# coat changing or problem? need help



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Jake has been biting the sides of his hind legs....

I have ruled out any obvious allergies that I could by a Heska test.

Is he losing his puppy coat and maybe this is normal? In the pics you can see that along the side of his upper hind legs the long hair is gone. It's beginning to look terrible!!! You can see the difference in length of fur in pics....where he is black the coat is "normal". The area affected the hair is very short....
His skin looks normal and healthy. 
He is six months and he gets vitamin c,e and salmon oil.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Anyone?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Does he scratch it? Do you think it could be an OCD problem? If you put an e-collar on him so he can't reach it, does he try to scratch it? Have you tried an e-collar?

What did the vet say? Here's a crazy question...have you tried a chiropractor? If he has a pinched nerve and it's causing pain down his hind legs, could be be reacting to that? Does he act like he's in pain at all?


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

It's probably just him blowing coat. If he's not scratching/chewing it, see if it starts to grow back on its own in a few weeks.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

jakeandrenee said:


> Jake has been biting the sides of his hind legs....


In my experience that's not a normal part of coat change...Although it does look like he might be shedding out some. Although 6 months is a little young for a full on coat blow.

It could be too much dead hair from the undercoat that's trapped, maybe collecting moisture, and causing him to itch. Sort of like the start of a hot spot. Maybe a bath in some tea tree oil shampoo and good brush and blow dry to get rid of the dead hair followed by a skin spray? That would be my first try to stop the itching.

Another thing it could be is fleas or environmental issues. A dog doesn't have to have an infestation of fleas to get bit by one and cause an itching reaction. Also I know that around here there's this one kind of grass that when it blooms sort of stings/itches. It's not an allergy per se, because I get the same itching reaction on my legs. But I had one dog that would break out pretty badly when she would come in contact with it. 

I have also seen dogs that will chew out of boredom. Have you noticed when he does it? Is it when he's home alone in his crate? 

Those are my only thoughts...Good luck!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He bites at it....but the skin looks good and healthy. 
The vet said she had no idea and if it continued she thought a cortisone injection would help, however I am avoiding that.

He seems like it truly itches him and not out of boredom, he gets a tons of exercise every day and looks of training.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

could be a hot spot starting or an ant bite/sting


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I don't think so because it is bilateral, both legs have the same problem....that's why I am baffled.


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

why not try giving him a bath and use some itch out spray on him. the pics really looks like he has been biting at these spots. have you put anything new into your home like new carpets or flooring that could be bothering him? if he lays out in grass or even goes in water a lot, it could be something that he is allergic to - meaning something at this time of year is bothering his skin. hope you find a cure for it, and, maybe, as the season changes he'll not have this problem any longer.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Any good suggestions for a good shampoo? I have Earthbath oatmeal and aloe. Is this soothing enough?


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## Kaidsmom (Oct 12, 2009)

Start with the oatmeal and aloe shampoo and see how it goes, I would think that an oatmeal/aloe shampoo would be fine. (that is what I always use for Kaid) I know that his allergy test can back negative but could a build up of pollen on the coat (or anything)dust mites.. cause a fuzzy shark to itch? I think that a bath is the first step.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Ok, I will give him one today....and see how it goes.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I am assuming he gets a regular brushing with a gentle wire brush? Also, he could have pain in his legs, hope that's not it. Does he have enough chewy toys to keep him occupied.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Hondo did the same thing when he was younger. He'd chew his back legs as well as his front legs. We put him on a grainless food and he stopped. I suppose if he had some sort of food allergy it would have shown up on the test you did.


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

jakeandrenee said:


> Any good suggestions for a good shampoo? I have Earthbath oatmeal and aloe. Is this soothing enough?


 this sounds perfect. it's the easiest fix. i hope it works. if it does, your problem is solved. if it doesn't, you can try the STOP ITCH spray, it has hydro-cortisone in it, Dr. Foster and Smith carries it. if it still doesn't work, i'd go with your vet's suggestion of the cortisone injection, although i hope it's not necessary. let's hope it just seasonal. keep us posted


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Yes, he loves to chew his bully sticks, he gets raw bones all the time.

I am the process of switching him to grainless even tho the test came back showing nothing. It is my understanding that his young for the test? 
He showed a reaction to potato and rice and dust mites however the number was so tiny like 2 and the test states reaction doesn't really take place till it's 50 ...

How often should I bathe him? I don't want to over do it???


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## Matthew333 (Aug 20, 2010)

if hes scratching the area too many a times a day then he's definitely uncomfortable and hes allergic to something...get him checked with vet for better viewpoint


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

renee - how is jake doing? i hope the itching and biting has stopped. have you taken him to the vet any more?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He has been to vet countless times, hence the Heska Test. 

I gave him a bath Monday followed by a serious brushing. The amount of hair that came out was alarming. His coat looked a lot better. Well, today is Friday and he was back at it....so I just gave him ANOTHER bath but recruited a friends for help and more serious scrubbing. Again the hair loss was incredible. I then followed up with my hair dryer and more brushing and the hair kept coming. I realize they are heavy shedders but not at 6 months!! One thing I noticed is as I was drying him I smelled a musty smell from him. We swim A LOT and I never bathe him afterwards or dry him thinking he enjoys being wet and cooler in this terrible hot weather. Is it is real possibility that being wet all the time has aggravated his skin? I know he has some sort of allergy because his left ear bothers him since the day he came home....but maybe this coat issue is more about his skin staying wet, trapped in the undercoat and it became itchy and isn't able to breathe???? I noticed some large areas of dandruff when soaping him up..but his skin looks great.
I am curious how many of you bathe and DRY your dogs after swimming. I have always heard don't over bathe!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

jakeandrenee said:


> We swim A LOT and I never bathe him afterwards or dry him thinking he enjoys being wet and cooler in this terrible hot weather. Is it is real possibility that being wet all the time has aggravated his skin? I know he has some sort of allergy because his left ear bothers him since the day he came home....but maybe this coat issue is more about his skin staying wet, trapped in the undercoat and it became itchy and isn't able to breathe???? I noticed some large areas of dandruff when soaping him up..but his skin looks great.
> 
> I am curious how many of you bathe and DRY your dogs after swimming. I have always heard don't over bathe!


I think you may be indentifying part of your problem. If my dogs gets wet, I dry them. I don't necessarily soap them up and bathe them, but I defintieyl dry them out. And not just towels. I will brush and blow dry to get the moisture out and any dead hair, especially in the back end where the hair is thick.

I never had so many problems with skin as I did when we were regularly swimming Argos without rinsing him with fresh water and drying him completely.


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

I had same issue with biting and scratching. I switched to Blue Buffalo Lamb/Rice puppy and of course topical flea. He also gets a bath with an oatmeal shampoo every couple of weeks. I also use an apple cider vinegar/oatmeal conditioner/water squirt spray every time he comes inside. It makes him smell good and seems to help with the itching. I use a furminator comb a couple of times/mo. and a regular brush every day. I think the dead hair does contribute. His scratching has not totally stopped but it seems to be more in control. He also has access to a chew toy at all times. Hope this helps, I know how frustrated I was when my gsd started with the scratching constantly.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

jakeandrenee said:


> He has been to vet countless times, hence the Heska Test.
> 
> I gave him a bath Monday followed by a serious brushing. The amount of hair that came out was alarming. His coat looked a lot better. Well, today is Friday and he was back at it....so I just gave him ANOTHER bath but recruited a friends for help and more serious scrubbing. Again the hair loss was incredible. I then followed up with my hair dryer and more brushing and the hair kept coming. I realize they are heavy shedders but not at 6 months!! One thing I noticed is as I was drying him I smelled a musty smell from him. We swim A LOT and I never bathe him afterwards or dry him thinking he enjoys being wet and cooler in this terrible hot weather. Is it is real possibility that being wet all the time has aggravated his skin? I know he has some sort of allergy because his left ear bothers him since the day he came home....but maybe this coat issue is more about his skin staying wet, trapped in the undercoat and it became itchy and isn't able to breathe???? I noticed some large areas of dandruff when soaping him up..but his skin looks great.
> I am curious how many of you bathe and DRY your dogs after swimming. I have always heard don't over bathe!


But do you feel the dog staying wet was part of the problem?


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

renee - sorry your dog is still suffering. i don't believe in dogs getting too many baths; but, you have a special problem going on. i also don't like dogs going swimming either. they can catch so many things and also take in water that could easily make them sick. do a search on yahoo and type itch-and-scratch-bite-and-lick!-skin and coat - the pet center

the first listing that comes up, click on it and read. hope you'll find some info that could help you. i couldn't get the web page up when i tried typing their website address, that's why i'm giving you this way to get to the page. good luck!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I do think you can bathe a dog too many times. And here are some other things to think about. 

1. When washing Jake, make sure that every single bit of the shampoo is out, if he has anything left over the soap residue will irritate his skin and make him itch. 

2. Until you find out what is causing him to itch, I would avoid using anything too aggressive on his skin, like a wire brush. I would only use a plastic comb, or a pin brush (with tipped bristles). 

3. Find a local business (or online) that carries neem oil. It is an all natural oil used for different things. When applied in a diluted spray on the coat, it have insect repelling qualities, as well as soothing properties, for irritated skin caused by flea bites, environmental allergies, and mange. It can also be added into his aloe and oatmeal shampoo, but you don't want to wash him again....not yet anyways.

4. I would think about changing from frontline, if even for a month or two (you can always switch back). If you did a websearch on how frontline no longer works, you can see how many people are finding that in certain populations, fleas are becoming resistant to Frontline. You can try something else topical, like K9-Advantix, or an oral preventative, like comfortis (my pick  and I explain why in your other thread). 

5. Anytime you go to the lake, or any body of natural water, don't wash him when you get home, just rinse him really well with the hose, brush through his hair well and dry him thoroughly.


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