# Dog has skin irritation and terrible smell?



## Still Waters (Sep 18, 2008)

I have a yorkie - She's developed a skin irritation on her back - possibly an allergy? She's constantly scratching and biting at it - and there's a terrible smell.- I can't afford to take her to the doctor until a couple of weeks from now. I bathed her yesterday - and this is not a typical "dirty" smell . Anybody have any suggestions??


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## HTF (Nov 15, 2009)

yes it could be allergies, from fleas, or something else.Do you use frontline or advantage on her? If the rash is or becomes crusty, it could be mange or even possibly scabies. but most likely it is allergies, i would go and get some good oatmeal based shampoo, and bath her in that, make sure you let the shampoo soak for at least 10mins. You should be able to even find a spray that would help with the itching. to hold her over till you can get her to the vets. Any other questions feel free to pm me and ill try and help the best i can.


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## Still Waters (Sep 18, 2008)

Thanks,HTF - I feel terrible for her - she's really miserable and there's already quite a bald patch on her back. I'll go to PetSmart today and see if I can find the spray.


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## HTF (Nov 15, 2009)

your welcome! my lab was allergic to just about everything. and just out of no where he started iching and scratching himself raw. So if the vet rules out scabies,mange,ringworm,ect they can run allergy tests on her to find out what it is she's allergic too, so u can keep her away from it.


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## HTF (Nov 15, 2009)

but def get her to the vet as soon as you can.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Please keep us updated!


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

First get a new dog food. Odds are what you are feeding is not quality. See http://dogfoodanalysis.com/ . Most people find they are feeding only a 1 or 2 star dog food which while some dogs can live on dirt and be perfectly healthy the majority suffer minor to major health issues off and on their entire lives from it. California Natural is a great brand for allergies and the price isn't too bad. It's one meat ingredient and rice. You may have to try one or 2 formulas in case your dog is allergic to the meat ingredient. In the meantime the bland diet to test for or treat allergies is boiled meat and rice. Just cook chicken and rice or hamburger and rice to feed. Many many dogs are allergic to chicken so you do have to experiment a little. Meat and rice does not have all the vitamins and minerals needed for long term health though so you can't keep feeding it. That's why there's a dog food based on it with all the necessary vitamins added. If you can't find CN then Natural Balance has several formulas and is sold at many chain petstores like petco and petsmart. The extreme version of a bland diet is just cooked green beans. Nothing there to be allergic to but most dogs won't even eat green beans or much of anything without any meat on it. It's also not healthy at all. Dogs are carnivores and really should be fed on meat and nothing else but that's expensive and it requires the proper balance of muscle meat (not hamburger), raw bones (never cooked) for calcium, and organ meat. There are also satin balls. http://www.heartlandgdr.org/satin_balls.htm . Again using hamburger but with other things to balance it. I use these as treats and supplements for my dogs. It helps prevent my akita from starving herself and then bolting kibble and potentially risking bloat which is life threatening. She hates kibble. They are designed to put on weight fast though so if you have a dog that gets fat easy satin balls are not a good idea.

Do not buy the way overpriced prescription diets from the vet. They would probably be a 3 on that rating site. There are foods that will accomplish the same thing probably better than the prescription diets for a cheaper prices. Don't let the vet talk you in to it. Go look around for a dog bakery or small store that concentrates on pet foods instead of selling pets and find something better.

I also have to second the flea medication. We had a dog with absolute horrible flea allergies. If he did not get frontline or advantage applied frequently (sometimes more often than monthly during the summer) he'd chew his own skin off. However all the effective and safe flea medications are expensive and many are prescription from a vet. Do not buy any hartz brand or flea medication with permethrins. Repeated use has killed many pets.

Bathes can make itchy, irritated skin worse. Do not use dish soap, body wash, human shampoo (including baby shampoo), etc... Use an animal shampoo. Doesn't really matter what animal it's for it will still be less likely to dry the skin. Then use an animal conditioner. I get buddy wash and buddy rinse from the feedstore. Horse shampoos work well too. I use rio vista horse shampoos on pretty much everything including myself occasionally. Overall though a bath is unlikely to solve this problem unless it's a medicated shampoo the vet prescribes to treat the condition. You could use betadine like you would a shampoo to kill any skin infection and then use a conditioner to avoid skin drying. That might help but it will be more likely to dry the skin and we have no proof there is an infection. The bad smell just makes it a possibility.


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## LostinReverie (Mar 18, 2007)

Find the money to go to the vet. I also ditto the recommendation for http://dogfoodanalysis.com/ - it is where I found orijen. Put good in and you'll get good out. However, if your dog has never shown these specific symptoms on her diet before, there's a good chance that putting her on a decent diet won't change this specific problem. Go to the vet. Using sprays and shampoo only mask the symptoms. If it is fleas, make sure you're using a prescription medication (ie - frontline) for best results. I would recommend going to the vet. I also echo what was mentioned about prescription foods, however. Science Diet puts boatloads of money into Vet schools and therefore gets many recommendations, especially with their prescription foods. They are NOT good quality food and I would never recommend them over a proper food, prescription be damned.

Anyway, the point, go to the vet. It's part of being a responsible pet parent.


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## wraith (Feb 22, 2010)

Allergies, itches, dry coat and similar problems is usually the bodies way of telling you that some factor somewhere is wrong/missing.

In a situation such as this the answer is often food. Keep in mind I'm talking based on my experiences and knowledge, and other people might disagree.

The truth is that almost all pet food is garbage, and while dogs live and get by on it every day, it is far from ideal.

I know from experience that this is true. I've been through a few different foods, but it wasn't until I started making my own, home cooked, human grade food that my dog regained her sparkling eyes, shiny and extremely soft coat, playfulness and wonderful amount of energy! Whereas when eating foods labeled "100% nutritios" and similar lies she was itching, scratching and just very dry and not very active.



> It should come as no surprise that the driving force behind the pet food industry is money. Through loopholes and outrages laws pet food manufacturers are allowed to put things in your dogs food that would make any sane person vomit merely by hearing about it. I personally recommend you stay away from all commercial pet food and cook your own instead, but if you insist on feeding your dog the same dry kibble year after year, you should at least take a few vital steps to insure that you are providing the healthiest kind of kibble you can get your hands on.
> 
> The fact that pet food companies are allowed by law to write things such as "100% nutritious" or "this food covers everything your dog needs on a daily basis" etc. is beyond me. Why? Because these statements are blatant lies. First of all: eating the same food every day your entire life is not balanced. Second of all, almost all pet foods have been researched and tested very, very poorly before they are allowed to be distributed to unknowing consumers. When introducing a new food on the market a common practice is for instance to have a few "test" dogs eating it for say, six months or so, and if they exhibit no alarming deficiencies or don't keel over and die, the food is passed as acceptable and sold in the millions. What are the long term effects here? Let me ask you this: When was the last time you heard of a dog that died of old age alone? Almost all dogs die either of cancer or some other illness as a huge contributor to their death. I strongly believe that the "food" we feed them is one of the main reasons for this. Did you know that law actually allows the pet food industry to include dehydrated fecal matter, sawdust, ground up bones, feathers, hair, nails and other so called ingredients to be distribueted in your dogs food? All of these and more ingredients have absolutely no nutritional value for your dog and some of them are even harmful.
> 
> ...


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## Still Waters (Sep 18, 2008)

Wow! I had no idea food was such an issue - I've always fed her IAMS - Thanks! I appreciate all the thoughtful consideration and time you guys put into helping me.


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## Equisgurl (Nov 22, 2004)

Sounds like allergies/yeast overgrowth with secondary bacterial infection. Did you see a round reddish spot on her back? probably a hot spot.

I definitely agree with other posters, I dont know what youre feeding, but I'm assuming a grocery store brands, which are full of allergens like corn, wheat, soy, yeast, artificial colors/preservatives and not to mention synthetic vit. K (menadione bisulfite complex) , which is a toxic (and cheap) source of vit. k, only used in pet food and agriculture, but banned form human consuption due to liver toxicity and cancer.

If you can afford, I reccomed a brand called Taste of the Wild, its around $40 for 30 lb bag, since its grain free, it has more meat, which means your dog will eat less then grain inclusive kibble and last a bit longer. And considering you have a yorkie, that really shouldnt be a problem since they eat so little.
Go with the Pacific Stream (fish formula) because some dogs can develop chicken/beef allergy in addition to grain intolerance.
heres a link to their store locator:
http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/dealer_locator/

Another good brand is Wellness Core Ocean, which is a grain free, fish food, its more expensive, because it has a bit more meat in it then TOTw.

http://www.geoserve.com/forms/omhwellness.htm
AS far as shampoos go, you can try Malaseb or Zymox Enzamatic shampoos, which help to get rid of yeast on the dogs skin. But again, shampoo alone will not help, you have to tackle the problem from within, which starts with proper diet.


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