Skin Sores
I have a
black Labrador/great Dane about a year and a half old and has developed
some sort of skin problem that has myself and my vet stumped. He gets
round ulcer like sores on his skin that lead to hair loss and frantic
itching and licking. My vet has checked for flea allergy, ring worm
(which it looks a lot like), mites, and an assortment of other things. My
lab has been on Cephalexin off and on for the last 7 months. He also has
had 2 steroid shots for the itching. Still the sores keep coming back in
multitudes once the antibiotic is gone. Any suggestions you might have
would be well appreciated. Thanks for your tim
Many diseases can cause the dermatological condition you describe. Labs and Danes are particularly bad about over licking themselves in places they itch. This can cause an area of slight irritation to develop into a large, very itchy, open sore. Insect bites, and spider bites can cause individual, very localized sores, and are especially common on the lower abdomen and legs. Contact irritants, such as juniper and grasses, generally cause problems on the feet and abdomen, and appear in multiple areas at once. Food and inhalant allergies are more generalized, causing a rash and skin irritation on the chest, neck and forelegs. The dog may pick a convenient location to lick, making the large sore, but check the remaining skin out thoroughly for clues, such as bites, plant material, pimples and rashes. Autoimmune diseases, such as pemphigus can cause the sudden and persistent appearance of many severe scabs and sores all over the body. These disease can be identified through blood testing.
A logical diagnostic regimen would include a screening blood panel, possible including specific autoimmune tests. A set of skin biopsies are extremely informative. Serological allergy screening tests may help identify possible irritants. Restricting the environment and diet may help determine causes if allergies. You can isolate the dog inside for one week, then outside for one week, and feed a hypoallergenic lamb and rice diet.
If the condition is serious enough, I recommend jumping right to the diagnostic blood tests and biopsies. This may be more costly initially, but in the long run will save you time and money over merely trying different medications.
Return to Petsdoc.com home page
Return to Ask the Vet Index page
