my female red nose pit

Question
she was starting to scratch her tail and back and then i noticed that she had started to naw in the same areas, then she broke out in all these bumps all over her body. It got to the point where she almost left her tail bald. I soon as i seen what she did, i took her to the vet and they gave her some shot and a spray. The vet said it was an allergic reaction to fleas, or poison ivy. He wasnt really helpful so i went to seek the knowledge of another professional . This new vet said that something was wrong internally . If you could help me find out whats wrong with her i would really appreciate it.

Answer
Hi Sinn,

Intense itching in the tail area is a big sign of fleas. Since seeing the first vet, have you got your dog on a flea control product?

Dogs rarely catch poison ivy, so it's doubtful that is the problem. When a dog suffers from itchy skin, itchy red bumps on the skin, scabbing or skin rashes, there are two common causes: allergies and parasites.

Allergies can be ANYTHING your dog comes in contact with, such as laundry detergent or fabric softener, household chemicals and cleaners, carpet freshener, to grasses or lawn chemicals. Some dogs are also highly allergic to flea bites. Using a flea control product that you get from your vet such as Frontline, Advantage, or Program or work better than the kind of flea preventative you can buy at Walmart or a supermarket.

There is no cure for allergies!  All we can do is avoid the food, material or parasite that is triggering the immune response, desensitize the dog through immune modulation techniques, and assure that the dog is eating a high quality meat based diet.

Though most dogs with food allergies have itchy feet, it's possible your dog's food is the culprit. Your vet may want to put your dog on a hypoallergenic diet to see if it improves your dog's itching. Diet supplements such a Omega Fatty Acids can help with skin conditions, if the problem isn't caused by parasites. One popular brand to look for is called  DermCaps. You'd need to give the Omega fatty acid supplement daily for at least a month before improvements may be seen. You would need to continue with itch control medication during this time.

Mange is another disease which is caused by mites, and causes intense itching.  Not all varieties of mange are visible to the naked eye. Your vet would need to do a skin scraping test to rule out the presence of mange.

Skin diseases can also be caused by hormonal abnormalities in dogs. The thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland,  and ovaries all produce hormones. If excessive, or deficient, these hormones can produce changes in the skin and hair coat. Once parasites have been ruled out through testing, you would need to consider something like a hormonal problem.

If your dog has been scratching and chewing herself enough, there is a possibility that her problem is complicated by a bacterial or fungal skin infection, which would add to the itch, and also need treatment. An antibiotic might be needed, on top of an itch suppressing medication.

More than one treatment or medication may be needed before improvements are seen, so be patient. Keep your vet informed as to how well whatever medications are working, medications sometimes need to be changed or doses adjusted. It's all very hit or miss, what matters is that you keep working to resolve your dog's problem. Don't be shy about asking your current vet for a referral to a specialist in Veterinary Dermatology. These experts work with severely affected patients on a daily basis and can be an excellent resource for assistance to those poor dogs that seem incessantly to itch-and-scratch-bite-and-lick.

Best of luck,
Patti