Tiny Black Specks on Belly
 

For the past 4 or 5 months my boy has been super itchy. He recently got groomed so his nails are sharper than usual and has been causing redness on his sides.

We've tried prescription shampoo to stop oil secretion, we've tried changing food twice and nothing seems to do it.

I searched around a bit and saw the black specks might be flea dirt. Only problem was - it was a little difficult to get them off, like i had to scratch them off. They are mostly near his genitals and the hair around that area.

He pretty much itches all over though. He had ringworm several months ago, but that has been gone for a while, so I doubt that is the cause now.

We recently moved from San Francisco to Phoenix area and our vet said fleas aren't a problem here. I'm still thinking it could be fleas he brought from S.F. and are living in our house.

Our other Yorkie is 100% fine, no itching, no black specks...

Anyone have any clue what this could be, the itching drives me nuts at night and it's obviously driving my little guy nuts too. I really appreciate any help.

Thanks.

I think i've read that the black spots can be caused just by his urine. Maybe if you can scrub lightly there during his next bath

what food are you feeding? what others have you tried? How long was he on each of those new foods?

He was on science diet for a while... then switched to Fromms for 2 months, then to Cannidae (sp?) for a while... itching hasn't gone away. The shampoo the vet said might help... is not helping.

What the heck else could be making him itch so darn much?

what was the main protein source (meat) in the Fromms and Canidae?

The vet is probably just selling you the shampoo to make money.. they rarely work. It is USUALLY food based.

The vet said it is 95% NEVER food based... Fromms we tried fish, chicken, lamb... cannidae is just the standard food... which is single source chicken meal... we haven't been feeding him that long and have it still mixed with the Fromm, maybe we should switch 100% and try for a bit...?

no.. NO chicken... chicken is one of the most COMMON sources of allergies in dogs.. YET... seems to be in most foods! go figure :rolleyes: Layla is SO allergic to chicken that I tried a food once that had three protein sources (one being chicken) that the next day she was beside herself itching. I'd go with an all fish or rare protein like venison, duck or rabbit. And you need to give it a few months. If there are days when he is REALLY having a rough go of it. give him Children's liquid dye free benedryl. Layla is about 7 lbs and I give her about 1/2 tsp. (I live in Canada so my measuring eye drop is in 1 ml.. so you can just convert that to whatever you use.... she gets 1 ml) It might make him drowsy but it will take the edge off.

if you are REALLY beside your self... try home cooking.. its what i do. You will pick one protein, one carb and one veggie and feed that for a month and see how it goes. You need to buy a supplement but i'm sure wherever you bought your Fromms and Canidae they have supplement for home cooking. I would pick fish- it is usually the easiet. Right now Layla is eating cod that i baked, sweet potato and then pick a veggie- green beans. Feed that for a month- if things go well- introduce a new protein- lamb- and see how that goes until you hit a food that you KNOW isn't working because he immediately has a reaction. This is THE best way to figure it out.

Oh I also think you need a new vet ;)

I'll pick up an all fish tomorrow and try it for a few months. Thank you for your time.

no problem. i know allergies and they are NOT fun! but you'll get it figured out :)

Why would the vet say 95% (maybe even 99%) of allergies are not food? He said they are almost all air-borne...

Just to sell $6 shampoo...?

I can't honestly tell you. A LOT Of vets are NOT educated on food. It's just not in their schooling and i've had many even admit it to me... they just don't know as much as they should about it.. AND i'm sure you've noticed food in the vets office.. they are paid to sell that... and probably don't know that it lacks quality.. which also shows you they are not educated on food. I think it is as simple as that. I honestly don't think it is airborne. Where is he itching?

I home cook for Layla and my vet has never had anyone in her office who home cooks and she knows nothing about it.. but i'm educating her :)

He mainly itches near his front armpits and ears (both sides).

awww poor guy. I'm still gonna go with food.... but his ears have been checked right?

Ya, vet checked him out during his itching period and didn't say anything about ears.

I went this morning and all the prior food, Fromms & Science Diet both had chicken. Even the vegetable and fish Fromms had chicken cartilage. I got him Canidae lamb & rice which had no chicken whatsoever. How long should I give him on this food to see improvements?

Thanks.

Homecooked
 

Our bbykin gets home cooked , as he had many problems with the dog food ....itching..coughing...ear and eye infections and also not really vomit but foamy stuff would come up in the morning...

Since Oliver gets fresh fruits and veggies meat fish and cheese..
He is doing GREATand LOVES the variety !

Thay are only bbkins and i think even the ratios of the substances in the dog food are not based on the size of the bbykin...so that in itself could cause problems...

JUST MY THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER !

I have always wounder about the small black spots thats on my little girl. she has them on her belly and chest. she also scratches under her arms and ears. She is on Natural Blance food. At one point I thought they was moles. I guess I was wrong I don't know what they could be and she has not had fleas.

problem with chicken
 

why do you say that chicken is or might be the problem with the itcying? every dog food out there has chicken in it and also eukanuba say that chicken is good for your dogs Iams does as well, now the thing is my little guy taz has the same problem itcying all the time no fleas , I thought that maybe he had a problem with the grass outside no, now iam thinking maybe the food its all chicken and he been eating chicken for as long as he been itching, so i will go with changing his diet away from chicken and see what happens from there, sure glad i wasnt the only one with this problem thanks..tinytaz:animal-pa

Doogan suffers from the same symptoms, black spots on tummy and chest, scatching sides and behind ears. He has been medicated with Atopica and Vanectal-P but all they do is mask the cause. He goes to see a Dermatologist this Wednesday so I will let you know the outcome.

yes you are right- chicken is in most dog foods and yet MANY dogs are allergic- Layla included- if I give her chicken i see the affects almost immedatly.. she CHEWS her paws like crazy.

Both Iams and Eukanuba are not good foods. They both contain MANY fillers (corn. also an allergen that causes itching) and bi-products which is the parts of animals that are not fit for human consumption. I would change to a high quality food (Natural Balance, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae) and try a lamb or fish formula

Please update on Wed!

Conner also has the black spots on his belly. I, to, thought they were moles.

My Tucker has HORRIBLE allergies and for the longest time, after reading so much YT, I thought he was allergic to his food. I switched over everything. Well, turns out he is not allergic to any food at all...instead he is severely allergic to grass, weeds and dust/mites. Before wreaking havoc on your little one's digestion, I suggest getting him tested so you know for sure.

I dont know about the other dog foods you were talking about , but i will check out the pet stores around here , but i did take taz off all chicken and went and got a new food for him its (one) it has fish B.P in it and salom so what do you think about that brand ? I just hope he eats it if not i have a problem , he doesnt eat much anyway but he likes to eat what iam eating..:animal36 :animal-pa

OMG - I JUST discovered what I think is the EXACT same thing this week on Wylie's manhood area - on the outside shaft area: little dark brown specks of I don't know what! Only in that area really. I'm just stumped. Bringing him to the vet on Thursday. I'm in Phoenix too. Weird....

Not sure about the dark dogs but itchy ears/chin/paws is often related to food allergies. When the armpits are included I would wonder about a systemic yeast issue.

After switching off a a food that you think could be the culprit, keep your dog on the new food for at least 60 days to see if there is a difference.

You can test for environmental allergies but food allergy testing isn't reliable.

One theory on why so many dogs are allergic to chicken and it is in most dog foods is this. They have been fed too much of it. In other words, if all dog food contained lamb we would see an increase in lamb allergies. If a dog doesn't have constant exposure to one particular food, we may see less allergies.

yes that i think is so our bbykin got sick with the lamb an rice..

We decided the best was home made real fresh veggies fruit and meats and fish some variety...

He loves it! Is not over weight and doing much better ...
He always got sick on the dog foods ...

my dog also has the black spots and i just assumed they were moles too... i dont think they come off or do they?

Chicken is the only protein Buddy eats. Thank heavens chicken
does not bother him. He has no black spots on his underside.

WHEN U SAY HE ONLY EATS CHICKEN DO U MEAN REAL CHICKEN OR THE PET FOOD ...

I THINK IT MAYBE THE PRESERVATIVES AND ADDITIVES THEY USE IN THE PET FOODS THAT ARE CAUSING THESE REACTIONS..SOME PRESERVED WITH THE VITAMIN E...WE FOUND THE VITAMIN E RANCID...

JUST A THOUGHT :animal-pa

With enough scrubbing they come off my guy. It also looks like they are free-floating in his genital hair.

I put some frontline on my guy last week and have had his food switched for a week now. I was out of town this past week, but I think the itching has gone down dramatically.

I am not sure if he had fleas (doubtful since my other Yorkie is fine), or if it was the chicken.