At my wit's end, please help.

[rdesant86]

My boyfriend and I adopted our dog Winston from a local shelter about 3 months ago. He is a beagle walker mix and is 1 year old. He seemed very healthy with zero health issues. After he'd been home for about a week he started showing signs of an ear infection so we took him to the vet and they said there was a lot of yeast and bacteria in his ears. They cleaned them out and he was on medication for a little while. Everything seemed to clear up and he was fine. No more smelly ears and no more constant itching.

Shortly after he was cured of his ear infection he started developing these red bumps and open sores that looked like hot spots or some sort of rash/irritation. He was constantly itching as well, most prominently along his flank (sides). We took him back to the vet and they said it could be scabies caused from the ear mites and he was put on a slew of medications to treat scabies. The medication usually consisted of a daily steroid, an ear drop and a clear liquid in a syringe that we'd put in his mouth once a week. When he is on the steroids, it does tend to clear up but it always comes back. Also, the steroids make him have to go pee every couple hours and he's had numerous accidents in the house because of it. So, we hate giving him the steroids as much as he hates itching.

We've brought him to the vet over 3 times now for the same symptoms. Red splotches and bumps that show up, get puffy and red and then disappear. He must be licking his chest because he's losing a lot of hair. The last time we took him to the vet they did a whole bunch of skin scrapings and tests but everything came back fine. No bacteria, no mites, nothing at all.

We feed Winston Blue Buffalo Wilderness blend dog food in the duck flavor. It is 100% gluten (grain) free with zero preservatives or additives. I'm pretty sure this isn't a food allergy.

I can email photos if anyone is interested in seeing them, please contact me.

Thanks for your time,
Rachel

[Margot49]

Well, I don't have much time now.  I was going to type last night but didn't want to if you weren't checking back.
Ok, after years of *dog* experience, here's what I'd do.  Sometimes, when we go down a path and get lost, it is best to go back to the beginning and start over.
Have you been back to the Vet again? Sometimes, it takes more then one scraping (I used to have 3 done if 1 or 2 were clear) for mites, etc.  
I realize you want to go the holistic route, and I think that's great but..............
Do you know what food he was on when you got him?  If so, cheap or not, I would put him back on that and feed nothing else. If you don't know, I'd try him on Pro Plan Salmon for sensitive stomach and nothing else. Nothing, no extras, no treats, etc.  Well, maybe some carrot sticks but nothing else.  It may or may not be a food issue but that is usually the first suspect.
This is shot in the dark stuff:
are you feeding him out of plastic blows?  If so, switch to ceramic or stainless steel.
what is he sleeping on or near?  I would put in only cotton bedding for him to lay on.
I would not give anymore steroids, if possible, ask the Vet. I agree with trying the Benadryl instead for the itching.
It is best if you keep a journal
As for the ear thing, keep them clean and dry.
No flea collars.  No dips, etc.
Okay, now this is the area I am questioning also.
and I quote:

He was vaccinated at the shelter and then after we got him he got a booster from the vet. He is on sentinel heartworm and flea preventative which is a two in one.

If he was vaccinated at the shelter, not sure why the Vet did a booster at his age unless he had only one shot since he was born.  I assume it was a DHLPP  shot?

A flag goes up with the heartworm and flea preventative shot.  I know a lot of dogs have had problems with Sentinel over the years (some can be breed specific.  We never used it in the Shlties and the Collie people didn't use it either, just an example).  

It's just odd that this comes and goes which almost would indicate food and/or contact or perhaps it is stress and immune related.

I would definitely keep a journal as to what he was doing, where he was laying, when he ate and what and when you see the rash.

I would like to see a photo of that.

If this continues, I would be looking for a canine dermatologist in your area for a consult.

Hate skin stuff. Hate it.  :-(

[rdesant86]

I'm still here, I will try the Benadryl tomorrow and see if it helps. It could be hives...I just don't know what else it could be. It does seem like an allergy of some sort, it's just hard to tell what because we try to be as holistic as possible with everything from food to shampoo to treats and cleansers. Winston is about 48 lbs in case you were wondering.

It tends to get better and disappear and then reappear on it's own. When I took photos of it two days ago, it was slightly pink around the chest and armpits. Then last night, it seemed twice as bad as far as redness and irritation going from the bottom of the chest all the way up to under his chin. It seems most concentrated around his neck area.

[Margot49]

I was going to respond further but won't if she's not even reading these.
Rachel, you still on this thread?

[Jaybay]

The therapeutic dose of benadryl is 1 mg per pound of the dog's body weight.  Most people err on the side of too little and then assume it's not an allergy.  Also make sure that it's only Benadryl (or generic diphenhydramine) and doesn't contain other ingredients like ibuprofen or decongestants.

[el_em_en_oh]

The same thing happened to my Feral-Dog (wild dog).

Started giving her a non-drowsy Benadryl (once in the morning and once at night), and it cleared it right up.

It only happens from late-April through about mid-September (I call it her "allergy season"), and on the off months she seems just fine.

I'm not sure about what dosing you'd give your animal as I don't know how much she weighs, but Childrens-Benadryl is always a good bet and pretty safe for dogs (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).

Can't hurt to try, right?

[Margot49]

I was just rereading your original post. You sure that's not hives he's breaking out with?

[rdesant86]

@JayBay...thanks for the response but he was taken to the vet and he had numerous scrapings and tests. There were no evidence of mites, bacteria or parasites anywhere. Not even in his ears. We would never bathe him with human shampoo, he uses a 100% organic oatmeal shampoo. I try to keep everything very holistic. He was eating the salmon and rice blue buffalo and that made zero difference. We switched him to the gluten free Blue Buffalo after that bag because the fish food smelled terrible and didn't help. He was treated for scabies in case he had it, but the vet wasn't sure if he did. When we took him back there were no signs of infection, mites, or anything, period. She prescribed steroids to help but didn't know what else to do otherwise. The ear drops were Zymox-E to kill the mites in his ears. The other pill was Prednisone 20MG which was the steroid prescribed. I no longer have the syringes that we administered orally once a week, but they were scabie-specific.

@everyone else...All Winston eats is 100% holisitic and natural foods by Blue Buffalo. Treats, food, everything. No table food, nothing. He is bathed with a 100% organic oatmeal shampoo. We live in Michigan and there's over a foot of snow on the ground so I can't imagine it would be grass, pollen or fertilizer. He was eating junk mixes of various bottom shelf dog foods at the shelter. When we adopted him, he had ZERO rashes, itching, etc. He seemed much healthier then then he does now.

The sores are NOT on his tummy, they are on his chest and sides. His belly, which he lays on, is perfectly clear of anything.

He was vaccinated at the shelter and then after we got him he got a booster from the vet. He is on sentinel heartworm and flea preventative which is a two in one.

I guess I'll just take him to yet another vet because no one seems to understand what is wrong with him.

Rachel

[Jaybay]

"Scabies" is one of the mites that causes mange - just like demodex.  The symptoms you describe are pretty classic so it's the mite at the root of the problem rather than diet or an environmental problem.  A chronic mange problem usually means that the dog's immune system isn't strong enough to deal with the bites.  I assume your vet is using ivermectin to treat this problem?  That can come with its own set of side effects so you might consider switching to the old-fashioned treatment of dipping with Mitaban.  

We found our first dog when he was 6 weeks old and dumped (or was born) in a very rural area.  He was skin and bones and had the worst case of mange the vet had ever seen.  It took a good 6 months to control it enough to where the skin staph infection wasn't a problem.  He also had both demodectic and sarcoptic (scabies) mange.  The only thing available back then was Mitaban so we had to dip him every two weeks for the first two or three months.  After that we dipped on an as-needed basis - once a month, then every two months, three months and so on.  He was almost 5 years old before his immune system was healthy enough to discontinue the treatment.  

Another thing you'll need to ask your vet about is antibiotics.  The steroids can only help with the symptoms of inflammation of the hair follicles and itchings.  They can't help if those hair follicles are infected with staph, which is very common in mange dogs.

It could be entirely coincidental that Winston suddenly developed mange since you adopted him.  He may have had it all along but his immune system was able to deal with it.  Since he came from a shelter, there's no telling what his past medical history was or if his previous owners had been treating him all along.  I know it sounds like a daunting task to have to keep up with a chronic mange problem - IF it does turn into a chronic problem - but it's really no big deal as long as you keep up with it.  You're doing everything right by keeping him on a high-quality diet too.  That can only help his immune system combat the mite reaction and associated staph infections.

Margot makes a good point about not using human shampoos on dogs.  The best dog shampoos will have no smell.  Much as we humans like sweet-smelling hair, those chemicals usually irritate dogs' skin.  Please let us know how Winston progresses, and don't lose heart!  

[Margot49]

Well, I see the Vet did skin scrapings so would assume that ruled out Demodex.  To add to Karla's questions, what does the dog sleep on?  I would try using only 100% cotton for bedding.  Does the dog go outside and have any products been used on the grass the dog is coming into contact with?  Skin issues are so hard to deal with and sometimes it is best to try to do an elimination diary (food, what they come into contact with, etc).

Blue Buffalo is a good food, have fed it myself. At this point, I think I would try picking up a small bag of Pro Plan Salmon for Sensitive Skin or Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato (this has no grains in it).  Whatever you are feeding now, when/if you do a food change, mix half and half for at least 3 days.  

Steroids have their place but I hate using them if not necessary.  

I hope, if you are bathing the dog, you are  not using human products.
Try a shampoo with colloidal oatmeal as its base. Colloidal oatmeal has anti-inflammatory and anti-itch properties so will help calm the skin.  Leave it on for about 10 mins and rinse with warm water then towel or blow dry.  

I'd get on trying the food change and the bathing.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Rachel......Have you fed him the BB ever since you got him? (3 Months)... What else does he eat? Snacks? Treats? Do you know what food he was fed at the shelter?

Was there any sign of this rash/open sores when you got him?

Where are the sores, rash, hot spots? What areas of the body? The Hair loss is only on tummy, right?

Was he vaccinated at the Shelter or did you have him vaccinated after you adopted him?

Have you used a Flea preventative on him? What kind?

Let me know....Karla