Question:
Hi all,

I have a one year old cocker, and we have just moved from dallas to san diego.
He seemed to be doing ok, but off late we have found these elevations on his body and genitalia. There are not pimples, becoz there is no pus, but it looks like a boil. They seem ti change size and colour over time, with dry,transluscent scabs forming from time to time.

He also seems to be licking/biting his paw a lot more often (he had allergies in dallas), and seems to scratch himself a lot more here. We had bought him a new bed and i thought he maybe allergic, but now he just scratches all day long.

We dont think he has fleas becoz i have run the comb through him a few times and got nothing. Also we use a medicated flea and tick shampoo every other week, in addidtion to Frontline

Today, i noticed he seems to be straining to pass stool, and when he did, it was accompanied by a colorless liquid.

Please help, if any of you have had similar experiences. We feed him Nutro Ultra.

Answer:
Poor little guy, sounds so uncomforable, I would get him to the vet asap it could be anything.

Good luck and I hope he feels better soon

Answer:
Originally Posted by arpita
We dont think he has fleas becoz i have run the comb through him a few times and got nothing. Also we use a medicated flea and tick shampoo every other week, in addidtion to Frontline

Today, i noticed he seems to be straining to pass stool, and when he did, it was accompanied by a colorless liquid.

Please help, if any of you have had similar experiences. We feed him Nutro Ultra.

I'd start at the vet too.

i'd stop the frequent bathing. bathing that often can really dry out his skin - causing more problems.

also, I'd switch to a better food, Nutro is not great. in fact, my own dog, who is not allergic to anything could not tolerate it AT ALL. he had major digestive problems on it. the dog food forum here has some GREAT suggestions, check it out.

It could be a huge number of things causing the allergy, food, environment, the frontline, even just ONE flea bite can cause a SEVERE allergic reaction in some animals. combing through may not be enough, you really have to check every inch w/ a flea comb to be 100% sure there isn't any fleas, flea dirt, or bites.

I would also note everything the dog ingests. everything, from treats, food, scraps, etc... you may need to try an elimination diet to weed out an ingredient that could cause an allergy.

Answer:
I agree.....a trip to the vet is necessary as it could be a number of different things. Good luck and please post with an update.

Also, as Jessi76 said, Nutro is not a very good dog food. Please check out the food forum here for lots of good suggestions.

Answer:
Thank you for your suggestions, I am meeting the vet later on today, but I wanted to know if ayone else had similar experiences.
We bath him once a week, and keep alternating between a oatmeal shampoo and a flea shampoo. Do we bathe him too often? we were told to bathe him when he gets dirty...by the end of the week he is slightly smelly, and so thats why we do it.
he has been on the food since he was apuppy, becoz thats what the breeder recommended. since it was the most expensive at the pet store, we thought we were buying him the best....i guess that is not the case. maybe he has developed an allergy to it. his appetite and energy levels are the same, i think all these things are bothering me more than it bothers him

Answer:
turns out he has a bacterial infection! lets hope once he is done with his dose of antibiotics, that he will be like he was before all this!

Answer:
Glad to hear he is going to be ok and its nothing serious

Answer:
Originally Posted by arpita
We bath him once a week, and keep alternating between a oatmeal shampoo and a flea shampoo. Do we bathe him too often? we were told to bathe him when he gets dirty...by the end of the week he is slightly smelly, and so thats why we do it.
he has been on the food since he was apuppy, becoz thats what the breeder recommended. since it was the most expensive at the pet store, we thought we were buying him the best....i guess that is not the case.

yes, bathing once a week is too much. bathing that often, even using a moisture rich shampoo, is very drying to the skin. the water is enough to strip the natural oils from the coat and skin. this can lead to very itchy skin, and all the scratching can lead to skin infections. dogs ARE slightly smelly. it's not a reason to bath them every week.

and on the food issue - alot of breeders feed crappy food, and price has nothing to do with it. Read the ingredients instead. avoid foods w/ corn and by-products.

Answer:
Glad he is going to be okay. Here's a list of ingredients to avoid in choosing a dog food:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index....badingredients

Answer: