[chris]

I put a question mark because we are not entirely sure quite yet what the exact issue is and are starting to rule things out to determine the cause.

Recently about I would say 9 days ago, My parents noticed there bulldog was having red spots on his sides and losing hair at those exact spots. We haven’t changed food and he’s been on the food for a solid year now with zero problems, not ruling that out as a possibility, but it seems unlikely.

There are no sores, no lumps or anything that we can see. At first we figured it was just what they call “Hot Spots” but most times they as obvious would feel warm to the touch which these do not.

My parents did call the vets and they only stated that it could be allergies to something around him or that he is eating. They changed his food to home cooked foods. The vets also suggested a special shampoo to try and given a bath twice a week. I suggested them not to bath as such, I believe differently in that case.

They are going to try taking him to a different vet for another opinion, but in mean time I figured I would take a chance on maybe someone else have had the same issue with there beloved k9.

I hope this okay to do, as I did not see any rules against it, but here is a photo of the “Red Spot” so you can maybe get a feeling for the issue.
(nvm about the photo as apparently you can not add photos here)

• This topic was modified 8 years ago by chris.
• This topic was modified 8 years ago by chris.
• This topic was modified 8 years ago by chris.

[anonymous]

I have a dog with environmental allergies, the only thing that helped was going to a board certified veterinary dermatologist. I wasted a year going back and forth to the regular vet.
She has been stable for over 4 years and we see the dermatologist once a year. Initial testing can be expensive but maintenance isn’t that bad.
See my posts per the search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/

PS: I bathe my dog about twice a week with Malaseb this is just part of her treatment as prescribed by the dermatologist. Alone it won’t do much, but in conjunction with allergen specific immunotherapy, it is helpful.
I also give a daily fish oil capsule, not sure it actually does anything though. Most supplements are scams imo.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by anonymous.

[pitlove]

In my pharmacology textbook fatty acid supplements are categorized as miscellaneous therapeutic agents. The source has to be of good quality, for example, my teacher said wild caught salmon is a much better source of fatty acids than farm raised. But fatty acid supplementation definitely works! She even carries a topical fatty acid supplement at her clinic that she swears by for dogs like Labs that get localized dander etc.

[pitlove]

@Chris

It is definitely ok to bathe twice a week when directed by a vet. I also used Malaseb like anon101 mentioned and in the summer months I bathe twice weekly. It helps my pitbull a lot. He gets similar symptoms as your parents bulldog in relation to his environmental allergies. The Malaseb shampoo clears up the symptoms quickly.

If they are indeed hot spots, it is important to dry them out and they will clear up on their own. This doesn’t sound like hot spots to me personally though.

[chris]

@anon101, thanks for the information, greatly appreciated! I noted to them about seeing a dermatologist.

@Pitluv, I highly doubt it is hot spots, we had another k9 that was diagnosed with hot spots before and this is completely different in my opinion as well. I will note to them also to start giving a annual salmon oil supplement, as well as tell them about the Malaseb as i’m not sure what they are currently using during baths.

[chris]

So today, my parents got back to me and they had finally taken him to the vets instead of a Dermatologist like I recommended. Anyways, the vet did do a scrape test which came out to be nothing. He thinks he has some sort of disease which my parents can’t remember what it’s called which just makes them loose there hair and can spread if not taken care of properly. He said it is very rare other then most small dogs get it.

My parents bought some shampoo from our tractor supply store that is suppose to be anti fungal. I asked if it was Malaseb and they said no and I asked for the ingredients used which they sent me this

2% benzalkonium chloride
1% Ketocanazole

I know Most researched Malaseb shampoo uses chlorhexidine Gluconate, I tried searching if there was a difference between the two and I couldn’t find anything other then tests that came back working the same. Was wondering if anyone knew if they are practically the same? or is that a specific ingredient that will help better or differently.

[pitlove]

Hi Chris-

Malaseb contains Chlorhexidine and Miconazole. Chlorhexidine is a great antiseptic and Miconazole is a great anti fungal. Ketoconazole is also an antifungal, so it has the same properties as Miconazole. I could not find any info in my pharmacology textbook about Benzalkonium Chloride, however vetstreet.com says it is also an antifungal.

One reason I really like Malaseb is because of its soothing properties and it makes my dogs fur very soft. I’d say if this shampoo is just as soothing it would be a good subsitute.

[Author]

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