shar-pei allergies

[katpei]

I have a senior pei with severe allergies, have tried everything. Looking for any suggestions to help sooth his skin and make him more comfortable.

[Suz23]

Ok - nine times out of ten allergies are food related -and even if its something like the pollen that is affecting him a good diet will help the immune system battle these problems. SO I can help but lots of questions first.

Firstly how old is he
What is he fed - include everyything including tidbits.
How long has he had the skin problems.
How do the allergies present themselves - i.e is he itching chewing sore red weeping etc?? And where feet face ears?
Finally what treatment has been tried so far? Has he had skin scrapes has his diet been looked at in detail? Is he on any medication currently - if so what.
Oh and one other thing when was he last vaccinated.

If you can answer those maybe we can help.

[May209]

A nice soothing oatmeal shampoo bath can certain offer temporary relief. Take him to the vet an anihistimine can help too. The good diet is a must. Check your dog food ingredients.

[BUMBLES]

Ok I used to have a horse coat shar-pei, shar-pei are known for skin problems. Mine never had any (thank god), his breeder told me early on, to only feed him "low protein" food. And to wash him with "horse tar shampoo", smells like all hell but leaves them looking great & no skin issues, has he always had this or is this something new ? if it is new, have you changed his diet or is he on any medication ? Is he losing hair, is his skin dry & flaky ? did his parents have any skin problems ?

[Suz23]

Shampoo will help - I would go with the oatmeal - its far more soothing. But its a temporary relief - the problem must be solved at the root- shampoo will normally treat only the symptoms. Just hope we can get some more information on this.

[Lindsey]

My shar pei suffered from atopic dermatits for which I had to bathe him in malaseb shampoo every other day and put him on a vet diet by Royal Canin called Skin Support. It is expensive but works wonders!!

[kerbyandstinkysmom]

I have had numerouse peis over the years and never had a skin problem until recently. I know how frustrated you can be. Kerbys problem started when a cat snuck into our business while we wer working on it. The building is 6000 sf so it took us a few days to catch him and when we did it turns out he left fleas behind.

Thats when it all started. he started getting itchy and chewed himself raw. After many visits to the vet and many meds and shots we still could not figure it out. We changed his diet to a perscription food and that did not help. The meds they gave him helped until about a week after they were finished then the itching would start again.

We tried a new vet and she put him on meds and gave us a special shampoo. She also put him on flea meds. I am hoping that this is the problem. I tried to explain to the other vet that the problem started with fleas and I think it has soemthing to do with that but they didnt listen. It appears that he may, in fact, have had a flea allergy and that even though we see no signs of fleas on wither one of them, that this may be his problem. I am remaining optomistic but we just finished his round of meds and I am worried that it may come back.

[kerbyandstinkysmom]

First off, sorry about the typos. I have a tendancy to type to fast and not proofread. It will be an ongoing problem but I assure you that I can spell !

Kerby woke up this morning and the itching began again.

[kerbyandstinkysmom]

First he was checked for atopic dermatitis and it was negative. All vet tests have been negative.

He used to eat Purina Lamb and Rice with no problem. The probalem can be traced back t the exact time the cat got in. The dogs had not been on any flea meds because they were flea free. Once the cat snuck in and they got fleas it all began. We thought it was a flea allergy but the flea meds dont help.

He is about 4 1/2 and has had this problem for about a year or more. His parents do not have the problem. The other Pei we have is his sister from another liter and she has no problems.

His itching is mosty hind end. He will scratch, chew and yank his fur right out. It is mostly contained to his back end. I do notice his face gets a bit fuller but he doesnt have swelling between the toes.

He has not had a vaccination in a few years and that was his last rabies. He is currently on Natures Balance sweet potato and venison. He used to eat all scraps as my husband is a sucker. Since this last round of allergies I ahve only been giving him baked haddock (no spices or anything), oranges (his favorite), plain lettuce, and peanut butter to hide his meds in.

He is currently on an antibiotic to clear up the sores and prednisone. The meds will end this week and the itching will begin immediatley. I dont mind having to keep him on meds to keep him happy but I dont want to keep him on prednisone due to the risk of diabetes.

I have tried the shampoos and they are only a temporary relief until he dries off. Plus it is like trying to bath a bear ! He hates water.

He has had all kinds of skin scrapes and they are all negative. We are all at a loss. The vet wants allergy testing and as a small business owner that will kill me financially so I am going to do my best to figure it out myself. Testing is a last resort. Peis are so wierd. My brother had one that after allergy testing, they found out it was allergic to meat ! I apreciate everyones help.

[NoodlezxMama]

The biting is at his hind, kerby? could it be his anal glands?

with peis, make sure you're getting in between their wrinkles as well..that's usually the source of problems with them.

Maybe a little vitamin e oil massage might do him so good, soothe him a little?

[kerbyandstinkysmom]

would someting like that make him itch all over though ?

[pattyann]

I had the same trouble with my dog. He is a 23lb. shih tzu. He is 41/2 years old. He also had the sores on his body and he would bite till he had no hair and blood would come out. Like you I could not afford to test him for allergies. My vet said to try a product called Dinovite. It is a supplement which you add to his food. Benji is doing well on it. His skin has cleared completely. The coat has come back shining and sliky. The only thing that I am working with is his ears which come and go with itching and stinky. The dinovite works well with the skin. I also change Benjis food but now I am at a lost because of the ears.