[Blake Peterson]

My 7 mo old Boykin Spaniel has had skin issues for a while... It's starting to drive me insane. I've taken her to about 3 different vets and have yet to get a straight forward answer. First said flea allergy even though she's been on Nexgard and has no signs of fleas, next did a skin scrape and found mites so treated for that and blamed that for everything else going on (mites went away but skin issues didn't), and the last and current vet said she thinks it's a food allergy but she is on Acana singles which from what I read shouldn't cause issues... I'm stumped and have already spent around $2,000 on vet bills in the short amount of time I've had with her. I can't afford to pay a visit fee every week (which I'm gonna do until this gets resolved because I want her to be healthy and happy)... Just seeing if anyone else has had this happen
She is going to the trainer in 2 weeks and wanted to get this resolved before then. I don't want to drop her off and have to make him deal with it.

This is is from today, doesn't look at bad as usual but you can still see it.

 

[67632]

How long has the dog been on the food? It can take six weeks to see a difference. Also, dogs can be allergic to proteins, not just corn/wheat/soy/etc.

Did you treat your other animals, home and yard for fleas? Or just the dog? With some flea meds the fleas have to bite to become poisoned or they have to be on the dog. Some dogs are very allergic to them. I had a dog who would have a reaction from one flea; infestation is not always required.

Could also be environmental (grass, trees, etc.) which is a pain. I have one, though his issues are mild, relatively speaking. I give him a loratadine (generic Claratin) every day. Some people have to wipe down their dogs after coming inside or bathe them regularly. Often, environmental allergies are seasonal, but your pup is young and your winters are mild. Some dogs are allergic to something in the house, like dust mites. Do you have carpeting?

Did you speak with your breeder to find out if any of the other pups are having issues?

 

[KNorman]

Where are you doing your water work?

If it's near the LSU golf course or in the LSU lakes, you might have a fertilizer/pesticide/nutria itch problem. I used to swim one of my old Goldens in the LSU lakes (watch for lizards!) and he developed a similar rash. Nutria itch is caused by a roundworm that teems in our waters in the summer months.

Obviously, I'd agree with a food allergy solution first, but it's something else to consider.

 

[EdA]

Does the dog itch? 7 months is very young to have developd a food allergy. If she was diagnosd with Demodex most cases respond to Nexgard but it is not an instant cure. If she is under treatment mite counts could be low and it might be necessay to do multiple skin scrapings to find mites.

 

[Blake Peterson]

How long has the dog been on the food? It can take six weeks to see a difference. Also, dogs can be allergic to proteins, not just corn/wheat/soy/etc.

Did you treat your other animals, home and yard for fleas? Or just the dog? With some flea meds the fleas have to bite to become poisoned or they have to be on the dog. Some dogs are very allergic to them. I had a dog who would have a reaction from one flea; infestation is not always required.

Could also be environmental (grass, trees, etc.) which is a pain. I have one, though his issues are mild, relatively speaking. I give him a loratadine (generic Claratin) every day. Some people have to wipe down their dogs after coming inside or bathe them regularly. Often, environmental allergies are seasonal, but your pup is young and your winters are mild. Some dogs are allergic to something in the house, like dust mites. Do you have carpeting?

Did you speak with your breeder to find out if any of the other pups are having issues?

Shes been on the food for about 2 months or so, just ordered the third bag. She was on pro plan from the breeder and correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is chicken based? The Acana I'm feeding her is a duck/pear recipe, but I may try others if needed.

I have no other animals and I haven't treated the yard, but she is an inside dog... With me wherever I go and in the woods a lot so I just never saw a point in treating the yard. If that would help I wouldn't hesitate though.

I really hope its not environmental... That would be an absolute pain! All hardwood in my house but my parents have carpet and I am living with them for the summer while out of school.

I have a good relationship with the breeder and talk with him regularly. No other puppies have any problems what so ever. Small world but someone else in Baton Rouge got a puppy from the same litter all the way in Wisconsin. We keep in touch and the dogs play together often. His puppy has had no issues at all. I'm stumped.

 

[Blake Peterson]

Where are you doing your water work?

If it's near the LSU golf course or in the LSU lakes, you might have a fertilizer/pesticide/nutria itch problem. I used to swim one of my old Goldens in the LSU lakes (watch for lizards!) and he developed a similar rash. Nutria itch is caused by a roundworm that teems in our waters in the summer months.

Obviously, I'd agree with a food allergy solution first, but it's something else to consider.

I'm in Mandeville for the summer and have been doing a lot of work in a very clean lake in the back of a neighborhood so I never even thought of it to be caused from that... But then again I've never heard of that so I don't know.

How have others gone about the food allergy situation? How would I even figure out if that's the problem without having to switch foods and wait 3 months?

 

[Blake Peterson]

Does the dog itch? 7 months is very young to have developd a food allergy. If she was diagnosd with Demodex most cases respond to Nexgard but it is not an instant cure. If she is under treatment mite counts could be low and it might be necessay to do multiple skin scrapings to find mites.

Yes, she itches and bites a good bit... Which is why I've been trying to get this resolved, she's clearly uncomfortable. She was on Ivermectin for a month and a half and had 2 clean skin scrapes after. I'm taking her back to the vet this week to get her ProHeart vaccination before she goes to the trainer so I will ask if that may still be a possibility.

 

[EdA]

If she had Demodex and was taking Nexgard Ivermectin was unnecessary, Nexgard is a much better way to treat Demodectic mange.

 

[Blake Peterson]

If she had Demodex and was taking Nexgard Ivermectin was unnecessary, Nexgard is a much better way to treat Demodectic mange.

It was Demodex, she was losing hair around her eyes. I was giving her 0.5Ml of Ivermectin every morning and it cleared up. Vet said the Nexgard should prevent it from reoccurring. I know very little about Demodex or any form of mites and the treatments for them, so I was just trusting what the vet had to say.

 

[Blake Peterson]

This is what she was on...

 

[mcaillouet]

I really hope its not environmental...

I have a good relationship with the breeder and talk with him regularly. No other puppies have any problems what so ever. Small world but someone else in Baton Rouge got a puppy from the same litter all the way in Wisconsin. We keep in touch and the dogs play together often. His puppy has had no issues at all. I'm stumped.

Blake, I've got a 15 week old Boykin in Baton Rouge and we went through a little Folliculitis issue after taking the pup in the salt water to big lake fishing in the boat. It was hard to tell if it was directly related to the salt water or running through the tall, wet grass at Pennington or what. Prednisone and an antibiotic cleared it up. We've been swimming in the LSU lakes as well. Not sure what could be causing it. Got ours from Huntsville, AL. A cousin of mine from Lafayette has a good friend in Dallas who ended up getting one from the same litter as well. Small world is right.

 

[careljo]

My Standard Poodle went through an itchy, hair biting stage at about 7 mo and was diagnosed with Sarcoptic mange. Was treated with oral Ivermectin once a week for 8 weeks and it cleared up with that treatment. If you're using a novel protein/carb source food, it probably is not food allergies. Could be environmental allergies like grasses and pollen which tend to show up with skin irritations. I think there is a blood allergy test that is fairly reliable and reasonably priced. I used it for another dog and it pinpointed several protein and grain allergies as well as some environmental triggers.

 

[Rhenee Fadling]

I've seen this sort of red, blotchy show up on pups we've had. Sounds like you've ruled out a lot of possibilities and treated for those. Could be a moist skin issue, especially if your swimming pup a lot. Might consider washing the area for a week to 10 days with antibacterial soap, a few drops on a moist cotton ball, wiping the area with the cotton ball and drying with a cloth. I would stick with the feeding plan you have in place.

 

[ErinsEdge]

I have a dog that gets like that only when it's humid. I give him frequent baths with Malaseb shampoo and a conditioner I got from the Vet and use Ketohex spray. It happens every year for a few months. If he goes in gross water he gets red blotches right away.

 

[Dilly1986]

I have had a similar situation with my dog. Save yourself a huge headache bite the bullet and take her to a pet dermatologist. The dermatologist knew within three seconds what was wrong with my dog.

 

[Dacole]

Any updates on the situation? I have a 4.5 mo old Boykin and he has been intching and scratching for the past few weeks.

The pictures looked similar to spots I found on his body.

I've also noticed he has dry skin - We have been giving him fish oil capsules for a week now - seems to be helping