skin problems

[rockermom]

I know this one has been brought up on several different threads but I have not yet narrowed down the cause. A few weeks ago I noticed bumps on Rocky's skin during an extrememly hot day. Took him to a vet who could not see much at the time since it comes and goes. He said it was probably bug bites or hives from bites or poision ivy or reaction to rubbing. Well they still come and go. He does not seem to be itchy. It has not gotten a whole lot worse. THe weird thing so far has only been on large black spot on his back. Now it has popped up on a large black spot on his other side. It could be poison ivy since he dug himself a nice bed in the back yard right next to some poison ivy that was hiding under a shrub. However Im curious can they all of a sudden develop an alergy to their food? If he had longer hair I doubt it would even be noticed. since it does not bother him I was told by vet no need for concern. But it just does not look nice when it flairs up it looks like he has lost hair because the hair raises in that area. Sometimes he has tons of what looks like bites and other times they are one big welt. It is just weird how they apear and then disapear. Please tell me agian what I could add to his food or put on his hair and skin and where I can get it.

[chewbecca]

I don't know what is going on with your dog's coat or his skin, but maybe you could give him some fish oil supplements. I'm giving some to Ella for her skin allergies and in just two days I'm seeing a HUGE improvement AND her coat is so shiny and GORGEOUS.
If it's itching (or starts), try some benedryl (or look into something with tea tree oil so that you don't have to medicate).
Do a search on the net as to what to give your dog or do if he gets poison ivy. As long as it doesn't say to medicate your dog, try what it suggests.
Is he constantly digging holes by the poison ivy? Is there a chance that he's getting it over and over again? Or is this probably a heat rash of sorts?
Try doing a search for what to do if your dog has a heat rash.
I'm sorry I can't be of much help.
And, uh, I can't see what this skin issue looks like, but, your vet sounds like he needs to pay more attention to your concerns about it.
Can you post pics of the damage to your poor doggie?

[rockermom]

I could try to post pictures but I doubt you could see it. Its hard to notice. And the vet I went to was not my regular vet. My regular vet was on a long vacation so I went to someone local.

[Maryellen]

what is rocky eating for food? have you had his blood tested for allergies at the vets office?? you cant fix the problem until you know what it is, and allergy testing will help solve that. he could be allergic to grass, his food, who knows... allergy testing will help start the process to find out what is wrong .

[Marinepits]

what is rocky eating for food? have you had his blood tested for allergies at the vets office?? you cant fix the problem until you know what it is, and allergy testing will help solve that. he could be allergic to grass, his food, who knows... allergy testing will help start the process to find out what is wrong .

Great advice and that's exactly what I did. Mac has been allergy tested, he is now on shots, his skin is picture-perfect and he no longer has "bully bumps".

[chewbecca]

Great advice and that's exactly what I did. Mac has been allergy tested, he is now on shots, his skin is picture-perfect and he no longer has "bully bumps".

What are bully bumps?

I should see if I have any pics of Ella where you can see the skin allergies on her.

[Marinepits]

"Bully bumps" are little tiny lumps that feel like bug bites under the skin. They're called "bully bumps" mainly because they erupt on bull-breed's skin and most often the cause is due to allergic reactions and no other reason. Other breeds can get bumps for other reasons such as real bug bites, but in bully breeds and their sensitive skin the main cause is usually allergies.

The bumps also tend to come in clusters or be confined to one area of the body. They may or may not be red and itchy. Mac would always get them up and down his legs, usually only two of his legs at a time.

If the bully bumps break open and ooze, that's one sign of a bacterial infection and antibiotics are needed. I believe it's called "pyoderma" -- someone correct me if I'm wrong, please.

The bully bumps may or may not cause the dog to lose hair in the spot where they erupt.

Before you diagnose your own dog with allergies, take the dog to the vet to rule out all other causes first.

[chewbecca]

thank you.

I tried to find a pic of Ella's skin issues, but I don't have any.
Her marks are like little tiny circles by eachother where the only way you can notice what it is is that there seems to be either no hair or less hair. There isn't a mark or a bump. She doesn't itch. But I have noticed that since we've been giving her the fish oil supplements that the spots are drying up.
Do you think that's probably a good thing?
Not to sound like an idiot but I'm totally clueless.

[chewbecca]

Oh, and they're only on the side that she lays on. That's why I can't get any pics of that side of her.

[rockermom]

So they all of a sudden become alergic to stuff? He is still eating the same food from day one.
Fromm family adult gold

Ingredients:
Duck, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Lamb, Potato, Tomato Pomace, Whole Egg, Salmon Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Cheese, Flaxseed, Brewers Dried Yeast, Alfalfa Meal, Carrots, Lettuce, Celery, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Monocalcium Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Chloride, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.
On hot days the bumps seem more agrivated. I did spray the large poison ivy patch I found and blocked it off cause he will eat leaves. He has been rolling in the grass alot since our beutiful lawn has gotten grubs or some kind of insect which rocky likes to sniff dig and roll. On top of it all his skin has become very sensitive in this heat we have had. On his belly around his pee pee was kind of looked like singed or scraped. He definately has heat rash or teenage pimples on his belly. These bumps are just weird cause they are there and a few hours later or next day gone. THe day I brought him to the vet the bumps were barely noticeable and the vet could not see them. He thought about shaving him to get a better look but decided not necessary if he was not itchy and did not seemed bothered by touching it at all. I plan to keep an eye on it. If it worsens or changes I will call my regular vet. I am almost to the bottom of his food so If I need to switch now is probably the time. I think his food cost about 32.00 for a i think is 33lb bag. must last at least 2 1/2 months or more. I would just hate to have to change foods if that is not the problem. I will be soon changing the area of the yard he has access to. See if that makes a difference. Also he will need to be in a restricted area while treating for the grubs so I will probably just leash walk him along with outside on a trolly.

[Marinepits]

thank you.

I tried to find a pic of Ella's skin issues, but I don't have any.
Her marks are like little tiny circles by eachother where the only way you can notice what it is is that there seems to be either no hair or less hair. There isn't a mark or a bump. She doesn't itch. But I have noticed that since we've been giving her the fish oil supplements that the spots are drying up.
Do you think that's probably a good thing?
Not to sound like an idiot but I'm totally clueless.

That the spots are drying up? Yes, that sounds good. If the spots become itchy and she keeps losing hair, take her to the vet to make sure it's not something "funky" that she picked up at the shelter, like ringworm or some sort of bacterial thing.

You've also just adopted her, right? And put her on better food? Give the better food time to work and see how's she's doing in a couple of months.

[Marinepits]

So they all of a sudden become alergic to stuff? He is still eating the same food from day one.

I'm pretty sure we've talked about this before, LOL.

Allergies can crop up at ANY time during a dog's (or human's) life. The allergies MAY or MAY NOT be attributed to the food. Most often bully allergies are caused by external sources such as grasses, dust mites, or molds. Changes in food may help the SYMPTOMS, but may not be the direct cause of the allergies.

Funny enough, Mac had horrible reactions to beef and beef products BEFORE he was diagnosed with allergies. I switched him to a venison based food and he got better, but still had allergy symptoms such as bully bumps and bald patches. Since he was officially diagnosed with allergies and started on his shots, he can now eat beef with no problems.

[chewbecca]

Yes. We have just adopted her and we are feeding her a considerably better food.
I thought the fact that the spots were drying up was a good thing.
Thank you! I'm just extra paranoid about everything right now since she's my first pit AND my first dog.

[Marinepits]

You're welcome!

I've been forced to learn A LOT about bully allergies in the past year while getting Mac's health straightened out, so if you have any questions, ask away and I'll see if I can help.

[Maryellen]

jesse's allergies showed up when she hit 2 . after changing her food and having blood work done, she was diagnosed with airborne and food allergies..

rufus cant eat merrick canned food or he gets an ear infection in one ear.. = food allergies to whatever is in the can of food...

allergies can pop up ANYTIME on dogs , cats, even humans...

you wont know what rocky is allergic to until you do blood work.. for food and airborne its around $200 total.. for just airborne $80...

[rockermom]

I really think it is something he is rubbing into since the first time we noticed it we were out on a long walk in a different area than we usually walk. But that is just my gut feeling. And also like I said he found himself a new spot in the yard to hide things and himself. I started pulling out some of the weeds when I noticed gigantic poison ivy plants. And have noticed it is everywhere around town. So wondering can I put a hydrocortisone cream on it see if that helps? I need to learn more about bully bumps.

[cdogg]

Read "The Allergy Solution for Dogs" by Shawn Messonier, DVM! It's an awesome book and it even has a chapter about other conditions that are often mistaken for allergies. Wallace has allergies to eleven environmental allergens (!) which we found out by getting the skin prick test done. He saw a holistic vet, went on several supplements, got regular baths, we minimized his allergens, and he's now on a raw diet. I'm happy to say that he hasn't gotten any allergy shots or any steroids or other conventional medicine. Read the book. It rocks.

[rockermom]

Thanks I will try to find that book. Based on the Bully Bumps description that sure sounds like what I am seeing on ROcky. Looks like lots of bug bites in one area only on this one big black patch on his back. So far like only one or two actually scabbed. If the alergy is to plants outside what in the world can you do? So where in the world are these oils for dog allergies purchased?

[chewbecca]

I actually found a vet that does acupuncture and chiropractic care in my area. I'm bringing Ella there on Friday. Ella doesn't really NEED to see a vet since she isn't sick and is up to date on her shots, but I want to get her weighed and have the doc look at her ears and tell me if they look good. I want to have him look at her skin and tell me if that's doing good because on her elbows she seems to have no hair (we think that's from being on concrete at the shelter) and I want to make sure that the fish oil will eventually help that out. I wonder if there's some type of topical solution I can put on that skin that will moisturize it, that if ingested, won't harm her. Also, the vet tech that we'll be seeing feeds all four of her boxers raw and I'm going to talk with her and see what she suggests starting Ella on. Ella is suck a picky eater, I don't want to waste a ton of money (on raw or kibble) on food that she won't eat.

[rockermom]

I got a free visit to my vet by bringing the papers that he was adopted from shelter. Ask about that program.