Jump to content

Pulling hair out


Annie52
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi! I have a tebiten terrier. She is 7 years old, and her name is Annie. 

 

She has a skin problem where she itches mainly on her lower back and she pulles the fur out with her teeth. This used to happen and id treat her for fleas and worms (i do treat her monthly anyway) but top up treatments would seem to fix the issue.

 

It has lasted a month now. She has not got fleas. Ive tried baths, tea tree oil ect. I don't know what is causing it or what to do. Can someone please help?

20180216_173008-02.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given topical used to help, have you had her scraped at the vet to see if there are mites causing the issue? 

 

Could also be your standard flea allergy dermatitis. In that area I'd put my money on a flea issue of some kind. Perhaps the preventative you are using is no longer effective?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was thinking it was time for the vets, as its gone on a bit long. I have her on cortisone tablets which do stop the itching but it is not a long term fix. 

 

I will try changing flea product (currently use advocate ), her diet is dry food (helps herself, the brand changes and have had this issue all along, doesnt have it everyday) and chicken drumsticks for her main food (cooked and bones taken out, i dont give her the fat). She also has a can of mydog in the morning. Treatwise i give her duck/chicken jerky- i might take her off all packaged food and see if it helps.

 

She does get dandruff too. 

 Thankyou for responses- I hate seeing her in pain!

 

She has had a rash all over her belly as well which happened after a walk- it come up in red spots. I have her a bath and they were gone the next morning, would that likely be a grass allergy?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Annie52 said:

I was thinking it was time for the vets, as its gone on a bit long. I have her on cortisone tablets which do stop the itching but it is not a long term fix. 

 

I will try changing flea product (currently use advocate ), her diet is dry food (helps herself, the brand changes and have had this issue all along, doesnt have it everyday) and chicken drumsticks for her main food (cooked and bones taken out, i dont give her the fat). She also has a can of mydog in the morning. Treatwise i give her duck/chicken jerky- i might take her off all packaged food and see if it helps.

 

She does get dandruff too. 

 Thankyou for responses- I hate seeing her in pain!

 

She has had a rash all over her belly as well which happened after a walk- it come up in red spots. I have her a bath and they were gone the next morning, would that likely be a grass allergy?

 

 

If you are set on dry food perhaps choose one which is grain-free.

Is there a reason you cook the chicken?  perhaps she would like a raw wing or 1/2 a frame with the fat removed or give her a juicy bone to gnaw.

Dog's ancestors  didn't cook their chicken  over a camp-fire so save yourself the trouble cooking it and give it raw

Treats can be a piece of apple, banana or carrot, pop some cream cheese or peanut paste on it until she gets used to it.

It's not a bad idea to 'fast' her for one day, it gives their tummies a break.

and...

stay off the canned dog-food

Regarding the flea problem perhaps Nexguard or Bravecto may be more helpful than advocate

 

edited to add that this topic may also be helpful as it recommends using calendula tea rinse

 

Edited by Boronia
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, vet first.
Something is causing an irritation which makes her bite at the spot and pull hair. Chances are high that it is an allergy of some sort - the belly rash you report is probably a reaction to some sort of grass/plant encountered om her walk. Her history of flea allergy as well is all pointing the same way.
You might like to consider building up her immune system by changing her to a raw diet (commercial balanced ones are available or learn to create your own) or at least to a grain free one (as grain allergies are commonly the cause of skin problems).  There are quite a few brands of grain free kibble readily available.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest crazydoglady99

Just to add.. if the idea of a raw diet is new or overwhelming..

 

From petstock or similar pet stores, you can buy frozen, raw food patties for dogs. They are raw, pulverized, meat/bones/offal/fruit/veg. Portioned out to make life easy.

 

If you try these (which come highly recommended), perhaps stick to the turkey only or kangaroo only variety. As it is possible your dog might be reacting to chicken or beef etc.

They aren't expensive, and a pack for a tiny tibbie would easily last a month.

 

On a different note..

Are fleas common in your house/area etc? Why does she need so much flea treatment?

Just asking because I have never treated my dogs for fleas, nor have they ever bad fleas. And some flea treatments can be super harsh on skin.

 

Maybe a hot wash of all her bedding would help too, using a mild wool wash type of detergent?

 

If you have a local library near you - it's worth borrowing every book you can find on dog health/feeding etc. There's some really great info out there about dogs and allergies.

And there's a saliva test you can have done to test for allergies called "nutriscan" (you'd have to Google), to my knowledge it's the only reliable test for food intolerances/allergies in dogs.

 

(I'm becoming a broken record on the subject, sadly my dog died before I figured out I had been making her very sick with incorrect feeding, so I am determined to learn everything possible on the subject!)

Edited by crazydoglady99
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So muxh information! !

I am not set on any type of food; its just what I thought was correct.

I will change her diet gradually.

Re fleas, again, i was told to treat her monthly by our vet. I will change from advocate as it isnt working.  Our house is flea free, but we've have quite a dry spell the they come up where we walk (have been staying away from those areas since this started up).

My sister does visit someone who has a fat who they do not flea /worm ect so there is a chance she could be bringing some home.

 

Ill go out today and find the stuff you guys have mentioned, and make a vet appt to check her for mites.

 

Thankyou for all your help, will update if things change!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎17‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 9:06 AM, animallover99 said:

Just to add.. if the idea of a raw diet is new or overwhelming..

 

From petstock or similar pet stores, you can buy frozen, raw food patties for dogs. They are raw, pulverized, meat/bones/offal/fruit/veg. Portioned out to make life easy.

 

If you try these (which come highly recommended), perhaps stick to the turkey only or kangaroo only variety. As it is possible your dog might be reacting to chicken or beef etc.

They aren't expensive, and a pack for a tiny tibbie would easily last a month.

...

 

Big Dog Raw Barf frozen patties  also have a Sensitive Skin variety which might be worth a try.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stay Loyal is a wholly owned Australian company and it is grain free kibble , look at their website full of very interesting information.

I have a girl here who used to suffer with the itches but since feeding her this kibble and very little meat, just a beef bone or flap once or twice a week, she is going well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest crazydoglady99

I am currently reading "the dog diet" by Kate Bendix

I am I'm sure if I agree with all her canine feeding views at this moment, however, I would like to share a paragraph with you that is relevant  to little  Annie..

 

Repetition, Repetition, Repitition.

As mentioned earlier, it has become  commonplace to feed our dogs the same  food for years on end. This lack of variety can be a problem in itself. Unsurprisingly, dogs are becoming  intolerant to certain food groups, and there is growing evidence  that Adverse Food Reaction is on the rise. Adverse  Food Reaction is causes by an intolerance to ingredients  that are continuously served up. This is particularly  true of chicken. Adverse Food  Reaction rarely leads to a full-blown  allergy, but it puts the sufferer "on alert" which can lead to  chronically  itchy and dry skin, flea allergic dermatitis, leaky gut, colitis.

When these conditions persist, they compromise your dogs immune  system  and wear her down, not to mention causing you worry and incurring you a small fortune in treatment.  Luckily, they're  the kind of problems you can easily clear up with a varied diet.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a quick update on Annie.

I switched her over to grain free food the day after I first wrote. As of today it hasnt made a difference. I have given her nexgard (wanted to see if food would fix it first) today so am hoping that fixes it. If not then I shall be making her a vet appt- although she has stopped actually pulling her hair out she is still licking a lot and dragging her bum so maybe it is having an effect. (not worms- shes itchy and also missing hair around that area) (she is up to date with worming)

Will update again with how she goes.

Cheers

annie.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dragging bums is , more often than not, an anal gland problem  than worms ;)  Instead of spending money on stuff  that may do more harm than good ..I suggest a vet visit - perhaps a new vet ? get them to check anal glands - also her vulval area for abnormalities .

Thanks for the update - she's gorgeous :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

IF your dog is allergic to flea saliva ... and IF whatever you are treating her with is a tablet she has to swallow .. then the fleas will need to bite her to get poisoned themselves , as the product targets their nervous system .
Another thing to speak to a vet about , maybe ? 
personally , I don't like the thought of giving my dog these sorts of tablets , but happily use spot-on treatments which spread happily along skin and through coat  when applied at several points along the back :)

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...