austrailian shepard skin conditions

Question
My sister has a minature austrailian shepard and it has a small skin condition on its face and the dog (Daisy)kept itching it.  So my sister took it to the vet and it said it was prone to skin problems and it was costly and hard to get rid of.  The vet prescribed something and it got worse.  So my sister took it to another vet and he said whatever was prescribed could have killed her.  (I don't know what it was, but I could find out if it is important).  So it has been left untreated and it has gotten worse!and spread to her body now.  It is very uncomfortable for the dog, and unsightly.  It is scabby in appearance, do you have any suggestions? Thank you, Rose

Answer
Ask for a referral to a veterinary referral, or make an appointment at a local teaching veterinary college, if there's one nearby.  I'm not a vet, and cannot diagnose the dog, but it's important to get to the bottom of this, since the dog is uncomfortable and open sores make it susceptible to infection.  I'm not trying to offend, but this should also be a lesson to anyone who wants to buy a "miniature aussie" that there really is no such breed.  These dogs come from inferior stock, as no reputable breeder of Australian Shepherds would deliberately miniaturize a breed that is meant to herd cattle and guard the farm!  When you tamper like that, there are bound to be genetic consequences and that's why so many of these dogs end up with skin conditions, eye conditions, hip problems, epilepsy, etc.  These conditions cause much angst for the dogs and expense for the owners, who committed no crime save ignorance of the number of people who look reliable on their fancy web sites, but aren't.  My guess is that this is either a rescued dog or a dog that was purchased with only a 72 hour guarantee, so the owner has no recourse with the breeder.  Reputable breeders will often take a problem pup back if the owner cannot afford its care, or they will replace the pup (some even let you keep the defective puppy, if you can afford its care, because they know that you get attached).  Aussies have a very small gene pool, so responsible breeding practices are very important - and I'm sorry your sister was victimized in this way.  I know she loves her dog, and I hope that another veterinarian can help her to resolve this problem.  Sometimes, holistic vets have more things in their medicine bags than traditional vets, so if all else fails, maybe she could get a referral from the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Assn. web page.  Good luck!