yorkie skin condition

Question
Hi  my yorkie has scaly eruptions on her little body
and  vet said she had dermititis or was allergic to
something?

she has an unpleasantodor also , i just read about
SEBORRHEA and am sure that is what she has because
she has one nodule that was accidentally clipped during
grooming and it has "erupted like a volcano" vets
words, he called it sebaceous gland/ am having it removed
next week, however,
have tried different treatmens, including antibodics,
nothing works,  vet said he didnt know what caused her
problem but i have read lots about her condition
sheis11 years old and has been bothered with this condition
for a long time, only now it is worse, odor wise and
scaliness,crusty black color/

thank you for your help

Answer
Margaret -

I am not a vet - I have to state that right from the very get-go.

However, as a terrier person, this sounds like a familiar situation and one that few vets are used to seeing.  While you may be right about the seborrhea, I strongly suspect I know the underlying cause.

Your dog is most likely allergic to something -****most**** commonly her food.  These kinds of allergies set off all kinds of reactions, and some of the common ones include yeast infections in the ears, scaley smelly skin, sometimes skin that is thickened or blackened in color, and oily feeling skin and coat, and "pimples."  

I have seen dogs with no hair whatsoever on their bodies, and completely covered with blackened, greasy, smelly and covered with the kind of nodules you describe. These dogs had yeast infections over their entire bodies and were really suffering - and almost all of them healed up using the following 2 suggestions.

I have 2 strong recommendations, and I believe that you will find that the combination will help your dog's problems resolve quite a bit within a month or so.  It will take that long because it takes a while for the allergens to work their way out of her body as well as for her immune system to kick back into a normal mode. (I think of it as detoxifying)

First, change her food.  Get very very picky about what you feed.  At her size it will not cost a lot more to feed her some of the excellent brands available, but it can make a ton of difference for the quality of her life.  I recommend that you start reading ingredients and become strict about what you will buy. She should have **no** corn, no soy, no wheat, no digest, no by products, and I would also avoid beef.  The best protein source for s dog like this is usually fish.

I personally feed Eagle Pack Holistic Select, but there are about a dozen other great brands such as Wellness, By Nature, Chicken Soup etc.  Just remember to read the label for ingredients.

Secondly, the rescue group I work with has come up with a skin care routine we recommend. It helps provide comfort to the dog while their skin heals up.  Here's the link to it:

http://cairnrescue.com/docs/SkinCareRegime.htm

Since you are no describing itching, you can skip the benedryl part of the regimen.

Best wishes to you and your poor little girlie !

-Beth