Skin issues
 

I noticed something different with my male yorkies hair before he was a year old. It has always been thin, very thin, but it got to the point where in order for it to look good I had to keep him shaved down. All but his head of course.... Well from behind his ears to about the middle of his back his skin has began to change colors. He is three yrs old. This skin smells. It has the frito smell and he gets really crusty dry sores all over it. I have been to many vets that say its allergies and nothing can be done. I heard it may be a yeast infection. Any one have any idea? I have added pics to view, I just shaved him down yesterday, he was so misierable. All he does is scratch and scratch and make more sores....

Oh the poor baby. Have you tried a skin specialist, dermatologist? What meds have you tried for the scratching? Did any of the vets do bloodwork and skin scrapings? If not I would find a good specialist and see what they can do to help. My Cali scratches all the time but not to the point of sores. We cannot find out what she is allergic to but have ruled out mange, mites etc. I have her on a new medicine Atopica, it is costly and I haven't had her on it long enough to see if it is going to work but I will let you know it if helps it may help your baby. Good luck

I have tried an allergy the pill the vet gave that didnt work and so many over the counter things that say they work. I will see if I can find a specialist in my area. none of the other vets did skin scrapngs or anything. Thanks

Gosh, this kind of stuff just breaks my heart. Poor baby! If I were you, I'd contact Susan Davis from Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care - she is an animal nutritionist who works at a Holistic Vet's Office in Cal. but consults nationally over the phone. She has worked miracles - including one for my Marcel. I know she does a lot w/ skin issues and she may be able to help you. I had spent hundreds at the vet, to no avail - found Susan and was not thrilled about spending another $75 for her consult - well, it was the BEST money I EVER spent on my dogs, hands down. Can't say enough about her!

I don't have any advice...I just feel so bad for your baby! I wanted to cry when I saw his pictures...I hope you find a solution soon...Good Luck!

Thanks
 

I bought a pill from 1800petmeds, Capstar, for fleas since he is allergic to them, I do know that much. I figured maybe it was that. The pill starts killing fleas with in 30 min of taking it and works for 24 hrs. I gave him one pill since receiving them a few days ago and his scratching has reduced so much. He used to scratch all day non-stop. Now he give the occasional scratch and he isnt making any more sores. Maybe it was fleas I didnt see? I have been using sulfedene for the sores. Thats can be purchased any where they sell pet supplies and it is oily so it helps with the dry skin. I am still worried about the skin changing color and the strange sores there. I think its a yeast infection honestly, you know how you just have a feeling about things? And when youve had kids long enough you seem to be able to guess whats wrong. lol He does look alot better now, except he is still bald. lol

Sounds similiar to what Guppy has. I took him to several vets and he was on lots of different medications before I finally found a dermatology specialist just outside Orlando. She diagnosed Demodectic Mange, which sounds worse than it actually is. He broke out with it when we left him for 5 days at a boarding facility and the doctor said sometimes the stress can lower their immune system and cause a breakout. His symptoms where not what is normally seen as it appeared only on his back (from behind his ears to his tail) and stomach, but skin scrapes showed a large population of the tiny mites that cause the condition. This is why I'm taking him with me on this trip. Once on the medication he cleared up fairly quickly. I'd certainly recommend finding a local deratologist that specializes in canine skin problems. Here's the Wikipedia info on the problem:

Demodectic mange

Demodex canis, Also called demodicosis or Red Mange, demodectic mange in dogs is caused by a sensitivity to and overpopulation of Demodex canis as the animal's immune system is unable to keep the mites in check. This is a mite that occurs naturally in the hair follicles of most dogs in low numbers around the face and other areas of the body. In most dogs, these mites never cause problems. However, in certain situations, such as an under-developed or impaired immune system, intense stress, or malnutrition, the mites can reproduce rapidly, causing symptoms in sensitive dogs that range from mild irritation and hair loss on a small patch of skin to severe and widespread inflammation, secondary infection, and — in rare cases — a life-threatening condition. Small patches of demodicosis often correct themselves over time as the dog's immune system matures, although treatment is usually recommended.

Minor cases of demodectic mange usually do not cause much itching but might cause pustules on the dog's skin, redness, scaling, hair loss, or any combination of these. It most commonly appears first on the face, around the eyes, or at the corners of the mouth, and on the forelimbs and paws.


In the more severe form, hair loss can occur in patches all over the body and might be accompanied by crusting, pain, enlarged lymph nodes, and deep skin infections.

Demodectic mange is not generally contagious to people, other animals, or even other dogs (except from mother to pup); these mites thrive only on very specific hosts (dogs) and transmission usually occurs only from the mother to nursing puppies during the first few days after birth. The transmission of these mites from mother to pup is normal (which is why the mites are normal inhabitants of the dog's skin), but some individuals are sensitive to the mites, which can lead to the development of demodectic mange.


Demodectic mange in dogs can be managed with ivermectins, although there are few countries which license these drugs, which are given by mouth, daily, for this use. Ivermectin is used most frequently. Other avermectin drugs that can be used include doramectin and milbemycin.

This is textbook! PLEASE READ MY STORY!
 

Hi, my name is Nadia and I have 3 Yorkies, one of which is my 12 year old boy "Toy", I've had him since he was 5 weeks old and he started to exhibit the same exact skin problems/smell you are describing at a fairly young age! No Vet was ever able to help him, make him better or even diagnose him correctly! I, too was told that he was an allergic dog that just couldn't be helped and we had to live with it! 10 years passed and I have spent literally thousands of dollars on Vet/Specialist bills, many different prescription pills and shots, shampoos/sprays, insanely expensive allergy therapy, many brands of foods including elimination diet. I also paid for allergy testing and they came back with either different results each time or it was inconclusive! Per advise from the Vets I purchased special filters and air purifiers for the house, tore out carpets.... You name it, I have done it in a desperate attempt to help my beloved boy!!! A year and a half ago, I was at my witts end as Toy scratched himself bloody to the point where I had to wrap up his body with gauze to keep him from tearing his skin off! His stench was unbearable! He didn't want to play, he was aggressive towards people and other animals, all he wanted to do was to lay in a dark cool spot all day and bite himself and he was pretty much bald from hair loss! Even his eyes were cloudy from the yeast and slimy! I could not see him go through that any longer and I sat around crying because I was thinking about what day would be a "good" day to put him to sleep! I decided that I was going to make one last ditch effort to save him and started to research on the internet for answers and boy was I in for the shock of my life! Here are the bad news; the condition never gets any better, just worse until ultimate death! Here are the good news; you CAN get your dog better but you must forget everything your Vets have told you! I know that sounds extreme but I'm telling you that my now 12 year old baby has a new lease on life! He's in better shape than he has ever been in! I have researched this topic extensively and I have found out that this condition is called "Systemic Yeast Infection". It goes beyond just the skin problems! The yeast is in your dog's digestive system, his eyes, ears, even his organs. Why? Because due to an onslaught of invasive yearly booster shots, his immune system has completely shut down, allowing the yeast to take over! No more vaccinations! A sick dog should NEVER be vaccinated in the first place, but Vets will do so anyways, telling you that an unvaccinated dog is at grave risk! Bull! I faithfully shlepped my dog to his yearly booster shots and got everything there was to vaccinate against and each time he got worse! Heartworm/flea preventatives-no more! Those are dangerous pesticides and a sick dog has no business taking those either! The ultimate culprit; the wrong diet! Kibble is bad. Period. It's cooked, processed waste products. Unnatural to dogs which are carnivores by nature! There's a lot more stuff to talk about as there's tons of info to read, but I don't want to bogart this thread. Please feed a prey model diet to your dog, no more kibble or any other kinds of treats that contain any types of grains! You will also need the following shampoo; Chlorhexiderm Max 4%. You can get it here without an RX; - Maximum ChlorhexiDerm Shampoo 4% #27-364-Z
Keep your dog shaved and wash him every few days until his sores go away (let the suds sit on your dog for 10 minutes before rinsing off) As a final rinse you need to mix a little bit of baking soda with water and rinse your dog with that. In between baths, make a weak solution of apple cider vinegar and water, put it in a spray bottle to spray your dog down with it. NOT in the face! The eyes will burn if you get some in there! Concentrate on the worst parts! Probably the legs and around his privates, the belly.
It will be a several month process but you WILL make your dog better! I've been in your shoes and I know what you're going through! You can pm me and I will give you more info! I can guide you through it all if you'd like! I cannot stress enough that you must STOP feeding your dog anything that has any kind of grains in it! Kibble is notorious for corn, wheat, soy etc. The yeast is a symptom of your dog's immune system shut down! It is NOT allergies or whatever Vets are "guessing".
Here's the thread that I started on prey model and why I'm feeding this way (I'm not alone!)
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...odel-diet.html Btw., my dogs are 10, 5 and 1 1/2 pounds and they all eat whole meaty bones, organs, fish, eggs. All in the raw state and I cannot even put into words what a difference this has made in my dog's health!

oh my gosh poor baby, im literally upset n feel like crying. hugs n kisses to u both n i hope he gets better. sorry i have no advice but just wanted u to no that u r in my thoughts

Thanks for the adv. Nadia that sounds scary... DEATH. I dont want to lose him. I just want it to go away. He was doing so well a few months ago. The smell had gone away the skin was getting soft and the scratching had stopped. Then, all of a sudden it came back even worse. It irritates me that these vets cant get it right.

Nadia, What about food that are supposed to be free of all that. I switched food because I had heard the yeast and grains good make him worse. I am feeding him aviderm, it is supposed to be high in avacado and meats, all natural, none of the gunky stuff. he has been on it several months now and it seems to be helping, how ever he still mucnhes the other dogs food so it may not be helping to much. I recently heard of caidae on these forums and thought of using it. I found a feed store that sales it in my area. Thanks

I didn't mean to scare you and I'm sorry if I did that! Maybe I should've worded it better as I meant to say was; this condition will never resolve on it's own and will only get worse until the dog dies. I didn't mean to say this this condition will kill your dog but it will clearly hamper his quality of life! My dog had lived with this for over ten years and it's a miserable chronic condition. A vicious cycle! And yes, it does appear to be worse than other times. I noticed in your pictures the black spots on the skin of your dog. If you'd paste a picture of my dog's head onto your picture, it would look exactly the way my Toy looked two years ago! You're lucky that your dog is still young so he has an even better chance at complete recovery if you start the correct treatment!
Good luck to you and your baby!

Let me start by saying, I appreciate your question and you are right to ask it! The problem with kibble is that it's a pellet formed of cooked and processed meat renderings and other ingredients that have no role in a carnivore's diet including potentially harmful preservatives. Chicken Meal does not equal real meat! Even if a bag of kibble boasts of many things that were meant to put a consumer's mind at ease, one has to really dig further to find the real story behind those claims. A domesticated dog has the same digestive tract and shares other physiological aspects with his ancestor the wolf and therefore cannot handle cooked foods in the long run. Dog thrives on raw meaty bones, organs and other things that a carnivore in the wild would eat! When you feed a food that is unnatural for an animal to eat, you are inviting problems (illnesses) not to mention oral disease. That's why we see so many pets in Vet's offices around the country with diseases dogs just didn't have 80 something years ago before kibble was invented by clever marketing people. I had switched my Toy to grain free kibble and I also home cooked. Removing all grains from a yeasty dog is the first step but unfortunately for us it didn't put much of a dent into my dog's betterment. His recovery only really started when I switched him to raw and stopped feeding any kind of supplements, veggies, fruit, etc. His entire system needed to "reboot" apparently and an appropriate diet has given his body the chance to heal itself. The diet, putting a stop to all pesticides and vaccinations has put my dog back to a natural state of being. Nature dictates how each species should eat and man made pellets are not it! If you click on the link for the prey model diet that I provided in an earlier response of mine, you will find out a lot more about it! That is if you're interested, of course, I don't want to impose on you by any means!
Believe me, I'm not some kind of nut job or new age hippie (no offense to new age hippies intended!). I was very sceptical at first and there were no other avenues left to try but raw feeding. I was going to have to put my dog down anyways, so I thought that I would give this a try and his positive response was so overwhelming that I still cry out of anger every time I think back on how I did everything wrong for his entire life because I was so terribly misinformed! Raw has saved my dog's life and I am not alone! Thousands of people around the world are feeding this way and most of them switched because their dog was sick with something that could not be resolved with anything else they've tried! If you're interested, there are many more links that I can post that will help you with your research on the subject! :)
I don't mean to pry but I thought I saw in your posted pics of your pup a deformed mouth? It's ok if you don't want to talk about it! ;)

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I have thought of the raw diet for awhile, I think I am going to by the kit from nzymes to fight the yeast and see how that goes with the so called natural food I have now since I just bought it. I have been using it for awhle now, its called Avoderm. It seems to have the same ingridients the other that say they are natural have. If I dont see a change I will go raw. NZYMES.COM Official Products Page
this site seems to be really good and I have seen so much about it during my research about systemic yeast infection. All the site say they have to detox and this stuff helps to do that.
It made me laugh when you mentioned his mouth. lol. Its fine, I had just woken him up and his lip was tucked. lol
I am going to add some pretty pics of him, he used to be so much fun, now all he wants to do is eat himself. I will keep you updated, I am getting this under control now that I know what it is. Btw, of all the sites I have been to about this they all say vets cant help it at all. That the meds they give only makes it worse and makes the yeast multiply.

I too am a raw feeder!

My baby boy had systemic yeast infections and colitis. Can't say enough good things. I would seriously consider feeding raw before spending another dime at the vet. I worked for a long time in a holistic pet store as a nutrition consultant and I had pups that looked exactly like your baby...

Two- Three months on raw, these dogs were like new. As if this never happened! For a raw newbie, I suggest starting with a premade formula, like Nature's Variety Medallions. A lot of Yorkie Talkers here use that raw formula.

I like Primal raw food b/c its hormone/antibiotic free; which I especially prefer for a guy going through what your baby is going through. RawFedYorkieLuv is right, your pup's immune system is clearly compromised. I would also stop using flea and tick pesticides and heartworm preventative right now. It will only continue to assault his immune system.

It will take some time to turn things around and Wylie's Mom suggested a nutritionist (a bargain at $75, if you ask me!) who can help get you on track if you are unsure how to proceed.

Unfortunately, traditional veterinary education includes very little on nutrition. They sell Science Diet and they get kickbacks for doing so. Your baby will be ok, but please consider an alternative diet and a holistic vet instead of kibble and steroids. You will save a lot of money and heartache and save your baby from suffering. A regular vet, even a veterinary dermatologist will likely not be able to help at all without thousands of dollars and lots of suffering.

Everyone here wants to help and will answer as many questions as possible!

I also highly recommend Dr. Pitcarin's book Complete Guide to Natural Health as a reference and poke around the internet for information about raw feeding and skin issues. As was said, this is now in your pup's whole system, so cleaning him out is key.

We are here for you!!

Nzymes kit
 

I had my dog on that kit and I'm very familiar with their website! :)
Here's what I experienced with it; I started him on the yeast kit at the same time I had him eating pre made raw patties (Nature's Variety, Primal and Bravo). Within days he started to detox and detox he did badly! He remained on the program for several months and I noticed his changes for the positive. I cannot honestly attribute this to the yeast kit or the fact that he was finally eating a healthy diet. While he was getting better, he still didn't become what I was hoping for him so I stopped with the yeast kit and started prey model raw feeding which I had tinkered around with at the same time I was feeding the pre made but now I was giving it full time. In general, I have no issues with pre made, especially to start a dog on raw! It's convenient and gets everybody that's involved used to the change. However, I felt that ingredients like kelp, apple cider vinegar, garlic, veggies, fruit etc.... have no place in a carnivore's diet and since it's ground up mush, an unnatural way of eating yet again. So what I'm saying is that while the yeast kit may or may not have been helpful at all, it didn't hurt him but the real major changes did not present themselves UNTIL I switched him to prey model. I don't know this for sure, but my theory is that my dog's immune system was in fact so severely compromised that he was not responding to anything anymore and a 90 day round of ketoconazole with no results (that baffled his Specialist) somewhat confirmed that for me. The ketoconazole was the last conventional medicine that my dog has been on when I decided that 90 days was enough and I started the yeast kit plus raw nuggets. Like you said, you will buy the nzymes kit and I hope that it will help your dog!
Cupofdog and others here have seen great results on the pre made and supplements, I however did not. So yes, I'm afraid that you will have to experiment around a bit to see what will eventually work for your dog! You're equipped with great research sources and you have found people with dogs that share(d) the same issues your dog is having, you're not alone and I'm rooting for your baby! Please keep us updated on the progress with the yeast kit. :)
P.S. sorry about the comment about your dog's mouth! Perhaps I should have my eyes checked, lol. :p



quote=Michmill;2027266]I have thought of the raw diet for awhile, I think I am going to by the kit from nzymes to fight the yeast and see how that goes with the so called natural food I have now since I just bought it. I have been using it for awhle now, its called Avoderm. It seems to have the same ingridients the other that say they are natural have. If I dont see a change I will go raw. NZYMES.COM Official Products Page
this site seems to be really good and I have seen so much about it during my research about systemic yeast infection. All the site say they have to detox and this stuff helps to do that.
It made me laugh when you mentioned his mouth. lol. Its fine, I had just woken him up and his lip was tucked. lol
I am going to add some pretty pics of him, he used to be so much fun, now all he wants to do is eat himself. I will keep you updated, I am getting this under control now that I know what it is. Btw, of all the sites I have been to about this they all say vets cant help it at all. That the meds they give only makes it worse and makes the yeast multiply.[/quote]

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I totally agree with RawFed!! I have had my pups on premade raw for about five months saw detox and improvement and then, recently started to tinker around with a Prey Model diet as well! I ultimately feel premade is the perfect intro to raw and prey model is ideal.

As amazing as my results have been, I still see progress to be made. My Cavalier's ears are a yeast factory and I have to do daily cleaning and give a lot of probiotic to him to keep it in check. I know, from working with my holistic vet that prey model will help this.

I believe that you will really see benefits once you put your dog on raw.

I did it! I went to the store today and bought chicken drumettes, beef heart, boneless pork, ground turkey and beef. I separated it all into individual meals of 4-5 oz each. Im not sure how to much to feed this little guy so I will go from there and weight him daily. I gave him samples while I was putting the little meals in bags and he had no problem taking it. I decided not to buy the Nzymes. I have done so much research on raw diet and the learning continues. But what I have seen of dogs with this problem, just switching the diet help tremendously. I am keeping a journal daily and taking weekly pictures. I hope this helps, If not I dont know what else to do. Thanks for the great help you guys have given. I was on another yorkie forum and no one was this informative. Thanks to you guys I was able to find out about systemic yeast infection and do research to make sure thats what is wrong with my little guy. Every site I came to about it gave more and more details and I know now thats whats wrong. Thanks so much.

:DYAY!:D I am so happy you decided to try this!
I love that you are keeping a daily journal! Please keep us up to date and show us the pictures! Feel free to PM me with any questions. I am a serious raw feeder and if I can help, I will and I always admit when I don't know something!

Yippeee!
 

GOOD JOB!!!! OMG, I'm so happy! :D :D :D Well then, I guess I better welcome you to the Prey Model Thread! Please join in and update us with what's happening! We're here for you every step of the way, all sorts of questions have already been addressed in that thread by all of us who contribute there!
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...odel-diet.html


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I second that!! We are all here for you!:thumbup: