- Jan 28, 2010
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- USA
- Bulldog(s) Names
- The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Thanks everyone for the well wishes and all the info. This has been an ongoing struggle for close to 3-31/2 years. It's not demodectiic mange, tested regularly! He does have allergies, tested= grass(all kinds), dust and storage mites. We don't believe him to have any food allergies. He's on a grain free, no gluten, no by-products, no fillers diet. He eats Merrick duck and sweet potato. We live in eastern nc, he's been to NC State dermatologists twice, and seen many specialists many times. The sores on his body are from bacterial infections from allergies. We have a VERY close standing w/our vet, he's currently back on antibiotics, which after 5-6 weeks of, he usually clears up, but the amount of time he stays clear is varied and limited. Average is a month. Then all of a sudden, he'll break out overnight w/12-15 spots, then they just spread over his body. He is VERY itchy, currently he's taking Temaril-P for that. It does contain small amounts of prednisone, so he can't take it for extended amounts of time. He gets a medicated, antifungal, antibacterial bath once a week, per vet orders, and his sores are cleaned daily w/a flush. In the past he was put on Atopica, cyclosporine modified, after 6-8 months, there was ZERO difference, he continued to break out. Along w/the bacteria, we also deal w/yeast, gets worse when he's on antibiotics. His bedding is 100% cotton, and the humidity in our home never gets above 60%.
So, we've done and continue to do everything we've been told to do, but nothing seems to work. At least nothing seems to work and stay working...
BullyLove!!!
My gosh, sounds like you have done so many things already to try to help. At this point I would try a few things. First , get him allergy tested for food. If he's on a food with no allergens ( they can literally be allergic to anything!) it will help boost his immune system. Or try home cooking or raw with an elimination type diet.
What shampoo are you currently using? There are many out there but some work better than others.
The antibiotics will also cause yeast overgrowth, and he can become immune to them over time. Yeast is even more itchy than skin infections, so while killing the skin infection it's possible to create a yeast infection, and many times yeast is invisible. So a really good shampoo with ketaconzole is a great combat.
Immune system boost is needed, yogurt or probiotics daily, and making sure there is no allergens in the food is key. Maybe even a supplement. Most hot spots are caused by food, and merrick is an awesome food but it may not be the right food for Bodie.
Have you tried benedryl daily or Zertec, hydroxizine, anything like that?
I would also try washing bedding with free and clear type of laundry soap, if you don't already.
Household filter of some sort may also help.
I sure hope we can help your Bodie get better and get his horrible allergies managed.
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