Problem with coat, ears, paws, muzzle and bum :-(

[Caroline Black]

Hi all,

Where do i start?

Pepper was having constant ear infections with loads of brown wax, biting at his paws and bum and scratching his chin/muzzle area. We had him knocked out to get the ears a good cleaning, and the vet tested positive for overgrowth of malassezia yeast in his ears/paws. So we are now cleaning his ears once a week with Malacetic Aural and his paws and bum with Malaseb, and he seems more comfortable. But i would like to know where this is coming from as the vet said there is no way to really know if its a food or airbourne related allergy, or perhaps he just produces excessive oil? But i would find this hard to be the problem, as from the picture, you can see from his coat that its very dry and frizzy. I have started noticing that fishy anal gland smell coming from his behind too even though he had them expressed only a few weeks ago, but he keeps biting at his bum, so that seems to need to be done again :-( 

Any advice anyone, im lost with what to do next, we have spent an absolute fortune on antibiotics, steroids, ear cleaners and drops. But i get the feeling that we are keeping on top of it with the regular cleaning but would like to get to the bottom of it.

Thanks all

He is on Barking Heads Lamb Bigfoot, heres the details:

Boneless Lamb*, Dried Lamb*, Brown Rice, Oats, Barley, (High Omega 3) Trout, Pea Protein, Lamb Fat, Natural Flavours, Lucerne, Seaweed, Hip & Joint Care pack + (Glucosomine 450mg/kg, MSM 450mg/kg, Chondroitin 240mg/kg).

*Total Lamb 45%
**High Omega Ω3 Trout

analytical constituents

Crude Protein 24%, Fat Content 14%, Inorganic 9.75%, Crude Fibres 4%, Moisture 8%, Omega 6 (3.2%), Omega 3 (1.5%).

nutritional additives per kg

Vitamins - Vitamin A 16, 650 IU, Vitamin D3 1,480 IU, Vitamin E 460 IU.

Trace Elements - Iron (ferrous sulphate monohydrate) 617mg, Zinc (zinc sulphate monohydrate) 514mg, Manganese (sulphate monohydrate) 101mg, Copper (cupric sulphate pentahydrate) 37mg, Iodine (calcium iodate anhydrous) 4.55mg, Selenium (sodium selenite) 0.51mg.

[Rosie Dudley]

I think you have ear mites, I would recomend you use Thornit. It's been around for a long time and really works. A lady who was on the checkout at the supermarket got talking to me about her Bassett who had been back again and again to the vet over several months with a similar situation to yours, it had cost hundreds of pounds, the dogs ears were so bad and he had got very depressed and with no sign of improvement, they had considered putting him down. I went home and returned to give her my bottle of Thornit and hoped it would help. When I shopped the folowing week, she said it was incredible, the problem had completely cleared up in that week. Have a look at the link and give it a try !

http://www.thornitearpowder.com/ You can also buy it on Ebay and Amazon and lots of other outlets.

[Caroline Black]

Hi Rosie, i dont think its ear mites as the vet has done a lab exam to find out what it was and it was yeast. I have thornit but it doesnt really help, it just clogs his ears up worse! And his problem is not just ears so i think theres more to it than ear mites. Thanks for the input though!

[Rosie Dudley]

Hello again Caroline, please read the link right to the bottom of the page, http://www.thornitearpowder.com/ I would absolutely eliminate ear mites before embarking on costy tests and lifestyle changes.

[Caroline Black]

but his problem is paws/bum/muzzle also, can ear mites be all over?

[Rosie Dudley]

They migrate to any part of the body, but in particular paws and bum, it tells you in the link how to treat it. There are lots of references to it, do a search for, ear mites in dogs feet tail. It may not be ear mite, but as I said it's worth ruling it out first.

[Jo Ottinger]

have you done a complete thyroid panel? I would send Dr. Dodds at Hemopet an email and get her input

[Susan Stone]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your boy. I agree that you may need to get a full blood check done.

Looking at the photo I would guess that Pepper has been castrated and the coeat change is probably due to the hormonal effects of castration. Normally the coat change shows up roughly one year after the op.

You may be right that he is showing adverse reaction to the food he is on. I wonder have you tried a change of diet?

[Gayle Sheridan]

This is a very distressing situation for you and Pepper, and I have the greatest of sympathy having had a similar problem last year.

I would suggest a complete change in diet to raw food, that's what worked for my Richmond after 6 months of various specialists, treatments and diets. I put Richmond on to venison, rice and veges and within a month his problems cleared up.

[Melinda Auld]

I have heard good things about using apple cider vinegar (diluted 1:10 with water - or 1:5 if the infection is severe) as an ear rinse.  Also, a cap full added to drinking water can help the skin and coat.

[Lesley Gilks]

I can only comment on my experience but until recently Rigsby had the same problem with his ears.   They would be sore, scabby and full of black wax.  Nothing would shift it except antibiotics and it was costing me a fortune at the vets.  I changed his diet onto raw food and veggies and I've had no problems for the past two months so I can only conclude that he has an allergy to something they put in biscuits.  He has chicken wings and oily fish most days and seems to be doing well on it.  His poo is a lot firmer and he's never had any problems with his anal glands.

[Fran Griffin]

The link between ears, paws and anal glands is going to be yeast ! ...... you really need to address the diet. Barking Heads contains good quality ingredients, However...... its cooked at torturously high temperatures, so the proteins are denatured and lack enzymes, also the carb content WILL break down into sugars which is going to feed yeast.  That goes without saying.  I have just got back from seeing our integrative medicine vet, which reminds me that DaisyMae was treated last year for exactly the same thing, after she consumed a nasty dog 'food' on for a t.v programme sponsored by the makers of this nasty pet food.  It took quite a lot of ear cleaning, meat and bone diet only and pulsatilla to kill off the yeast build up. With regards to the ear cleaning, I have been using unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (5mls) to 100 mls of distilled water. I use a cotton wool pad, soak it in the solution and then wipe around. Clean out all the debris, and then wipe around again until the pad is clear.  I did this every morning initially, and now every 2-3 days to ensure I keep her ears clear of any debris she might pick up out on a walk, otherwise that will gunk up.Some dogs need frequent wiping, whilst others need less, this can depend on the shape and size of the dogs ear canal.  If the problem with yeast continues, then the subject of diet MUST be addressed,  Carb free, raw and plenty of bone. This is not a matter of opinion, it is a fact that yeast will feed on carbohydrates, and fructose from any fruits contained in some of the raw foods.

There are a couple videos on www.mercola.com and then go to the healthy pets section, where Dr. Karen Becker talks about bathing, ear clearning, and also another one on yeast infections. The advice she gives is virtually identical to what our integrative vet recommended, and now DaisyMae is right on top of the issue.