Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

I don't know what else to do with my border collie male about 4 years old. He chews and scratches like crazy hes losing his hair and he has odor. Ive changed to natural dog food nothing. i bath him in medicated shampoo, he chews the following day. I give him benedril and allegery medicine, nothing, hes been to the vet. still chews. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

he could have food allergies, environmental allergies, inhaled allergies or all of the above.

start by doing a food trial. feed a food that does not contain chicken, beef, lamb, fish, corn, wheat, or soy. instead feed one that contains either venison, duck, rabbit, or bison. feed the new diet for at least 8 weeks to see if there is any improvement. do not give any treats!

you also might want to consider having him allergy tested.

also, make sure he is on a good flea control (advantage or frontline).

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

Have you checked for fleas?

What food are you giving him? A lot of dog foods contain grain, and some dogs might be allergic to certain proteins (i.e. chicken, beef, etc)

Can you give us some more info?

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

First of all let me be sure. have you tried Canidae dog food? if not please do try it. Also if he hasn't gotten it already give him his monthly Frontline dose, or whatever flea/tick med you use to be sure it's not fleas.

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

Has the vet tested him for a thyroid condition?

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

I agree with BOB. It sounds like some type of allergy...but that is a wide open area...ALLERGIES...the medicated shampoo may not be the right kind of medication...try this. Go to your vet and ask for a bottle of Malaseb. Follow the directions. It is great for allergies. You may have to bathe the dog in it for 2-3x weekly in order to get the problem under control. For the odor purchase a conditioner to help also. Skin allergies itch and they also burn the dog...the Malaseb will help calm and soothe...so get a conditioner that you can leave in. Try Fresh %26amp; Clean with Aloe...that will also help soothe as well as make him smell good. You can leave it on after the bathe...but make sure that you follow the directions on the shampoo....leave it on the dog for appx. 20 minutes then rinse....and MAKE certain you rinse all of it...then rinse some more.....then use the conditioner. Your vet will probalby not have this brand. Go to petsmart to purchase it or buy it online at pet edge.com

Once this is under control you should only have to bathe the dog once weekly....and if you are lucky....every other week depending on when he starts to scratch again.

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

Get you vet to do a skin scraping for demadectic mange, what it is is a little mite that lives under the skin, don't worry you cant catch it because you already have it, so do I, so do my dogs, we all have it, what happens is that if the dogs immunity is down for some reason, the mite breeds out of control. causing hair loss, chewing and an awful odour. It is quite easy to treat, with an ivomectin based product from your vet.

It could also be a flea allergy, food allergy, grass allergy etc...

CB is right Malaseb is a fantasic shampoo, worth a try

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

It is probably a food allergy. Just changing food to a natural food will not help in most cases. It has to be a food made specifically for dogs with allergies. Also, I had the same problem with my dog and I brought her to a holistic vet. She was able to tell exactly what my dog should be eating and is also treating her with Chinese Medicine. I highly recommend it. For a holistic vet finder go to this page:

http://www.holisticvetlist.com/

Also, for more information on natural pet foods go to this page:

http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com/n...

Dog Skin Problem; HELP?

It sounds like he has allergies, the vet can test for it.

Is his skin dry and flaky? When my dog was itching like crazy (no fleas or parasites), our vet suggested we give him fish oil with his food (the kind from the health food store for humans). I give him 2 drops of wild salmon oil a day and he has stopped itching and his coat is much more shiny and lustrous.