Horrendous Rash
Hey,
I’ve got a 14th month old EBT and I love him to bits.
I’ve taken him to the vets over the last few months as he keeps coming up with a horrendous rash around his groin chest and armpits. They keep palming me off with steroid tablets
I’ve read a lot of threads on here about rashes and skin complaints but not seen anything like my Bruce’s on there.
Any one got any ideas what it could be?
I’ve got a 14th month old EBT and I love him to bits.
I’ve taken him to the vets over the last few months as he keeps coming up with a horrendous rash around his groin chest and armpits. They keep palming me off with steroid tablets
I’ve read a lot of threads on here about rashes and skin complaints but not seen anything like my Bruce’s on there.
Any one got any ideas what it could be?
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Comments
BUT, it could also be related to nutrition. Even vaccinations can be the culprit. And I think I have by far not even started to cover ALL possible triggers.
Puppies in general are a little more prone to things like rashes. Their immune system is not fully developed yet.
Therefore it is important to start supporting the immune system as early as possible with a balanced nutrition and vitamin/mineral additions.
What are you feeding? What main diet (brand, variety), treats, add-ons?
Is the pup outside on the belly? Which detergents and cleaners are you using on surfaces he is lying on?
What do you use for the body care and how often do you bathe the dog?
If steroids are all that your vet has had to offer so far I have to say I am shocked and I would switch immediately.
Steroids are only a short term remedy. And while they are usually bringing awesome and quick results, these are only short-term and come at high cost for the body. They are treating only symptoms, not the cause. Which is why the symptoms will always return as long as the trigger has not been found an removed. Giving ONLY steroids over and over again only enters the dog into a never ending cycle of infection, rashes and very harsh medication. Steroids have huge side effects, which is important especially for a very young and undeveloped individual.
Has your vet undertaken any efforts so far to find out what the cause could be? Which other tips and remedies did he offer? Or was it really only the steroids?
To relieve the itch and support healing you can try epsom salt baths. Just google that. Epsom salt relieves the itch and assists in the healing process of the skin. It can sting a little. So if your dog seems to be very sore at the belly, other remedies, such as specially formulated medical baths may be the better idea. Please do not use lotions or anything formulated for human skin on the dog. I am saying it just in case. Dog have a different skin PH and using the wrong products can make such rashes even worse.
A very good natural skin softener with healing abilities is virgin coconut oil.
All of these home remedies also only treat the symptoms. But at least the relief does not come at such a high cost as it does with steroids. And it may buy you some time to figure out the actual trigger and find your strategy to avoid it.
I’ve recently switched his flea treatment to Prinovox as was recommend the best one to use for him, he has no signs of fleas.
We have carpets in the house and I hoover every day his bedding and toys are washed in non bio sure care which has nothing in it to have a reaction too.
Are plants are in pots and the garden is stone so we didn’t have any mess coming in when the weather was bad as it seems to do nothing but rain over here.
The vet did a dermodex test... where they scraped his skin on his belly as said it wasn’t mites other than that cause it was so blistered and painful he just gave us 40 tablets and a steroid cream. Didn’t recommend further tests as they said there was no point if the steroids work.... am not happy.
I’ve been using hibiscrub and Vaseline to keep the skin soft as when I tried coconut oil he loves the taste of it and licks it.
His diet was good I had him on a company called poppyspicnic but the boyfriend changed it to butchers lean and tasty a few weeks ago.... I didn’t think a good could do that....
Thanks for all your help.
I get a big tub on amazon and my daughters even use it
@Brucey2017
I can't find something that really sticks out in your description. So, my best guess for you to find out what the trigger is, is exclusion. That will TAKE TIME. Actually, it would be best to change only ONE thing at a time of the things you CAN change because that would allow you to clearly identify the trigger. If you change many things at once and notice improvement you will still not exactly know what the culprit was.
However, I can understand the desire for fast relief.
I would probably start with the things the dog is most in contact with. Meaning try to switch detergents, consider the flea treatment and parasites themselves (mites are not the only nasty bugs, fleas can cause horrible allergies, someone already mentioned it).
As a first step I would also maybe think about a food switch ONCE more and keep it for a while then. I don't know either of the foods you've mentioned, but I stumbled over the term "animal derivatives" in the Butcher's.
https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-ingredients/0006/meat-and-animal-derivatives
I am not saying it is either a good or a bad food. I am saying, you DON'T KNOW. Because the list of ingredients is not specific enough.
As you obviously have an allergic dog, you want to have as much clarity on the ingredients as you can get.
Alternatively to switching you could first ask the manufacturers to give you a more detailed list of the ingredients and then make your decision. Maybe they will. This will also give you an idea of how they think about their food. If they consider it a good food they will likely have no problem with telling you what those "animal derivatives" in their food are.
Also, I would think about additions, such as ACV and/or Coconut oil (in the food) and/or salmon oil (small amounts) and a good quality supplement with minerals and vitamins. Your dog's immune system can now use any help it can get.
And, seriously, I would try to find another vet. One that knows his business beyond handing our steroids and who is interested in long-term solutions. It will likely cost you more than just picking up some steroids now and then. But in the long run it will save you a lot of heartache and money to really do what you are already trying: steering clear of steroids and get to the core of things.
An allergy test would be another option - one of the costlier ones - as far as I know.
At least your vet tested for mites. However, sometimes test results are negative although mites are present. Therefore, I would not entirely rule them out already. Mites often cause patchy hair loss, which I did not notice in your pictures. But I am no expert and, again, what that vet did and said did not sound very thorough to me. I've heard such things in the past when I was worried how expensive certain treatments could get. I have also been offered steroids and they seemed like a miracle medicine to me ... until I learned how dangerous they are.
In terms of time and cost, with allergies, sadly there are no shortcuts, not as far as I know.
Other than that, I do not see any good reason for the frequent use of steroids unless ALL other options are exhausted. The way my vet back then explained it to me when my last dog was severely suffering from allergies: I can either try to find the trigger and accept that my dog will suffer a lot until I have found it and can finally avoid it. OR I can accept that my dog will probably live a shorter, but happier life - on steroids. Because while they will bring instant relief they will also kind of destroy her - slowly.
Back then, when I did not know everything I know today, that really sounded like an option to me.
Today, I would do ANYTHING to be able to avoid giving my dog steroids and at best even antibiotics. And most of all one of those other "miracle medicines", such as Apoquel, for example.
I can really understand how much it hurts to see your own pet suffer - believe me, I've been there. But every owner trying to provide relief and choosing "the fast and easy way out" with medication that suppresses symptoms, should realize: This always has a price!
And I am not talking about money.
Apoquel is not a steroid and no antihistamine, it is an immune suppressant, such as the ones used in cancer treatment. Yes, cancer treatment! For allergies! Doesn't that sound a little weird?
If you did not know that, allergies are basically an overreaction of the immune system. Instead of only fighting harmful bacteria, viruses or other negative influences (e.g. when we have a cold and get a fever), the body starts to fight "normal" things that are around us every day and usually don't harm us (starting to show "battle fields", such as inflammation, rashes, runny nose and other symptoms).
Immune suppressants target the exact right spot for this problem as they SUPPRESS the overreaction of the immune system, thus stop the fight and give the body a chance to heal inflammation, lower fever and stop the runny nose.
So far so awesome.
BUT!
We can't separate good from bad here. The problem is that besides suppressing the overreaction towards "normal and harmless" things, also the immune reaction towards hurtful intruders, such as bacteria, viruses etc. will be suppressed as long as the immune suppressant is in use.
This means that the body's defense is basically down and if a simple cold comes along, the body doesn't have any weapons to fight it - which in very severe cases means that even a bagatelle illness can now become life threatening.
Another problem with the immune suppressants is: Just as steroids they ONLY target symptoms, but never the real cause. Which means as long as I give them, the price for the itch relief is that I am putting my dog in danger of suffering or dying from infections.
Once I stop giving them and have not removed the trigger all of the allergy symptoms will soon return.
It's a vicious cycle.
Again, I can really understand the desperation of some owners. I know that searching for triggers is laborious and time-consuming and watching the dog suffer hurts badly, which makes shortcuts and quick help very attractive. What I can't understand is that such harsh medication often seems to be suggested in vet's offices without really disclosing and discussing the side effects and possible consequences with the owners.
These things may be temporary helpers in a time when a dog suffers so badly that instant relief for NOW is the number one priority.
But after that, finding the trigger and trying to avoid it should become priority number one. So the dog does not longer have to take that dangerous stuff.
If the trigger can't be found, no matter what, well, then such harsh means may be the last resort. But I feel like they are often prescribed too soon, way too much and with way too few background information.
Sorry for the long post. And I did not mean to criticize anyone here. But this is something that kind of haunts me since I went trough it with my own dog and came to realize over time, how many other owners are going the same route.
We did dose the dog with some antibiotics etc and did not agree with the vet that that it was not some how food and maybe puberty if that makes sense
Through really working on diet and immune building supplements and maybe just coming through adolescence it all went away around the 14 month mark and she has been clear and very healthy since
I feed her a base of kibble VICTOR, Raw , cottage cheese , coconut oil, gelatin, nutria vet vitamin
Hoping in the spring and the grass grows it’s not triggered again but so far so good
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"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
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