Help Skin problem

[Khiori]

I got this email from a dear friend. I'm hoping that someone here can help out. Any ideas??

sorry to say Mr. Mamut is sick.

I just got back from the vet with Mamut. His scab area has increased to the size of my hand in the last 2 days. Two weeks ago it was the size of a dime. I called on Monday for an appointment and this afternoon was the first available.
They put his head under a black light looking for ringworm but nothing showed up....... but not all such fungal things do. He does have a fungal infection and under the scabs is a secondary bacterial infection. There are several types of ringworm-like fungus things that dogs can get. The vet put some of the ooze stuff on a slide and under the microscope the white cell count was elevated.
She said it's called crusty dog but on the internet all I could find were food things! She said it wasn't mange.
It does not itch him at all, non-pruritic.
Mamut also has dandruff on his back and that is one of the symptoms? I tried to do a little research on the internet before starting this letter to you but information isn't clear in my mind yet.
Mamut is now on antibiotics, twice a day for the secondary bacterial infection.
also twice a day I am to scrub the back of his head with the antifungal soap, let sit for 5 minutes and rinse it off.
after the washing treatments I'm to spray the infected area with Tinactin liquid spray. I bought that at the grocery store where they sell stuff for athletes foot.
If it is still spreading by next Monday, call and they can put him on steroids. I don't want Mamut on steroids, there has to be a better plan B. If you have any ideas, remember reading anything on the internet along this line, please let me know. There are so many side effects to everything.
I will wash his bedding this evening with a bit of bleach in the water to kill off anything that might be there.
Miss Medved is fine, no scabs. although according to the internet it's highly contagious but some dogs have a strong resistance and others don't.
They did not shave his head....would that have helped?

 

[Khiori]

I got a second email from her after I asked if it was ok to post it here :

Hi Rachel, it takes 10 days to do a culture and see what exact type of fungus this is and all the vet did today was take a scraping and look at it under the microscope. I just don't want him on steroids. there has to be something else if it comes to that....maybe the soap treatment will take care of it.
You can certainly cross post for any other ideas regarding treatment for fungal skin conditions. all knowledge appreciated.

 

[Newfs Forever]

Rachel,

I don't blame her for not wanting to use steroids. However, there is Natural Hydrocortisone (NH) which does not have the same contraindications that a regular cortisone would have.

Most likely, they would have to be obtained through an holistic vet or alternative practitioner.

Dexter was on NH for awhile. At that point he, too had scabby skin, flakes and hot spots. In his case, he was allergic to lamb, although at the time we did not realize it.

HTH,

Sue
PS. Please keep us posted.

 

[Leslie]

I would try some colloidal silver as a wash every hour or so, at least 3-4 times per day. You can get that at the HFS. I migt also call Marina to see if she has any ideas. Let me know if you need the number. A lot of the stuff she recommends can be found at your local HFS. Good luck to your friend.

 

[termitee]

Rachael,
Tell her steroids are not always bad. We have twice used them on one of our Newfs. It was for a short time (2 weeks) and she was weaned off of them gradually. The last time was well over a year ago with no bad side effects.
Sherrie

[ 11-05-2004, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: dakota ]

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

Here's some info from a book I have :
Pertaining to the dandruff:

Dogs need the proper amounts of fatty acids in order to have healthy, dandruff-free skin. Supplement their diets with omega-3 fatty acids, found in things such as safflower oil (which contains the correct nutritional amount of the esential fatty acids (EFAs) for dogs, or cod-liver oil.

Add some vitamin A Vitamin A relieves skin inflammation and helps pets that have dandruff problems. Be sure to ask your vet what dose is right for your pet. Egg yolks are high in vitamin A. Cod liver oil is also high in Vit A and essential fatty acids.

If it's hot spots, one thing that helps dry it up and soothe it, is black tea. Pour a small amount of hot water on a tea bag. Let it cool, and apply it for a few minutes. Repeat 3 or 4 times a day. The tannic acid acts as an astringent, drying out the sores and helping them heal.

[ 11-05-2004, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: New2Newfs ]

 

[Khiori]

Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to forward them to my friend. If anyone has a lightbulb moment or anything else to add - I will send those thoughts to her too. Thank you so much!!