Uni's hair looks terrible!

[KrissieBella]

Have you talked to your vet? The solution is to find out WHY she is itching. But a soothing fix would be a depo injection. It is a steroid that would decrease the itching for a period of time.

There are so many allergens out there. You could try a grain free diet. A Raw Diet. It could be fleas or even something environmental. Good luck with finding that. I know that it's hard to see her suffer

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by lmperez

There are still grains in this diet. Barley and brown rice. Yes they are healthier but still a grain. I use "Taste of the Wild" It is a grain free diet for all stages.
Duck, duck meal chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoe, peas, chicken fat, potatoes, roasted quail,duck and turkey. Tomatoes, blueberries,rasberries, aminio acids,antioxidants, omega fatty acids and vitamins and minerals. I get this at Yorba Linda Feed store.

Thanks for letting me know. Ugh so stressful choosing the right food. I thought I did good with Wellness, she loves it. I just bought 2 new bags from Petco b/c I got a $5 off coupon with a $25+ purchase. I thought, hey I'm not gonna switch her food again, so why not?

[bjh]

You might want to try some Selsun Blue shampoo. Shampoo twice, rinse well then pour over him a apple cider vinegar mixture, mixed 2 parts water to one part vinegar. You don't rinse out the acv, just towel him off then blow dry. I had a 11 year old male that started scratching a lot and this really helped him a lot.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by bjh

You might want to try some Selsun Blue shampoo. Shampoo twice, rinse well then pour over him a apple cider vinegar mixture, mixed 2 parts water to one part vinegar. You don't rinse out the acv, just towel him off then blow dry. I had a 11 year old male that started scratching a lot and this really helped him a lot.

Oh yeah I remember hearing about this! Thanks for reminding me. She'll smell like a yummy salad! LOL Well, seriously though, will she smell? I know bf will complain if she smells like vinegar selsun blue is dandruff shampoo right?

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Oh yeah I remember hearing about this! Thanks for reminding me. She'll smell like a yummy salad! LOL Well, seriously though, will she smell? I know bf will complain if she smells like vinegar selsun blue is dandruff shampoo right?

To me it smells more that medicine than salad!! its a pretty strong smell.. but after you wash and dry it is not that bad.

[kalina82]

has your vet seen her for her itchiness? has be done blood work or a skin scrape just to rule out any medical probelems?

how does her skin look? is it flaky or greasy?

[bjh]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Oh yeah I remember hearing about this! Thanks for reminding me. She'll smell like a yummy salad! LOL Well, seriously though, will she smell? I know bf will complain if she smells like vinegar selsun blue is dandruff shampoo right?

Once she dries she will not smell like vinegar. The Selsun Blue is a dandruff shampoo. You might need to use it a few times before you see results. How often have you been bathing her?

[Dame]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

As for detergents, we just use liquid tide, or whatever, and bounce fabric sheets. I don't use perfume at all, it's a pet peeve of mine.
.

Other people have suggested switching foods... but before you go through all the stress of that:

Consider switching to a kinder more allergy free detergent, like all's free and clear. (Coupons.com should have a $1 coupon for All that you can print out so it shouldn't cost you more then a couple dollars to try). Maybe consider cutting out the bounce. Just wash all the stuff she normally comes in contact with. If you have your own washer - do an extra rinse cycle.

Tide is one of the harshest and most allergy prone detergent out there, and its actually an issue for a lot more people then we tend to realize. There could be a real solid chance that all this... is just your laundry detergent! (And maybe the bounce.) If it is.... you should notice within a week or two. Its a lot simpler and less hassle then switching foods and you won't have to wait anywhere near as long to see if its an issue.

This may well... not get a whole lot of forum approval - but as a very non-scientific approach you can just feed her the potential allergens and see if her itching increases. If you have a store near you that has bulk bins this would be simple and super cheap. (If you don't it might cost you a touch more.) The big things you want to try is the oatmeal & the barley. You can add a small amount to her normal food (tablespoon-ish) and see if she itches more. If not, you can consider adding in more to the next meal and see if the itching develops. If you can see a true visible difference in her itching then you do know that its a potential issue and that you need to find a food without it. Its not a given if she doesn't itch more that its not a culprit! It would however given you something to go off of if she does itch.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by kalina82

has your vet seen her for her itchiness? has be done blood work or a skin scrape just to rule out any medical probelems?

how does her skin look? is it flaky or greasy?

I haven't talked to the vet about it. Her skin is not dry or flaky at all. It's soft and pink. It's just she's scratching all the time! it's breaking off her hair, not irritating her skin, thank goodness.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by bjh

Once she dries she will not smell like vinegar. The Selsun Blue is a dandruff shampoo. You might need to use it a few times before you see results. How often have you been bathing her?

I bathe her once a week on sundays. i use biogroom the oatmeal one, and the creme rinse conditioner. i use not too warm water, and use the hairderyer on warm.

[Sweet Apple]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

She scratches all the time. I switched her to wellness a month or so ago. I don't give her wheat bread, or pieces of corn anymore (it's been about 3 months), but she still itches like crazy. She breaks off her hair on her shoulders and top of her arms. Her hair is so short it's like little dinosaur spikes along her spine, she's a stegosaurus. My bf thinks it's cute, but I don't. Some parts of her hair you can see right down to her pink skin. I use biogroom shampoo and conditioner. I had her wearing a hoodie shirt for a while, she would scratch, but only scratch the shirt, and not break her fur. But once I took off her hoodie, she was super matted. I used those rotating teeth combs to brush her, she lost less hair with those than the regular comb I was using prior.

I feel so bad for her. I don't know what anyone can suggest to make it better, I think I"ve heard and tried it all. I just wanna know is there any other mommies (or daddies) out there that have this problem. She is follicle-y challenged, just like her mommy.

I just read, the other day, that food is only responsible for the itch about 10% of the time...The rest of the time, it's seasonal allergies, and has to be treated, accordingly...Low doses of steroids (ie. prednisone) and topicals, 'till the allergen that is growing, blooming or pollinating is done with...I don't have this issue w/apple, but have had it in the past w/another dog...I hate giving steroids, but for the comfort of the dog, I guess it's necessary...To be honest, I haven't looked into anything alternative, but I suppose I would, if I had to deal w/this...Good luck w/your little uni....If you don't find a cure, then I hope the "season" for whatever is making uni allergic, is over really soon!!!

[Britster]

Poor Uni. I'm sorry to hear of her itchy troubles, that's gotta be annoying. I have no advice but thought I'd wish you luck.

[Blessed]

Awwwww.... You're poor baby, I know first hand how aweful they feel from this and it's horrible not being able to find a solution. I had the same problem with my Maltese, poor baby scratched so much her coat looked as if she was being riden so much it wore her hair off I tried everything I could on my own as I didn't want to subject her to allergy testing.

One night before bed I was going to spritz her as she just seemed so stinkie, something on her neck caught my eye and I picked her up!
Her neck was completely RAW Of course dh and I freaked and wrapped her up (poor baby) she looked as if she just had surgery...LOL.
The next day I went to the dollar store and bought infant footies and I used the colored medical tape (pink) to keep them on her feeties! At first I had to put on two on each foot so her little nails didn't dig through the socks. Next I had to cut her down to a short teddy bear cut, broke my heart but I had to do what was best for her. I was living in Las Vegas and it is sooooooooo dry there I'm sure it only made matters worse for poor Shy'la. I rewashed all her bedding, throw rugs and what ever I oculd get into my washer in dreft (it's specifically for babies ). I also cleaned my carpet a few times (what a back ache), I know that if it's pollen they are having a problem with, it gets on their coats and they bring it in with them. Shy'la did pretty good as long as I kept her coat short once all her booboos healed, but it was a long process. Today we live in Oklahoma and I am fighting the urge to let her coat grow out as it's much more humid and her skin looks fantastic! I'm afraid growing her hair might trigger skin irritations
Try the booties, it helped Shy'la heal and kept her feet away from her fur and skin.

Best Wishes for your baby, keep us posted on how she's doing!

[browniesmom622]

I would take her off the chicken & turkey It causes alot of problems with allergies.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by Blessed

Awwwww.... You're poor baby, I know first hand how aweful they feel from this and it's horrible not being able to find a solution. I had the same problem with my Maltese, poor baby scratched so much her coat looked as if she was being riden so much it wore her hair off I tried everything I could on my own as I didn't want to subject her to allergy testing.

One night before bed I was going to spritz her as she just seemed so stinkie, something on her neck caught my eye and I picked her up!
Her neck was completely RAW Of course dh and I freaked and wrapped her up (poor baby) she looked as if she just had surgery...LOL.
The next day I went to the dollar store and bought infant footies and I used the colored medical tape (pink) to keep them on her feeties! At first I had to put on two on each foot so her little nails didn't dig through the socks. Next I had to cut her down to a short teddy bear cut, broke my heart but I had to do what was best for her. I was living in Las Vegas and it is sooooooooo dry there I'm sure it only made matters worse for poor Shy'la. I rewashed all her bedding, throw rugs and what ever I oculd get into my washer in dreft (it's specifically for babies ). I also cleaned my carpet a few times (what a back ache), I know that if it's pollen they are having a problem with, it gets on their coats and they bring it in with them. Shy'la did pretty good as long as I kept her coat short once all her booboos healed, but it was a long process. Today we live in Oklahoma and I am fighting the urge to let her coat grow out as it's much more humid and her skin looks fantastic! I'm afraid growing her hair might trigger skin irritations
Try the booties, it helped Shy'la heal and kept her feet away from her fur and skin.

Best Wishes for your baby, keep us posted on how she's doing!

Oh poor Shyla! I'm glad she's doing better now! Well Uni isn't scratching into her skin, her skin is nice and soft. It's just she is breaking off her hair at her shoulder and upper back and her coat is like a mullet. Short on top, long on the back!



Also,
We don't have carpet, we have marble tile, so it can't be that. I will switch to a sensitive formula laundry detergent. Tomorrow is bath day so I will try the vinegar rinse. Oh I hate to switch foods on her again, she loves her Wellness!

Thanks to everyone for all your tips. Hopefully something will work!