Good evening,
Can you or your readers suggest a good doggie shampoo that contains gentle ingredients, as my Lurcher has sensitive skin? He is a long-haired Lurcher and can get quite grubby at this time of year.
Thanking you in advance.
Mrs Joy, by email
May issue
May issue
Showing posts with label sensitive skin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sensitive skin. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Monday, 28 February 2011
Suffering from an allergic skin disease
My Japanese Shiba Inu has just been diagnosed with Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD). She is not four years old yet and I noticed she seemed very sensitive after I had had her for just a few days, so she has been tested for many things.
It is a horrible disease. She scratches - and not like a normal dog - she removes all the hair from parts of her body. She can’t go outside on a sunny day as she is so sensitive to heat and over the past few weeks has gone downhill and it has become very difficult to get her to go outside as she has no energy and spends most of the day sleeping.
I have a very good consultant who has tried putting her on steroids, but she has had a bad reaction. We are now trialing her on deflazacort, which is an anti-inflammatory, for the next two weeks to calm her skin. If this proves unsuccessful we will try her on a lower dose of steriods, together with antihistamine tablets. However, she has had antihistamine tablets before and they just knocked her out, and I don’t wish to tire her out anymore than she already is. She really perks up when she sees people so I have asked friends to come to the house and see her as she is just too tired to go outside. I am very worried I will soon have to let her go but am very much hoping to hear from anyone with a dog who has CAD and how you have coped with it. I completely trust my vet’s decisions but I do not want to keep her on steroids that cause her further problems and would rather she was at peace.
My vet says in his opinion it is hereditary and this is the first case he has heard of in the UK. Does anyone else in the country have a Shiba Inu with this problem, or know anyone who does?
Thank you very much.
D. Mills, by phone
It is a horrible disease. She scratches - and not like a normal dog - she removes all the hair from parts of her body. She can’t go outside on a sunny day as she is so sensitive to heat and over the past few weeks has gone downhill and it has become very difficult to get her to go outside as she has no energy and spends most of the day sleeping.
I have a very good consultant who has tried putting her on steroids, but she has had a bad reaction. We are now trialing her on deflazacort, which is an anti-inflammatory, for the next two weeks to calm her skin. If this proves unsuccessful we will try her on a lower dose of steriods, together with antihistamine tablets. However, she has had antihistamine tablets before and they just knocked her out, and I don’t wish to tire her out anymore than she already is. She really perks up when she sees people so I have asked friends to come to the house and see her as she is just too tired to go outside. I am very worried I will soon have to let her go but am very much hoping to hear from anyone with a dog who has CAD and how you have coped with it. I completely trust my vet’s decisions but I do not want to keep her on steroids that cause her further problems and would rather she was at peace.
My vet says in his opinion it is hereditary and this is the first case he has heard of in the UK. Does anyone else in the country have a Shiba Inu with this problem, or know anyone who does?
Thank you very much.
D. Mills, by phone
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Could my dog have hay fever?
My dog has very sensitive skin and this is especially worse in spring and early summer. It goes an angry pink colour and he starts chewing and tugging at his fur. This can happen as early as March and continue into the summer. A friend suggested it might be hay fever but it seems to begin so early in the year that I am concerned that it might be something else. Also, although he sneezes from time to time, he doesn’t suffer from ‘traditional’ hay fever symptoms. Does anyone else notice this in their pet and any suggestions please as to what it might be?
Amy Simmonds, by email
Dr John Howie, Co-founder of Lintbells, says...
It is very likely that if your dog is showing these symptoms from March that it is hay fever as dogs are particularly sensitive to tree pollen – which is about much earlier than grass pollen and the early days of spring are when we usually see it.
Dogs suffer from hay fever, just as we do. However it is much more likely that the reaction to the pollen will be in the skin rather than the sneezing and itchy eyes symptoms that humans get.
Like us, dogs may suffer an allergic reaction when they inhale pollen. However, in animals, the histamines released by the body in response to the pollen tend to show themselves in the skin rather than the nose and eyes. Dogs can also suffer a reaction when pollen comes into direct contact with their skin.
If your dog is suffering from hay fever he is likely to scratch and bite his body, possibly to the extent that he will pull some of his coat out. He may also lick his paws, shake his head and rub his face on the floor or furniture. In extreme cases he is likely to be more sensitive to being touched and generally miserable in his demeanour.
In order to prevent these irritating symptoms it is worth ensuring that your dog’s natural skin defences are working as well as they possibly can. Omega 6 and 3 oils increase the essential fatty acids in a dog’s diet to improve their skin health. Adding Yumega Plus to your dog’s diet will ensure they get the correct balance of these oils, helping to calm sensitivity and irritation in his skin, and will make it more difficult for the pollen to penetrate the skin, which should reduce the scratching. Yumega Plus contains added fresh salmon oil and more vitamin E than standard Yumega making it perfect for dogs with itchy and sensitive skin.
Other things that you should try include bathing your dog with a shampoo designed to reduce skin irritation, although not so frequently that it dries out the skin or you could lose those vital oils in their coat. It’s also very important to keep up to date with flea control and brushing the coat to ensure there is no dirt and debris or trapped pollen in matted hair. At peak hay fever times ensure you brush the coat to remove seeds, etc from his coat and wipe him down with a damp towel after his walk to get rid of the pollen. Regularly washing your dog’s grooming brushes and bedding can help too.
Amy Simmonds, by email
Dr John Howie, Co-founder of Lintbells, says...
It is very likely that if your dog is showing these symptoms from March that it is hay fever as dogs are particularly sensitive to tree pollen – which is about much earlier than grass pollen and the early days of spring are when we usually see it.
Dogs suffer from hay fever, just as we do. However it is much more likely that the reaction to the pollen will be in the skin rather than the sneezing and itchy eyes symptoms that humans get.
Like us, dogs may suffer an allergic reaction when they inhale pollen. However, in animals, the histamines released by the body in response to the pollen tend to show themselves in the skin rather than the nose and eyes. Dogs can also suffer a reaction when pollen comes into direct contact with their skin.
If your dog is suffering from hay fever he is likely to scratch and bite his body, possibly to the extent that he will pull some of his coat out. He may also lick his paws, shake his head and rub his face on the floor or furniture. In extreme cases he is likely to be more sensitive to being touched and generally miserable in his demeanour.
In order to prevent these irritating symptoms it is worth ensuring that your dog’s natural skin defences are working as well as they possibly can. Omega 6 and 3 oils increase the essential fatty acids in a dog’s diet to improve their skin health. Adding Yumega Plus to your dog’s diet will ensure they get the correct balance of these oils, helping to calm sensitivity and irritation in his skin, and will make it more difficult for the pollen to penetrate the skin, which should reduce the scratching. Yumega Plus contains added fresh salmon oil and more vitamin E than standard Yumega making it perfect for dogs with itchy and sensitive skin.
Other things that you should try include bathing your dog with a shampoo designed to reduce skin irritation, although not so frequently that it dries out the skin or you could lose those vital oils in their coat. It’s also very important to keep up to date with flea control and brushing the coat to ensure there is no dirt and debris or trapped pollen in matted hair. At peak hay fever times ensure you brush the coat to remove seeds, etc from his coat and wipe him down with a damp towel after his walk to get rid of the pollen. Regularly washing your dog’s grooming brushes and bedding can help too.
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