My poor little Marshall..
 

So here we go again . . :(

It seems like since the day we brought home Marshall we have been battling the "itchies." Last time we went to the vet he had a skin scraping w/ a triple skin analysis and a cytology done. The skin scraping just ruled out the 3 parasites that she was testing for, but didn\'t tell us much else. She prescribed him Hydroxyzine and Clavamox, which he took for a good month, and it seemed to be helping because his itching went down significantly. Now that he has been off the meds for a month or so, he is back to itching. I didn\'t realize it was so bad until this morning. . .

A couple of days ago, Marshall was groomed. Because his hair on his face was so long before, I never noticed that he had all of these red scab-like bumps by his eye. I cannot tell if they are self-inflicted, or caused by something else, like a bug. I feel terrible because he keeps itching by his face. I also feel bad because I don\'t even know how long these bumps have been there. His hair used to cover it up, but now that it is out in the open it is all I can see.

Here is a pic just in case anyone has had a similar issue and can recognize it.

Attachment 321003

Wow, now that I see the photo I can't believe I didn't notice this before. :(

I also wanted to mention something else that is really strange. Jimi keeps licking Marshall's face, by the scabs, incessantly. It is like he is trying to help clean/heal the wound. Should I discourage this? I thought they were just fighting before but one time I picked up Marshall and his face was soaking wet..:confused:

Not only does he have the bumps by his eye, but I think he also has an ear infection. His ears are very waxy and look red because he has been itching them. My vet warned me that because Marshall has such floppy ears that he will probably have them very often, so I should just keep the Panalog ointment and ear cleaner on hand and use it whenever necessary. I wonder if the ear infection is totally unrelated, or not?

Could it be allergies? What else could be causing this? I thought I could rule out allergies in the beginning because he was itching like this even in the middle of winter. I wouldn't think it would be a food allergy because he is only 7-8 months and he has been eating the same food his entire life.

Any suggestions or ideas as to what this could be? I feel terrible for him, but I might just be overreacting. My bf thinks that it is irritating me a lot more than it is even irritating him. Figures..:rolleyes:

Marshall already has a vet appointment scheduled in a week or 2, for his yearly heartworm test, so should I just wait until we go in for that or should I bring him in sometime this week? Like I said, I don't think it is bothering him as much as it is bothering me.. but I just hate to see him itch. :(

Thanks guys. I always appreciate your input. :)
-Meg

Poor baby. My Cali has allergies and after all testing was done, nothing stood out as to what she is allergic to. She scratched her self raw and took a lot of hair out as well. We finally got her on a medicine called Atopica and she has been great ever since. I would get him in earlier if possible and have the vet look at those sores and see what they advise. I hope you get an answer and Marshall can be itch free.

It could very well be all due to allergies. Some dogs suffer terribly at times. My previous Yorkie did. I hope you can find some relief for him.

My dog had something like that (not around his eye) but all over his body. They were red splotches and it did look like blood under the skin, but he had it in a lot of places where he could not have scratched.
The vet said he thought it was allergies and gave him a shot and put him on an antibiotic. All the splotches disappeared right away from the shot.
*I wouldn't allow the other dog to lick it, if there is an open cut, it could easily get infected.
He gave him a Vetalog shot and put him on clavamox drops.

Did it get worse after a trip to the groomer?

Well, I didn't notice the sores were even there until he was groomed. His hair was sooo long on his face that I didn't even notice them. (Or maybe they weren't there before? I don't know) My boyfriend and I groom Marshall ourselves, at home. (Just in case you were wondering, because that way you know he didn't catch something at the groomers).

Clavamox was the name of the meds that my vet put Marshall on initially, and it helped a lot.. and I will definitely mention that shot when I go.

So how is your dog now? Does he have to take meds or get a shot regularly? I am just curious, because I was wondering if the shot cleared it up for good or not.

Thanks, by the way. :)

Sorry, forgot to mention, this was the first time it ever happened and this was about two weeks ago. I noticed him itching a lot, I shaved him down thinking he was hot and itchy and saw those red spots all over him. He did continue biting his paw for several days, but not too much. So far so good, no more red splotches.. Vet is going to call me in a few more weeks and see how he is and see if he needs another shot.

How much was the shot? Do you remember? Just curious.. I will probably have to do another skin scraping which runs about $150, so I am just wondering what to expect. That way I won't faint when I see the bill. :p (I swear, I haven't been to the doctor in a couple of years and my dogs go every month. Spoiled babies. :D)

It cost me $125 for the appt, the shot, and the antibiotic. I told my friend I need to start working there weekends - they get a 75% discount on vet care.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...allergies.html

Awww! Poor little Marshall. :( I don't have any advice but that looks very itchy!

that looks like my grandsons dog when he had the mange last year he had it around his eyes don't know where he got the mange at he is never around other dogs

Pat from SC

Is he on heartworm/flea products? Many don't take care of mites, and mites can evade a skin scraping test. If you don't already use Revolution, I would switch to that for one month to see if you see any improvement.

Also, I use antibiotic eye ointment on any sores around the eyes... seems to work real well and you don't have to worry about the product in his eye. Sores and infection can damage the skin to the point the hair will fall out. The hair will grow back once the situation is under control.

You could put an e-collar or softie collar on him to prevent him from doing further damage. Are there any times during the day that he seems to itch more? Do any family members have any skin/itching problems ongoing? Any particular rooms in the home that he appears more bothered by itching? Does he scartch his sides under his front legs/ribs, and does the skin have a normal, smooth appearance? Between his back legs...skin look smooth or puckered?
Do you see any tiny white flakes along the very edge of his ears (may or may not be scratching ears), or along the very edges of his eyes? You may need to look with a magnifying glass. Would be about 1/2 the size of a small pinhead.

When I first adopted Tinkerbell she had very scabby ears, and would constantly scratch/dig at them. Her ears were actually becoming thick from her abuse. I made an appointment with my vet, but popped a collar on her bc I was afraid she would really inflict damage if I didn't. At the vets they all asked why she had the collar on! I said look at her ears! Big dime sized scabs... ew! Plus it's hard to tell if they're itchy from the scabs or if they have another problem going on. So the e-collar will help the sores to heal, but if he's still really itchy something else may need to be done.

Awww, poor little Marshall. I know when Hot Rod came home, he had such itchy, dry, flaky skin. Turns out he's allergic to chicken! I kept giving him boiled chicken with his food and treats.

I know have him on medicated shampoo and medicated conditioner. He's all better now. Hope you will find out is going on with Marshall.

Aw, little Marshall. Don't be hard on yourself, Meagan, bc I think we have all had things go unnoticed on our fur babies, I know I have....and then you notice them eventually. Been there.

So, is it just this one eye, not the other? Pull the fur apart all over his body, and check for anything else, check his belly, armpits, underneath his neck. Put your fingers into his mustache and feel the skin there too and take a peek.

If he has skin stuff elsewhere, this could be pyoderma (bacterial skin infection, easily cleared up) - and many dogs who have allergies will have a case of pyoderma during/after allergy season. Simplicef is great for clearing up pyoderma, even stubborn cases.

If it is only on this one eye - it may just be that, at some point, there was 1 break in the skin somewhere and that little break became infected --> then he started scratching the area, and now it's irritated and just needs topical anti/bio/fungal.

Also, like kjc asked - what is the pattern of itching (where does he itch)?

Since he itched right through winter (and if all parasites are ruled out), then you start to suspect food, or something enviro such as dust etcetera. He is pretty young for allergies, I agree; you usually wouldn't see them this early (over the winter). Recurrent ear issues can also be from allergies.

Mites can be really tough to diagnose in some dogs, as they can burrow under the skin. Do you know if that was one of the things they tested for?

I would take him in sooner, especially bc this is near the eye. (btw, Wylie had this exact same thing once, and it was just that somehow the skin barrier was breached, it became irritated, and he itched it like crazy)