[Kym G]

I’m not sure if this is where I should ask this or even if you can help me. I’m really confused. March of 2014 I took my seven year old MinPin to her vet for skin problems. It started out as a rash on her underbelly. Then she started getting little scabs on her body and if you scratched them off, it would take off a patch of fur. The vet gave us some antibiotics and a shampoo. The symptoms improved but came back. Once again the vet gave her antibiotics, antihistamine, vitamin e tablets for her food and said continue the shampoo. The results were great but once the antihistamine was gone she started getting rough patches on the base of her tail. It is now all over her tail and anal area. It looks scabby and black. She also has scabs on her chin and she keeps licking her paws. I also noticed that her eyes looked cloudy and red. When I took her in they said she had protein in her urine and charged me $300 for two urine tests. The results came back as to much protein in her urine. The doctor wants me to put her on some medication that she said she may have to be on the rest of her life as well as eye medications she also said she would need the remainder of her life.

I’m so sad for my baby girl (Heidi) and frustrated that she still has skin problems and now the doctor, who didn’t get rid of the skin problems, now says she needs this other medication for other problems.

I had tried several dog foods and was feeding her Instinct (Salmon) to try and rule out anything that might cause an allergy. I found out that Instinct is very high in protein. Couldn’t this lead to the protein in her urine? Maybe she doesn’t need the medication. I told the doctor about the food but she dismissed it. It still seems like a possibility to me. I really would hate for her to be on a medication if she really didn’t need it.

Now I’m back to searching for a new food that is not to high in protein but could possibly help her as well. I have a four year old MinPin too so I have to consider her diet as well. I’m at a loss and completely frustrated. Heidi is uncomfortable and I have to figure out how to help her. By trying to change her eating habits and not getting good results, I had figured the skin problems may be due to airborne allergies. Could I be wrong? Could it still be her diet?

[Anonymous]

From the symptoms you have described it sounds like your dog has environmental allergies, if it was my dog would make an appointment with a specialist/dermatologist and get the skin testing done asap. It helps to feed a high quality limited ingredient food, my dog does well on Nutrisca salmon and chickpea….but until she started ASIT, nothing helped and it kept getting worse. Use the search engine on the home page, Forums, on this site to look up allergies, I think you will find some helpful information. /forums/search/allergies/

Helpful article below:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Anonymous]

BTW: What is her diagnosis? What medications are you talking about?
PS: I am not a veterinarian, but I will try to help you figure it out.

[Susan]

Hi, join this Face Book group run by Karen Helton Rhodes she is a certified Veterinary Dermatologists https://www.facebook.com/groups/1563654607200747/

Elimination Raw diet is the best but if you can not feed a raw diet then a cooked elimination
is the next best thing…
I stay away from the grain free diets as they are full of starchy veggies, Potatoes, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Legumes, Lentils Tapioca etc… I found feeding a kibble with brown rice works best 1 novel protein & brown rice the only kibble I know of is the “California Natural” Lamb & Rice it has just 4 ingredients, Lamb, Brown Rice, White Rice & Sunflower oil.. so there’s less chance of your dog having a food reaction if its a food intolerance…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products

[Anonymous]

“The results came back as to much protein in her urine. The doctor wants me to put her on some medication that she said she may have to be on the rest of her life as well as eye medications she also said she would need the remainder of her life”.

The proteinuria needs to be taken seriously before making any changes to her diet and medications outside of what a veterinarian that has examined her advises.

Is this condition acute or chronic? Is it her kidneys? More testing may be indicated and even the services of a specialist to obtain a precise diagnosis and treatment.
Food alone won’t solve these issues (imo)

[ed s]

In urine test what was protein +?
What was ph and cp gravity?
Do you feed natural food or store bought?

[Author]

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