HELP...Yorkie skin problems - YorkieTalk.com Forums

pagelynh · 02-17-2005, 05:09 PM

Hi!
My name is Pagelyn and I am new to this forum. My husband and I have a 9 month old yorkie named Abby. Abby is the most loving dog in the world, but recently we have been having a lot of problems with her skin.

It started out as dry skin, and she was itching constantly. We switched shampoos thinking it was because of the dry air here in the winter but it didn't help. Our vet gave us a medicated shampoo that really helped with the dry skin and she doesn't itch as much anymore.

From there the problem got worse though. Now literally a day after we give her a bath she gets really greasy and smelly. It is almost unbearable, but I know it wouldn't be good to bathe her every other day. I am really worried that something is wrong although the vet doesn't seemed that concerned.

The vet also gave us a Vitamin E supplement for her food to help with this latest problem but after almost two months we have no change. She is so beautiful and sweet, but she gets so dirty and greasy.

Has anyone else had this problem??? Anyone have any magical solutions???

fasteddie · 02-18-2005, 12:42 AM

Welcome to YorkieTalk, pagelynh! We use Skin & Coat Supplement (made by Everyone's Best Friend) mixed in with Yoda's food and that's worked well for us, we've used it for quite some time now. Yoda's coat is shiny and soft, and besides getting some fleas last year, he's been pretty good.

MoGraceLiz · 02-18-2005, 03:03 AM

I had a girl with similar problems. In our case, she also had little red spots that I would notice while drying her after a bath. She scratched and upon closer examination I noticed some hair loss. The vets could never diagnose the problem, but I truly believed that she had some kind of allergies. Her eyes would get red and runny at times. The grease was the most noticeable, though, as like you said, I could bathe her and the next day she was greasy. Our vet did put her on a steroid for a short time, which did clear up the eyes and helped with the itching and then we had a special shampoo that I used. We also gave her a derm cap twice a day in her food. I bathed her once a week. You didn't mention any other symptom besides the greasy skin, so maybe a good shampoo and some derm caps might help.

www.simplyyorkies.com

shireyak · 02-18-2005, 05:23 AM

Sounds like some form of allergy to me.......if not the shampoo,maybe food??
You say that she gets very dirty.....from what???? Does she spend a lot of time outside??? Perhaps this is something outside???

If she is not rolling in something nasty outside or digging a lot and getting dirty in that respect , I would be rather worried

Also, does the smell eminate from her without an external source??

Please write back with more info, I am very curious

CC's · 02-18-2005, 10:09 AM

Sounds like it could be seborrhea to me. If she gets greasy/oily and smelly quickly thats a common symptom of it.

I would get a good dandruff shampoo like T-Gel or Nizorel and bath her every other day for a week. Rinse very well. The next week you should be able to bath her twice a week and see how that goes.

Bathing is the easiest first step to see how she does with it. Also if you find some "derm-caps" (supplement) those can help with skin from the inside.

Always check with the vet if things don't get better.

pagelynh · 02-18-2005, 07:42 PM

I guess by "dirty" I mean she is so smelly and greasy. And no she hardly ever goes outside. We live in Iowa and she HATES being cold!!

The shampoo the vet gave us to try is NuSal-T. It has helped some with the itching, but the greasy, smelly stuff is still present.

Can you really use a human shampoo on yorkies? Our breeder was so against that I have never thought about it. A friend who owns miniature pins says she sometimes uses baby shampoo on her dogs so maybe that could help too. I am really at a loss for what to do...we have tried so many things.

And where would I get these derm caps?? Are they similar to the vitamin E/fatty acid capsules we were given by the vet?? Those didn't seem to help at all.

Thank you so much for your advice! This forum is great, and I am so glad to get advice from other yorkie owners. I will have to put some of our pictures out for you all to see!

lickthestar · 02-18-2005, 07:51 PM

Welcome! Maybe it's a food allergy? I know that westies are notorious for being allergic to stuff. What are you feeding your yorkie?

pagelynh · 02-18-2005, 07:59 PM

We feed her Eukanuba...it was what our breeder started her out on and he recommended it highly.

CC's · 02-18-2005, 08:04 PM

The shampoo your vet gave you should do the same thing as the human shampoo's I mentioned. I would only use human shampoos for something like this if I didn't have the vets shampoo. Its different than everyday care needed for the coat.

Don't be afraid to bath her every couple days for a while to get it under control. The caps your vet gave you also are about the same so I would continue his advise and maybe switch her to a food for allergies like Lamb and Rice or Beef and rice. Stay away from corns, and wheats.

Get her off the Eukanuba. Try Natural balance duck and potato, lamb and rice or venision and brown rice. Also Nutro natural choice has a lamb and rice. You can find these foods at Petco.
There are others out there as well but these are the ones I know to find easily.
No table scraps or milk bones (only her food) till you see if the food change helps. It takes 6 weeks for that to really make a change in the system.

Seborrhea is when the oil glands go wild and it causes greasy, smelly skin and itchiness. Sometimes the skin can even get a waxy feel.
They can get a rash if the pores get clogged to.

lickthestar · 02-18-2005, 08:17 PM

yeah, it could be the fillers in the eukanuba. these brands are known to have corn and soy and yorkies can be allergic to corn.

Ringo · 02-19-2005, 06:24 AM

CC.....great info!

I didn't realize it would take 6 weeks for the food changes to take place in the puppy's system.

My puppy scratches a lot right below the ears. I haven't seen any fleas so I thought it could be from his food. I switched to Nutro, but probably didn't give it enough time. I stopped using Nutro because the bag said my puppy should be feed 3/4 cup a day. He's only 2 pounds. So, I switched to Royal Canin.

Anyway....my question is this.....can seborrhea only pop up on the head area? The top of my pup's head gets greasy quickly too and like I said he scratches a lot around his ears. I read up on seborrhea in humans and the article said it's like cradle cap and babies and kids get it.

Thanks for being so helpful.

pagelynh · 02-19-2005, 07:09 AM

Thanks for the info...I will check into the food...should we mix it with the Eukanuba in the beginning until she gets more accustomed to it?...I don't want it to upset her tummy.

pagelynh · 02-20-2005, 06:02 PM

Just an update...I found the Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Lamb and Rice today. We mixed it with the Eukanuba tonight and she liked it so much she picked it all out first!!! She is so funny!!

I am going to stick with bathing her every other day this week and will keep everyone posted on her progress. I hope this helps!!

CC's · 02-21-2005, 02:46 PM

I don't think seborrhea will be just on the head. Sometimes though its very hard to rinse that area well so try to make sure you get it good.

Also have you checked the ears? Ear mites are always something to have your vet check for if they are scratching at the ears and head.

CC's · 02-21-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagelynh

I am going to stick with bathing her every other day this week and will keep everyone posted on her progress. I hope this helps!!

I hope it helps. I think every other day for a week should help get it cleared up some. Then I would try twice a week for a month and go from there.
Once under control, with the amino acids your vet gave you she may clear up a lot. You'll be able to tell when she needs a bath.

02-17-2005, 05:09 PM	#1
pagelynh YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6	HELP...Yorkie skin problems Hi! My name is Pagelyn and I am new to this forum. My husband and I have a 9 month old yorkie named Abby. Abby is the most loving dog in the world, but recently we have been having a lot of problems with her skin. It started out as dry skin, and she was itching constantly. We switched shampoos thinking it was because of the dry air here in the winter but it didn't help. Our vet gave us a medicated shampoo that really helped with the dry skin and she doesn't itch as much anymore. From there the problem got worse though. Now literally a day after we give her a bath she gets really greasy and smelly. It is almost unbearable, but I know it wouldn't be good to bathe her every other day. I am really worried that something is wrong although the vet doesn't seemed that concerned. The vet also gave us a Vitamin E supplement for her food to help with this latest problem but after almost two months we have no change. She is so beautiful and sweet, but she gets so dirty and greasy. Has anyone else had this problem??? Anyone have any magical solutions???

02-18-2005, 03:03 AM	#3
MoGraceLiz Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Western NY Posts: 225	I had a girl with similar problems. In our case, she also had little red spots that I would notice while drying her after a bath. She scratched and upon closer examination I noticed some hair loss. The vets could never diagnose the problem, but I truly believed that she had some kind of allergies. Her eyes would get red and runny at times. The grease was the most noticeable, though, as like you said, I could bathe her and the next day she was greasy. Our vet did put her on a steroid for a short time, which did clear up the eyes and helped with the itching and then we had a special shampoo that I used. We also gave her a derm cap twice a day in her food. I bathed her once a week. You didn't mention any other symptom besides the greasy skin, so maybe a good shampoo and some derm caps might help. www.simplyyorkies.com __________________ Navy Mom Kim

02-18-2005, 08:04 PM	#9
CC's YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 402	The shampoo your vet gave you should do the same thing as the human shampoo's I mentioned. I would only use human shampoos for something like this if I didn't have the vets shampoo. Its different than everyday care needed for the coat. Don't be afraid to bath her every couple days for a while to get it under control. The caps your vet gave you also are about the same so I would continue his advise and maybe switch her to a food for allergies like Lamb and Rice or Beef and rice. Stay away from corns, and wheats. Get her off the Eukanuba. Try Natural balance duck and potato, lamb and rice or venision and brown rice. Also Nutro natural choice has a lamb and rice. You can find these foods at Petco. There are others out there as well but these are the ones I know to find easily. No table scraps or milk bones (only her food) till you see if the food change helps. It takes 6 weeks for that to really make a change in the system. Seborrhea is when the oil glands go wild and it causes greasy, smelly skin and itchiness. Sometimes the skin can even get a waxy feel. They can get a rash if the pores get clogged to. Last edited by CC's; 02-18-2005 at 08:08 PM.

02-19-2005, 06:24 AM	#11
Ringo Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 193	CC.....great info! I didn't realize it would take 6 weeks for the food changes to take place in the puppy's system. My puppy scratches a lot right below the ears. I haven't seen any fleas so I thought it could be from his food. I switched to Nutro, but probably didn't give it enough time. I stopped using Nutro because the bag said my puppy should be feed 3/4 cup a day. He's only 2 pounds. So, I switched to Royal Canin. Anyway....my question is this.....can seborrhea only pop up on the head area? The top of my pup's head gets greasy quickly too and like I said he scratches a lot around his ears. I read up on seborrhea in humans and the article said it's like cradle cap and babies and kids get it. Thanks for being so helpful. Last edited by Ringo; 02-19-2005 at 06:58 AM.

02-18-2005, 12:42 AM	#2
fasteddie *YT 6000 Club Member* Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 6,238	Welcome to YorkieTalk, pagelynh! We use Skin & Coat Supplement (made by Everyone's Best Friend) mixed in with Yoda's food and that's worked well for us, we've used it for quite some time now. Yoda's coat is shiny and soft, and besides getting some fleas last year, he's been pretty good.

02-18-2005, 05:23 AM	#4
shireyak YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 323	Sounds like some form of allergy to me.......if not the shampoo,maybe food?? You say that she gets very dirty.....from what???? Does she spend a lot of time outside??? Perhaps this is something outside??? If she is not rolling in something nasty outside or digging a lot and getting dirty in that respect , I would be rather worried Also, does the smell eminate from her without an external source?? Please write back with more info, I am very curious

02-18-2005, 10:09 AM	#5
CC's YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 402	Sounds like it could be seborrhea to me. If she gets greasy/oily and smelly quickly thats a common symptom of it. I would get a good dandruff shampoo like T-Gel or Nizorel and bath her every other day for a week. Rinse very well. The next week you should be able to bath her twice a week and see how that goes. Bathing is the easiest first step to see how she does with it. Also if you find some "derm-caps" (supplement) those can help with skin from the inside. Always check with the vet if things don't get better.

02-18-2005, 07:42 PM	#6
pagelynh YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6	I guess by "dirty" I mean she is so smelly and greasy. And no she hardly ever goes outside. We live in Iowa and she HATES being cold!! The shampoo the vet gave us to try is NuSal-T. It has helped some with the itching, but the greasy, smelly stuff is still present. Can you really use a human shampoo on yorkies? Our breeder was so against that I have never thought about it. A friend who owns miniature pins says she sometimes uses baby shampoo on her dogs so maybe that could help too. I am really at a loss for what to do...we have tried so many things. And where would I get these derm caps?? Are they similar to the vitamin E/fatty acid capsules we were given by the vet?? Those didn't seem to help at all. Thank you so much for your advice! This forum is great, and I am so glad to get advice from other yorkie owners. I will have to put some of our pictures out for you all to see!

02-18-2005, 07:51 PM	#7
lickthestar YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NY Posts: 360	Welcome! Maybe it's a food allergy? I know that westies are notorious for being allergic to stuff. What are you feeding your yorkie?

02-18-2005, 07:59 PM	#8
pagelynh YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6	We feed her Eukanuba...it was what our breeder started her out on and he recommended it highly.

02-18-2005, 08:17 PM	#10
lickthestar YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NY Posts: 360	yeah, it could be the fillers in the eukanuba. these brands are known to have corn and soy and yorkies can be allergic to corn.

02-19-2005, 07:09 AM	#12
pagelynh YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6	Thanks for the info...I will check into the food...should we mix it with the Eukanuba in the beginning until she gets more accustomed to it?...I don't want it to upset her tummy.

02-20-2005, 06:02 PM	#13
pagelynh YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6	Just an update...I found the Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Lamb and Rice today. We mixed it with the Eukanuba tonight and she liked it so much she picked it all out first!!! She is so funny!! I am going to stick with bathing her every other day this week and will keep everyone posted on her progress. I hope this helps!!

02-21-2005, 02:46 PM	#14
CC's YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 402	I don't think seborrhea will be just on the head. Sometimes though its very hard to rinse that area well so try to make sure you get it good. Also have you checked the ears? Ear mites are always something to have your vet check for if they are scratching at the ears and head.