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Q: My Pet Dog ( Answered,   2 Comments )
Question  
Subject: My Pet Dog
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: jacq5-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 26 Jan 2005 09:12 PST
Expires: 25 Feb 2005 09:12 PST
Question ID: 463686
My 13 year old dog (Millie) is having problems with her two front
elbows.  The hair around the elbows has disappeared and she is left
with what looks like pads on the elbows of a sports jacket.  The skin
is quite thin and this keeps splitting.  We have put endless amounts
of creams, oils and pads on but nothing seems to help.  We have also
given her fish oil in her food to keep the skin supple but it still
splits.  The only solution my vet can give is to put a collar on her
until the split heals and then take the collar off.  All well and good
but as soon as one elbow seems to be healing up the other one splits. 
The collar does stop her from licking the wound but at 13years old,
she is not happy about starting to wear a collar at her time of life. 
She is a mongral and of the kindest temperment.  Any ideas what could
be causing this?
Answer  
Subject: Re: My Pet Dog
Answered By: tutuzdad-ga on 26 Jan 2005 09:41 PST
 
Dear jacq5-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question.

?Any ideas what could be causing this??

You bet!!! It sounds EXACTLY what my dog had ? believe it or not, it?s
probably a fungal infection.  That?s right, yeast!

Some dog owners don?t realize it but yeast infections and dermatitis
are quite common in dogs, and sometimes quite serious. Many dogs go
untreated because the owners simply rationalize that ?Oh, he?s just
always been itchy? or ?He?s got a skin problem? and ignore the signs
until something painful occurs ? if it ever does. In my case my
Chihuahua?s feet became so inflamed that I called the vet to make an
emergency appointment. He immediately told me what to do over the
phone without even seeing my dog ? that?s how common the problem
really is.

Yeast infections in dogs can be extremely difficult to irradiate
without the right stuff. They are often very painful, causing the hair
to fall out, the skin to become angry, red, and cracked and even
bleed. The damage can lead to permanent scarring and spotty baldness.
In fact, when it affects the toes, nails, pads of the feet and
knees/elbows it can even cripple a dog because walking, running and
laying in certain position burns so bad and becomes so painful. What?s
so awful is that the little guys can?t tell you what is wrong and they
are doomed to just lay around in agony unless you are sharp enough to
recognize the symptoms. Thank goodness you had the wherewithal to
educate yourself on this condition for your buddy?s sake?not everyone
does.

I recommend you speak to a qualified vet, but if I had to guess at
what your pup is experiencing, I?d definitely lean toward a yeast
infection first. This is not medical advice but I did what my
veterinarian suggested and bought a medicated anti-fungal shampoo
called MALASEB. Then, following his advice, I also purchased new dog
food that contained no starch (which, unbeknownst to me, tends to feed
the yeast and compounds yeast and dermatitis problems). I placed my
dog on a strict no starch diet for a while and washed him according to
the directions using the Meleseb. Within 48 hours he was much better
and within one week the poor little thing was completely cured. The
problem has never returned.

FOSTER & SMITH
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=10896&N=2001+113500

MALESEB
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=30E0808A-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5&ccd=IFP003



I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

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SEARCH TERMS USED:

Maleseb

Yeast

Dermatitis

Dogs

Canine

Veterinary

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 26 Jan 2005 09:45 PST
By the way, if you call your vet or visit your local pet store you can
probably buy Meleseb (or something similar) right over the counter
this afternoon and give your dog some relief as early as tonight. Most
reputable vets and pet stores have this stuff on hand and they'll
confirm what I said about both the yeast infections and starch-free
diet. You can also get Meleseb in a lotion and a spray, but I found
that the shampooo worked best.

Good luck;
tutuzdad-ga

Request for Answer Clarification by jacq5-ga on 27 Jan 2005 06:47 PST
thanks for getting on the case so quickly.  I'm not sure it's the same
as your dog's problem however.  She always had one bald elbow from a
young age.  Over the years this has spread and now it's on the other
elbow.  She doesn't scratch.  (in fact I don't ever remember her
scrating!)  This just seems to split when she lays down.

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 27 Jan 2005 07:03 PST
Since we are not veteranarians and cannot (by policy) offer any
medical advice, the best we can do is to respond to your question,
"Any ideas what could
be causing this?". What I offered was my best "idea".

What I offered was my best idea, based on personal experience. I might
also add that my dogs did not scratch either. His feet became
inflamed, cracked and bled and he did a lot of liicking his painful
wounds. With a cracked "elbow" I wouldn't be surprised if your dog
didn't scratch or lick his would since reaching such an area with his
tongue or claws would be difficult at best. The scratching and licking
is not necessarily a symptom so much as the cracking and bleeding is.
If you just make a quick call to your vet and explain what I have said
here, my best guess is that he will confirm yeast or dermatitis as the
probable cause. Alternatively, you could pick up the Maleseb and give
it a try. It's cheaper than a vet visit and can't do any harm to try
it. Again, my best guess is that it will work. However, keep in mind
that is is not a miracle cure and may not work over night. Yeast and
dermatitis are stubborn maladies and take some time and consistent
attention in order to erradicate them.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga
Comments  
Subject: Re: My Pet Dog
From: just4fun2-ga on 26 Jan 2005 10:10 PST
 
Wow, great answer, if I could pay you I would!   Two Yorkie's < 4
pounds each, they are sleeping right now.  Thank God!
Subject: Re: My Pet Dog
From: steph53-ga on 26 Jan 2005 12:58 PST
 
Hey just4fun2....

Bryan ( Probo ) has a Yorkie too  :)

Steph53

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