Skin Condition (pictures)

[petbruiser]

Hey, my yorkie has a skin condition. He has always had it, but it has become worse. He scratches, and bites himself until it bleeds. The doctor said it was "hot spots," and gave us medicine for it.

The medicine works, but one must continually apply it. Does anyone know what this is, and is the only solution to bath everyday and apply medicine.

http://s2.postimg.org/a94m3yls5/photo1.jpg

http://s23.postimg.org/gtt66tkjr/photo2.jpg

http://s28.postimg.org/hxa5qdszt/photo3.jpg

[Wylie's Mom]

Unfortunately, these pictures are so very small that I can't really see what the skin looks like. Most importantly though, did the vet do a skin scraping and look at it under scope and then grow it out in culture to make sure he knew what he's dealing with? If it's pyoderma (staph intermedius, very common), it has to be treated for 30 days w/ Simplicef.

So he's had this even when he was a puppy???

Honestly, with the general vet not being able to make this any better - I'd get your pup to a Vet Dermatologist ASAP. They will solve your problem WAY more accurately than a generalist can/will.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Unfortunately, these pictures are so very small that I can't really see what the skin looks like. Most importantly though, did the vet do a skin scraping and look at it under scope and then grow it out in culture to make sure he knew what he's dealing with? If it's pyoderma (staph intermedius, very common), it has to be treated for 30 days w/ Simplicef.

So he's had this even when he was a puppy???

Honestly, with the general vet not being able to make this any better - I'd get your pup to a Vet Dermatologist ASAP. They will solve your problem WAY more accurately than a generalist can/will.

Yes, def get skin scraping done w/cytology to determine what it is so it can be treated accordingly. It almost looks like mange to me, poor baby hope he'll be ok.

[pstinard]

I've never heard of "hot spots" before, but I found an article on petmd. If there is any doubt about your dog's skin condition, follow Wylie's Mom's advice and seek a specialist.

Hot Spots on Dogs! Just What Are These, Anyway? | petMD

[Deb1]

Treating just the symptoms is not going to cure the problem. I agree that you need to find the cause of the itching or biting of the affected areas. My girls were having skin issues with lots of itching, biting their feet, flaky skin and small sores. I tried everyone thing.....including, a skin scraping, wash every thing that they come in contact with in All Free detergent, tried many shampoos and conditioners and nothing helped.....until I switched their dog food! It took 4 months to see results but they are now itch free and their skin is not dry or flaky. I found that switching the protein and going grain/potato free made a world of a difference. I am not saying it is the food, but it could be the cause. Get a second opinion!

[Farleys]

Have you made sure he has no fleas? I have had numerous dogs come to me for grooming when horrible skin and they say but they vet checked and didnt see any fleas. And sure enough... Fleas! Just double check before searching high and low for something serious

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Yes, def get skin scraping done w/cytology to determine what it is so it can be treated accordingly. It almost looks like mange to me, poor baby hope he'll be ok.

I too wondered about mange.

Petbruiser -- just fyi with mange, you won't always see mites. In later stage mange/mites - the mites will actually burrow UNDER the skin and live there, and in that case the only way to diagnose mange/mites is via skin biopsies.

[petbruiser]

Originally Posted by Deb1

Treating just the symptoms is not going to cure the problem. I agree that you need to find the cause of the itching or biting of the affected areas. My girls were having skin issues with lots of itching, biting their feet, flaky skin and small sores. I tried everyone thing.....including, a skin scraping, wash every thing that they come in contact with in All Free detergent, tried many shampoos and conditioners and nothing helped.....until I switched their dog food! It took 4 months to see results but they are now itch free and their skin is not dry or flaky. I found that switching the protein and going grain/potato free made a world of a difference. I am not saying it is the food, but it could be the cause. Get a second opinion!

What food do you recommend?