yorkie skin problem

[sinsxkill]

Ive read several posts on this, but I just cant find out whats wrong.
Weve had our yorkie for about 2 years, but he was(i believe) 4 when we got him.
The old owners gave him to us because they were moving to california. He is a great dog, but he scratches and bites himself horribly. We have taken him to the vet many times, but  they dont know what to do. They gav him pregnezone(sp?) and kennelog shots. The kennelog shot worked amazingly, but now that it is worn off, he's doing it again. weve tried several foods/meats, all the way from chicken to buffalo. We can't afford to do anything else. Today he scratched and bit his neck so bad its bright red and bleeding, it's so sad, and i feel so sorry for him, i just dont get why he does this to himself...
any help?

[BabaluandOtis2]

Hi,
With dogs, it's very hard to diagnose the exact cause of the skin issue w/ out seeing a doggie dermatologist. But, if the kenelog shots were working, he is obviously having some sort of allergic reaction, skin irritation to the normal allergens just like people get, or possibly to a food, or to flea bites, etc..

There is canine "Atopy", I don't know if you've read anything about that.
There could be fungal skin issues, like yeast etc.. so many things.
But there are shampoos you can order online, some used to be RX only but are now able to be purchased OTC, things to add to diet, like Omega 3 fish oil is VERY helpful with skin issues, some dogs more than others just depending.

If you look at the top of the page there is a link for "view community archives", if click that then click on the "Dermatology and Allergy" link there will be many, many posts of this subject as it is all too common for dogs. But If you read thru some of those posts there will be lots of info on different products and things you can do to help your baby.
I have to log off now, hubby needs some help w/ something, but I will come back on later and see if you've gotten any help from those posts. There really is all the info there, you can also use the "search this community" box at upper right and put in some keywords, like "allergies", "skin inflammation", Itchy, etc.. the symptoms your baby has, and it will also bring up posts. But all of those will be under the other link too.

Hope to hear back from you again, and post later...
Take care, Teresa ; )

[Jaybay]

Dog allergies are so frustrating and it can take forever (and sometimes a lot of money) to get to the bottom of what is causing the reaction.  First, make sure that you use a grain-free food.  Corn is a very common allergen in dogs, so at the very least make sure corn is excluded.  In some dogs even rice can cause problems.  

Have you gone through the whole "exclusion diet" ritual to try to determine if any foods are at the root of the problem?  It takes weeks, and you have to rigorously refuse to give in and toss treats to the little beggar, but is well worth it.  For example, start with a week or even two weeks, of plain boiled chicken.  Nothing else.  If the problem gets better, then you know chicken isn't at the root of the problem.  Gradually add back various meats and vegetables a week at a time, and keep a written record of any symptoms and their severity.  If you really stick to it, you just might discover if a food allergy is at play.  If not, then you'll have to move on to more testing for airborne and other non-food allergens.

Benadryl can be used to treat allergies in dogs at 1 mg per pound of body weight.  Most people tend to give too little and give up thinking it didn't work.

You might also consider posting your question to Dr. Cheng on the Ask a Vet forum.  She practices holistic Chinese medicine in addition to Western veterinary medicine, and I'm sure she'll have some good alternatives for you to try.  :-)

[chihuahuagrandma]

Welcome to the dog forum, as you can see, there are very wonderful, informative people here in the forum,,,I personally do not have any knowledge in your area, it has to been heart wrenching to see such a small little fella have this terrible problem...as they posted above, search out the "ask a vet" Dr. Cheng, and the prior history of others w/the same issue...
Keep us posted, most of luck to you and your little baby...