holdoll Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 We have a six year old Golden/ Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Last year during our first fall/winter in the high desert her skin began to peel and she lost some of her undercoat. I took her to the vet and he was perplexed as to what was the problem after doing blood work and a skin scraping. I bought the very expensive prescription dog food that he suggested and nothing changed. All her other behaviors were fine; normal appetite, stool, urination, exercise, etc. Happy go lucky type of sweet girl. By spring she was back to normal. Well, here we go again. I just noticed little skin flakes this morning on her coat. Could it be the cold high desert air is drying out her skin too much? If so, what can I do for her if anything? Thank you in advance for your thoughts! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Well, since you've already had a vet check her out for an initial assessment. . . (great first step!) I'd suggest trying omega-3/fish oil supplements. It won't hurt & it just might be curative. I would suggest calling your vet's office and asking if they carry one, or if the vet can recommend one. If no luck there, then maybe try a new vet. If that doesn't help. . . (give it 2-4 weeks to assess). . . then it may be time for a dermatologist workup at a specialty hospital. Derm is one of the trickiest diagnostic areas, and a specialist is often needed to figure out tricky problems. Ask the vet if this is 'atopic dermatitis' and might be served by a trial of Atopica. It is pricey, but it can be a miracle. Another option is a trial of allergy-food and/or allergy testing & subsequent allergy shots. Each of these options are expensive, so the vet might well think you'd be better served by going to a specialist at the outset. Oh, make sure your dog is on a high quality diet. The Rx diet might have been an allergy-type diet, which might not be advisable long term -- some are fine for long term, but others are not complete and are intended for short term use only. (Ask!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Try switching to a RAW diet for your dog. Google has a few sites you can look over. Our lab was switched to the raw diet 2 months ago when we got our new puppy, who is fed raw. The lab has a nice healthy coat now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 google dog essential fatty acid supplementation I'm not a big fan of supplements for everything, but I'd care for a couple of dogs who did better on there. They had "dry" skin, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 You can just purchase the oil capsules at the store... and then... coconut oil is good too... and... You can get kinda and "anti-itch shampoo" at the vets... (specific meds in it are different..) I agree that the raw good is great... and at least getting off grains.... Sorry for you and your pup!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 You can just purchase the oil capsules at the store... and then... coconut oil is good too... and... You can get kinda and "anti-itch shampoo" at the vets... (specific meds in it are different..) I agree that the raw good is great... and at least getting off grains.... Sorry for you and your pup!! The supplement I used must have been tasty, and the dogs would line up and sit perfectly still, so eager for their turn! http://www.amazon.com/Linatone-Plus-for-Dogs-Gallon/dp/B0002YFBAI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 You could try a grain free food to eliminate any grainy allergens. I would also suggest giving some unrefined coconut oil (like Spectrum or Nutiva). Start out small (1tsp or so), and then work up to 1 Tbs or so daily. We did this with our Golden and her skin issues improved considerably over a few weeks/months. We do the same for our current dog (lab mix) and her black coat is super shiny without any sign of dandruff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdoll Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 Thanks everyone. I should say that she's never had any skin problems before we moved to the high desert. I know that for Goldies it can be pretty common, but I thought she was just fortunate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 hi - which high desert are you in? here in the mojave, our golden was fine on science diet food. we switched to "chicken soup for the dog lover's soul" later in her life and it helped both her joints and her skin. hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 You should also have her thyroid checked as well. I understand that you had an exam done last year but there could be other factors at play now as well and thryoid is very common in both breeds around the age of your dog and they can present with skin issues first. Also with food based allergies and trying to do a food elimination diet just remember that timing is everything. A proper food elimination diet will be done for a minimum of 8 weeks(the shortest possible time really) of only the new food item. No treats, table foods or any additionals. If doing a raw diet it is the same way though. Only certain food items for that time period with nothnig else. If something else sneaks in(dropped table foods, snacks, etc) then your timing needs to start all over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdoll Posted October 25, 2010 Author Share Posted October 25, 2010 I am going to PETCO tomorrow (been dealing with sick kids today) to get something with the essential fatty acid supplementation. I will stick with that for a while and see if that helps. If not, I will do a food elimination diet and get her thyroid checked. My goodness. BTDT. Hope she doesn't have to have hers removed too. :glare: I am so thankful to you ALL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 I am going to PETCO tomorrow (been dealing with sick kids today) to get something with the essential fatty acid supplementation. I will stick with that for a while and see if that helps. If not, I will do a food elimination diet and get her thyroid checked. My goodness. BTDT. Hope she doesn't have to have hers removed too. :glare: I am so thankful to you ALL! Dogs normally are hypothyroid which means supplementation not removal. Cats are the ones who normally develop hyperthyroid and need removal. Sounds like a good plan to follow through with. Remember that most fatty acid supplements can expire pretty quickly so watch dates on the bottles and how they are kept temp. wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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