Am I Doing Something Wrong?

K

Kelsey

Forums Regular
I am a two-time sheltie owner. My previous sheltie got horrible dry/itchy spots on his belly. We thought it was allergy-related, perhaps persistent fleas, and we were even told there may have been an underlying immune system issue. The poor thing did have a lot of physical/health issues. Our current sheltie, who we adopted in April at 5 months old is a beautiful sheltie- wonderful temperament, thick-boned, HUGE (already almost 40 lbs), and already has a nice, full coat. However, he, too, has developed those same dry/itchy spots! He IS shedding right now (blowing coat, I'm assuming), but he's scratching and biting a lot too (no fleas). Now that we've had an unhealthy sheltie and a seemingly healthy one, I'm wondering if I'M doing something wrong. The diets are different, so I don't think it's that. I'm wondering if it could be something in the house? Or a way I groom? Moisture? Humidity? I live in Syracuse, NY-- very humid summers, freezing winters. I'm at a loss. I've heard shelties are notorious for skin issues but Henry seems so healthy (Miles was very sickly). Any insight? :confused2:
 
A few questions spring to mind...

Food allergies - what food are you feeding? Does it have wheat or corn? If so, try something without those ingredients because they are known allergens for dogs. Dogs can also be allergic to certain proteins, like chicken, so you may need to discuss testing for food allergies with your vet.

Bathing - How frequently are you bathing your Sheltie? If you are bathing too frequently you can dry the skin out. My Shelties are bathed every 3 months. If they need anything in between it's usually spot cleaning.

Related to the amount of bathing, what are you using for a shampoo? Just like with our skin, a poor quality shampoo can dry the skin out or cause an allergic reaction.

Those are things the occur to me right off the top of my head. Hopefully someone else will have other ideas.
 
Miles was on Science Diet, but Henry eats Blue Buffalo- no chicken, corn, or wheat. I use a lavender/chamomile shampoo, and only bathe him every 1-2 months. Could they get the spots if they're not dried thoroughly? Or even rinsed thoroughly? I'd like to think I'm doing these things effectively, but I'm human and he has so much hair! Wondering about chapped skin causing the itching/biting and the biting/itching causing further irritation- a vicious cycle.
 
I'm not sure whether moisture left behind would cause the problem but I have to wonder if the reaction isn't the lavender or chamomile. (I'm working on the assumption you are using a pet shampoo ;))

Could you try something different next time you bathe him? I'm thinking an oatmeal based soap since those are pretty mild and good for the skin.
 
skin issues are tough

So you gotta go into detective mode when skin irritation arises. What is Henry lying on most of the time. Is there any chemicals used, either outside or inside that he could be picking up/ingesting by licking fur. What kinds of laundry detergent is used, or floor cleaners, rug shampoos, or anything like that. What kinds of treats are you offering, could it be those-are there any preservatives in those? Sometimes dry flaky patches go away with giving a bit of either bacon grease in the diet, or coconut oil. Have you visited pollen.com, sometimes seeing what is floating around in the air in your zip code can decode what is causing reactions. Could it possibly your flea repellent?

My 2nd sheltie couldn't have any poultry or fowl or she had serious skin itching and other issues. She mainly ate lamb, fresh trout, elk, bison and bambi meat that friends gave us. Anything else caused issues on her skin.
 
Lil' Lady from the heat and her thyroid had problems. Selsun Blue Shampoo
(I did buy special from the vet for skin). I bought this Earth Bath, it works
wonders. Its a spritz, I spray and brush and it works wonders.

For a spot I use Sea Breeze, the Earth Bath, and Triple Antibiotics cream.
Since the cooler weather hit, she is so much better. Lady's thyroid gave
me fits, then she started peeing on her belly. As I have stated when she was
made the mold was broke.
 
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