Guest clichekiller Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Hey all, brand new here. We have a beautiful 3 year old male brindle, our second grey. Our first passed away at the age of 10 a year ago october. He's an all around happy fella who needs to be in contact with his peoples, loves strangers and will happily play by himself or with the other dogs in our house whether they want to play or not About a month ago I noticed he was scratching his head a lot, eventually he cut himself in identical locations on either side of his head. I checked his ears and cleaned them out, coned him and put antibiotic ointment liberally on the wounds until they healed. Took the cone of and he scratched them open again. Reapplied the cone and this was when I noticed a very light rash on his chest. Not his full belly just his chest. His eyes also were a little puffy. Thinking it was allergies we changed our laundry detergent to die and scent free, washed everything in the house and even cleaned the carpets. No luck the rash is still there and he is still trying to scratch his head. We've started to give him benadryl and the rash has reduced a little though he still scratched. We have no cedar dog beds, he's on Solid Gold Hyund-whatsit and bottled water. Any thoughts, does this sound familiar? We called the vet and they said all they'd be able to do is give him a cortisone shot, something we're not eager to do. Please help us to un-cone our boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 (edited) Any treats or supplements? Try switching to the Mmellenia and see if it helps or Eagle Pack -- different protein source than lamb. Sounds like a food allergy. Although you are reluctant to get him a shot, I might do it if he is so miserable (I have allergies and it's no fun). Edited October 29, 2007 by Burpdog Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clichekiller Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Any treats or supplements? Try switching to the Mmellenia and see if it helps or Eagle Pack -- different protein source than lamb. Sounds like a food allergy. Although you are reluctant to get him a shot, I might do it if he is so miserable (I have allergies and it's no fun). I was relunctant to get him the shot because I thought it was bad for him. I was under the impression that a steroidal shot has side-effects and with a grey's metabolism I was concerned. If I'm incorrect please tell me. My wife was wondering about the food angle. We're planning on buying him some new food today. Thanks for the idea. As for treats we feed him some bulk biscuits that we get at Costco but he gets one or two at most a day. He's been on this diet since we got him in April so we didn't at first think of food allergy but as we've eliminated most everything else we've come to consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfish Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Skin conditions are one of the most difficult things to diagnose and treat. It could be a simple food allergy, or it could be fleas, or it could be mange, or a fungal infection, bacterial infection, contact dermatitis ... Best thing is, if you can't find the cause and fix it quickly, take him along to the vet to get checked out. Mange gets bad quickly, and skin infections can be the devil to clear up, so early treatment is best. If all your vet is willing to do is give him a cortisone shot without trying to find the cause, personally, I'd change vets. JMHO. Quote The plural of anecdote is not dataBrambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greensleeves Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Please be aware that the e-collar can promote ear infections when used longterm. It's possible that you actually made the itchy ear situation *worse* by using "the cone." (Our Nelly just went through this after ear surgery.) What actually works much better for us is legwarmers. They fit perfectly along the dog's head, hold the ears down, and prevent scratching. Ask your vet about medicated shampoo (like Relief), which will help if the rash is allergy related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 I agree with the other posters--could be most anything from food allergies to an environmental allergy. I would try a food change--try a hypoallergenic food. Natural Balance makes a couple of different types, Fish and sweet potato and Duck and potato. Also, sorry, you will have to cut out the treats--they will contain wheat or corn which is no-no. If you don't think a vet visit is in order (although I feel you should go) you can try giving antihistamines such as Benadryl. You can give 1mg/lb body weight up to 3 times a day. Good luck--allergies can be a very frustrating thing to manage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytmonty Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Skin conditions are one of the most difficult things to diagnose and treat. It could be a simple food allergy, or it could be fleas, or it could be mange, or a fungal infection, bacterial infection, contact dermatitis ... Best thing is, if you can't find the cause and fix it quickly, take him along to the vet to get checked out. Mange gets bad quickly, and skin infections can be the devil to clear up, so early treatment is best. If all your vet is willing to do is give him a cortisone shot without trying to find the cause, personally, I'd change vets. JMHO. I second this opinion! I would find a vet that helps you track down the root cause. Start with some skin scrapings to look into infections, flea dermatitis, etc. If there is infection you want to catch it soon before it gets hard to treat. Food allergies are much more rare than environmental or flea allergies so I wouldn't START with that course. A good derm vet will be helpful. A bad derm vet will charge you too much money for poor care, so ask around. Are you near a major vet school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clichekiller Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Okay I've been trying to manage this without a vet visit but it appears as if I've exhausted my options at the moment. I'll make him a veterinary appointment as soon as I find a good grey doctor. Our current vet had a restructure and the two doctors familiar with the breed are no longer there. Anyone living near Mesa AZ who can recommend a good clinic I would appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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