Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am reaching out to find out what other owners do. I have a Cocker Spaniel that is about 5 years old (Ripkin...we are a baseball family). Ripkin has had health issues since he was a puppy. I have been to several vets and a dermatologist. He has constant ear infections, a black belly, chews at his legs, flakes all down his back and neck, patches of skin missing, and extremely stinky. He chews and itches until it bleeds.
I have switched his food so he is now on a vegetarian diet that I get from the Vet, Royal Canin. He responds well to antibiotics and a strong steroid but then when he is off he goes right back to this condition.
His smell is almost unbearable at times. He has little to no energy. He is on a thyroid medicine which helps some. Everyone who meets him, including the vets, mistake him for an older dog.
My husband recently discovered the thousands we spend on Ripkin yearly and is quite frustrated especially since we have seen no real improvement. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep spending the money on treatments that are temporary.
Any suggestions? Ripkin is the sweetest dog ever and I hate to see him like this. I had one doctor tell me most people would have put him down by now. I can't imagine that there isn't something that can be done.
I was told he has food allergies along with seasonal and outdoor allergies.
None of the vets has mentioned the possibility of a fungal infection? Not one that is strictly topical, but one that has worked it's way into the blood.
Stinky, to me, says Thrush.
He goes to the vet about every 4-6wks. He has medicated shampoo and it is recommended that I give him a bath 3-4 times a week. The bath makes his skin feel smoother but doesn't help with the odor
They do scrapings and say that he has so many infections that they can't all be identified. Then they medicate him.
That's rough! Poor pup- and poor you for all the frustration.
Get some apple cider vinegar, Braggs if you can find it, give him a bath with some oatmeal shampoo. Once he is clean, give him a vinegar rinse. Mix about a 1/2 cup to a gallon of water. If he will stand in a plastic tub, then you can just keep pouring the mix over him, get a soft towel and make sure it gets into any cracks or folds.
Be careful though, any open wounds (chewed spots) will sting from the vinegar.
It is hard to describe...Yeasty/rotten/foul. At times it is so bad that my 3 year old will ask to sleep somewhere else to get away from it.
I keep him shaved as much as possible because this helps. Of course, he is much cuter all fluffy. When shaved he has big bald spots and flakes. I try getting the flakes off but he usually ends up bleeding.
He needs a complete detox and then he needs to go onto a yeast killing diet. If he has secondary skin infections like staph, these need to be brought under control before the detox. Grain free diet, raw if you can commit to it, no grain based treats, apple cider vinegar in the water dish each day and a weekly bath treatment/soak in something antibacterial like Tea Tree shampoo formulated for dogs, followed by a strong vinegar rinse. If his ears are chronic and clogged, I have had the best success using a flush treatment with a warm water sprayer - you need a vet or a groomer with years of experience to help you with this. The hair inside and around the top 1/3 of his ears should also be shaved to the skin to lighten the ear leather and remove hair that blocks air flow into the ears.
If your vet is continually throwing antibiotics and steroids at the dog, find a holistic vet. This will only worsen the cycle over time. I have seen a Cocker die from this sort of approach - it's immune system eventually completely broke down after years of vets throwing these drug cocktails at it while never addressing the underlying issue and cause.
This is a systematic issue with Cockers and it needs to be treated from the inside out. It is not an overnight fix. It is a diet and lifestyle change that takes dedication on the owners part.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
