Help Needed! Skin redness

[Maryjane]

Hello, i am having some issues with my baby. Ziggy is 4 months and eating homecooked food after switching from breeder's royal canin. His food consist of a bit of brown rice, mashed beans, ground meat, coconut oil, some steamed veggies such as sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, green beans, broccoli, whichever i have on hand. I am trying to identify if this is food allergy or something else. The skin on top of his head, affecting part of his left ear and surrounding areas are all red with bits of small bald spots. The redness can be seen on the white areas. It is dry, not moist, no smell, doesn't appear to be bothering him. He sometimes rubs his head on my blanket but stops when i tell him. At times he scratches his both sides of his ear ever so slowly with his leg but will again stop when i tell him to. He only fiddles with it slightly when he has nothing to do. I have applied ACV to the affected area that is why it appears to be wet. He sleeps well, no itching. Poop looks good as well. Aside from the redness on his head, i have also noticed small bald spots located on his back. It started out as small scabs. The fur came off with the scab. I am applying a combination of neem oil, coconut oil, madre de cacao on this area. I also found a couple of small red spots on his belly area. Ziggy also has puppy acne on his chin, but i have managed to keep that under control by wiping his face after eating and drinking and applying witch hazel 2-3x a day, using stainless steel bowls. I appreciate any input.

 

[2BullyMama]

to EBN! Ziggy is adorable....

have you had the vet do a skin scrape to check for mites? all dogs have them, just some can not fight them off and they sort of take over which becomes mange. Not saying it is that, but it is good to rule it out

how are his paws... does he lick or chew on them at all?

 

[Maryjane]

Hi 2bullymama, thank you for the welcome! I love it here, learning a lot!

I already scheduled a vet visit. Here's hoping that it's nothkng serious. I hate to see him like this.

Paws look normal, he doesn't lick or chew them. There are just times when he would try to reach his back hind legs and seems to be wanting to scratch it. I watched him to see wheres the spot thats bothering him and checked it for fleas or any other possible irritants but i found none. This is just when he has nothing to do. Also checked his tail pocket, not it.

For the meantime i spray him with acv/water 50/50 mixture to deter any bugs. I dont want to bathe him too often as not to mess with his natural oils. I recently bought lavender oil to make a spray for ziggy, i read that it is very effective in repeling bugs and insect .

 

[Maryjane]

What do you think this is? I found this awhile ago near the bald spots on his back. Is this a hotspot? This might be the one that is bothering him that's why he tries to reach his back/hind legs. I am not sure if this has a connection with the redness on his head/ear part. I cleaned it with acv and placed some iodine on it. I am soooo worried for my baby. I only had him for a month.

 

[Texas Carol]

Welcome to EBN, Ziggy is precious!

Agree w/ Christine, do a scrape to rule out mites/mange.

Some bully's do not do well w/coconut oil (people too), might
stop for a month & observe results. I had a rehomed bully doing
exact things you're describing. I put him on an avocado based
kibble, all issues went away. You could give a couple avocado
slices per day (peeled & avoid pit). If issues persist, I'd give only
white rice, boiled hamburger a month, no veggies or supplements
then add ONE thing back and observe a month before adding any
thing else. Let us know what Vet says.

 

[2BullyMama]

What do you think this is? I found this awhile ago near the bald spots on his back. Is this a hotspot? This might be the one that is bothering him that's why he tries to reach his back/hind legs. I am not sure if this has a connection with the redness on his head/ear part. I cleaned it with acv and placed some iodine on it. I am soooo worried for my baby. I only had him for a month.

View attachment 85052View attachment 85053

It could be... picture is hard to tell, but it it is moist and seeps (not bleeding) it could be. but if it is dry with hair loss, it can be mange or food related. I would rule out the mange with a skin scrape and if that comes back clean (i hope) then follow Carol's advice on the process of elimination to see what is bothering your sweet boy

 

[Maryjane]

I just came back from the vet. He saw Ziggy under a black light to determine if it's a fungal infection. Turned out negative. He just said to bathe him twice a week with anti fungal soap and apply anti fungal topical medicine on the irritated areas. I asked about allergy testing, apparently the vet here in my country still doesnt have that kind of service. I am stuck in figuring out what is wrong with my baby.

I will look into your suggestion [MENTION=5315]Texas Carol[/MENTION]. Thank you.
[MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION], vet told me the red splatch is not a hotspot. It doesnt itch at all. I am at lost here...

 

[Texas Carol]

It could be... picture is hard to tell, but it it is moist and seeps (not bleeding) it could be. but if it is dry with hair loss, it can be mange or food related. I would rule out the mange with a skin scrape and if that comes back clean (i hope) then follow Carol's advice on the process of elimination to see what is bothering your sweet boy

Mary Jane, I do not want you to get overwhelmed or excessively worry.
Especially when a scrape might well dx the problem but going further
into the food, as you say, you've changed from crappy diet just a month
ago so could still be adjusting. White rice is easier to digest, keep in mind
he could be allergic to any rice but white rice & boiled hamburger (drain fat)
is a good base to start, do a month & evaluate, I think there is something
he is reacting to. Please hang in there and do update us. To further encourage
you, my Brutus wasn't recognized as the same bully when a friend of the former
owner saw him 3 months later

 

[Texas Carol]

When you say 'ground meat' what is the meat?

 

[Maryjane]

Hi [MENTION=5315]Texas Carol[/MENTION], I just came back from the vet for another consultation. She shaved off the fur on his back and prescribed an anti-fungal topical cream and some supplements to strengthen Ziggy's immune system. So far the redness on his head is doing well, it doesn't appear to be as irritated as the past few days. The irritation on his back looks like it's healing. It formed a scab and starting to peel off to reveal new skin underneath. I apply the topical cream thrice a day. I also wipe him all over with 50/50 ACV water every morning and before he goes to sleep.

I stopped giving him store bought food/treats and focused on giving him whole foods so I decided to bake some of my own. He is liking it especially when used with his Bob-A-Lot toy.



I will give your white rice and hamburger combo a try. Heading to the grocers in a few. The ground meat I give him is usually chicken or beef, depends on what I have on hand.

 

[2bulldogsstuff]

So cute. Hope everything goes well.

 

[Texas Carol]

Hi [MENTION=5315]Texas Carol[/MENTION], I just came back from the vet for another consultation. She shaved off the fur on his back and prescribed an anti-fungal topical cream and some supplements to strengthen Ziggy's immune system. So far the redness on his head is doing well, it doesn't appear to be as irritated as the past few days. The irritation on his back looks like it's healing. It formed a scab and starting to peel off to reveal new skin underneath. I apply the topical cream thrice a day. I also wipe him all over with 50/50 ACV water every morning and before he goes to sleep.

I stopped giving him store bought food/treats and focused on giving him whole foods so I decided to bake some of my own. He is liking it especially when used with his Bob-A-Lot toy.

View attachment 85267

I will give your white rice and hamburger combo a try. Heading to the grocers in a few. The ground meat I give him is usually chicken or beef, depends on what I have on hand.

Great to hear, only suggestion is to choose ONE meat and do for 4 weeks.

Then try the other and see if there is any reactions. Looking forward to
your next update...GOD bless y'all!

 

[2BullyMama]

Hi @Texas Carol, I just came back from the vet for another consultation. She shaved off the fur on his back and prescribed an anti-fungal topical cream and some supplements to strengthen Ziggy's immune system. So far the redness on his head is doing well, it doesn't appear to be as irritated as the past few days. The irritation on his back looks like it's healing. It formed a scab and starting to peel off to reveal new skin underneath. I apply the topical cream thrice a day. I also wipe him all over with 50/50 ACV water every morning and before he goes to sleep.

I stopped giving him store bought food/treats and focused on giving him whole foods so I decided to bake some of my own. He is liking it especially when used with his Bob-A-Lot toy.

View attachment 85267

I will give your white rice and hamburger combo a try. Heading to the grocers in a few. The ground meat I give him is usually chicken or beef, depends on what I have on hand.

You can also use frozen green beans as treats... my guys all love them. best of luck and please keep us posted

 

[Maryjane]

Vet said Mr.Ziggy has Puppy Pyoderma. I did some research and apparently it's a form of bacterial infection that stemmed from all sorts of things such as food allergy, environmental allergy, flea or tick bite and a whole lot more. The initial wound/spot on his back was a pustule (pimple) that burst and has since spread to a larger size. The vet shaved off a portion of his fur to let the skin breathe. The vet gave Canisep, an anti-bacterial natural topical ointment and said to apply it 3x a day liberally. She also prescribed Immunol, an Aryuvedic tablet to strengthen the immune system along with a mixture of virgin coconut oil, borage oil and vitamin e orally daily. The wound has dried up, dried skin came off with small amounts of fur and revealed some pink skin underneath. It doesn't appear to be infected anymore and is healing but not at the rate I was happy with. His back looks like a map of the world due to hair loss. LOL. Small bald spots can also be seen on other parts of his body.. it's in his legs, neck, trunk. Some with mild pustules, some without. I was extremely worried that this might spread further or worsen as what happened on his back so I did further research and bought Nu-Stock to try it out as I have heard tons of great reviews with it. It is also natural so I am up for it! I started with the Nu-Stock treatment last Saturday, applying the ointment anywhere I can see a bald spot or irritation. I cannot believe how quickly Mr.Ziggy's condition dramatically improved overnight. A couple of pustules dried up and the best part, I can see teeny-tiny hair roots sprouting in some of his bald spots. I am extremely happy that he is improving day by day. I will post some photos when he's awake, can't take a decent photo as of the moment. I am keeping positive that my furry baby will look like his old self in a few weeks time! Nu-stock is definitely a must have for me and will always have it on hand!!

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi Maryjane, welcome to EBN to you and Ziggy. You are doing all the right things, and are being proactive with your baby, by taking him to the vet, and trying to figure out what is causing the reaction. Great job Mom. Everyone has already got you covered and given you excellent advice and suggestions as usual. I was going to suggest that it may be Demodex Mange, or Dermatitis caused by an allergy. There are many ways that you can naturally boost the immune system, such as adding plain yogurt to the kibble for the probiotics, I add 2 Tbsp's to the morning kibble everyday, I also add 1Tbsp apple cider vinegar to their drinking water everyday, there are many benefits to acv, and I add 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil to the evening kibble for the Omega Fatty Acids.