Skin condition in Labradors

[fozzie]

Hi I don't know if anyone can help but I've just been to the Vets with our dog Henry he's a labrador retriever. He has been scratching at his ears and licking his legs this past week or so and it looks like he's got a skin condition. He's got to go back to the vets on Wednesday to have his ear washed out. We haven't got Pet insurance I was only saying last month we must get it but we can't really afford it along with the vet bills does anyone know of any that dont have the 30 day illness cover condition. Or if anyone elses dog has anything similar.

[jamb]

Hi,

We have a male lab 4yrs old and he gets red, we call em hot spots, he will lick lick lick, making it worse.

If they are really bad then i take him to vet and he gets a anti itch tablet called "macrolone" this works instantly, stops the itch, stops him irritating it.

What I find manages it is washing with Malaseb shampoo, it is so good. I think it is antibacterial and bit like dandruff shampoo for dogs (but dont quote me in that!)

Has kept his skin under control really well.

[fozzie]

Thanks for that i'll give it a try. He seems to have a problems with his ears too I'm just hoping it's not too serious, the vet seems to think it is linked.

[Tinydancer]

Hi Fozzie

I have a 10 month old lab, we live in the tropics and hadnt had her long when we started noticing the same thing, her ears were slightly wiffy and really itchy along with her paws.

When we took her to the vets they took a sample of the earwax and looked at it under the microscope. It turns out that she had a yeast infection, caused by the heat which was making her paws itchy and ears sore.

The vet gave her a shot of cortisone (sp) to allow her to rest from the itching and then gave us malaseb (as Jamb said its brilliant) they also gave us a great product called epi - otic and dermotic for her ears. The epi - otic is good to have anyways as it helps to drain water out of their ears essentially preventing infection.

Apparently these rashes are really common in Labradors, we wash her at least once a week in the malaseb and its kept it mostly away.

Our vet is absoloutley brilliant, sometimes wont charge us for certain things and is always on hand for free advice etc. I personally dont worry about vets insurance, but if you are worried about lump sum bills then I would get it for peace of mind.

Good luck with it! Within a week our pup was as good as new.

Labradors are the best dogs!! My little girl has become such a loving member of the family:)

[pippi]

Hey fozzie,

I have a british bulldog and he has had alot of probs with ear and skin infections. Vet said it can be cause by any thing-from the garden to water to heat ect. I use ept-otic every few days a good squirt in both ears (he hates it!) and that keeps them clear. I also bath him in malseb and its great. good luck and hope your pup feels better soon:fingerscrossed:

[reAllytee]

Ok skin probs with Labs can be for a few various reasons & yes fleas & allergies are in there but also be aware that many dramas comes from too much washing !
Your Lab should only be bathed every 4-6wks this is because they are water dogs being retrievers that they have special oils in their coats that protect their skin. Constant washing while yes its great to keep them clean & not so smelly it is a big no no because of this.
Learnt my lesson the hard way myself.
Also it could be because of too much beef in your Labs diet this is sometimes over looked by vets & many owners because you just think they can eat whatever ( especially being garbage disposals LOL ! ) but like most dogs too much beef can be a real issue with their skin & overall health.
Another issue can be stress, sounds strange i know but it can be a behaviour issue which results in them scratching & licking which leads to big issues. We also went through this because of my Lab being attacked. With a change of diet & routine as in showing her we had control being top dog she became less stressed which helped her skin.

I would also advise knowing that you now know your Lab has sensitive skin anytime you go into the vet that you mention it to be sure or at least have it on the file because i forgot to say something when my girl was desexed at 18mths old so being shaved was a bad thing which meant lathering her in cream every day & nite.

The joys of pet ownership :p
Lucky they are so damned wonderful :D

[Ashleigh<3]

Hello! Thought I might help.

I have a yellow lab. His most favourite thing to do is lick his paws, scratch at his ears, lick anything really.

For his paws, buy some epson salt, blend it with warm water and soak his paws in it, run your fingers around and inbetween his paws and you'll see all the muck run out in the water. After rinse with clean water, and dry with a towel, try and distract your dog from licking his paws with a treat/toy. The epson salt isn't something he should be eating.

Also, there is a special dogfood for dogs with skin allergies, it's supercoat brand- senstive.
You have to shop around at your pet supplier stores, as coles/woolworths don't usually have it in stock. It might be a bit dear.

The famous Doctor harry endorses this product, give it a try, it helps our Arnold. :)

Goodluck!

[fozzie]

Thankyou so much for all the advice I don't wash him very often only a couple of times this year as I know that Labs do have special oils in their coat. I'm hoping that after the Vet has taken the swab and washed his ears out we'll be able to just use some ear drops to control it. He doesn't really eat much beef so I don't think it's that but I was thinking about perhaps changing his food to a sensitive food I didn't realise that supacoat did a sensitive product as that's what he has anyway so I'll look into it.

Thanks again I'll let you all know how it goes after Wednesday.

[Tinydancer]

Im not too sure what environment you live in but up here in the tropics the oils in the coat actually cause more harm then good. If I didnt wash my dog for 6 weeks she would be in a terrible state!!

When we first got her I thought that because of the oils, we shouldnt wash her often and thats what started the yeast and skin infections. We noticed that increase in heat and humidity also increased the itches for her, its a stubbly or pimply red rash usually, but its hard to see due to the thick coat. A dog will lick their paws regardless of whether that is the itchy place though, sometimes the problem area will be on the stomach, but they cant reach or its unbearable so they lick the paws.

The epson salts is also a good idea!! That and Maleseb is my puppys bestest friend :yelclap:

The oils in the coat are really only too good for cooler weather or a dryer climate.

[jamb]

Yep i agree! We live by the coast, very humid and dog swims everyday, if i didnt wash once a week or fortnight the yeast would be outta control. I think it is what you wash them with that can cause the problem.

How did you go Fozzie? been back to the vet?