My dog has a skin irritation....?

i need help. my dog has a horrible itch that we just can't get rid of. it started back in june and when we took him to the vet, she said that he had fleas (we took care of that problem). since then, he was still having the issue, so we took him back and the vet said that there was some kind of fungus. she gave him a cortisone shot, an antibiotic and a medicated shampoo. the whole time that he was on the antibiotic, he was fine. now he's having the same issue again and he's so miserable. we have taken him to a different vet and they pretty much did the same thing (antibiotic, cortisone shot and medicated shampoo). i have changed to hypo-allergenic everything (detergent to wash his bed, shampoo and i even watch how i clean the house in case i'm giving him the irritation), i give him a bath twice a week and he just can't shake the itch. anybody have any ideas? thanks in advance.

My dog has a skin irritation....?
What are you feeding your dog?


Would you be opposed to adding a clove of garlic (chopped up) to his food? Garlic is great for clearing up bacterial stuff. Don't overdo it - I give about 1 clove a day to my guys (20 lb dogs).


You may be seeing a skin irritation from the food that you're giving him. Since you've considered other options that might be what's causing it.


Dr. Pitcairn's book about dog and cat nutrition may help you:


http://www.drpitcairn.com/


Good luck!
Reply:Call the vet and ask if you can give him/her benadril - it worked for my dog
Reply:Your dog may have food allergies, or you could be drying out the dog's skin by over-bathing (depends on the breed...my dog can't be washed more than once a month or she gets dry skin). I am assuming you are using dog shampoo; you never want to use human hair products on a dog.


If I were you, I would try to switch food to a high-quality dog food (such as Canidae) with a different source of meat than your dog is currently eating. (Make sure to transition the food slowly). I would also not bathe the dog that much unless you know that your breed can handle such frequent bathing. I hope the dog gets better soon!!
Reply:Too much antibiotic and cortisone might be dangerous in the long term and even, create secondary problems.


Maybe an hypoallergenic conditioner to soothe the skin could give him some relief


(at least temporary) also check his claws and his teeth.
Reply:he may have an allergies try cutting out all wheat corn %26amp; soy products from his diet, get him on healthy food like solid gold avo derm, wysong, eagle pack but make sure it is wheat free! it will take a little bit to stop once u do this but is this is the problem u should see a difference in a couple of weeks he will not be totally better but he u will notice not as much itching and stuff. also it is winter so the heat can be drying out his skin just like us so dont bathe him for a long time if he stinks just use the old listerin(gold kind) put it in a squirt bottle and spray him with it the listerine smell goes away after a few minutes and so does the doggie smell, plus it is anti bacterial!!
Reply:It could very well be an allergy to the food you are feeding him . Some dogs are wheat intolerant and if the food you are giving him contains wheat this could contribute the problem.





You could try adding a teaspoonful of Evening Primrose Oil to his food once a day. This is very good for dry skin





I would definitely look into changing his food. If you can buy something which is gluten free, e.g. Wafcol Salmon %26amp; Potato in the UK, or the equivalent if you are in the States,you may find that this may do the trick.





I do hope you can solve the problem. It must be wretched for him to have to suffer so much.
Reply:I wouldn't be bathin him twice a week for itching... bathing him just stips his coat all the natual oils to keep his skin moisturized, which may cause itching because his skin is dry..





I'm not sure about your problem though, but I would certainly not bathe him as much... it's not going him any good at all.
Reply:Why don't you try changing your soap? Even the medicated ones are full of chemicals and other things that can really dry him out. My dog has had dry skin since puppyhood and we have been using a really great soap ever since then. It's a soap that's made by Three Dog Bakery (www.threedogbakery.com) I don't know if you have a store near you, but if not, they can ship it to you.





The soap is actually a bar soap, that's all natural and made with Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Citronella (acts as a natural bug repellent). It's the only one they sell, and it costs $6 per bar. It lathers wonderfully, smells great and lasts forever! That one bar of soap lasts us several months!
Reply:Why don't you just ask the vet what long-term solutions there are? They helped you at first - why not go back for more?





We don't know what's wrong with your dog, and therefore we can't suggest treatments. I can suggest not bathing twice a week though - that will be inactivating any flea treatment you use for one thing! And will not help with itching, it only dries the skin out.





You really need to keep working with a vet.





Chalice