[layia6]

My mixed chow is about 3yrs old. And all he does is knaw at his skin. I mean its like he is trying to eat away at himself, chewing off hair and everything. Please someone give me a solution or at least an idea of what to do.

I cannot take him to the vet right now because I do not have the money. I clip him myself because his hair is so thick and living in FL I want to keep him cool. I also put advantage on him every month for fleas. To treat him so far I have just been putting Bag Balm on all the scabs and fresh bits.

PLEASE HELP ME.

[labman]

This is a common, but difficult problem. What are you feeding him? Chances are if most of his calories come from even an economical dry, commercial dog food, his diet is OK. Look on the bag and see if it says anything about AAFCO. Today most dog chows are carefully formulated to meet dogs needs. However, not all dogs will thrive on any of them, not even the most expensive. You might try a different brand. You could also try a tablespoon of common vegetable oil a day added to his food.

Boredom is the most likely cause. Try to spend more time with him, fetch, obedience training, walks, etc. When you must leave him alone, try giving him a Kong filled with peanut butter. Kongs are sort of conical, hollow, ridged rubber dog toys, available at any toy store. Also look for Buster Cubes. They have holes in them. Put some kibble in in and let the dog stay busy rolling it around until one falls out.

The pet store may have ointments that will protect spots chewed raw. If none of this works, you may still need to visit the vet.

[koriani]

Just some small suggestions. I don't want to horn in on Labman's area of expertise.

Your dog could have allergies or hot spots.

In the case of allergies, a steroid shot would help tremendously and you might want to switch to a hypo-allergenic food such as Hill's Prescription Z/D.

I'm not sure how hot spots are treated, but your local pet supply store would have some spray to help those areas feel less itchy. Call a vet and ask them about common hot spot treatments.

Regards,

[Judi]

As soon as you have the money it would be best to take your dog to the vet. What you are describing is a symptom which could be from any of several different causes. My Chow was recently euthanised after a two year battle with hypothyroidism and demodectic mange. His immune system was not working properly. These are genetic problems that are found in the Chow breed. He lost his fur, chewed his sides, back and feet raw.

To diagnose what is causing the chewing it is necessary for the vet to do a skin scraping (to check for the mites that cause demodectic mange) and draw blood for tests (thyroid especially). Otherwise you may treat the symptom while the underlying cause just worsens.

As labman said, diet could be a reason. Diet and allergies are the most common reasons.

Because your dog is part Chow I wanted to mention some other possible causes. Here are a few links that have more information. I do hope your dog will be well.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....hing & Licking

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...Pododermatitis

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/allerg...nine Allergies

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/dogfood... Choice Easier

[koriani]

Good suggestions Judi,

Demodectic mange is more common in dogs than in cats so I don't deal with it that much. However, it is easily treatable with LymDip which is a sulphur based dip (It smells horrible, but works great).

Demodectic mange can only be diagnosed with a skin scraping. The vet then looks at the scraped skin under a microscope. Even then, it can be hard to catch.

As to hyperthyroidism, in cats it is not that common until they reach about 6 to 8 years of age. I'm not sure about dogs though but it could be worth checking. Usually if a pet has hyperthyroidism they will be eating voraciously but still losing weight due to increased metabolism.

Judi is right. It's probably worth scraping together some money to see a vet.

Regards,

[layia6]

Thank You all for your great advice.
Believe me I will try all of them.
Thanks again for taking the time tohelp me with my problem.

-Misty, Dania FL

[lilpunkin]

Though I am not an expert, I am an 18 year old vet student. It honestly appals me that you would put your animals health on the back burner because YOU do not have the money to take him to the vet. PLEASE take hime to the vet because I am relatively sure that though some of the replies have been from supposed "credible" vets or techs, it is not the same.

If you cannot take proper care of your animal then you should NOT have one!

Thank You,
lilpunkin

[mouse_d]

My dog had the same problem and we took her to the vet and it turns out she was allergic to the dog food we were feeding her. You might think about changing the food. Stress also contributes... no matter how much you think of your pet as just that.. a pet, they get stressed and upset just like we do so be sure you are paying enough attention to your friend.

[labman]

Mouse is right about stress. One of the major causes of stress in dogs is over stressed owners. They read our emotions and react to them. Tight finances are stressful. A big guilt trip over not having the money to take the dog to the vet isn't going to help you or the dog. I should have made a couple of points in my first answer when I mentioned changing food. You want to look for a food with different ingredients than the current one. This does not mean a more expensive one including the so called natural ones. Look for a different protean source.

Yes, it would be best to see a vet if you can. Physical based behavior problems can't be fixed otherwise.

Whether you can manage the vet visit or not, you can afford to take the dog for a walk, the longer, the better. You both might be in better shape when you come back.

[koriani]

lilpunkin,

No one here is trying to say a trip to the vet isn't necessary so don't get your panties in a wad.

I have worked for a vet over 10 years now but as a pet owner in financial strain, I can understand both sides of the coin.

We here are merely trying to lend sound advice (or should I say MOST of us) for those who ask. It's better than letting the animal suffer and not doing anything.

Please don't try to make people feel guilty and worse than they already do about not being able to take their pet to a vet. We're supposed to be here to help, not hinder.

Regards,

[ladyandjan]

Try changing the food to either Canidae or Wysong both of which are free from chemicals and other poisons in all the other dog food out there. The skin problems will clear up and you won't have to worry about getting the dog more 'shots' that it does not need and feeding your baby a whole food diet as I do mine will make a great deal of improvement in overall health. Do a search on holistic dog food and read about what really is in 99.9% of all the food-it will make you sick and angry at the same time.

[v3ntura]

I just wanted to share with you the skin problems that I was having with my Chow, Koko. Koko is a blue 6 year Chow that I adopted from the SPCA as a puppy. For as long as I remember she's always had skin problems. Hot spots, flea allergies, seborrhea, hair loss... I've learned a lot over the years and here's some tips that might work for you.
- Use Frontline/Advantage to get rid of fleas
- Use Omega Fatty acids with Zinc in food
- Use Benadryl pills, one in the morning and one at night until allergy goes away (usually about a couple of weeks)
- Use Lamb or Chicken food and treats. Make sure that beef or meat by-products is not an ingredient in any of your dog's food and treats. This ended up being what Koko's problem was.
- Test for Hypothyroid. This can cause skin problems. Koko took this test and it was negative. The vet then suggested removing Beef from her diet.

[labman]

Thanks for your helpful post. There are a number of effective, modern flea remedies, much better than the traditional one. I am happy with the Revolution I have used the last 2 years. One thing I like about it is just one spot on her neck, not a streak the length of Aster's back.

Most dog chows have plenty of fat, some of the premium ones maybe even too much. With most chows, you are better off not adding anything.

You are right, Bennidryl is quite effective and safe.

Dogs can develop allergies to any protean source. It is best to start the dog on one type, and stick to it. It doesn't make much difference which one you start with. That way if the dog ever does become allergic to it, it leaves you a number of other choices.

[becky92029]

lilpunkin,

No one here is trying to say a trip to the vet isn't necessary so don't get your panties in a wad.

I have worked for a vet over 10 years now but as a pet owner in financial strain, I can understand both sides of the coin.

We here are merely trying to lend sound advice (or should I say MOST of us) for those who ask. It's better than letting the animal suffer and not doing anything.

Please don't try to make people feel guilty and worse than they already do about not being able to take their pet to a vet. We're supposed to be here to help, not hinder.

Regards,

I agree with Pumkin's sentiments, but also with yours, Koriani. I'm most fortunate to be able to take my dogs to a vet at every whim (or should I say worry), but this hasn't always been so. Sometimes we think we can afford proper care for our animals and then unseen circumstances change things. Still, if vet care cannot be attained someone on another post suggested a clinic or vets working with the local humane society. Perhaps there are vet schools around to take a sick animal to, don't know. In the end, animals cannot fend for themselves and trust need us to take care of them. When the person(s) responsible can't take care of an animal, it's time to turn him/her over to a rescue organization who can take care of them until a home is found with good resources. There are good books around with home remedies, too for first aid.