My Great Dane has skin problems

Question
I have a Great Dane we just got him a few months ago and he seemed to be ok. We got him home and now has had skin problems ever since. His skin flakes off as well as the hair. I seem to look at the small patches in the areas and there are small patches of skin that will just come off with the hair and will not grow back. No blood or anything. When we first got him he had ticks but no more of those. We have bathed him regularly and taken him in to get groomed and all that jazz. But the skin problem is not getting better and I am worried he might have some sort of disease or something. I don't know. Can someone help or suggest something for me to give him or tell me what it might be so i can help him further. Thanks.

Answer
Maryalice,

Some dogs suffer from skin allergies. My first question to you is have you consulted a veterinarian regarding this issue? Your vet is going to be the best option in this case.

I have a dog who suffers from seasonal allergies, they come and go. He goes through certain times during the year when I will start to see hair loss in certain area, he begins to bald in that one spot and will loose all the hair in one particular area. He gets a pill twice a day, that was prescribed by my veterinarian, it is called Hydroxyzine.

If his skin flakes, have you tried a sensitive shampoo? Something that is oatmeal, coconut or plant based only? Some dogs have skin that does not adapt well to shampoos that have numerous amounts of chemicals. In that case, I would try to use a natural shampoo for your dog. These result are not going to be immediate, it might take a month for the flaking to go away. And make sure you remember that dogs need to have oils in the skin, if you are bathing once a week, that maybe too much for your dog. Danes should really only be bathed at a maximum of 2 times a month, so every 2 weeks or so.

I would recommend that if you have not seen your veterinarian you also get a skin scraping done to ensure that it is not mange.

You might also try switching foods, sometimes your dog can have a reaction to the food he is eating. Which brings me to question what food he is eating? I can help you more after I receive your response to the questions I have asked you.

Hope this helps.