I have a chocolate lab, Male, fixed, that is 1 yr 5months old. Around
6 months old he started chewing at himself a lot. He has caused the
skin on his belly and groin area to become very rough and discolored
as well as a lot of the hair in this area to fall out. He now
scratches a lot with his hind legs at his stomach and front legs....
The elbows of his front legs have lost fur from this scratching and
the skin there is white and crumbly... On his stomach some times he
will get raw spots from the chewing and scratching...
We had him to the vet and they took some skin samples but they said
that there were no parasites in his skin and suggested that it migh
be an allergy. They gave him a cortisone shot, and then another a
month later but the symptoms only subsided a bit and then came back as
bad as ever. We swithced his food from a lamb and rice to a chicken
and rice for 4 months or so but this did not help. His skin is
starting to look like elephant skin under there. We don't bath him
very often, only 2 or 3 times a year. If anyone could shed some light
on what we could do it would be greatly appreciated..

Ozzy will be very happy if he stops scratching and chewing...

LabattB wrote:

Ozzy will be very happy if he stops scratching and chewing...

A little surprised that your vet has not been more helpful. If it is
indeed allergies (and it certainly sounds like it could be), you need to
find out what his triggers are. What food is he currently on? What
food was he on previously? If you look at the labels, can you tell what
ingredients the two have in common? If he gets treats, what are the
ingredients? Other than food allergies, it is possible that he could
have environmental allergies (dust, pollen, carpet, detergent used for
washing stuff, etc.). Is he on a flea/tick preventative such as
Frontline? It seems a little odd to me that he's having a problem with
the underside of his body alone - maybe he is coming into contact with
something that is irritating his skin. Is he kept primarily outdoors?

Please ask your vet about prescription allergy food. I'm not a big fan
of Hills products, but have seen Canine Z/D and Z/D Ultra make a huge
difference for dogs with food allergy problems. You can see how he does
on this food, and if it is indeed a food allergy, he should definitely
get some relief.

Suja

We just went through this with a pug. Does he smell horrible too? Ask your
vet to check for a yeast infection of the skin. Food free from corn and
wheat and Nizoral shampoo helped.


"LabattB" wrote in message
m...
I have a chocolate lab, Male, fixed, that is 1 yr 5months old. Around
6 months old he started chewing at himself a lot. He has caused the
skin on his belly and groin area to become very rough and discolored
as well as a lot of the hair in this area to fall out. He now
scratches a lot with his hind legs at his stomach and front legs....
The elbows of his front legs have lost fur from this scratching and
the skin there is white and crumbly... On his stomach some times he
will get raw spots from the chewing and scratching...
We had him to the vet and they took some skin samples but they said
that there were no parasites in his skin and suggested that it migh
be an allergy. They gave him a cortisone shot, and then another a
month later but the symptoms only subsided a bit and then came back as
bad as ever. We swithced his food from a lamb and rice to a chicken
and rice for 4 months or so but this did not help. His skin is
starting to look like elephant skin under there. We don't bath him
very often, only 2 or 3 times a year. If anyone could shed some light
on what we could do it would be greatly appreciated..

Ozzy will be very happy if he stops scratching and chewing...

Suja wrote in message news:sTXsb.5499$3j.1974@lakeread01...
LabattB wrote:

Ozzy will be very happy if he stops scratching and chewing...

A little surprised that your vet has not been more helpful. If it is
indeed allergies (and it certainly sounds like it could be), you need to
find out what his triggers are. What food is he currently on? What
food was he on previously? If you look at the labels, can you tell what
ingredients the two have in common? If he gets treats, what are the
ingredients? Other than food allergies, it is possible that he could
have environmental allergies (dust, pollen, carpet, detergent used for
washing stuff, etc.). Is he on a flea/tick preventative such as
Frontline? It seems a little odd to me that he's having a problem with
the underside of his body alone - maybe he is coming into contact with
something that is irritating his skin. Is he kept primarily outdoors?

Please ask your vet about prescription allergy food. I'm not a big fan
of Hills products, but have seen Canine Z/D and Z/D Ultra make a huge
difference for dogs with food allergy problems. You can see how he does
on this food, and if it is indeed a food allergy, he should definitely
get some relief.

Suja

Definitly sounds like allergies. Since it's just on his underside, It
could be being caused by something he lays down on. Have there been
any changes to his bedding or carpeting he lays on?

Suja wrote in news:sTXsb.5499$3j.1974@lakeread01:

A little surprised that your vet has not been more helpful. If it is
indeed allergies (and it certainly sounds like it could be), you need to
find out what his triggers are.


Agreed, but I'd also suggest a thyroid test, T3 and T4 and maybe a free T3
and free T4, as thyroid disorders can show up as skin problems as well.

--
-Abby

Pems, Aussie, and a Pug

****Remove shoes to reply****

He dosen't lay on a blanket...he stays in his crate overnight and when
we're at work. We've tried him with a bed or a blanket a couple times
but he shreds them and eats a lot of the material.. My wife thinks he
may just be bored when we're at work. We let him out in the middle of
the day for a break. As far as treats go we try to stick to just the
food he eats but our kids don't always stick to the rules in that
department. He's an indoor dog, there could be something with carpet
in our living room bothering his skin, he lays on it a lot. There is
no unusual odor from his skin...just the usual doggy aroma..
Unfortuantely I can't afford to keep going back to a vet on a regular
basis to try new things.. but perhaps I will have some luck changing
his food again and maybe getting him a bed he can't eat so he doesn't
have to lay on the carpet when he hangs out with us. Thanks for the
tips..