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:( My man noticed some sort of scabbies right above her tail and she wouldn't let me look while he was there (she gets submissive around me when he's around). This evening, while he was out, I took a look and her whole back is full of a weird rash... It's just all red, like it's been scraped. It's dry, but the hair is falling out where it's really bad.

Needless to say, we're going to the vet as soon as it opens tomorrow, but I'm so sad for my baby. She must be so itchy! :( She'll probably end up shaved (which she'll probably enjoy but we never had the nerve to do it). Her fur is so, so, soooo dense, it's hard to just get deep enough to see the skin. She's been swimming a lot lately, so I think it's probably something related to that. Boo doesn't have anything on him (his fur is thin though).

Ah well... Anybody have any advice or anything?

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awe crap, poor jemma... not much advice to offer, sorry... but it is common in thick-coated dogs (like akitas) if moisture gets trapped near the skin, hot spots can form... all that swimming, hot muggy weather, uugghh! keep us posted as to what the vet says!

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for Jemma! I don't have any advice but to wait and see what the vet has to say. I wonder if there was something in the water she was allergic to? The hair loss is kinda weird, though. Poor baby! I hope she feels better after seeing the vet.

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Thanks... I tried... I dried her off the best I could, but I guess river dogs can only take so much... Why they make swimmy labs with husky fur is beyond me. I mean, look at that punum! How can I keep her dry!?

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Originally Posted by Skryker
for Jemma! I don't have any advice but to wait and see what the vet has to say. I wonder if there was something in the water she was allergic to? The hair loss is kinda weird, though. Poor baby! I hope she feels better after seeing the vet.

oh, she's allergic to the world! I keep saying the minute I get a job, she's getting the whole allergy work up... But somehow I don't think this is allergies. Just the way it's all over and raw- she hasn't even scratched it because it's all on her back and unreachable. Looks like hot spots people posted before... We'll see... I hope it's not allergies. I hope it's not anything really...

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Harley is almost finished with his under his chin and on the lip. I used chlorihexidene on it, worked like a charm. I tried everything else to no avail, that worked best with a good shave

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I would suggest an oatmeal bath for itchiness, but if this is caused by being wet, I don't suppose that would help... Oh, and you are allergic to oats, right? So you probably don't want to do that! Or have oats on hand, either.

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Originally Posted by Rottielover
Harley is almost finished with his under his chin and on the lip. I used chlorihexidene on it, worked like a charm. I tried everything else to no avail, that worked best with a good shave

Is that was Harley's turned out to be? Hotspots? 'Cause I just got a diagnosis of dog acne on my beasties' chins. I'm suppose to hot compress 2x daily for a couple of weeks; if that doesn't clear it up, then antibiotics. Sorry for the thread-jack, Prin.

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It doesn't sound like a hot spot. It is probably some sort of skin infection from swimming in the lake/river. She will probably need antibiotics to clear it up. Chloe use to get rashes like you described after swimming. Sometimes they got so bad it would take two rounds of antibiotics. The vet told me it was the same thing as swimmer's itch which is a parasite from water fowl. Since she began eating Solid Gold and Seameal she has had only one small infection. I noticed yesterday that she has begun scratching so I suspect she may be starting one again. A few weeks ago I ran out of Seameal and have not bought a new supply yet. I'm a bad mommy.

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Originally Posted by Skryker
I would suggest an oatmeal bath for itchiness, but if this is caused by being wet, I don't suppose that would help... Oh, and you are allergic to oats, right? So you probably don't want to do that! Or have oats on hand, either.

lol Nope, no oats in the house... I'm not allergic to them on the outside though, so it's not such a bad idea.

It is probably some sort of skin infection from swimming in the lake/river. She will probably need antibiotics to clear it up. Chloe use to get rashes like you described after swimming.
Aw that's what I was hoping it wasn't... We'll see... Boo doesn't have anything though, but then again, Jemma's skin is more susceptible anyway. It's just so raw- if it wasn't all over, I would have thought it was really just a scrape from playing hard with Boo. We'll see... My poor baby though- she has the best fur of any dog I've ever met. :( Just goes to show that good looks are fleeting.

I bought an anti-yeasty probiotic mix for her yesterday (for her ears- from swimming).. Maybe that'll help with the back thing too. It's all the best bacteria...

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Dopn't you just feel awful when you can't even explain to them what's going on. Poor baby ! I hope the vet has some encouraging words and knows how to get her feeling better fast !

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Prin I hope Jemmas itchy back gets better - poor baby

if you do use oatmeal here is a little tip - use an electric coffee grinder to grind into a fine powder - and throw it in the bath water - you can also stick it in a nylon stocking to stop it from staining the bath tub real bad. (Learned that when my kids had the chicken pox.

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Aw that's what I was hoping it wasn't... We'll see... Boo doesn't have anything though, but then again, Jemma's skin is more susceptible anyway.

Out of my three dogs Chloe is the only one that is prone to skin infections after swimming so this may explain why Jemma is the only one affected.
I was advised not to use Oatmeal shampoos on Chloe when she had the infections but I can't remember the reasoning. It did make sense at the time.
A vet tech told me to blow dry her after swimming because that may kill off the parasites. On a golden retriever with so much fur that is easier said than done.

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Well, he thought it was more likely allergies with a staph infection, but being that she swam with ducks, he treated her for parasites too. He said it was lucky I noticed now because within a week, she probably would have lost all her fur... So she didn't get shaved, and it wasn't a giant hotspot, so at least that's good news.

2 pills a day for a week.

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get well soon jemma!



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Thanks.

It was sort of funny... One of the injections he gave was a little painful and Jemma's reaction was so delayed.. It was like:
*gives shot*
.

.

.

.

grrr!!!

lol she turned around to growl at him and he was already gone. Poor doggy though.

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Poor Jemma (and Prin). The delayed reaction thing is funny. Sure hope she's feeling better soon. Glad to hear they didn't have to shave her. Is she going to be allowed to go swimming again or did the vet suggest not. I would assume at least not until she's cleared up. What about a baby pool so that you don't have to worry about the river bugs? My old dog used to love her pool. Chase the ball around the yard, dive in the pool, sprawl out to cool off. Chase the ball around the yard, dive in the pool.... It really annoyed her when the neighbours kids would get in with her

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He didn't say anything about swimming other than to hose her off after from now on... But the kiddie pool is a good idea. I'll have to break it out for her. It'll probably soothe her skin a bit...

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Hey Prin, try picking up some Oil of Oregano from a pharmacy or nutrition shop. Its got FABULOUS antiseptic/anti-bacterial properties and can be applied topically as well as ingested. (Its also terrific for a sore throat) The dropper that comes with the bottle should make it easy to get through her coat to the site for application.

Its wicked strong tasting but can be ingested under the tongue or diluted in water. (1-5 drops to a glass of water)

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