Any Vets here? I need help with my dog please....

[Mr. Happy Sock]

Hey Everyone- I'm looking for some help here. Our Mutt will NOT STOP scratching/clawing at her ears and face. As you can see in the pics, her ears are awful, yet she won't stop scratching at it. She also scratches at her other ear, and her face all the time to the point of bleeding. She will also cry, whine, and flop her ears non-stop at times. I have a cone of shame that I put on her, and it will stop her from making these sores....But as soon as it comes of, she rips the wounds right open. I can promise you our house is flea and bug free (We also have another dog who is fine; She doesnt scratch or whine or do anything). We feed her a can of wet food in the morning, leave a bowl of dry food for the rest of the day, and she also gets plenty of table scraps in addition to whatever food she steals from the kids. Before I have to consider going to the vet and getting raked over the coals listening to the vet tell me I need to buy expnsive dog food and run blood tests, I'm hoping maybe someone out there has run into this and can give me a heads up.

 

[PatsFanLisa]

If he was my dog, I would have brought him to the vet. He must be in discomfort at this point. He's a beautiful boy, btw.

 

[chevss454]

Mr. H.S.

I'm a vet. There are a few things this could be. A little history first.
1. How old?
2. Any exposure in last 2-3 months with dogs from outside the house?
3. Is she spayed?
4. Are the margins of the ear flaps thickened and itchy?
5. Is there crusty black discharge in the ear canals?
6. Are the undersides of her feet reddened (between the black pads)?

This is most likely either a parasite or an allergy. Your answers will help determine which.

Chev

 

[Beaglebay]

Have you used any new/different cleaning products?

New rugs? Bedding? Furniture?

 

[Pyxis]

My cat used to do that to the right side of her neck. Just the right side. I got her one steroid shot and she stopped. When she tried to do it again, I got the cat carrier out and pretended a phone call to the vet. She hid under the bed and hasn't done it since. Last shot was November 2010.

True story.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Dominated]

One of my dogs had allergy issues so bad he ended up with a staph infection from itching so much. Turns out he was allergic to the plastic tray in his crate.

And just FYI it was really inexpensive when I took him into the vet for this, I think 50 bucks for the visit, steriods, and antibiotics. My vet just looked at it and knew what was going on.

That same dog just got his staples removed after costing me 1600.00 becuase he decided to eat a sock and it got stuck in his bowel. True stroy..

 

[Mr. Happy Sock]

Mr. H.S.

I'm a vet. There are a few things this could be. A little history first.
1. How old?
2. Any exposure in last 2-3 months with dogs from outside the house?
3. Is she spayed?
4. Are the margins of the ear flaps thickened and itchy?
5. Is there crusty black discharge in the ear canals?
6. Are the undersides of her feet reddened (between the black pads)?

This is most likely either a parasite or an allergy. Your answers will help determine which.

Chev

1. She's 4 years old
2. No
3. Yes
4. Her ears are fine other than the sores; No scabbing or scar tissue anywhere.
5. The inside of her ears look normal pink; no swelling and no blood. I tried to see as far as I couldinto her ear but obviously she wasn't having it....From what I could see everything looks healthy and normal.
6. Between her paw pads is pink, but so is her underside that is exposed and doesn't have a lot of hair. As you can see in the pics, she is a Husky/Retriever mix; so she is very white which shows the pink ofher skin more. Now that I think of it, though, she is ALWAYS biting at her paws and the insides of them.

 

[chevss454]

Mr. H.S.

I'm a vet. There are a few things this could be. A little history first.
1. How old?
2. Any exposure in last 2-3 months with dogs from outside the house?
3. Is she spayed?
4. Are the margins of the ear flaps thickened and itchy?
5. Is there crusty black discharge in the ear canals?
6. Are the undersides of her feet reddened (between the black pads)?

This is most likely either a parasite or an allergy. Your answers will help determine which.

Chev

1. She's 4 years old
2. No
3. Yes
4. Her ears are fine other than the sores; No scabbing or scar tissue anywhere.
5. The inside of her ears look normal pink; no swelling and no blood. I tried to see as far as I couldinto her ear but obviously she wasn't having it....From what I could see everything looks healthy and normal.
6. Between her paw pads is pink, but so is her underside that is exposed and doesn't have a lot of hair. As you can see in the pics, she is a Husky/Retriever mix; so she is very white which shows the pink ofher skin more. Now that I think of it, though, she is ALWAYS biting at her paws and the insides of them.

Ok. Thanks.
If there's no thickening of the ear margins this is most likely an allergy to something. There's no way of knowing what the allergen(s) is. Dogs with allergies don't get the runny eyes and nose people get; they get itchy face, feet and ears & if really bad general skin itchiness. Food and inhalant allergies in dogs both cause the same signs unlike in people so determining the allergen(s) requires testing. In general, dogs are 3-5 years old when symptoms start if it's inhalant. Food allergies can begin anytime. Food allergies are year round; indoor inhalant allergies are year round. Outdoor allergies are normally seasonal (hay fever). I have 25-30 dogs who are allergic to human dander!

1. see your vet to discuss allergy testing. Prednisone may be prescribed.
2. start benadryl 25 mg twice a day. I get better results with clemastine but that's prescription. Chlorpheniramine would be my 3rd choice.
3. Feed a true hypoallergenic food for 2 months. These are only available through vets. NOTHING else crosses her lips...no treats, no rawhide, no table food, NO NOTHING. 1 bite of something she's allergic to will make her itch for a week.
4. Absolutely DO USE either Revolution or Advantage Multi for parasite control every month in case it's sarcoptic mange. Drs foster and smith has a web site for ordering or see your vet. These 2 products also kill lice and mange mites in addition to fleas, ticks and heartworm prevention.
Don't use Frontline or Advantage since so much of it is counterfeit these days.

http://www.vetinfo.com/category/dog-allergies/

Good luck
Chev

 

[Mr. Happy Sock]

Ok. Thanks.
If there's no thickening of the ear margins this is most likely an allergy to something. There's no way of knowing what the allergen(s) is. Dogs with allergies don't get the runny eyes and nose people get; they get itchy face, feet and ears & if really bad general skin itchiness. Food and inhalant allergies in dogs both cause the same signs unlike in people so determining the allergen(s) requires testing. In general, dogs are 3-5 years old when symptoms start if it's inhalant. Food allergies can begin anytime. Food allergies are year round; indoor inhalant allergies are year round. Outdoor allergies are normally seasonal (hay fever). I have 25-30 dogs who are allergic to human dander!

1. see your vet to discuss allergy testing. Prednisone may be prescribed.
2. start benadryl 25 mg twice a day. I get better results with clemastine but that's prescription. Chlorpheniramine would be my 3rd choice.
3. Feed a true hypoallergenic food for 2 months. These are only available through vets. NOTHING else crosses her lips...no treats, no rawhide, no table food, NO NOTHING. 1 bite of something she's allergic to will make her itch for a week.
4. Absolutely DO USE either Revolution or Advantage Multi for parasite control every month in case it's sarcoptic mange. Drs foster and smith has a web site for ordering or see your vet. These 2 products also kill lice and mange mites in addition to fleas, ticks and heartworm prevention.
Don't use Frontline or Advantage since so much of it is counterfeit these days.

http://www.vetinfo.com/category/dog-allergies/

Good luck
Chev

THANK YOU for the advice!

 

[TBrownslady]

Aside from the allergies she is a beautiful dog! 2 of my favorite breed of dogs all put into one I love it!

Chevss do you know anything about birds?

 

[imapig]

I feed my dog Chicken and Rice, with vegetables for dinners... She also eats bananas, oranges...Don't EVER feed your dog High Salt meats like Hams,and deli items... I had a friend of mine who gave his dog a Ham Baone with lots of ham on it and the poor thing nearly died from pancreatic... The vet save his life,but the Bill was Huge... I hate Dog food personally. It taste awful... Cat food on the other hand taste like Pate'...Cue scene of chick eating Purina Cat chow from the movie Bachelor Party...

 

[mikiemo83]

that will be $2500 in casino cash

 

[BostonTeaDParty]

One of my dogs had allergy issues so bad he ended up with a staph infection from itching so much. Turns out he was allergic to the plastic tray in his crate.

And just FYI it was really inexpensive when I took him into the vet for this, I think 50 bucks for the visit, steriods, and antibiotics. My vet just looked at it and knew what was going on.

That same dog just got his staples removed after costing me 1600.00 becuase he decided to eat a sock and it got stuck in his bowel. True stroy..

$1600? Holy chit Batman! Had a Cat give birth and one of them wouldnt come out, and also had to have expensive surgery to remove it or she would have died.

Thats the thing about Dogs though, they will swallow anything, and you can`t watch them evey second.My Dog tears her toys apart to the foam inners and always throwing stuff out so she doesnt swallow it.

When it comes to our pets, we will spend pretty much anythying when these things arise...I have 2 cats buried in a Pet Cemetary....my male co-workers gave me allot of shit over that, but fark em...pets are like Kids.

Hope you have a happy resolve Happy Sock.

 

[BostonTeaDParty]

I feed my dog Chicken and Rice, with vegetables for dinners... She also eats bananas, oranges...Don't EVER feed your dog High Salt meats like Hams,and deli items... I had a friend of mine who gave his dog a Ham Baone with lots of ham on it and the poor thing nearly died from pancreatic... The vet save his life,but the Bill was Huge... I hate Dog food personally. It taste awful... Cat food on the other hand taste like Pate'...Cue scene of chick eating Purina Cat chow from the movie Bachelor Party...

So I should stop giving my Dog Deli Turkey? I know it likely has allot of salt in it, but she likes it sooo much, and she gives me those sad eyes...feel guilty not sharing, but don`t want to lose her over that either.

I also give her baked potato chips but suck the salt off first..not allot, just a few little pieces once in awhile.

What about mac and cheese in small quantities or pasta in small quantitites?..We dont give her meatballs cause they sometimes have bad things inside.

 

[imapig]

So I should stop giving my Dog Deli Turkey? I know it likely has allot of salt in it, but she likes it sooo much, and she gives me those sad eyes...feel guilty not sharing, but don`t want to lose her over that either.

I also give her baked potato chips but suck the salt off first..not allot, just a few little pieces once in awhile.

What about mac and cheese in small quantities or pasta in small quantitites?..We dont give her meatballs cause they sometimes have bad things inside.

Anything high in salt is bad for Dogs,but I'm guilty of giving a chip or two to my dog...If the turkey is low in salt I wouldn't worry to much..Ham products are real bad though... Like anything in life too much is a bad thing...

 

[imapig]

I once had a German Shepard named Prince. One day I was fishing near the shore and my mother came visit us with Prince then all a sudden he started nipping at his ass while trying to take a shit. My Mom reach down with a few leaves in her hand and pulled out a waist high nylon stocking out of his ass...True story

 

[midgar8784]

What a pretty dog....I have a weakness for white dogs with blue eyes. Mine is a smaller white husky so it reminds me of her. I hope it starts feeling better.

 

[Mr. Happy Sock]

She really is a beautiful dog inside and out. We "adopted" her from a rescue organization last June and we still can't believe how lucky we are. Her temperament is unbelievably good (There is NOTHING you can do to make her get angry; She will take any kind of abuse from her poodle sister or my children and just take it all without getting aggressive. I've tried to roughhouse with her a few times to see if she has any aggressiveness, and she wants NOTHING to do with it; She will just stick her head in my lap and beg me to love her. The first night we got her, she was on the foot of our bed within 15 minutes and she's been there every night since. When I roughhouse with my 7 year old son, she will get between the 2 of us and bark at me in a "STOP IT!!!" way)

I had a lot of dogs when I was a kid, and by far she is the best dog ever. Just a sweet, sweet protector.

 

[TBrownslady]

She really is a beautiful dog inside and out. We "adopted" her from a rescue organization last June and we still can't believe how lucky we are. Her temperament is unbelievably good (There is NOTHING you can do to make her get angry; She will take any kind of abuse from her poodle sister or my children and just take it all without getting aggressive. I've tried to roughhouse with her a few times to see if she has any aggressiveness, and she wants NOTHING to do with it; She will just stick her head in my lap and beg me to love her. The first night we got her, she was on the foot of our bed within 15 minutes and she's been there every night since. When I roughhouse with my 7 year old son, she will get between the 2 of us and bark at me in a "STOP IT!!!" way)

I had a lot of dogs when I was a kid, and by far she is the best dog ever. Just a sweet, sweet protector.

She really is the best of both worlds. I always say if I get a dog if like either a husky or retriever. She is perfect!

 

[O_P_T]

Well, I'm not a vet, and I didn't stay at a Holliday Express last night, but one of my dogs had a similar situation that was caused by a fungal infection.

According to my wife, who is the animal expert in the family, if you press a paper towel on the ear and it smells like hamburger, then it's a fungal infection.

Our Boo, had essentially the same symptoms and behavior. As i understand it, the dog picks up the fungal spores on their feet, when they are outside, and when they scratch themselves, they transfer the spores to wherever they scratch. Since their feet have it, the chewing of the toes fits.

Also Boo, would shake her head similar to what you describe.

Our vet ran a bunch of tests to determine this and finally prescribed Momemetamax to treat her. Worked like a champ.

Chev, have you seen this?