white boxer with skin problems

Question
I have a female white boxer (not albino) that is 13 years old. Her coat has always been beautiful up until July 2008.  All of a sudden she got a big sore on her chest and the vet said it was a bad infection, almost like staph, that they treated her with shaving the spot, steroid and allergy shots.  Well, then she got it again and they treated the same way except this time they said she was alergic to pollen even though it was the middle of winter.  Well, now its back for the third time.  I give her allergy pills, garlic pills, oil in her food to grease up coat if she has dry skin, flea meds but nothing helps and vet said she is allergic to fleas this time but they all looked like the same irritation.  Now she constantly bites, scratches, and it super red and irritated.  What can I do to help her? She has never had problems her whole life with her coat until now.

Answer
I would probably go to a different vet for a second opinion; a holistic vet will try to get to the root of the problem, rather than just treating the symptom (which, as you've learned, does not solve the problem).  Try to think back and see if there was anything that happened in June/July 2008 that might have triggered the problem - vaccination, medications, new carpet, etc. - this information will also help you figure out the proper treatment.

Nutritional support in terms of probiotics and digestive enzymes might be helpful (and are a good additive in any case).  Apple cider vinegar - the raw, unpasteurized kind you get at health food stores - can be added to food (about 1 tbsp. per meal, if she'll eat it) and diluted with water (50/50, though you may need to work up to that as it can be irritating) and dabbed/sprayed on the sore a few times a day.  You should also try to stop her from licking and chewing it as much as possible, as that will only aggravate things.

There are a number of other products that you can use to alleviate the skin irritation while you treat the underlying problem; a partial list is here:
http://www.b-naturals.com/by-type-skin-care-grooming-c-22_18

Good luck!