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Sounds like you might want to investigate further with a Vet? 6 weeks sounds like a very long time to recover from a bath, is it possible that there are other factors as well? I always used a 50:50 ratio with the Vinegar myself. Malaseb is a very harsh shampoo but if you haven't tried that yet I would if your Vet suggests it also as that may be what the dog needs. You may like to consider booties so the dog can't injure itself? On a day to day basis how is the skin? Does the dog flinch when you touch it? Have you tried any of the Rufus & Coco products, their products are developed by a Vet. I find their shampoo pretty good: Shampoo http://shop.rufusandcoco.com.au/p-7-itch-relief.aspx Super Skin & Coat Supplement http://shop.rufusandcoco.com.au/p-2-super-skin-coat.aspx I believe Petbarn stocks Rufus and Coco as well now. I'm all for a natural approach however natural approaches in my opinion should be reserved for when western programs do not work or use the natural as complimentary. There have also been discussions on this forum about an Evening Primose Oil Shampoo from Groomers Products Australia, if you contact this company they are more than happy to spend time and discuss the product and treatment with you: http://www.groomersproducts.com.au/groomersproducts.htm

Does he have to bathed? i.e. is he a show dog? If you can not bath and keep the oils there and that is when the dog is comfortable..... I understand some dogs can get itchy with dirty coats though. What temperature are you washing in? Different types of skin sensitivities can react to different temperatures. The White Vinegar should have been ok, you diluted it right? Are you using a conditioner? Could it be that the skin is drying it out and becoming itchy? Aloveen, although targeted for dogs with sensitive skin, some dogs are allergic to Oatmeal. Have you tried a course of Malaseb to see if that may help? Have you tried putting Alpha Kerry lotion into the coat as a leave on (not sure how you would go with a coated breed with this). Head and Shoulders can work well on some dogs, the conditioner is pretty damn good too.

Why would you use something toxic on a puppy?

Are you talking about food intolerance here or food allergies because sound dog is not going to develop allergies because it was fed PAL.

sorry i dont agree with this part,reacting to one food isnt the end of the world & each dog is an individual.My dogs cant stomach beef ,many dogs cant tolerate chicken its very common. Its like saying if your a parent & you cant eat peanut butter you shouldnt have kids. The demodex is a whole different ball game ,i have never experienced it but i believe it can come in different forms & certain scenarios can set it off. We board alot of dallies & pointers who all have red bellies & no food issues but laying on the ground & having fine skin there seem to irritate it especially concrete. Also Eukanuba has been known to send dogs red . Eagle pack holistic gives my guys the runs,optium makes them scratch like crazy & lose weight so in reality any food can set a dog off so before considering your breeding doomed make sure you research well. I tend to agree with settrlvr... I do have a dog with skin issues - cropped up at an early age with many ear issues etc. Discovered the allergy to chicken at about 6 months but continued to have issues so had him referred to a specialist - he was diagnosed with not only food allergy, but atopy as well (inhalant allergy). My specialist vet basically said that it is unlikely that the food allergy was inherited, but that the atopy was. My breeder refused to believe it at first, claiming that they hadn't had any issues for many years, however when she saw the state he was in she quickly changed her mind. I chose not to breed with him due to not wanting to risk anybody else (or any other dog) go through the same thing... I continued to show him but it was for fun and the intention to breed was never there. Had he had only the food allergy I would have considered breeding him - there are many dogs out there with food allergies and I tend to lean towards it being environmental influence over genetics. As for food my boy cannot tolerate any type of meat generally except on occasion lamb and kangaroo (he hates kangaroo) and turkey. He loves fish and is fine with it. Early in the piece he could handle Advance Turkey and Rice but i later discovered a food called Natural Balance which is all lamb and he does well on this. He is 7 years old now, and after a long time with desensitisation injections he is basically allergy free except for during the season change (winter to spring). He is still allergic to chicken - how do i know? He ate a whole chicken carcass (stole it!) and 4 days later got a bad ear infection and his usual lumps and bumbs... He is an English Setter, and like Dalmatians, it's a breed that have been known to suffer from skin issues historically... Your Vet may think it's unlikely food allergies are not inherritated but considering there is no scientific proof your Vet is only guessing, so research and the honesty of your Breeder and people who other dogs in the line is generally what is going to get you answers. Allergies are such a hard thing to nail down, so better to be safe not sorry and not breed and potentially pass the issues on? Also just because a breed is known to have skin issues hostoricaly doesn't make it ethical to bred a dog with skin issues.

sorry i dont agree with this part,reacting to one food isnt the end of the world & each dog is an individual.My dogs cant stomach beef ,many dogs cant tolerate chicken its very common. Its like saying if your a parent & you cant eat peanut butter you shouldnt have kids. The demodex is a whole different ball game ,i have never experienced it but i believe it can come in different forms & certain scenarios can set it off. We board alot of dallies & pointers who all have red bellies & no food issues but laying on the ground & having fine skin there seem to irritate it especially concrete. Also Eukanuba has been known to send dogs red . Eagle pack holistic gives my guys the runs,optium makes them scratch like crazy & lose weight so in reality any food can set a dog off so before considering your breeding doomed make sure you research well. Intolerance is one thing, allergies are another.

Yeah I've heard that one before.

Your experience of canine chemo and mine are very different. I'm pleased your girl handles it ok.

What did your Vet say?

My dog is allergic to Chicken, We use either Eukanuba or Pro Plan Salmon for Sensitive skin kibble. Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate a cheaper kibble without Chicken. I tell you Chicken is in EVERYTHING lol The most amusing thing is to see a dog food called Beef and to read the ingrediants to see it has every other animal you could imagine in it plus the Beef. With allergic/food intolerant dogs you get used to reading the labels on everything LOL Although there isn't solid proof there is a common school of though that it is passed on whether it's a weak immune system that is passed on or the allergies itself. My boys allergies are now popping up in the line he came from and can be traced back to his grandfather who was an import. I was under the impression Dallies were shockers for bad skin? I suggest you go on a proper food trial as well as get Blood or Dermal skin testing to see what allergy issues your dogs has because if it has allergies it would be pretty unethical to breed the dog. Was does yoru Breeder say?

I'd be really inclined to reccomend you have a session with a behaviourist rather than getting the implant because I don't believe the implant is going to address the behaviours you are referring to as you allow them to occur by not letting the dog relax into a subordinate position in your pack. My boy is on his 2nd implant and some of the humping of other dogs minimised but everything else is exactly the same....small tighter balls mind you. If you want to try Superlorin, there is no harm but I think everything will remain as it is unless you make the neccessary changes. I don't know about BT Breeders but if the dog has DA (from the hard wiring of the breed) would you not breed from it so you're improving upon the breed?

I think if it were me, I'd leave the dog alone, it's happy for the moment. It's an old dog as it is. I personaly wouldn't put a dog through Chemo.

We had Dante as a pup accept the lead by clipping on a lightweight one and allowing him to drag it around (only under supervision), that way he could get used to the feel of it, would feel the restriction when he stood on it and so forth. By 12 weeks he was a happy chappy on the lead and collar. 5-10 minute walks for pups

Some Behaviourists believe that picking it up straight away (giving it so much attention) can help cement the 'problem'.

Dogs too

Dogs do this for so many reasons even the scientists can't tell you why exactly, so whatever anyone says is just theory. On a behaviour point of view though is that it is a dog behaviour so you need to remove yourself from thinking it's so disgusting, in the greater scheme of things it's a doggy thing, some dogs do it, some don't. Give it any form of attention and you could be helping the dog cement this behaviour. Try ignoring it....shit happens as they say.

I'm not sure how scent detection is relevant in the above given senerios?

Dante does the teeth chatter, he does it when he's either super excited or his having an aniexty moment. Many dogs love the feeling of eye rubs so it may just be her reaction to something that feels really nice or she's satisifed the eye itch.

Teething can be painful and pain can create stress and stress can create an upset tummy so it's possible. Could be anything else as well. Bum washes? Man I'm happy I have short coated dogs!

DAP Plugins: http://www.thevetshed.com.au/product_info....roducts_id/1326 http://vetnpetdirect.com.au/product.php?pr...;utm_medium=cpc http://dstore.com.au/pets/DAP-Diffuser-%2B...;utm_medium=cpc Haven't seen the collars in Australian yet?

Good to hear!

Is it just me or is this a completely bizare thing for a Vet to reccomend?

Vit E is fantastic for the skin and is often one of the depleted Vitamins in a dogs body.

My 2 and a half year old Dane has those. They seem to be on the areas that pressure or rubbing occurs. Some dogs seem more prone to them?