Skin issues... (allergy, bites, vet, black)

[kimba01]

Hi everyone,

I have a 3.5 yr old male Lhasa. His underside is getting all black. I see him fussing with it and licking there once in a while.

Had him at the groomers the other day and they said they think it is a skin allergy. Possibly to his food. Has anyone heard of this?

I just bought a big bag of Purina Little Bites for him. Groomer mentioned that there is food for sensitive skin issues. I have never heard of it.

Any advice, before I need to take him to the vet? I suppose it is cheaper to switch food and try that first...

[ShelbyGirl1]

It could be almost anything. I would think a vet visit is in order. Also...there are so much better foods out there than Purina! Here is a dog food analysis where it is given 1 Star! The best are 6 Stars!
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f.../cat/7/page/32

[leorah]

Darkening of the skin is called hyperpigmentation. It can be caused by allergies, but can also be a symptom of hypothyroidism, Cushings and other serious diseases.

As helpful as the folks on this forum are, no advice given here is sufficient to treat your dog's problem. You need to take your dog to a good veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Paying for a vet visit now will be much cheaper--and more humane--than waiting and trying new foods only to have your little guy get very ill because he has a serious disease that you didn't treat in time.

BTW, there are much better foods than Purina. Do a search on this forum and you'll find lots of advice and opinions. Dog food has been discussed here many times in great detail.

Please don't wait--make the vet appointment soon.

Good luck.

[kimba01]

Thanks for the info! I just didn't really want to take what the groomer said as gospel, but I thought they see and hear alot dealing with animals all day long.

I will make the appt. and look into changing dog food! Thanks again!

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by ShelbyGirl1

It could be almost anything. I would think a vet visit is in order. Also...there are so much better foods out there than Purina! Here is a dog food analysis where it is given 1 Star! The best are 6 Stars!
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f.../cat/7/page/32

Geesh, I really never knew all this dog food existed.. I really don't think I should be a dog owner as I am just not clearly as on top of it as I should be. Maybe I should just stick to kids.

Thank you for the enlightenment.

[Viralmd]

Make certain the the vet does a skin scraping for fungus!!!!

[steelstress]

Originally Posted by kimba01

Geesh, I really never knew all this dog food existed.. I really don't think I should be a dog owner as I am just not clearly as on top of it as I should be. Maybe I should just stick to kids.

Thank you for the enlightenment.

Hey, as you learned with your first kid, you'll learn with your dog. And you'll get tons of support here.

[Travel'r]

Originally Posted by kimba01

Geesh, I really never knew all this dog food existed.. I really don't think I should be a dog owner as I am just not clearly as on top of it as I should be. Maybe I should just stick to kids.

Thank you for the enlightenment.

Please don't think that. Our dogs, too, suffered from chronic skin irritations ("Hot Spots" chewed red) and also chronic ear (yeast) issues until I got on the Internet and stumbled upon all the dirty secrets of the popular "foods" which are, indeed, loaded with many allergens.

We had vets pushing their corn-soy- and other harmful filler-laden "foods" on our dogs and it wasn't until finding information (as on www.dogfoodanalysis.com and forums like this one & GlobalPaw) that our (last) dog was finally free of all the irritations and ear drops, and drugs which took their toll on the dogs' organs. We now knew to read the ingredients on the labels, and looked for specific named meat source(s) as the Main ingredients, and he (our last dog) finally cleared up -- ears and all.

We felt beyond horrible for having believed what the Ads and vets promote and put our dogs through all that -- I still battle the guilt -- which is why I pray you do check out the truths on the foods on dogfoodanalysis.com (and even spread the word) and perhaps consult a Holistic veterinarian for skin/allergy issues. They will guide you appropriately.

(They -- a TRUE Holistic -- have no ties with the commercial pet food companies, which actually find the veterinary universities, but that's another can of worms.)

[latetotheparty]

i have been trying all morning to get into the dog food anaylsis site and keep getting the "server issue" message......

is this a current link??

[ShelbyGirl1]

The one I posted is...not sure about the second...it works for me:
Dog Food Reviews - 1 Star Dry Dog Food - Powered by ReviewPost