Stinky Dog

[Sarahzilla]

My 10 year old shiba inu has had severe skin allergies since she was 1.  She's been tested and has allergies to cats, humans, and dustmites and cannot eat peas or pork. I believe she also was allergic to some seasonal pollens and molds.  She's fluctuated from mild itchiness to scratching herself so badly she starts to cry and tears open her skin and bleeds.  We've treated her on and off with prednisone, and has developed a sway back from it but no other problems.

She's had ongoing problems with staph infections on her skin, and there are places on her face and her chest where she scratched so hard hair will not grow and she is now hyper sensitive in those places.  Since we've began treating her for hypothyroidism her energy level has been great for an older dog and she hasn't been nearly as itchy and her coat is nice and thick again.

I try to bathe her when it is warm outside, using an antibacterial shampoo, a couple days after the bath she stinks again.  The rest of the family doesn't pet her as much because she smells and her breath is terrible, I choke whenever I get a sniff of it.  Her teeth need to be cleaned, but we worry about the anesthesia and the fact she still occasionally has problems on her face with the allergies and the scratching.  She won't touch chew toys any more and seems to eat anything very delicately (she's always been a 'delicate' dog when it came to people giving her things to eat, a baby could give her food and she would barely touch their hand, but recently it just looks like it might be a little painful for her to eat crunchy things).

Is there anyway we can stop the stink?!  Also, have you heard any good alternatives for dermatological allergies?  We've tried benadryl and tavist, in addition to feeding her a special diet, but none have worked as well as the prednisone.

I appreciate any help, she's a sweet dog and I just want to hold her on my lap again without having to shower off afterwards :)

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Wow!  Skin issues are very tough.  Have you consulted a veterinary dermatologist?  Have you had her desensitized to the things she is allergic to?  Is she on a hypoallergenic diet that contains no grains?  Grains should be eliminated from her diet even if she is not obviously allergic to them?  The reason for this is that grains increase inflammation and can worsen skin conditions, which are inflammatory conditions.  

Next, I think it is really essential for her to have her teeth cleaned since dental disease can act as another nidus for inflammation.  You should have a pre-surgical work up for her to make sure she can undergo anesthesia without difficulty.  A pre-surgical work up should include a complete blood count, chemistry, PTT, chest X-Ray, and ECG, and any other additional tests that your vet may think necessary.  There are very safe anesthesia protocols that would be appropriate for her, and are even for dogs with liver or kidney disease.  

You should try an anti-fungal and anti-dandruff shampoo such as Nizoral shampoo or Selsun Blue.  You will need to bathe her 2 X per week and after lathering leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes before rinsing.  Follow up with a rinse of vinegar and water (one quarter white vinegar to 3/4 water.)  Yeast and Fungus thrive in a basic PH and their growth is suppressed by mild acid solutions such as vinegar and water, which is, has an acid PH.  You should also use a blow dryer in colder weather.    

Atopica is an oral atopy/allergy treatment that is not a steroid and can be used in place of prednisone; it takes a couple of weeks before it is effective.  Occasionally an oral antifungal such as Ketoconazole can be added to the regimen, or be used by itself.  These of course must be used under your veterinarian's care.  Lastly, you should find a veterinarian who is versed in Traditional Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine.  There are herbs out there that may benefit her without side effects.  Please check with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association for a holistic vet.

[Jaybay]

If she has constant staph infections, she's going stink.  It's the bacteria that give off the smell.  Even healthy dogs who have very oily coats will stink because the oil holds bacteria.  Poor little baby!  She sounds like a such a sweetheart and nobody can pet her.  I'll bet Dr. Cheng will have some good ideas to overcome the stench.  Hang in there!