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Author	Topic: Shih-poo and skin problems
Rosychik Member Posts: 13 From:Deerfield, IL USA Registered: Feb 2004	posted 02-02-2004 08:12 PM Hi! I have a 1 1/2 year old male shih-poo. He is the love of my life (and weighs 23 lbs!!!) Anyway, I have decided that he has some sort of skin allergy...he scratches very often...particularly around the ears, beard and eyes. For anyone that is familiar with the Shih Tzu or Poodle breeds, do you have any feedback on what this could be? I haven't changed his diet to test that out...but he has been on numerous meds with no help. I wasn't sure if either breed is susceptible to have certain types of skin allergies. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-03-2004 08:14 AM since he is not picking at his paws my initial reaction would be to guess it is something in the food.. what are you feeding him? is corn one of the first ingredients? would you be willing to switch him over to a different type of food? bella is a female shih-poo.. she'll be two in march.. i have her on innova and she has no problems with that.. but each dog is different IP: Logged
Rosychik Member Posts: 13 From:Deerfield, IL USA Registered: Feb 2004	posted 02-03-2004 08:25 AM He does chew on his paws sometimes, but not everyday. He will often rub his eyes against the carpeting and scratch his head. I have thought about changing his food, but I was skeptical about the results, thinking instead it was some kind of atopic or inhalant allergy. I have him on Iams mini chunks..I'll have to look to see what the initial ingredients are. Thanks for the feedback. Anything else you think of, please let me know!!! IP: Logged
puttin510 Member Posts: 1179 From:,Calif. U.S.A. Registered: Dec 2002	posted 02-03-2004 09:30 AM Iams is not one of your better foods. Its possible your dog is allergic to either the food or a seasonal allergy. Try changing the food first. If its not the food maybe the vet can prescribe something, if she is scrathing so much she's injuring herself. Any bleeding or sores. There is also the thought of mites,(mange) if there are sores around eyes and mouth. That should be seen by a vet, because it will just grow. ------------------ IP: Logged
Rosychik Member Posts: 13 From:Deerfield, IL USA Registered: Feb 2004	posted 02-03-2004 10:04 AM He doesn't have any sores or bleeding from the scratching...and we eliminated mange and mites through testing. I don't think it is a seasonal allergy, per se, because he scratches all year long!!!! I may just break down and change the food because I haven't done that yet. I have been reluctant to do that because he has a sensitive stomach...and his stool and digestive system seem to do well with the Iams...but I guess anything is worth a try at this point! Thanks!! IP: Logged
MonsterBailey Member Posts: 146 From:Ca Registered: Jan 2004	posted 02-03-2004 06:37 PM Hiya Rosychik! I have a ShihPoo (male) also, and he's only 9 months and so far, he hasn't had any of those symptoms. Altho, he definitely does the occassional "psycho" paw licking incident every blue moon, but nothing that's major... When did he start with this extra scratching?? Anyhow, I'm sorry I really don't have any answers (errr suggestions) for ya... but I was curious if you had any pictures of your little guy! I love seeing other ShihPoos! IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-03-2004 08:14 PM i agree with puttin about the iams.. there are much better foods out there.. you can use http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=comp-wiz to compare foods.. below are the ingredients for the iams mini chunks.. corn meal is the second listed and chicken by-product is the fourth.. neither are ideal to be feeding your pup.. sorghum is the third ingredient, this is simply a filler, as is the corn.. it is common for pups to have allergic reactions to all the corn in the food.. i would suggest trying to find a more natural food (one free from by-products and uses less fillers).. that may help with the allergies, if they are food allergies.. Ingredients Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Flax Meal, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate IP: Logged
Rosychik Member Posts: 13 From:Deerfield, IL USA Registered: Feb 2004	posted 02-04-2004 06:29 AM Hi everyone! I decided to try everyone's advice and went out yesterday and purchased a "trial" bag of Innova dog food. The ingredients seem really good. I'm going to switch to it very slowly. If that doesn't seem to help, I may be off to the doggie dermatologist, which is what I wanted to avoid...but it's certainly worth a start to try a new food! I need to post my picture of Murphy (my 19 month old Shih - poo, so everyone can see. He is 23 lbs. and much more "poo" than "shih"! Thanks everyone!!! IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-04-2004 06:49 AM good luck with the switch over.. i hope that solves the problem.. if it doesn't then my next guess would be shampoos/conditioners used.. normally licking of the paws would indicate grass/pollen allergies (which he's not doing), and since you said meds didn't help (which they should if grass/pollen) that really leads me to believe it's food related.. keep us updated on murphy IP: Logged
MonsterBailey Member Posts: 146 From:Ca Registered: Jan 2004	posted 02-04-2004 07:12 AM Ya, I can NOT wait to see your 23 pounder hehe......When I got Bailey they told us he should be around 8-12 lbs, well he hit the 12 lb mark just recently and he's 9 months old. HMMMMMMMMM! I'll share pics, if you share pics hehe awww Bellasmommy, you're always so helpful! I know that I appreciate it and I'm sure the others do (just wanted to tell you that) IP: Logged
Sunday Member Posts: 80 From:CA. USA. Registered: Nov 2003	posted 02-04-2004 12:27 PM I'm really looking forward to hearing if you get results from the Innova. I am having the same trouble with Precious. I have tried everything from changing her shampoo, food, The vet has tested her for mites. It's not that! (Thank God!) We've even put her on allergy meds, with little to no results. However, I have not tried the Innova. If this is successful for you, I'll be trying Innova myself. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures as well! Love those pictures! Keep us posted. Precious's Mommy, Sunday IP: Logged
cindylou-poo2 Member Posts: 64 From:Ontario, Canada Registered: Aug 2003	posted 02-05-2004 09:06 AM Hello All, We have a 8 month old female Shih Tzu, Abbey. I also noticed that she has been scratching allot more as she grows, so I began to investigate more. I feed Abbey Wellness ( high quaility kibble) so I elimanted food as a source, mites ticks, nope not that, then I realized that with the heat in the house cranked, due to the balmy -20� outside, that my skin was rather dry, and that maybe Abbey's was as well. Bottom line, I picked up some Omega 3 (oil) pills from my vet, and they are supposed to rehydrate the skin and coat. It has been day 2, I will keep you all informed as to if they help the scratching or not. ------------------ Abbey's Mom IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-05-2004 04:32 PM quote: Omega 3 (oil) pills from my vet, and they are supposed to rehydrate the skin and coat i find this interesting because the food i feel bella, innova, has omega 3 listed in the nutritional information and herring is the 9th listed ingredient.. cindylou-poo2 i would also recommend a good shampoo/conditioner (one for dry skin) if you are not already using one.. i've been using earthbath on bella, she's loving it quote: awww Bellasmommy, you're always so helpful! I know that I appreciate it and I'm sure the others do (just wanted to tell you that) thanks, monsterbailey.. [This message has been edited by bellasmommy (edited 02-05-2004).] IP: Logged
MyBabyShihPoo Member Posts: 206 From: Registered: Jul 2003	posted 02-05-2004 07:28 PM Some suggestions: ~Although this has already been mentioned, try a high quality dog food. Yes it is slightly expensive, but it is a better bet than the "lower quality" one's out there. ~Earthbath brand shampoo & conditioner has one particular line specifically formulated for dogs with dry/itchy skin. Use of any human shampoos contributes to the drying out of a dog's skin. ~Be very careful as to not give your dog too many baths! Sometimes it is hard to judge whether a dog's itching is the normal amount of itching or not. But, excessive itching is easy to spot. Just my thoughts, Kristi [This message has been edited by MyBabyShihPoo (edited 02-05-2004).] IP: Logged
Sunday Member Posts: 80 From:CA. USA. Registered: Nov 2003	posted 02-06-2004 10:08 AM I switched over to Earthbath early on and I stopped blow drying Precious with a human hair dryer. I would not say it is excessive scratching, but she has to stop now and then to giver herself a good once over. I'm sorry, but I think it's so cute. I ask her, did you get them all and she looks up at me through those long bangs, wagging her little tail and then gives me a good RUFF! As if to say, OK Mom, scratching over, lets go. I have noticed that with the Earthbath it is not necessary to bath her as often, so, that is always a good thing. And she does have the most beautiful shinny coat. (if I do say so myself) I'm going to switch her food gradually and see if this helps. I have also noticed that she scratches more when we're running the heater. Oh yeah, She also scratches a lot whenever she has been on grass. I think my Precious is allergic to grass! ACK! She scratches, sneezes and gets a runny nose whenever she plays on grass. I have never known of a dog that is allergic to grass. I'm allergic to grass so, I guess it is plausible. Precious's Mommy, Sunday IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-06-2004 06:57 PM it's actually pretty common for dogs to be allergic to grass.. the best indicator is that they constantly lick their paws after coming in from a walk.. cleaning the paws off immediately after a walk can help.. sometimes meds may be necessary.. IP: Logged
Rosychik Member Posts: 13 From:Deerfield, IL USA Registered: Feb 2004	posted 02-07-2004 07:48 AM OK...I have a question on the bathing issue...I actually don't bathe Murphy all that much, mainly because I don't want to dry him out. If I use a product like Earthbath (which everyone seems to really like) how often should I bathe him? Let me know what you all think... IP: Logged
bellasmommy Member Posts: 238 From:miami, fl, usa Registered: Oct 2002	posted 02-07-2004 08:09 AM typically you would bathe a dog approximately every other week.. or every third week.. earthbath makes sprays that you could use between baths, they contain cleansers.. you simply spray them on and rub them in.. they keep them smelling fresh for over a week.. however, some people do prefer to bathe their dog weekly.. this could most definitely lead to skin problems.. IP: Logged
MonsterBailey Member Posts: 146 From:Ca Registered: Jan 2004	posted 02-07-2004 10:49 AM Hi guys! (Hiya bellasmommy) I'm one of those that prefer to bathe my dog weekly (however NEVER any earlier than that)... The vet told me that it was fine, but just to watch for any reactions. I have always used Earthbath for Puppies and perhaps since it's all natural, he never gets dry skin. I truly love that shampoo for him - he is still super dooper soft and it smells grrrrrrrreat too It also is great for those RARE occassions when it gets in his poor wittle eyes - doesn't seem to iritate at all. IP: Logged