, but I think we can eliminate:

 

 

Food - she's been on the same diet for 3 years.

 

 

She does like salmon at first but when we tried that, she became less enthusiastic about eating after a couple of months.

 

 

Beef she is allergic. Chicken as well. So not sure what else to feed her in a home cooked, natural diet. The Venison seems to work for her but I don't hunt..so it's in dry food form.

 

 

Hot Spot - this is interesting because this past weekend, she was laying in the sun and was panting a lot. I moved her to the shade. Maybe that is the problem even though it's winter...we live in SoCal so winter is skipping us again this year. Temps have been in the mid 70's.

 

 

Boredom - she doesn't seem like a dog that gets bored. We have a decent sized yard (by SoCal standards) that has plenty of stimulation for her. I walk her twice a day and often on the weekends she goes hiking with us.

 

 

Fleas - we/she does not have them.

 

 

Hip pain - she moves fluidly. She can hike pretty well without issues and loves to scramble up rocks.

 

 

 

We will keep researching and get this sorted out!

 

 

I will update her thread soon. She will be 5yo in June.

 

 

 

She's a good dog!

Edited by Roots
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How about stress? Here are some clues:

 

"We finally "finished" our remodel which more or less consumed us into a black hole."

"She really went after herself this past month."

 

Dogs may not always display stress in ways that we can easily pick up on, so don't rule out the possibility that she has been undergoing and internalizing a fair amount of stress without you being aware of it. My own boy is very sensitive to situational stress... it was demodex mange in his case, and it first popped up when his immune system got slammed with two vaccines at once (rabies and distemper done on the same day - BAD idea!!), which was about a week before we moved from one living situation to another. It took him quite a while to overcome that bout of mange. It cleared up after 6 agonizing months and was gone for over a year, until a few months ago when I had to go away for a weekend. He stayed at his best friend's house - a place he's used to spending a considerable amount of time at, and he was treated just as he would if I were there with him. He even got to go for a pretty big hike, so I know he wasn't bored... but sure enough within a few days of my return I noticed some hair loss around the same eye. It halted pretty quickly and has regrown a little since then, but my point is that those kinds of situational changes can really do a number on a dogs system. Mange is a different thing entirely than self inflicted hair loss, but the root of the stress itself can be the same. It is very common to see dogs being boarded in overnight kennels develop fur chewing habits - I can think of several I know personally that will just start chewing at themselves (and each dog typically has a 'favorite' spot - such as above the tail or on the front legs) any time they are boarded.

 

It could be that Nidoba has a tendency to be mildly self destructive as a way of relieving internal tension and anxieties caused by various stressors, and with what sounds like a situation in which her world is changing around her it's just reached the point where she needs to release more tension than normal. If that is the case then finishing the remodeling might actually be the cure. Dogs really thrive on routine... make a point to keep her days to a schedule as much as possible. And make sure she is getting enough exercise daily - if you can wear her out enough each day so that when she's inside for down time she can't help but fall asleep because she's exhausted, she's not going to keep herself awake just to chew on herself. Does she like playing fetch? Chasing a teaser toy? Maybe make a point to do these things each day until she is visibly tired! Even just something that's mentally challenging, like thoroughly mixing her kibble up with a tablespoon of canned food, putting it in a kong, and freezing it so she has to really work at it to get the food out (try giving her a frozen kong right before you go to work so she has something to focus on other than the fact that you're walking out the door). Perhaps take some time out of each day to work on training - and it doesn't have to be boring obedience stuff - teach her some nose work skills! Make some simple agility obstacles and teach her how to interact with them! All of these sorts of things will help give her appropriate outlets for stress relief that do not involve doing damage to herself.

 

Here's an article I pulled up in a very quick search - not the best article out there I'm sure, but it's the first one that popped up that describes what I'm talking about.

http://www.petco.com/Content/ArticleList/Article/30/1/285/Stress-and-the-Importance-of-Routine-for-Dogs.aspx

 

Stress itself is not a bad thing, nor is it something that can be avoided entirely, but we can certainly help give our dogs (and ourselves! this is the same problem that often affects us too) ways to manage it. And maybe this is not the issue at all with Nidoba - but it's something to think about!

Edited by woodrat
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Woah woodrat you win the prize!

 

A build - give her something she is allowed to destroy. We are going through some cold snaps that make it impossible to do the usual walks so I give mine cat mice or birds or a stuffed toy that they are allowed to eviscerate.

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Are you familiar with Golden Paste? Tumeric, Coconut Oil and freshly ground pepper? I belong to the Tumeric Users Group and have seem many reports of this clearing up skin issues as well as all kinds of other inflammatory issues. My dog's love it an the older ones are much more lively and without and stiffness. I can send instructions if you'd like to give it a try.

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Have you considered a raw diet? So many issues disappear when you feed raw, especially food allergies and skin issues. Are you at all concerned about the monthly flea stuff?

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Eavhrf,

 

It would be delightful if you would post paste instructions. Perhaps you could start a new thread called "recepies"? OR post here and I can help move the content to a new thread.

 

Please include - how to make, what it is for, how to apply (if you feed it, how much and how?) plus any other info you think helps. This sounds great for people to eat also. What do you do for that? Also would not have thought about pepper - what does that bring to the table and will they actually eat the mix with that in it?

 

PS I apply the coconut oil to their feed and dry skin this time of year. Also sometimes mix a tablespoon into their food.

 

More about the amazing Tumaric ( this one recommends the raw honey mixed in for skin wounds - which fits with our wound thread somewhere else : http://www.iidoba.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3232&hl=honey&do=findComment&comment=29200 )

 

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/turmeric-dogs/

 

I could not find much on ground black pepper on the internet which suggests to me no major issues.

 

As with all things, advice here in the Forum is based oun our personal experience. Follow at your own risk.

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Golden Paste

Organic Tumeric: this should have 3-5% Curcumin. Human Curcumin products should NOT be used for pets.

Extra Virgin Coconut or Olive Oil

1-2 cups water

freshly Ground Black Pepper: acts as an adjuvant to increase absorption of Tumeric

 

Place 1/2 cup Tumeric and 1 cup of H2O in a pan and gently heat on the stove until it thickens. It may be thick right away depending on the quality of your Tumeric. A whisk works very well. When thickened, remove from heat and add 1/3 cup oil and 1.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Mix very well. That's it. Place in a clean glass jar and put in the frig.and it can last up to 4 weeks but is best if used in 2 weeks.

 

To start dosing, give 1/4 tsp 2-3 times daily for a week. If no improvement is observed, increase doses until you see improvement.

Some situations will respond quickly...arthritis for example. Others may take longer and require more GP.

 

Some dogs will lick it off the spoon and others need it mixed in with their food.

 

Same instructions for humans. Tastes great in smoothies, on toast with peanut butter or whatever you can think off. I heat up a cup of almond/cocunut milk and then shake on some Ceylon Cinnamon and add paste ...quick tasty.

 

There are many sites devoted to the benefits of Tumeric....has been used for thousands of years in India! One elderly woman, using it instead of hip replacement also noticed that her wrinkles were diminished! yahoo!

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Thanks good stuff.

 

Can I use powdered dried Tumeric from the spice isle in the super market or do I need the root? Here in mid michigan I've only seen the fresh root available once.

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It has to be organic and still contain the Curcumin so check the label. Fresh Tumeric is mostly water so you would really need to consume alot and that is not practical.

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Increase by 1/4 tsp when and if necessary. So far most are getting results with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp x3 per day. If your dog happens to gave a loose stool, just reduce the dose a little.

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oh I see. Tumeric ( a tuber) has curcumin in it and so the powdered Tumeric is what you are using. You are just saying don't go get some Curcumin extract that has been concentrated. NP.

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Increase by 1/4 tsp when and if necessary. So far most are getting results with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp x3 per day. If your dog happens to gave a loose stool, just reduce the dose a little.

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Whoa more good possibilities!!

 

Stress could be an issue but not related to our remodel. Nidoba came home to us when we were in the thick of it. The last 4 years it has been going on but has slowed to nearly zero over, especially this past year. Maybe she is stressed because she misses it : D

 

Other things stress her though; noises...of all kinds. We'll keep an eye on her in that regard.

 

She gets plenty of exercise.

 

A routine she has. It's been basically the same for years.

 

We don't have other dogs for her to play with but we have a cat that loves to play with her. She has toys and balls, etc but doesn't care much for fetch.... Well occasionally but she is not fixated on it like some dogs.

 

Tumeric - we'll look into that a little more!

 

Worried about Flea "medicine" once month? - sure, but having fleas worries me more.

 

Thank you everyone. Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

 

 

Nidoba is doing better. She seems to not be interested in chewing herself right now. That is great! However, aside from what the vet prescribed we have not changed anything out of the ordinary for her.

 

*Great point about the stress from being kenneled. She has never been to one, but it does help to illustrate your point about stress being alleviated by chewing.

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