Quinn's skin

B

Bsmiz

New member
Hi all,

Quinn(4 months) is having skin troubles. He's on a raw diet(which I thought was supposed to help with the skin). He had a vet appt yesterday and she thought it was an allergy to flea bites because the hot spots and itching are predominately on his back end. I do see him scratching and biting other areas though too. Tonight I noticed he has bumps on his head under his "floof" but can't get a good under all that fur as he's squirming.

I've treated with flea medicine and have been using Domeboro on the spots for a couple of days. I've got a wet, sticky, matted mess back there and I'm freaking out. He doesn't seem to be chewing/itching/biting/scratching any less. It's only been a couple of days, but it looks pretty bad and I can't see how it can improve from here.

help!!

(have emailed my breeder too but thought I'd seek out advice here as well)
 
ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
What flea meds are you using? Maybe it isn't working on the head? I've found that "spot" meds like Frontline don't always get to the head/face well.

If it is fleas...ask about the daily pill that you can use for a while...Capstar.

It sounds like he has a hot spot too...probably from the bites. It can get BAD fast, so do get something from the Vet. For small ones there are home remedies that work well, but it sounds like you have to go anyway...so have the Vet look at it.

Best of luck to your guy.
 
Angela

Angela

Super Moderator
As Donna said, sounds like fleas, and go to the vet. Hotspots can spread at an alarming rate.
 
Jeannie

Jeannie

Super Moderator
Red bumps don't mean fleas. Have you seen fleas or flea dirt? My Sara use to get red bumps all the time. I used Chlorohexadine shampoo on a weekly basis to clear up her skin. Just because you are feeding a raw diet does not mean he won't be allergic to it. If you are feeding something he is allergic to then you are fighting a loosing battle. It is best to have allergy testing done to see what you need to avoid. My mom's dog is allgeric to all topical flea medications. It causes red spots and itching.
 
Jeannie

Jeannie

Super Moderator
Need to add. Before I had Samantha allergy tested it seemed she was going to chew her tail off. She had hot spots and chewing at the base of her tail. She had no fleas at all.

My Samantha is allergic to some enviromental items that she is exposed to all year around - dust mites, storage mites for a few. She is also allergic to cats. As far as food she is allergic to lamb, corn, millit, all dairy except eggs, all beans, shellfish (which is the main ingredient in glucosamine so she cannot take any) kale, alfalfa - just to name a few
 
B

Bsmiz

New member
I used Frontline when we first got him and then Advantage..the once monthly applications.

In all of the reading I did, the raw diet was supposed to be great for the skin...so I was hopeful he wouldn't suffer these issues.

The bumps on his head seem to be "under" the skin. I can feel them but can't see them.

We've already been to the vet and she suggested the flea treatment and also putting Domeboro on the hot spots...but as I wrote before, it seems to just add to the wet sticky mess and hasn't stopped the chewing at all. Not sure how long to give it before going back with him. I hadn't noticed the spots on his head until after our vet appointment so I didn't have her check those.


Thanks for the input thus far!

I haven't seen fleas on him or the other animals, but the vet spent a long time combing through him to see if she could find flea dirt. She eventually found one tiny speck of it.
 
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charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
Bsmiz said:
I used Frontline when we first got him and then Advantage..the once monthly applications.

In all of the reading I did, the raw diet was supposed to be great for the skin...so I was hopeful he wouldn't suffer these issues.

The bumps on his head seem to be "under" the skin. I can feel them but can't see them.

We've already been to the vet and she suggested the flea treatment and also putting Domeboro on the hot spots...but as I wrote before, it seems to just add to the wet sticky mess and hasn't stopped the chewing at all. Not sure how long to give it before going back with him. I hadn't noticed the spots on his head until after our vet appointment so I didn't have her check those.


Thanks for the input thus far!

I haven't seen fleas on him or the other animals, but the vet spent a long time combing through him to see if she could find flea dirt. She eventually found one tiny speck of it.
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Is there a reason you stopped using the Frontline and/or Advantage?

My experiance is very similar to yours. I had never seen a flea on Oliver and because I personally didn't like the whole idea about using the various flea treatments, never used thm on Oliver when he was young. (I had never used them on any of my dogs, ever). Then, the biting and chewing and hotspots started.

I go to a Vet practice with numerous Vets and saw 3 of them that put Oliver on a course of antibiotics and steroids. The 'itchiness' would ease up until it was time to start tapering off the steroid. Then it would flare back up.

Thankfully, the 4th Vet I saw at the practice specialized in skin issues and she felt the issues were the result of fleas so she had me start the topical flea treatment immediately, then she put him on a 3 week course of antibiotics because from all the biting/scratching, he had developed a skin infection.

After all was said and done, all of Oliver's problems were due to fleas although I (nor 4 Vets) ever saw a flea on him.

I don't know what Domeboro is, but if possible, I'd suggest seeing if you can clip (with scissors) the hair over the hotspots and put some Gold Bond powder on the hotspots. That's what I do to dry them out,
 
Pipelineozzy

Pipelineozzy

New member
Quinn is pretty young for it to be allergies. I'd have a skin scraping done and see if they find anything on that.
 
B

Bsmiz

New member
charlieinnj said:
Is there a reason you stopped using the Frontline and/or Advantage?

My experiance is very similar to yours. I had never seen a flea on Oliver and because I personally didn't like the whole idea about using the various flea treatments, never used thm on Oliver when he was young. (I had never used them on any of my dogs, ever). Then, the biting and chewing and hotspots started.

I go to a Vet practice with numerous Vets and saw 3 of them that put Oliver on a course of antibiotics and steroids. The 'itchiness' would ease up until it was time to start tapering off the steroid. Then it would flare back up.

Thankfully, the 4th Vet I saw at the practice specialized in skin issues and she felt the issues were the result of fleas so she had me start the topical flea treatment immediately, then she put him on a 3 week course of antibiotics because from all the biting/scratching, he had developed a skin infection.

After all was said and done, all of Oliver's problems were due to fleas although I (nor 4 Vets) ever saw a flea on him.

I don't know what Domeboro is, but if possible, I'd suggest seeing if you can clip (with scissors) the hair over the hotspots and put some Gold Bond powder on the hotspots. That's what I do to dry them out,
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I stopped when the the snow piled up outside, figuring we were safe from fleas.

Domeboro is some sort of topical solution that is supposed to help dry them up.

It's looking like there might be puss on the spots now...time to go back to the vet.
 
NessaM

NessaM

New member
Fleas can live in your house without you being aware of them, encysted in carpets and upholstery etc until some living body passes by and they hatch and hop on! Unless the inside of your house is freezing too, then nowhere is safe, even in winter.
 
ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
Ask the Vet about a spray called Gentocin. That helps clear up hot spots fast.

Also...if it's really bad, he may need antibiotics, and even prednisone for a few days. IF he gets pred, it'll make him drink a lot, eat a lot and pee gallons...so be prepared to take him out way more than normal, and if there's an accident...it's not his fault! (That's important to know, cause he can't help it...it's the meds)

If he's had fleas...they are in the house. The way to get rid of them is to fog/flea bomb the house. You and all pets must leave for several hours tho. And all fish tanks must be covered.

Red spots don't always mean fleas as Jeannie said...they can be from skin infections.

Also...she found one piece of flea dirt on a Newf? How did she know it wasn't just a small piece of regular dirt?
 
Pipelineozzy

Pipelineozzy

New member
The way to tell flea dirt from regular dirt is to put it on a wet paper towel and smear it with your finger. Flea dirt is digested blood...so when smeared on white wet paper towel,....it makes a bricky red kind of stain. Regular dirt doesn't :)
 
B

Bsmiz

New member
ardeagold said:
Ask the Vet about a spray called Gentocin. That helps clear up hot spots fast.

Also...if it's really bad, he may need antibiotics, and even prednisone for a few days. IF he gets pred, it'll make him drink a lot, eat a lot and pee gallons...so be prepared to take him out way more than normal, and if there's an accident...it's not his fault! (That's important to know, cause he can't help it...it's the meds)

If he's had fleas...they are in the house. The way to get rid of them is to fog/flea bomb the house. You and all pets must leave for several hours tho. And all fish tanks must be covered.

Red spots don't always mean fleas as Jeannie said...they can be from skin infections.

Also...she found one piece of flea dirt on a Newf? How did she know it wasn't just a small piece of regular dirt?
Click to expand...
yep..one piece of flea dirt and it took her a long time to find it. She knew because she put it on a wet towel and rubbed it and there was a line of what looked like a smear of dried blood. That's how you know it's flea dirt.

Took him back today and they shaved him, cleaned him up, put him on prednisone and we discussed the options of antibiotics/which flea medicines etc. He's already drinking more, seems ravenous and also hyper. Fun!!!
 
jordansmom

jordansmom

New member
Jordan had the same issues begin at that age. He is allergic to fleas, but that seemed to just be the beginning. Now at 5, we suffer from year-round allergies. What I know now about canine atopy I wish I knew 5 years ago. Don't become dependent upon cortisone for reduction of allergic reactions as long term its bad. I had a friend whose lab suffered from serious allergies. Years late the dog developed diabetes. Look for reasonable, quality natural antihistamines.
 
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