Skin infection problems in Spaniels

Rainbowsend

I have a four year old Cocker Spaniel and she constantly gets infections in the lip fold, this gets very smelly and needs antibiotics to clear it up. I am concerned that the constant use of antibiotics are doing her no good long term and would be interested in learning more about herbal remedies for dogs.

Has anyone any pointers, tips or remedies for treating lip fold dermatitis?

Grimreaper666

I'm having major problems with my cocker spaniels eyes, it seems she has a dust mite allergy and have tried three vets, an eye vet and numerous medications, i'd be interested to see if anyone is having trouble like this and what might cure her, I have no problem taking her anywhere and i'm not concerned about the cost as long as she's ok. Any help would be appreciated.:)

Rainbowsend

Grimreaper666 wrote: »

I'm having major problems with my cocker spaniels eyes, it seems she has a dust mite allergy and have tried three vets, an eye vet and numerous medications, i'd be interested to see if anyone is having trouble like this and what might cure her, I have no problem taking her anywhere and i'm not concerned about the cost as long as she's ok. Any help would be appreciated.:)

I presume you have tried over the counter anti-histamines? A half tablet per day can be given bearing in mind it takes a couple of days to "kick in" also eye drops as in artificial tears can be used to help with irritation. Also improving her immune system will help her to battle it herself, a lot of allergies can be linked to diet to. What do you feed her?

Grimreaper666

Rainbowsend wrote: »

I presume you have tried over the counter anti-histamines? A half tablet per day can be given bearing in mind it takes a couple of days to "kick in" also eye drops as in artificial tears can be used to help with irritation. Also improving her immune system will help her to battle it herself, a lot of allergies can be linked to diet to. What do you feed her?

Thanks but we're gone way past anti-histamines, we're on to steroids now, injections and tablets, tried prescription eye drops also Atopica tablets. She's had biopsies, swabs etc. etc. and still no better. I'm nearly 2000 euros down the road now and she's no better, I don't mind the cost as long as she gets better. I was feeding her tried biscuits and chicken breast but the vet said to change her to wet food only, rice and chicken or pasta and chicken, which I did as mites live in dry food.

Rainbowsend

I have started a course of Flax oil and Olive Leaf oil in her food and although she has only been on it for a week now I can see (and smell) a difference in her, her eyes are clear and bright and her coat is getting a sheen again, she is a lot perkier in herself and the lip fold doesnt seem half as odourful! The omega 3 in the Flax oil is for boosting immune and the Olive Leaf for help in healing infections. Early days but she is a lot happier, I am still using the Malaseb shampoo to wash the area daily (mainly because it cost 39.00 euro and I dont want to waste it) and I dry her mouth after drinks when possible. So I am happy that she is not being pumped full of antibiotics.

Steroids are bad news for humans and dogs doing more harm than good in the long run, sure they treat the problem short term but they are only treating the symptoms and not the cause. Find out what is causing the problem and treat that your dog will thank you for it.

Incidentally my dog also had sticky, running eyes, this had nothing to do with the dermatitis but the flax oil and olive leaf has helped this also. 14.00 for both for a months supply worth a try. Will do her no harm at all and maybe a lot of good.

portgirl123

where would i get the Flax oil and the olive leaf oil. will try anything to see if i can help my dogs skin. changing food to burns. nearly pure white dog with horrible red skin that nothing seems to be helping

Rainbowsend

portgirl123 wrote: »

where would i get the Flax oil and the olive leaf oil. will try anything to see if i can help my dogs skin. changing food to burns. nearly pure white dog with horrible red skin that nothing seems to be helping

Any health food shop should stock it, there is a french brand Flax Oil that is far cheaper than any of the others only 4.85 for a quarter litre bottle, I put a dessertspoon on her food once a day and the Olive Leaf is a quarter of the human dose, I use about a quarter to half teaspoon on her food, I was using Burns food and she was fine on it, but have recently changed to Brillys which is a brilliant dry food with higher meat content than Burns, cheaper too at 25.00 for a 25kg bag delivered.

If you have trouble getting Flax oil then Linwood crushed flax seeds are available in Tescos and will work just as well.

Just as an afterthought, is your dog scratching? as the red skin could be sunburn, especially if it is a short haired breed.

cocokay

so glad i came across this thread i am going to try the flax etc. ours is a cocker mix shes 4 as well and last summer wasn't a bother on her, this yr she has hot spots everywhere, she has been wearing a giant collar for about 10 wks now. shes had 3 courses of antibiotics and 2 courses of steroids & been given malaseb shampoo as well. poor thing. she was itching so much she pulled out tufts of her fur. its growing back nicely and we're taking the collar off a little bit more now to see if she goes straight to scratching, if shes busy walking/swimming etc she doesn't but when shes sitting in the house she starts so we leave it on if we're out or at night cause she sleeps downstairs.
i don't want her on medication nonstop i know its not good for her - 4 different vets have seen her and just say its a skin infection and that spaniels are prone to them. we are not doing doing anything different that in the first year we had her though (we got her from dogs trust last yr and she was fine). she eats royal canin & we mix a little something in to make sure shes eating the pills - sometimes rice, peas or some caesar or even all bran (not bran flakes, the sticks) cause they help with her number 2's as being on medication can make her constipated.
my mams dog had awful allergies his whole life, was constantly on steroids and ended up diabetic, he is completely blind now he was a total house dog anyway which is lucky but ours LOVES her walks and runs
i couldn't bear it if the same thing happened to her. does anyone else have any tips or advice?

Rainbowsend

Grimreaper666 wrote: »

Thanks but we're gone way past anti-histamines, we're on to steroids now, injections and tablets, tried prescription eye drops also Atopica tablets. She's had biopsies, swabs etc. etc. and still no better. I'm nearly 2000 euros down the road now and she's no better, I don't mind the cost as long as she gets better. I was feeding her tried biscuits and chicken breast but the vet said to change her to wet food only, rice and chicken or pasta and chicken, which I did as mites live in dry food.

Have you actually had a diagnosis or have the vets said "its probably an allergy to dust mites" They will be happy to take your money for the foreseeable future but if they have not found out whats wrong then I would certainly look into alternative routes. Is she better when out in the open, does it get worse if you are hoovering, dusting, changing beds etc. Dust mites are mainly in the home in mats, carpets, soft furnishings, curtains, etc so should be managed by removing the dog from the areas when you are cleaning and keeping her bedding free by spraying with anti dust mite sprays.

Rainbowsend

cocokay wrote: »

so glad i came across this thread i am going to try the flax etc. ours is a cocker mix shes 4 as well and last summer wasn't a bother on her, this yr she has hot spots everywhere, she has been wearing a giant collar for about 10 wks now. shes had 3 courses of antibiotics and 2 courses of steroids & been given malaseb shampoo as well. poor thing. she was itching so much she pulled out tufts of her fur. its growing back nicely and we're taking the collar off a little bit more now to see if she goes straight to scratching, if shes busy walking/swimming etc she doesn't but when shes sitting in the house she starts so we leave it on if we're out or at night cause she sleeps downstairs.
i don't want her on medication nonstop i know its not good for her - 4 different vets have seen her and just say its a skin infection and that spaniels are prone to them. we are not doing doing anything different that in the first year we had her though (we got her from dogs trust last yr and she was fine). she eats royal canin & we mix a little something in to make sure shes eating the pills - sometimes rice, peas or some caesar or even all bran (not bran flakes, the sticks) cause they help with her number 2's as being on medication can make her constipated.
my mams dog had awful allergies his whole life, was constantly on steroids and ended up diabetic, he is completely blind now he was a total house dog anyway which is lucky but ours LOVES her walks and runs
i couldn't bear it if the same thing happened to her. does anyone else have any tips or advice?

Royal Canin wouldnt be the best of dog foods, independent analysis gives it no "pro's" and plenty of "cons" there are a lot of controversial fillers used that could cause allergies. Check out dogfoodanalysis.com you will be amazed at all the "top quality" pet foods that are nothing more than chemicals and rubbish. Dogs are carnivores full stop....meat eaters!

portgirl123

Rainbowsend wrote: »

Any health food shop should stock it, there is a french brand Flax Oil that is far cheaper than any of the others only 4.85 for a quarter litre bottle, I put a dessertspoon on her food once a day and the Olive Leaf is a quarter of the human dose, I use about a quarter to half teaspoon on her food, I was using Burns food and she was fine on it, but have recently changed to Brillys which is a brilliant dry food with higher meat content than Burns, cheaper too at 25.00 for a 25kg bag delivered.

If you have trouble getting Flax oil then Linwood crushed flax seeds are available in Tescos and will work just as well.

Just as an afterthought, is your dog scratching? as the red skin could be sunburn, especially if it is a short haired breed.

thanks for that will pass on to my sister, the dog is actually my sis not mine. Where do u get Brillys, never actually heard of it.
yeah is a short heair white dog, staff/pitbull.

Rainbowsend

Brilly's is a new brand, not in shops just word of mouth at the moment, can give you the phone number if you want it.

shinikins

Rainbowsend wrote: »

Have you actually had a diagnosis or have the vets said "its probably an allergy to dust mites" They will be happy to take your money for the foreseeable future but if they have not found out whats wrong then I would certainly look into alternative routes.

+1 on this. Also, has your vet checked for Dry Eye? My own cocker has this, its something that many Cockers are prone to. Try using Lacrilube to moisten the eye, you can buy it over the counter in the Chemists. Don't buy cheaper liquid eye drops, most aren't suitable for dogs.

portgirl123

Rainbowsend wrote: »

Brilly's is a new brand, not in shops just word of mouth at the moment, can give you the phone number if you want it.

that would be great. thanks

cocokay

[Royal Canin wouldnt be the best of dog foods, independent analysis gives it no "pro's" and plenty of "cons" there are a lot of controversial fillers used that could cause allergies. Check out dogfoodanalysis.com you will be amazed at all the "top quality" pet foods that are nothing more than chemicals and rubbish. Dogs are carnivores full stop....meat eaters! ]


no way, i am shocked, we've told the vets shes eating this & nothing??? and its expensive as well!

Rainbowsend

[QUOTE=cocokay;
no way, i am shocked, we've told the vets shes eating this & nothing??? and its expensive as well![/QUOTE]

Vets sell this stuff, they make money out of it, but I wonder how many vets look into the makeup of of it? I am sure there are many vets out there that really care about the treatment of animals, but like doctors they are far to interested in handing out pills and potions that cost the earth and treat the symptoms not the cause!

toadfly

Rainbowsend wrote: »

Brilly's is a new brand, not in shops just word of mouth at the moment, can give you the phone number if you want it.

Can you post up the list of ingredients when you get a chance please?

mymo

That dog food analysis website is very biased towards certain foods, and also have listings for incorrect ingredients for the two types of Royal Canin I feed, and also for two other foods I checked for my friend, so I wouldn't trust it at all.
I have tried over a dozen foods over three years and I always go back to RC, my dog does great on it, unlike every other food I tried.