Bumps all over and dry flaky skin with an odor

34378 Views 20 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Sadie, May 9, 2011

mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · Apr 28, 2011

I have been reading a lot of posts with dogs that have similar symptoms as my male "Bear". I noticed maybe withing the last month and a half he has a strong odor which is not pleasant. I can give him a shower and 2 days later he stinks. I'm lost for words... Do I have a stinky dog or what? Any recommendations to help? He is on Natural Balance sweet potato and venison because he has a sensitive stomach. I have tried all other food and his stoll just turns to soft. I took him to the vet last Friday because he had a tar looking discharge from his ears and some bumps on his back right below his collar and on the sides.The vet told me he had a Yeast infection in his ears and gave me TrizUltra + Keto cleanser and mometamax 15 g for his ears he also said it looks like he had hives and gave him a shot of Dexamethasone. a few hours later the bumps were gone and I thought it was ok but the next day after I get home from work I see the bumps returned but not as bad. I was told by the vet I could give him benadryl and I would need to give him 125mg... Is this dose ok? He is 1 year old and weighs 94 lbs. I was told his skin was dry probably because the shampoo I used to wash him and he might have sensitive skin so I got him a medicated shampoo I think it is from espree... His skin is pretty dry and flakes are visible but getting better. I have a female and they are inseparable but she has nothing wrong with her. They have are outside dogs and sleep in the garage. They spend their day playing between concrete, gravel and a wood deck. Both eat grass like crazy. Sorry for the long post but I'm in need of some advise and not don't want to be taking him back and forth to the vet spending an arm and leg every time with false hopes. The picture from this post is exactly what the bumps look like. Thanks for the help in advance.
http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/28710-small-bumps-her-body-concerned-dog-sitter.html

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angelbaby

· #2 · Apr 28, 2011

those bumps in that picture almost look like what my girl gets when she gets fleas, she is very sensitive to them and I have to stay ontop of it. Have you checked for fleas or other bugs? the smell thing sounds like a yeast issue and the flaking. it is most likely an allergy but IMO giving benadryl as a solution isnt gonna fix the problem you may have to change foods I dont know much on the food you are feeding but does it have grains in it? what are the ingredients? and when you say you switched foods before but stools got to soft how long did you give the new food before you decided it wasnt working?
for bathing always use dog shampoo others can dry and finding one without added scents is best i like the oatmeal ones I get for mine. also how often are you bathing? excessive baths can deff dry the skin out so keep that in mind as well. a thing you can try is adding a fish oil capsul to his meal 1x a day or whatever the recommended dose is on the bottle, it can help the skin and coat.

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mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 28, 2011

When I tried to change food it was for a 5 week period each time. when he was 7 wks he was on wellness and at about 3 months old his stool turned soft so I was on the look out for another food. I have tried TOTW, blue wilderness, candaie (spelling?) then came across a post for the d*ck van pattens natural balance sweet potato and venison working on another dog so tried it and the next day it was magic! I was not thinking fleas because I check them almost everyday and no fleas. would they just bite and leave? I was under the impression they stay on the dog for a while. Any suggestions for a flea/bug deterrent? Also what can a spray in the yard for bugs that will not harm the dogs? Again thanks for the help!

angelbaby

· #4 · Apr 28, 2011

no they usually dont bite and leave you would see them on him or if you take a flea comb over him they would show up in that . how often have you been bathing him?
for fleas I use brewers yeast with galric pills { i went through the many advantage treatments last year with having to go in every 3 weeks for a new dose and it didnt work for me} I bought the pills by accident at the pet store and sice i never return things figured could try them and they worked wonders for my dogs havent seen a flea since we used them. however it may not work the same for all dogs I have people who claim it did nothing { maybe they didnt give right dosage or everyday who knows} you can try advantage or other treatments like that , or there are pills I belive you can give I think they were every 3 months but could double check that with the vet I dont use that but thought it was a good option. not sure on what you can spray the yard with I never have.

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mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 28, 2011

sorry I think you asked in the first response. I wash them every 2 - 3 weeks sometimes 4 if they stay clean. I read not to wash them too much as it will dry them out. Am I washing them more than needed? Also the food is grain free. They get apples, carrots and bananas for treats. I have no signs on fleas. He thinks he is a lap dog and always lays on me showing his belly and I always looks for fleas and never found one yet. He actually looks like your dog Loki but have a small white spot above his nose and white chest. How about the benadryl amount? do you think that is too much?

Wingman

· #6 · Apr 28, 2011

It sounds to me like an allergic reaction to something. What type of shampoo do you use? And honestly every 2-3 weeks is too much to wash your dog, it will dry their skin out. I use a shampoo that is all organic and actually contains no soap, so it doesn't dry out their skin. Benadryl will only mask an allergic reaction, meanwhile giving you a slightly more lethargic than normal dog.

Best thing to do is process of elimination. First off get him thru all the prescriptions your doc has given you. When they're gone, start phasing things out. Start by only feeding him his food, no treats, just the food. Then start with a new shampoo, try a hypoallergenic dog shampoo, or look for an organic one that is earth friendly, as they tend to not contain soaps. When you're down to him only eating certain things, and only washing him with a hypoallergenic soap. THen you can begin to trouble solve the issue.

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angelbaby

· #7 · Apr 28, 2011

yes it can be a bit much for bathing I wash mine maybe every 2months or so longer if they dont need it , but occassionally they get muddy and they are inside dogs so they have to have baths. if spot cleaning I find baby wipes work great but try and cut back on the baths. have you considered feeding raw? I know a few people on here had alot of allergy related issues and skin problems until they switched to raw. but like wing said cut out all treats it could be something small that he is given. any plants they get into outside or come in contact? treated wood?

Wingman

· #8 · Apr 28, 2011

Also dont forget that if your pup sleeps in bed with you, he could be allergic to the fabric softener you use to wash the bedding...

mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #9 · Apr 28, 2011

thanks for all the help. I will start with cutting his treats out and ease of the bathing as suggest. Great Forum! V

Sadie

· #10 · Apr 28, 2011 (Edited)

If their is any foul odor coming from your dog's skin that is a sure sign of a skin infection most likely a secondary bacterial infection from the scratching from whatever the dog is allergic to. I would see a vet and get your dog on cephalexan (best antibiotic hands down) to treat skin infections you can also along side that use benedryl to counter act the histamine reaction your dog is exp from whatever they are allergic to until you can do a process of elimination to figure out what's causing the break outs. Even if your dog has skin allergies there should be no odor coming from the skin unless there is an infection present. I think it's important that you deal with the infection unless you deal with that it's only going to get worse.

PS is there anyway you can take a picture of your dogs skin and post it up?

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performanceknls

· #11 · Apr 28, 2011

I agree with everyone but have a few ideas

Sounds like allergies that developed. How old is the dog? It could be seasonal, contact, or food allergies. Because the dog is having an ear infection I believe it is some sort of allergy. So lets go through everything and try to figure it out, it will take some time but you should be able to work it out.

Lets look at contact allergy
This could be anything from fleas to laundry soap. First is I would bathe him in dawn dish soap but only do this once, it will dry out the coat a bit but it will remove any allergens and oils from the coat that could be causing an allergy.
Have you changed shampoos, laundry soap, or added a new dog bed? Those could all be clues, the bumps on the skin looks like possibly hives. If nothing has changed and after the bath he still shows signs it is something else.

Lets look at food. Since he is on a grain free diet I would not change his food DVP is a great food but look at treats you give. Try not giving any treats or any thing but dog food, treats are loaded with grain and so is human food. If you need to give treats then give something like string cheese or hot dogs. You can even use the dog's kibble as a treat if you're training. This should really help if it is a food allergy and if it helps you need to figure out what caused it by adding one thing back into the diet at a time and for at least a week before you try something new. Lets hope it is not food

Lets look at seasonal. Seasonal is my bet and can show up at anytime. If you try everything above and he still is getting itching and having issues but the benadryl helps it is seasonal. That is easy to deal with, benadryl will help but you could do lower doses if he is going to be on it everyday. You need it to build up in the system then you can give a lower dose like 50mg twice a day.

After all this if it still persists then I suggest going to a allergy specialist to do a test on him. It can be pricey from 200-500 for testing but worth it so you know for sure. But you can try the above things first and see if you can figure it out.

Now lets talk about the smell and the ear infection. The smell is likely a secondary bacterial infection from the allergies and if you vet already gave you oral antibiotics then you should be good to go. The ears could also be adding to the smell, yeast infections smell NASTY. Once you get the allergy under control the smell should go away. Hope this helps!!

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Blue_Nose_Bella

· #12 · Apr 28, 2011

To treat the dry flaky skin once you rule out any possible allergy you can add salmon oil/fish oil or flax seed oil. I have been using flax seed oil for 2 weeks now and the results are a very shiny coat and no more little flakes. Dogs do not get enough Omega 3 and 6 from there foods. When I was a groomer and my GSD would come to work with me everyday I would bathe him once a week with a medicated tea tree oil shampoo and he never got dry skin from over bathing. If you use the right shampoo as well as excellent quality you won't dry out your dog. You needed sunglasses to look at my boys coat LOL! He was always shiny and soft. Good luck and keep us posted

Firehazard

· #13 · Apr 28, 2011 (Edited)

technically a dogs stool as well as peoples should be soft; should look like this

here. Snake like stool is the signs of a healthy colon.

odor and dry flakey skin without having flea trouble, louse trouble, or alergins ... mean its a result of the diet.. You are what you eat.. Thus eat right for your blood type books for people, ... just use a natural oatmeal scrub infused with johnsons baby shampoo, and switch the diet to Frozen Bil jac .. Bil Jac Frozen

I dont know about their kibble, but bil jac frozen is the

for the non sportsman or city dweller .. Ideally your dog needs more raw meat.. dogs skin and coat look shiny from an egg a week, so think of how healthy they are with RAW.

You are what you eat,, dried up cornmean and rice.. LOL poor dogs... they are at the hands of their owners who are essentially Whoppers, Roast Beef Sandwiches, Chicken strips, and Pizza..

feed raw,, cook from scratch for yourself

live green! and save green!

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mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 30, 2011

performanceknls said:
I agree with everyone but have a few ideas

Sounds like allergies that developed. How old is the dog? It could be seasonal, contact, or food allergies. Because the dog is having an ear infection I believe it is some sort of allergy. So lets go through everything and try to figure it out, it will take some time but you should be able to work it out.

Lets look at contact allergy
This could be anything from fleas to laundry soap. First is I would bathe him in dawn dish soap but only do this once, it will dry out the coat a bit but it will remove any allergens and oils from the coat that could be causing an allergy.
Have you changed shampoos, laundry soap, or added a new dog bed? Those could all be clues, the bumps on the skin looks like possibly hives. If nothing has changed and after the bath he still shows signs it is something else.

Lets look at food. Since he is on a grain free diet I would not change his food DVP is a great food but look at treats you give. Try not giving any treats or any thing but dog food, treats are loaded with grain and so is human food. If you need to give treats then give something like string cheese or hot dogs. You can even use the dog's kibble as a treat if you're training. This should really help if it is a food allergy and if it helps you need to figure out what caused it by adding one thing back into the diet at a time and for at least a week before you try something new. Lets hope it is not food

Lets look at seasonal. Seasonal is my bet and can show up at anytime. If you try everything above and he still is getting itching and having issues but the benadryl helps it is seasonal. That is easy to deal with, benadryl will help but you could do lower doses if he is going to be on it everyday. You need it to build up in the system then you can give a lower dose like 50mg twice a day.

After all this if it still persists then I suggest going to a allergy specialist to do a test on him. It can be pricey from 200-500 for testing but worth it so you know for sure. But you can try the above things first and see if you can figure it out.

Now lets talk about the smell and the ear infection. The smell is likely a secondary bacterial infection from the allergies and if you vet already gave you oral antibiotics then you should be good to go. The ears could also be adding to the smell, yeast infections smell NASTY. Once you get the allergy under control the smell should go away. Hope this helps!!

Bear is 1 yr old, I have not given them any treat (carrots, bananas, apples) for 2 days and bumps go away and come back. I have changed the laundry soap to tide with downy recently. The vet did not give me any oral antibiotics and do not want to go back and spend a few hundred dollars for hopeless wishes. Do you recommend anything I can get online? Thanks for all the advise and I will do as you suggested above and keep you posted on the results. Once again thank you for all you help.

Sadie

· #15 · Apr 30, 2011 (Edited)

You can treat the dog with Fish Flex (cephalexin) which is an antibiotic marketed for fish tanks it's the exact same thing the vet prescribes and it can be purchased online without a prior RX from your vet. It is first choice in line of antibiotics for treating skin infections. You also need to use benadryl along side it to relieve the itching and any swelling or redness from the allergic reaction your dog is experiencing.

Dosage Info
Cephalexin: Antibiotic For Dogs And Cats - 1800PetMeds

And this is where you can but it ...

Fish Flex, 250 mg Cephalexin x 100 Capsules, Non-prescription - Non Prescription - Lambert Vet Supply

motocross308

· #16 · Apr 30, 2011 (Edited)

look real close and make sure none of the flakes are moving .
is the dander really bad ? is he losing any hair ?
eh prolly not what i was thinking due to the fact the other dog isnt havin trouble

mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #17 · Apr 30, 2011

flakes are not moving, I'm not sure if it is a lot but it is noticeable. yes i noticed today that there is some hair loss. What are thinking it may be?

performanceknls

· #18 · Apr 30, 2011

mcclelland21 said:
Bear is 1 yr old, I have not given them any treat (carrots, bananas, apples) for 2 days and bumps go away and come back. I have changed the laundry soap to tide with downy recently. The vet did not give me any oral antibiotics and do not want to go back and spend a few hundred dollars for hopeless wishes. Do you recommend anything I can get online? Thanks for all the advise and I will do as you suggested above and keep you posted on the results. Once again thank you for all you help.

Your answer is below

Sadie said:
You can treat the dog with Fish Flex (cephalexin) which is an antibiotic marketed for fish tanks it's the exact same thing the vet prescribes and it can be purchased online without a prior RX from your vet. It is first choice in line of antibiotics for treating skin infections. You also need to use benadryl along side it to relieve the itching and any swelling or redness from the allergic reaction your dog is experiencing.

Dosage Info
Cephalexin: Antibiotic For Dogs And Cats - 1800PetMeds

And this is where you can but it ...

Fish Flex, 250 mg Cephalexin x 100 Capsules, Non-prescription - Non Prescription - Lambert Vet Supply

When dealing with food allergies you have to stop everything for several weeks before trying to introduce anything else back in. It takes several weeks for everything to get out of the system that could be causing problems. 2 days is not going to do anything which makes me thing it is more seasonal or contact allergy. 1yr old is a dog starting to mature and a perfect age for allergies to start showing. I gave suggestions of things you can do to figure it out and not have to go back to the vet. The antibiotics above can be giving over the counter and are great for skin/ear infections. That should give you somewhere to start, there is no clear cut answer it is going to be a bit of trail and error on your part to figure it out.

are you giving the benadryl twice a day? You have to stick with a treatment and not stop just because they look good. If you are going to try benadryl then you have to stick to it for 2 weeks and see if it helps. Just giving it once and a while does not let it build up and control the allergy.

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Sadie

· #19 · Apr 30, 2011

I agree Lisa... and none of us can give you a diagnosis online. If you want to get to the route of your problem you will have to go through the process of elimination or seek out an allergy specialist which can be very costly. Give the dog benadryl for a few weeks, stop over bathing, and start the dog on the suggested antibiotics ASAP a good 2 weeks on the antibiotics will clear up any secondary infection caused by the itching. Once you have done this the dog's coat should clear up quickly but as Lisa stated do NOT stop treatment until you have finished the round of antibiotics. The hair should start to grow back gradually and the foul odor coming from skin should be gone. If your still having problems after you have completed the above steps. You will need to seek out a vet as something stronger like prednisone may be needed to clear up the allergic reaction. But usually benadryl and a good skin antibiotic like Cephalexan does the trick.

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mcclelland21

Discussion Starter · #20 · May 9, 2011

Bear is looking much better now. I currently have him on benadryl and chephalexin and will continue for another week to finish up 2 weeks of medication. We are giving him an omega 3 pill everyday. I have no more signs of an ear infections and he no longer stinks and his coat is looking nice and shiny. Thanks for all the help from everyone.

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