Senior Sheltie with itchy skin

dermatitis is very common after a skin related condition like this. feed a diet high in omega's. I'm a rotation kibble feeder and have used a few higher end kibbles. With a skin issue I would look for something fish based. Fish diets are a good way to cheat protein and omega fatty's into your dog. Just be careful with tuna and salmon. More so tuna. The concern is heavy metal content (mercury). Tuna is awful and salmon is around 1/10 of tuna's mercury content. "Whitefish" is what you're looking for though salmon is fine as well. Moving away from fish, look for something with flax.

As for directly treating skin, you can try bathing with head and shoulders or any other anti dandruff shampoo if your senior is up to it. That should help the itch some. I've never had much luck with conditioners being effective. Makes the coat soft but does nothing for the skin.
 
Craig said:
dermatitis is very common after a skin related condition like this. feed a diet high in omega's. I'm a rotation kibble feeder and have used a few higher end kibbles. With a skin issue I would look for something fish based. Fish diets are a good way to cheat protein and omega fatty's into your dog. Just be careful with tuna and salmon. More so tuna. The concern is heavy metal content (mercury). Tuna is awful and salmon is around 1/10 of tuna's mercury content. "Whitefish" is what you're looking for though salmon is fine as well. Moving away from fish, look for something with flax.
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Diet isn't an issue, she said in the beginning of the thread that he's on a very limited raw diet and she's tried different protein sources.
 
Yeah, he has the best diet any dog could ask for. Fresh deer/elk/pheasant/wild boar/etc but it hasn't helped much. It's helped his coat get thicker and shinier but it hasn't helped his skin. His appointment is later today so we shall see. It's almost like he got so ill and his immune system so bad that his body started turning on itself. He's fabulous during bath time and I gave him one the other day and he is so clean and not scaley anymore which is great. He's doing better, but he's still got the rash. He's a sweet boy for sure.

I think his home fell through as the lady was concerned about the cost of his medical care. So for now, he's back to staying with us for the time being. I've started feeding him more and it looks like he's putting on weight. He's 17 inches tall and rescue said he should weigh around 40lbs... does that sound right for all of you with bigger shelties? Hadley is 13 inches so she's much smaller!
 
marymrumfelt said:
I think his home fell through as the lady was concerned about the cost of his medical care. So for now, he's back to staying with us for the time being. I've started feeding him more and it looks like he's putting on weight. He's 17 inches tall and rescue said he should weigh around 40lbs... does that sound right for all of you with bigger shelties? Hadley is 13 inches so she's much smaller!
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What a shame, but I think that would worry a lot of people. To be honest, I'd be concerned about medical costs if I was thinking of adopting a sheltie with skin like that. Especially not knowing what it is.

40 lbs. sounds like way too much to me. I have a 17" and 18" sheltie and both weight in the mid 20's.

At the very most I would think he should weigh 30 lbs.

Let us know how the appointment goes, I'd really like to hear what your vet says.
 
marymrumfelt said:
Yeah, he has the best diet any dog could ask for. Fresh deer/elk/pheasant/wild boar/etc but it hasn't helped much. It's helped his coat get thicker and shinier but it hasn't helped his skin. His appointment is later today so we shall see. It's almost like he got so ill and his immune system so bad that his body started turning on itself. He's fabulous during bath time and I gave him one the other day and he is so clean and not scaley anymore which is great. He's doing better, but he's still got the rash. He's a sweet boy for sure.

I think his home fell through as the lady was concerned about the cost of his medical care. So for now, he's back to staying with us for the time being. I've started feeding him more and it looks like he's putting on weight. He's 17 inches tall and rescue said he should weigh around 40lbs... does that sound right for all of you with bigger shelties? Hadley is 13 inches so she's much smaller!
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He really is looking good. I think he looks better than in the first picture.

I just wanted to comment that I think 40 lbs. sounds pretty big for a 17" dog. I could be wrong, and I guess it depends on his build, but I still think it sounds big. My dogs are almost 16" and weigh around 15 lbs (though I admit they're a bit skinnier than most).
 
I agree that 40# sounds like a lot. My Baxter is 18 1/2 in and weighs 33# to 34# which is a very good weight for him. Baxter is a big, heavy boned Sheltie. I think Melissa is right that around 30# or maybe slightly less should be good.
 
We're back from the vet! They said he has some kind of fungal infection and sent home medicine for fungus, antibiotic, stuff for his granuloma on his foot, and did a thyroid panel. He's sooo good at the vet. He didn't fuss when they shaved his paw/when they injected him w/cortisone/when they drew blood/or when they clipped his nail too short and it bled. Good boy! We shall see if this works and he's going back in 30 days. Fingers crossed!! Oh, he weighs 33 and they said he's a tad bit skinny but that he isn't too too skinny. I might try to get him up to about 35lbs!
 
Go Puppy boy Go!!

He sounds so very sweet, I am quite taken with his gentleness.

I do hope that future news will be that the nasty fungal infection is going going gone and that all test results will be fantastic.

Did the vet say what he thought could have caused the infection?


Best,
Kate
 
marymrumfelt said:
We're back from the vet! They said he has some kind of fungal infection and sent home medicine for fungus, antibiotic, stuff for his granuloma on his foot, and did a thyroid panel. He's sooo good at the vet. He didn't fuss when they shaved his paw/when they injected him w/cortisone/when they drew blood/or when they clipped his nail too short and it bled. Good boy! We shall see if this works and he's going back in 30 days. Fingers crossed!! Oh, he weighs 33 and they said he's a tad bit skinny but that he isn't too too skinny. I might try to get him up to about 35lbs!
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Good to hear that you now have a cause for his discomfort. Poor boy, I'll bet he's feeling itchy! He should feel so much better soon!

The problem with antifungal medications and antibiotics is that they kill the good bacteria in the body too. Since his immune system has been down for so long trying to fight the fungus, you might want to put him on a probiotic supplement for a bit. Yogurt is good but might not be quite enough for his issues.

Let us know the results of his blood work! Interested to know if its normal or not.
 
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