Itching, sores, hair falling out

[My Izzie Belle]

Hello, we have a year old, 4lb Yorkie. Since she was 3 months old she's had intense itching, redness, and red sores that come and go. Her hair is very thin and falling out, with bald spots. Her breeder said she's never had this problem with their other Yorkies. We've been to many vets and even tried holistic treatments, but nothing works. She's had prednisone, antibiotics, sprays, and we've eliminated and tried every food we can think of. She responds to cool wraps, spot shot, and vinegar washes, but it's just temporary. We just saw another vet who suspects mites, although the skin scrape was neg. She said the mites don't always show up, so she wants to treat her with 1% Invermectin every week for a month. She also tested positive for yeast on skin and ears, so the vet put her on Keto shampoo, Zymox ear drops and wants to feed her Purina Hypoallerginic food. The Hills is too big for her to chew. Since we always feed her high end food we are unsure of this Purina- does any one feed this to their dog? We are also very nervous about giving her this Ivermectin, she's just so tiny.. We are praying that someone can give us some advice.

[Ldyrev1]

Oh my, I feel so sorry for your Izzie and for you! I don't have any info for you but will bump this so it gets higher on the list and others will be able to help, I pray!!

[Yorkiedaze]

Welcome to YT. I'm so sorry your baby is going thru such a horrible time. I know she must truly be miserable. I would take her to a holistic Vet. It sure sounds like allergies. First thing to change would be her diet. Try beef mixed with Quinoa, fresh steamed green beans and carrots. After two weeks if there is no improvement then hopefully it isn't caused by chemicals in the yard or house. You have to eliminate one thing at a time. It may take awhile, but well worth it in the end without the use of drugs, which can add to the problem sometimes.

[pstinard]

Hi, Dogfoodadvisor posted a review of Purina HA (Hypoallergenic) here:

Purina Veterinary Diets HA Dog Food | Review and Rating

They didn't give it a rating since it's a therapeutic food, but they imply that many of the ingredients are low quality or controversial. If the kibble size of a good Hills food is too big for your puppy, you could always break them up in a food processor or moisten the kibbles with water. There is a good article on food allergies in dogs at Dogfoodadvisor here:

Hypoallergenic Dog Foods

Hills isn't on their recommended list, but if your vet recommended it, he may have his reasons. You could also cook your own dog food at home as suggested above, switching ingredients every few weeks until you find something your dog tolerates. You just have to be sure it is well-balanced and contains all the nutrients your dog needs.

[My Izzie Belle]

Thank you for responding. We have tried holistic vets and thought it was caused by food allergies from the very start. We've researched and tried every food we can think of- from the best kibble to Primal Raw - the beef and rabbit flavors. Nothing has worked. We were recently told it may be a protein allergy. The Vets say we will kill her on raw, and the holistics think kibble is the culprit. Some think the meds will hurt her, the other says I'm wrong not to give them. We are so confused we don't know what to do. I am truly at my breaking point and feel like I just go in circles. I don't know who's opinion to trust anymore. All I know is that I can't stand to see her suffer and cry and not be able to sleep at night due to this itching. There has to be an answer somewhere and I'll try anything to help her. I wouldn't mind cooking for her, but the last time I tried she ended up with at the vets with gastritis from the carrots I gave her!

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by My Izzie Belle

Thank you for responding. We have tried holistic vets and thought it was caused by food allergies from the very start. We've researched and tried every food we can think of- from the best kibble to Primal Raw - the beef and rabbit flavors. Nothing has worked. We were recently told it may be a protein allergy. The Vets say we will kill her on raw, and the holistics think kibble is the culprit. Some think the meds will hurt her, the other says I'm wrong not to give them. We are so confused we don't know what to do. I am truly at my breaking point and feel like I just go in circles. I don't know who's opinion to trust anymore. All I know is that I can't stand to see her suffer and cry and not be able to sleep at night due to this itching. There has to be an answer somewhere and I'll try anything to help her. I wouldn't mind cooking for her, but the last time I tried she ended up with at the vets with gastritis from the carrots I gave her!

Hi, if protein allergy is the culprit, at least the Purina Hypoallergenic contains hydrolyzed proteins, which means that the proteins have been broken down to amino acids and therefore are much less likely to cause protein allergies. If your vet says try the Purina Hypoallergenic, then maybe you should, at least until you find out whether it helps. I was able to find a review for the Hills Hypoallergenic dog food as well:

Hill's Prescription Diet Z/D Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating

The Hills also contains hydrolyzed proteins, and has roughly the same nutritional content as the Purina product. But if the vet preferred the Hills to the Purina, then maybe you could pulse it in a food processor to reduce the kibble size. If your baby can't even tolerate carrots, she really must be sensitive! Good luck, and keep us posted on what happens!

[spiritwings1202]

your poor baby praying you get some answers soon and she gets some relief.

[Buster Brown]

Buster was having itching problems and I went to this holistic pet nutritionist. I have cut out all grains, sugars, tapioca's etc from his food and he is doing much better. Perhaps you could email Marc with your symptoms and he could offer suggestions. You never know. I hope you find a solution. Here is my thread about Buster visit.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...endations.html

[Wylie's Mom]

Your vet is right that mites may not show up. After a while during the infestation, mites will burrow UNDER the skin - so then, the only way to test for them is to biopsy the skin - you may want your vet to do this.

Having been through complicated skin issues with my own dogs - and generalist vets not being able to figure it out, the very best advice I can give you is to go to a Vet Dermatologist asap. They are *incredibly* smart and will get you on track faster than any generalist. You don't want the skin and follicles damaged permanently, so I'd go sooner than later. I've been to Vet Derms and they are simply nothing short of amazing.

Please keep us posted. I feel so bad for you and your kiddo; I'm sure you're just heartbroken watching her go through this.

[cummins]

I would like to suggest putting her on canine caviar. Dolly was having a lot of trouble with allergies after I switch her over the itching stopped almost immediately I ordered mine off chewy.com Also going to canine caviar web page lots of good information there. Good luck