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I have a 8 year old golden. I was wondering, does anyone else have goldens that have lots of skin problems as well as other problems? Dusty, he's about 98 lbs, a huge golden! He's the sweestest dog ever but as he's getting older, he's been having a lot of problems. First, in the summer, he get's hot spots that are so unbearable for him. So we clean the spots for him all the time. For awhile, we had to clean his ears twice a day due to too much wax and dirt buildup. Now, he can barely use his hind legs. He gets really excited when people come home and I think he forgets that he's older now b/c he'll run in circles b/c he's so happy. He ends up hurting his hind legs by slipping. It's so sad! Our floors are wood so we bought carpet and made him a path all over the house so that he will be more comfortable when walking... We took him to the vet yesterday and they said he needs surgery. They gave us some medications and they are going to see him again on Monday and decide for sure if he is a good candidate for surgery.
Oh and his newest thing is that he is constantly licking himself. Vet said it's allergies. We already tried the allergy shots but after he gets the shot, Dusty throws up.
Anyways, if any of you have experiences like this, pls let me know what i can do to help him feel better. Thank you.
Goldens are prone to skin issues. Summer times, he may be more comfortable if you get him a "puppy cut". It will help with those hot spots. Hind legs is most likely due to some level of hip dyplasia. Most larger dogs, again, are prone and it sometimes depends on their breeding. You may want to take some of that weight off of him. It will help ease that problem. The ears...floppy eared dogs..living in a humid climate = yeast infections. Not sure where you live, but some panalog should clear that up. Normal wax build-up does not happen every day. Eight years old is not that old...Most of mine have gotten to 14-15. I have 2 now...13 and 8.
My Golden used to get very bad allergy hot spots in the summer, very bad, on his abdomen. Our vet put him on DermCaps Extra Strength daily and a multivitamin twice a day. Also, he gets a "puppy cut" every summer as ShelbyGirl1 said. We also bath him once a month with the RX med shampoo. If he has a hot spot starting, she gave us a steroid creme to apply,too. All these treatments have helped SO much. He is 95% better now.
My dear Dana (4 y/o) is allergic to cat's fleas. We discovered when my cousing, living with us at that time, rescued a feral kitten (and of course, after blood work, etc. to confirm). My dog had very red, raw, hot spots of skin on the abdomen and "armpits" (you know what I mean LOL), hair loss and infection due to the scratching.
She has had two really severe allergic reactions and doc gave her antibiotics for a month, a lotion for the skin and after that, frontline every 15 days for a couple of months.
Now we live in a place full of cat's owners so Frontline is my only solution. During summer we use anti-fleas shampoos to alternate a bit. (Doc said the fleas can resist Frontline -or any other product- if we use it too often).
The ear infection also comes with the skin problem, so we use ear rince usually to make it better for her.
The problem is, pure breed dogs have more sensitive stomachs, so it's not unusual for your Dusty to get sick after the shot.
Is he having hip dysplasia or something? Why does he need surgery?
Titan gets red itchy bumps in the summer (we live in SD, very cold winters) that will usually scab over within a week or so, scratches till he's raw. Allergy meds and Oatmeal shampoo and conditioners helped sooooo much.
It sounds to me like the hot spots, ear problems, and allergies could all be diet related. I've owned Golden Retrievers and, other than hip dysplasia problems when they reached 9 or 10 years old or older, I never had any problems. I feed my dogs Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, and I add Glucosamine to their diet when they reach 9 or 10 years old to help with hip dysplasia.
i would agree with changing his diet. i have a 10 yr old newfoundland and he has had many similar problems of your golden i.e. the itching, hotspots, allergies. he has went to the vet so many times and has had allergy shots, antiobiotics, ect, and it would get better temporarilty but would always come back once the medicine wore off. it used to only happen in the summer, but as he has gotten older, it has gotten worse. i also tried the oatmeal baths to help soothe his skin. just about a month ago, we switched his food, and are starting to see results. he has a bald spot on his chest from his allergies, and hair is starting to grow back. he is itching a lot less, just here and there. his coat is not so dry and is getting its natural oils back. the food we have him on is prescription dog food and has really helped his allergies. do you give him a certain type of people food quite often too? he could be allergic to that. good luck!
Went to antigen shots and a prescription hypoallergenic diet on our collie. All her hair has grown back and she only has the mildest of symptoms now.
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