Oakley started out with a hot spot that we have been treating. Went on vacation and my ex stayed at the house and watched Oakley.
When we got back one of Oakleys ears had lots of dark brown gunk in it, plus more hot spots.
Took to vet and (and $204.00 later) came home with Bayril Otc (5 drops in each ear twice daily), Animax ointment for affected areas (under base of tail and areas on tail , which had to be shaved), Oatmeal shampoo, and Simplicef tablet 1 daily. Besides a Clairitin twice daily.
I have to put the "collar of shame" on him at night as well as during the day (he is a closet scratcher). That was last Friday (8-21) and he is still scratching and biting the areas horribly. I feel so helpless and bad for him . . . . is there anything else I can or should do? :doh: He needs more care now than my special needs daughter.
We are feeding him Wellness Supermix 5 (3rd bag), should I switch him to Wellness Core (fish)?
I would appreciate any and all advice . . .this forum is great.
Sharon
Here's a picture of Oakley(R) and his cousin (Pie)
Have you had him tested for thyroid issues? They could be at the heart of all of this.
Also, if allergies are the cause, protein allergies are more common and likely than grain. Switching to Core might not help, but switching to an uncommon protein source (fish or lamb) might let you know if it's one of the meats in the Supermix that's doing it.
Persistently gunky ears and hotspots do seem to indicate a thryoid or allergy issue. If you just can't seem to get ahead of them, it's a good sign that there's a persistent underlying cause.
I agree with Tippykayak-my first thought would be thyroid. And thyroid can be tied to allergies in many cases. I would have a full thyroid panel run on him, remembering that low normal is very low for a Golden.
Another agreement with Tippykayak. Brady has been having problems with allergies, constantly gunky ears (that at some points we had to clean daily they were so bad), ear infections stemming from that, eye infections, etc. I asked our vet to run a thyroid panel and it came back low-normal. He's been on a small thyroid supplement for a little over a week now and I can already see that his ears are staying significantly cleaner.
Edited to add: the food could be a culprit also. For allergy testing I would suggest a limited ingredient food designed for this (like California natural or Natural balance) with a unique protein source to which your dog has never been exposed.
I would consider California Natural Lamb & Rice. It is particularly well suited for dogs with allergies. It is also very high quality food, and it's made by Innova.
My Dakota had the ears from hell for his first 4 years. It was a constant battle. When he also developed food allergies, I switched him to the CN.
His ears were 100% clear, and his skin 100% cured, in 6 weeks. He lived another 6 years without a single ear or skin allergy issue.
I have a question about thyroid in Goldens. I know weight gain is associated but could weight loss also be associated, just like in humans? Ike's on a allergen free diet and he's doing much better, no itchies or ear infections, but I cannot keep weight on him. I've increased his food intake but he's still very thin. His thyroid level is mid-range normal, not low normal. He'll be tested again this fall.
I have a question about thyroid in Goldens. I know weight gain is associated but could weight loss also be associated, just like in humans? Ike's on a allergen free diet and he's doing much better, no itchies or ear infections, but I cannot keep weight on him. I've increased his food intake but he's still very thin. His thyroid level is mid-range normal, not low normal. He'll be tested again this fall.
In my research, I did come across a couple of articles that said although weight gain is a typical symptom of hypothyroidism, some dogs do remain thin, since dogs who are borderline hypothyroid usually present with just some of the symptoms. Brady remained very thin, but given that he suffered with giardia for quite awhile, his thinness maybe due to that since giardia can cause them not to thrive. Also from what I've read and been told, the thyroid levels of a healthy large breed dog ideally should be in the mid to upper part of the testing range (at or above the 50th percentile), so if Ike is mid range his thyroid is probably okay.
I was thinking a food change as well, try a sensitive stomach blend. Have they given a steroid shot? My parents GSD gets one when his ears are really bad...it helps. We also used Chlorpheniramine, check with vet, does make them sleepy but calms the ears and itch down.
I know Noah had a spell with gross ears and it took cleaning twice a day and constant watching, if we slipped it would be back worse. I also found Witch hazel wipes helped. Witch Hazel works wonders. They sell those at local stores for hemorrhoids…they work good on dogs. And we wipe out the ears with those when needed.
I agree with above as well about getting a thyroid test.
I also would talk to the vet about an antibiotic powder rather than an ointment. I just had Danny to the vet for a minor skin infection on the side of his face. I had been using an antibiotic ointment on it and the vet told me that an ointment will hold in the moisture which can hinder the healing. I would think that would be especially true with a hotspot since you want to dry them out.
I have also started my dogs on a probiotic powder over their food. It seems to have helped somewhat with the boys and their occasionally yeasty ears, and it has helped a ton with my Jasmine (lab/golden) who had a yeast infection in her skin.
To help with the immediate skin issue and itching, see my post about the Micro-Tek shampoo in the staph thread. It is stupendous and does not hurt even open, weeping sores.
My own experience from a food perspective: My Bentley had repeated serious bouts of gunky ear infections and hot spots up until 3 years ago. Repeated vet visits with meds were, as you know, expensive. Finally, I did my own informal food detective work out of frustration. I took him off of a heavy grain based and high carbohydrate lamb-based kibble. I switched him to a grain-free fish-based limited ingredient kibble; and the quick turn-around in his symptoms was amazing. Since then, I've rotated among a number of grain-free low carb foods using a variety of proteins (but not lamb) and he has only had one ear infection and hot spot episode. I know my approach wasn't very scientific, but it worked for us.
Poor doggie and poor you. You have all the right medications and Simplicef usually does a nice job with skin- it makes me worry that he is not better. Is there yeast in his ears or bacteria with rods on his skin( like e coli of the skin?) or is it staph? Has he been swimming alot?
Two of my goldens had low thyroid. HOWEVEr, their cases were as different as night and day. Scooter and Buck were full berothers, different litters. About the time he turned 4 Scooter ballooned up, had a severe lack of energy, hair getting thin and coase, and took to growling at the kids next door when they were on the other side of the 6 foot wood priacy fence. Now they are MONSTERS and we figuredthey had been doing somthng o him---lke throwing sticks or pebbles over the fence at him when he was out there without us.
Took him tvet--lo tyod. Pu on .8 soloxine twice a day and died food Weight came ff, hair grew back thick and soft, lots of energy and he took to "liking" the boys next door again.
Fastforward seeral years. Buck went in for dental at age 10 and I had the full panel runon him as always. We were shocked to find his thyroid was SO LOW the might not hae come around after the dental. He had to be put on 1 of the .8 soloxine twice a day. Now, hie had not put on lost a single pound, his fur was thick and glossy and soft, he trotted instead of walking, his temperam,ent was no different. There was not ONE clue that he was so super low thyroid much less low at all. After 6 months I think it was, his dosage had to be upped to 1 1/2 o the .9 soloxine twicve a day. But never everdidhe how a ng of low thyroid and our vet was stunned.
I learned right then that it is best to have your dog tested every year especially after age 5, regardless o symptoms or not. Our two caes were so different--Scooter with all the symptoms, Buck with none.
I shudder to think what would have happened had I not been a worry wart and had that full "old age" blood panel done pre dental forBuck.
My golden girl KayCee got hot spots, but hers were not food related--she was allergic to pine and live oak pollen--and those trees are thick as fleas on a stray dog's back aroundhere. Also to bermuda grass, mold and fleas. However, as she got older, she did have fewer and fewer of them. I used Gold Bond powder on her hot spots to dry them up.
Ljilly28:
The vet said there were rods present in the cytology. . . . . and he said that sometimes these kind are tough to clear up. Is that correct?
I called the vet this past Monday because of Oakley constant itching and he is now on 20 mg of predisone a day (1/2 tab in am and 1/2 tab in pm) for 5 days, then we reduce the dosage slowly (1/2 tab for the next 5 days, then 1/2 tabevery other day untll gone). He hasn't been itching at all last night and today, so far.
Any other suggestions?
MyBentley:
I was thinking of switching Oakley to Wellness Core (fish) or Oijen (fish), they are grain free. What kibble are you using that seems to work? BTW, we had a "Bentley" ( a fav name of mine ).
When you get rods, I think it is time to worry as little bit. That is something bad for ears in particular, and can cause some real damage. TrisEDTA + gentamicin are probably what he is getting for his ears now? I'm glad the prednisone helps- there's also a good option called Temaril which is part antihistimine and part steroid which is a bit more gentle if Oakley is drinking too much or having other prednisone issues(?). I am wondering if you might want to treat Oakley for mites( sarcoptic or D. mange- don;t get scared by the term) as the underlying problem? It is easy to treat and hard to diagnos, but very common at this time of year. It is very interchangeable with allergy symptoms. There's a new line of vet shampoos and sprays out called Douxo- one mild, soothing one and one heavier hitter Chlorhexidine shampoo. It is incredibly helpful. Keep us in the loop about how your pup is fairing!
Oakley fairing quite well on the prednisone. I am starting to decreasing his dosage as of today and am being very diligent with his treatments.
I don't see much increase in thirst or the need to go out to potty. The one bad ear is almost as clear as the other one. He hasn't been itching at all and the skin issues are almost all cleared up.:crossfing
I know it is important to follow up with the vet with this type of bacteria . . .
Just for the heck of it, I am switching Oakley over to Orijen 6 fish, a grain free kibble.
You are so knowlegable , I want to be able to go back to the vet with more of an understanding so I can ask questions if need be. Thank you so much, will keep you posted.
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