# blue dog skin issues



## Mahalo (Oct 20, 2012)

Hello. I am new here. I have a 9 month old female blue pit bull who has become pretty itchy. First it was summer fleas which were easily remedied by trifexis(amazing stuff in my opinion)and a dose of steroids. About a month off the roids it has come back with a vengence(just not in the same area and not fleas).I have taken her to a dermatologist and wow was this expensive (his "estimate" for everything under the sun that he wanted to do came to 800 dollars and he still has no idea what is wrong with her).I heard about this forum from someone from my pittie class and thought i would see if any of you kind people would have any suggestions or advice.Thanks in advance. Tasha


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

What are you feeding? My boys has seasonal allergies and he can't have grains or chicken based kibble. The vet hasn't really been a help blood tests and a few hundred dollars later and they suggested duck based kibbles. 

Are seasonal allergies high where you are? Have you changed your cleaning products or your laundry detergent? What Changed at the time of the itching is what you should look at if allergy tests came back ok. Or did you not complete the tests?


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

All steroids and antibiotics are going to do is weaken the immune system and cause her more harm than good. Antibiotics and steroids are only a temporary fix and it usually will come back. You need to find the root of the problem..... I've been there and done that and after doing my research and avoiding the roids and meds I put her on an all raw diet which has helped her greatly. You need to build your girls immune system back up and stop medicating her. Vets are great but they are all about the $$$. If you as an owner don't do your own research and educate yourself then unfortunately you can get taken advantage of by some of them. Glad you found us here. There are some great people who can point you in the right direction on natural ways of getting your pup well again. I would take her off EVERYTHING your giving her including heartworm meds and flea meds. Unfortunately a lot of those chemicals and pesticides you are putting into and on your dog can cause allergies and side affects. Get her on a good grain free diet such as Acana or Orijen and feed her only that food for 3 months.....no treats either. Only her kibble.... you basically need to do your own food trial and see what it is that maybe bothering her. For the itchy skin you can give her benadryl...how much does she weigh?? One tablet is 25 mg and it's 1 mg per pound of weight so if your dog weighs 50 pounds you can give her 2 tablets, 75 pounds 3 tablets and so on. You can also buy some malaseb shampoo to help with the itching. It has great antibacterial and antifungal agents and is very effective. Is she suffering yeast infections as well on her skin or in her ears?

Malaseb





Zymox is also another good brand of shampoo and is more natural
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=f38e5940-1af3-11e2-8751-001b2166c2c0


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## Cbranham89 (Oct 19, 2012)

My blue has the same I went to blue buffalo wilderness and started giving him fish oil and it has come to a stop he hasn't chewed scratched anything and the fish oil has made his coat look great and it will help his/her joints in the long run. Also try oatmeal shampoo twice a week it will relieve some of the itch and help it heal a lot faster this is my dog he is now 9 months.


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## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

What type of dog shampoo are you using? Does your dog have an order that he didn't have before?


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## Mahalo (Oct 20, 2012)

hello all and thank you for your help. I have taken her off of all poultry for now and will definitely try a food trial myself with the foods you suggested. I also got an anti bacterial/fungal shampoo(I also have malaseb)and will bathe her 2x a week(thats what the dermatotogist suggested-I just didnt buy his shampoo). She does have a yeast infection in her ears and on her skin.As for testing Ivy is too young in their opinion for blood tests to see if her allergy is environmental.Poor Ivy is just a baby still-9 months old. I am saddened that she is going though this. thx again for your kind words of support. Tasha


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## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

feeding your dog yogurt will help with the yeast infection (plain yogurt) you could add Some to his food (or hers). wiping her ears out with a vinegar and alcohol mixture will help greatly the vinegar will kill the yeast and the alcohol will dry the ears. you can also rinse your doggy with vinegar after you bathe him (or her) do not use the vinegar mixture if there are open sores. also you can give your dog apple cider vinegar put a tablespoon in his water


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## shadyridge (Dec 9, 2006)

we have/had the same problem with Sheamus who we just rescued. He is a grey/blueish colored bully. He was abused and had a severe skin/yeast infection every where. The shelter said he looked like a dalmation cuz of all the bald spots on him and the swollen feet from yeast. So I took him off ALL antibotics,steriods and kibble.He is on a raw diet and I am using Nustock on his feet. And man I tell you he looks a thousand times better!!!! I have only had him for about 3 weeks if that and only been using nustock on his feet for about 4 days and man he looks great. But you have to remember with yeast, It feeds off grains and sugars,so with the yogurt make sure it as little to no sugar in it. Stay away from alllll treats. unless its like liver treats. Use Apple cider vinager with the 'mother' in his food and also you can use it to wipe his body and ears down. As it will level off his PH in and on his body. I'll try to get his pictures of what he looked like when they brought him in.


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## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

yes absolutely no sugar in the yogurt just plain ol yogurt
you can also sprinkle oregano in her food as well 
not all at once though. so maybe add the yogurt to her breakfast than oregano to her dinner her stomachs not going to be used to it so if she has runny stool don't be alarmed it will subside


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## Shadow12 (Oct 28, 2012)

Our 10 month old is has developed bumps. He doesn't scratch or seem annoyed but he is shedding more too. And his skin is also more dry n flaky. We r feeding the same food since we got him from the other owner. We got him an oatmeal shampoo and have been mixing aloe n water and spraying it on him. But nothing is helping. Next step we will be taking him to the vet. Any suggestions?


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## Belle Adore (Aug 27, 2012)

Great idea sin this thread. Belle is 5 months and has small red bumps on her chest and stomach. I noticed that he has some thinning on the front of her legs and has started scratching more. I was going to try the Borax and peroxide mix b/c the vet said that it could be mange, but will seek what happens when i totally eliminate treats from her diet. I give her Blue Buffalo grain free, but i also give her regular treats and an occasional rawhide to help with the chewing. I will see if her skin clears up in a week.


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## Skye (May 7, 2012)

my blue girl had similar issues. i put her on salmon taste of the wild, missing link (skin kind), apple cider vinegar, omega 3 pills and coconut oil. shes 150% better, shinny healthy fur and skin. ACV & coconut oil are also immune system boosters.


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## LoveMyBully (Nov 15, 2012)

We have had two blues this far and one had an autoimmune problem kind if like lupus and we had to put him down. He was suffering so much. It started with a small red spot on his chest. We thought it was allergies at first. Tried everything and hundreds to the vet and finally determined he can't go on suffering. Hardest day of our lives. I hope you find a cure. I can't own another Blue because of this...breaks my heart.

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## deja-k (Nov 26, 2012)

My dog is battling allergies and it seems like it's year round. I'm not fond of giving him steroids or antibiotics unless it's really necessary. I would like to control it, if I can. Vet said he should be given omega-3 pills like Flaxseed..and bathed in Ketochlor shampoo by Virbac 2-3 times a week. Ketochlor is prescription only and an 8 oz. bottle costs $25 at the vet. The shampoo doesn't even lather so that 8 oz. bottle is gone in a week. It has great reviews, but I honestly don't know if it works because when I last used it on him, he was being treated for an infection. Anyone know of an alternative to that shampoo? He eats grain-free kibble, takes an omega-3 pill daily, and is using a hypoallergenic shampoo right now.

Oh yea...my friend gives her dog Coconut oil but my vet claims she's never heard of that working? Anyone giving that to their dog?


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## crystalcountry (Dec 26, 2010)

We've had 2 blue fawns(still have one with us) , both with skin issues. It's been trial and error with Tia we got a handle on the problem and she didn't have any out breaks from then on. Inca... well we're still swinging. Diff. big fan of coconut oil and apple cider! Everybody's been grain free for awhile now and that's helped, but still having blow outs with her coat. 
All I can add is, good luck!


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## Kristen623 (Sep 25, 2012)

My blue had bad hives on his legs which turned into folliculitis. He was on antibiotics/steroid for 10 days & it cleared up pretty quick and I changed his food at the same time. He has environmental allergies AND food allergies. Since changing his food, and ragweed season is over, he is doing great. I feed him Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream with Salmon. I use all grain free products. He was on Blue Buffallo Wilderness but TOTW is less expensive & pretty similar in formula. He loves veggies. I use cut up baby carrots for training treats.


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## Paris Azul (Dec 13, 2012)

*My Blue's Skin issues*

Ok, so We have never owned a Pit in our lives so this was a first for all three of us, Miss Paris included. We did not know that Blue's in particular have skin problems and was informed that if any itching presents itself oatmeal puppy shampoo should do the trick and bathe her once a week; BUT that didn't stop the itching. Then we read that bathing that often will dry the skin out more so we waited 2 to 2 and a half weeks and did a medicated flea bath on her, and put the Hartz flea and tick topical down her back. That DID NOT WORK either. First off, Hartz brand anything is a waste of time and money, and Secondly, the flea bath stuff worked maybe a day and a half. So we stopped doing that.. 
A week or so went by with no big issue, she wasn't scratching to much. And then all of a sudden she started breaking out all over her belly! Red fleshy bumps right under skin were forming, and she was scratching and gnawing at herself immensely. I went from thinking it was a flea allergy, to an allergic reaction to some shots she just received, to Mange. I was freaking out and crying everytime I had time to do so. Mind you this all occurred just this past Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. I was about to drop big bucks on getting her to a vet. However, Paris's other owner, Marino, the best researcher in the world, found this stuff called Nu Stock, and let me tell you, the day after I applied it which was 3 days ago, Thursday, She cleared up soooo much!! 
When I applied the ointment all over her I had to put an E-Collar on her to prevent the licking because they can get a little sick, but nothing more. Thats the other downfall because she was pissed at me for the entire day, lol. But My baby was better. I left the collar on her for about 5-6 hours to let the stuff set in really good, Marino came home and took it off of her and she was fine, scratching a little, but A LOT less than the day before. 
I had to reapply today, because it recommends application every three days until whatever the issue is clears up, so I am back as her arch enemy when it comes to her having to wear the E-Collar. But anything to make my pooh bear feel better.

SO if you guys ever see a break out, or hair loss on your baby, long or short haired, find Nu Stock, it works like a charm. The only bad review I could find on it was that it smelled kind of strong. Also be sure to wear some gloves for application so the scent wont get stuck on your hands.

If you have any other questions about this stuff hit me up on here, Im happy to help


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