Westie Skin Problem

[mcgeester]

Hello all - I just found this site and hope I can get some help/info on how to treat my dogs. I have two Westies (related) that are having skin problems. They both have dry scabby bumps, mostly on their rumps. I have had them to the vet for courses of antibiotics and antihistimines, but have not had much luck. They both did have a cortisone shot for the last treatment that seemed to help, but the bumps never did go fully away and now are back with a vengence. Oddly, they do not seem to scratch at them, so are the bumps bothering me more than them? My first Westie never had this problem. I am now giving them some omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in the form of Pnutz made by the Greenie people, but really don't know if this will help. Anybody out there with similar problems and any solution? I would be very grateful.
Thanks in advance.

[raingirl]

Sounds like a food allergy/insensitivity. What food are you feeding?

The most common food allergies/insensitivities in dogs are beef, chicken, dairy, corn, and wheat. Most of these items are in the lower quality dog foods.

If you dog is on a food with these items, try switching to a fish and potato food or a lamb and rice food and see if this helps.

[Lucky Rescue]

Oh gee, another Westie with skin problems!

How often do you bathe them? Westies should be bathed seldom.

You might want to try feeding a raw diet and see if that has any effect.

[mcgeester]

Actually I think what I'm using is a pretty good dogfood - Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul - but I'm going to go back to the dog food store and see if they have anything hypoallergenic. Would you have a guess as to how long it would take to see any results?

I haven't been bathing them at all lately because of the skin problems. I really hate those bumps.

[Lucky Rescue]

I would give any new food at least 6 weeks to see if it helps.

I don't know about the Chicken Soup food, but avoid anything with corn in it.

Westies do seem prone to skin disorders and allergies. A raw diet, to completely eliminate preservatives etc may help.

[losinsusan]

Westies were top on the list when I researched my poor dogs problems with scaley scabby sores on him. If possible and you can afford it....have him checked my a vet dermatologist. They only deal with this sort of thing. Every darn time a dog presents with sores a vet shoots them with steroids, made blood testing impossible for months and threw the liver levels out of whack even longer. I should have found the dermo specalists sooner and saved thousands of dollars. I use mainly nutritional treatments and they are working for my dog. The vet uses a nutritionist in her practice also for this. By the way we were on the fatty acid supplements and have been switched to evening primrose oil for the coat. She said its less fattening for the dog. And has the same effects on the coat and skin. Its not always food allergies with certain breeds. Some are genetics. How old is your dog?

[mcgeester]

I've got two - the female is 4 1/2 yrs old and the male is 2 yrs. They're related - he's her nephew. Neither one of them had these scabby bumps until about 3-4 months ago and there hasn't been any change in their diets. The male has more bumps than the female. I give them a Greenie every morning and I have found online that these go by the nickname of "Doggie Crack". I believe it! It will be hard to wean them off. Any other suggestions are welcomed!

[SnowDancer]

Agree re vet derm. Also, if you have your Westies groomed, and you haven't already done so, you might ask groomer is he/she has seen such a condition before. Our Groomer has many Westie clients and with 25 years experience has seen it all.

[cairn terror]

I would add fish oil to their food I have cairns and have had similar issues. I would also stay away from raw diets because terriers do not do well with them. I feed natural choice lamb and rice. It has helped my dogs maybe it will work for you

[Talley3000]

Do you bathe them yourself or are they groomed professionally? If the latter, they should be treated with a special formula for westies that will not aggrevate skin. It does sound like this problem is more skin deep (lol, excuse the pun)
I agree that you should try a raw diet - our breeder told us to try this if Tally (1 year old westie) developed any skin problems. Furthermore, if this clears up and they get a little dirty in the future, simply wipe them with a sensitive skin baby wipe, as this will not remove the essential oils from their skin.