Have you had Woody to the vet for any kind of allergy or skin testing? Have you checked his teeth and gums to be sure everything is o.k. in his mouth? With my Jo-Jo the fish based foods were too oily for him, he would lick his feet more and get very oily just 2 days after a bath...plus he got little blisters on his underbelly that he would lick and break open. The vet said his hair folicles were getting blocked by the excess oil in his skin. I changed his food just a couple of weeks ago and I am already seeing great progess...no more greasy hair or blisters and he doesn't lick his feet quite so much now.
I posted part of this in another thread yesterday but maybe it will help Woody.....
If you have Woody on a good food that does not contain corn or other known allergens then there are a couple other things you can do. My 2 boyz have different coat types...Riley is pretty normal but Jo gets oily a few days after a bath...I bathe them both once a week, unless Jo needs it in between. The vet gave me a medicated shampoo for Jo called Pyoben, it contains Benzoyl Peroxide and it is an Antimicrobial, Keratolytic, follicular Flushing Shampoo...it cleans the hair follicles. This shampoo has to be left on for 10 or 15 minutes which can be hard on both of you but worth the trouble if it helps.
I also bought a shampoo at PetSmart called *efa HyLyt shampoo with *Essential fatty acids. It is a soap-free, Hypoallergenic shampoo for routine cleansing of normal, dry or sensitive skin.
I use the second shampoo on both of my boys and it works well. I make sure to get between their toes, in their armpits and the underbelly and rinse, rinse, rinse when you're done. This shampoo really seems to help Jo, he licks his feet but not so much with this one.
Do you have another vet you can see for a second opinion? I think that would be a good idea if you have one available. I hope something in all of that helps and you find some relief for Woody! |