What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Allergies? Dry skin?

loveerny

Active Member
Zeus is a little over 2 years old now and we have recently seen some allergy like changes in him that started when he was about 1 year and 9 months. He had some redness on and in between his paws so the vet gave him some apoquel for a month, an antibiotic for a couple of weeks and claritin. I couldn't really tell of it went away or not but he didn't seem bothered when he finished his medicine so we did not go back for a check up. A few months later we went back because the same symptoms were occuring but he also had some hair loss under his eyes. The vet said it was because his eye boogies would get dry and when we wiped his face, the hair would get pulled off with it. So for that, we got eye drops with antibiotics and his dosage was one drop every 12 hours for 2 weeks. That seemed to take care of the problem. Now though, it seems like all of his symptoms are returning PLUS dry skin! :( My husband noticed these dry skin, scratch like patches on his back. Has anyone ever encountered this? Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? Possibly some home remedies we could try before going to the vet again? Suggested shampoos? He is currently on a raw diet but receives some treats on occasion. We also live in the Houston, TX area where the weather and pollen can be bad and unpredictable. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! :)20170524_213523.jpg 20170524_213518.jpg Snapchat-262019388.jpg
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
My Dane has environmental allergies, his stomach will start to look similar to your dog's back if left untreated. I manage this with bathing anytime he looks too pink, which is weekly in the summer and every couple weeks in the winter. I mostly use Chubbs bars for bathing and make sure I rinse very well. I also try to feed sardines a couple times a week for fish oils try to address dry spots early with bag balm. When Finn got really patchy, my vet recommended Melatonin and I still supplement with that as well.

My vet also recommended using benadryl if he started itching, but he doesn't really scratch much so I haven't used it.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Diesel had this and it was food allergies for him. Our vet tried the same sort of things as your's and it helped but it was not until we switched to limited ingredient, grain and poultry free food that it went away altogether.
 

loveerny

Active Member
I was thinking that it may food allergies. But our dogs have been on raw for close to 2 year now.. mostly turkey necks, ground beef and beef liver.. and it hasn't been an issue. Is it something they can just get as they get older? Also, what kind of food do you feed if I may ask?
 

loveerny

Active Member
Thanks for the suggestions! I will have to try them out!

My Dane has environmental allergies, his stomach will start to look similar to your dog's back if left untreated. I manage this with bathing anytime he looks too pink, which is weekly in the summer and every couple weeks in the winter. I mostly use Chubbs bars for bathing and make sure I rinse very well. I also try to feed sardines a couple times a week for fish oils try to address dry spots early with bag balm. When Finn got really patchy, my vet recommended Melatonin and I still supplement with that as well.

My vet also recommended using benadryl if he started itching, but he doesn't really scratch much so I haven't used it.
 

loveerny

Active Member
I was thinking that it may food allergies. But our dogs have been on raw for close to 2 year now.. mostly turkey necks, ground beef and beef liver.. and it hasn't been an issue. Is it something they can just get as they get older? Also, what kind of food do you feed if I may ask?

Diesel had this and it was food allergies for him. Our vet tried the same sort of things as your's and it helped but it was not until we switched to limited ingredient, grain and poultry free food that it went away altogether.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
I was thinking that it may food allergies. But our dogs have been on raw for close to 2 year now.. mostly turkey necks, ground beef and beef liver.. and it hasn't been an issue. Is it something they can just get as they get older? Also, what kind of food do you feed if I may ask?

Allergies can develop as they age (just like with peoples). But, it could also be environmental allergies (pollens) rather than food. In our case it was food and we used the process of elimination to discover that it was poultry (all kinds) and grains that bug him. We are in the process of switching to a new kibble right now because the limited ingredient one we were using previously is no longer carried at any local pet stores. We pretty much stick kibbles that are either Salmon or Lamb (salmon preferred he likes the taste better), are limited ingredient, contain zero poultry (including poultry fat for flavor), contain zero grains. We like the ones that have an omega package and have actual peas and cranberries in them (our old food did) but it is hard to find ones that also have that.

Feeding raw it should be easier to eliminate the ingredients if you think it is a food allergy. Although I also find that fresh poultry (as opposed to the poultry found in kibbles) don't bother him.... But, since you already are using beef as a protein source you could try eliminating the turkey if you think that may be a cause. I have heard that the second most common protein allergy is beef (after poultry) but our's don't suffer from that we just do the fish and lamb in case it develops down the line. We just want to avoid it.