# Skin issues/allergies



## Harryvizslas (Jan 2, 2021)

Wondering if anyone can help with an issue we're having with our 5yr old vizsla. He has massive reactions to something, possibly insects. The reaction always culminates in a swelling, metallic smelling yellow puss then large area of hair loss. We have been to the vets (2) on many occasions and have also been to a Dermatologist. We have ruled out food, plants (the issues is always on his back, shoulders), mites etc. He has omega oil (but I'm upping his fish after reading some other posts as he does have scaly skin too when it goes).
The vet has thrown everything at him and all that seems to help is bathing. I have been reading about Sebaceous Adenitus, but not sure that comes in such a reactive way. Does anyone recognise these symptoms? I am in Australia and have recently moved from nth Qld hoping the cooler climate will help (not so far).


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## Mia1239 (Apr 23, 2021)

Hi Harry - my 2 year old Vizsla has the exact same skin reaction. Did you figure out what was causing it?


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## Harryvizslas (Jan 2, 2021)

Hey Mia, well yes and no. There's a few things with Mojo but he still has some issues! At this time we lived in the tropics in North QLD, heat humidity and insects were a factor. Through seeing a vet dermatologist we also established he was allergic to beef. He also VASTLY improved on a raw diet. He is actually in a cooler climate now and due to a three week road trip with him we let the raw food lapse (gradually reintroduced). I think Raw is the way forward but need to research suppliers in our new area. A really good vet in our area has recently diagnosed him with a yeast infection, his ears, eyes and coat are regularly affected. Maddening none of the previous vets ever picked this up. He has various washes now, in particular Apple cider vineger, silver colloidal seem to help here. Saline bathing and cleaning of the sore bits always helped. As people on here have identified an inbalance of skin cultures can be a secondary symptom of something else. Hes had bloods before but is having more to rule out thyroid, immune system etc. That probably doesn't really help, as you know they are prone to skin allergies so best to get to a vet, check food etc. 

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## alfie's mum (Jun 18, 2020)

Harryvizslas said:


> Hey Mia, well yes and no. There's a few things with Mojo but he still has some issues! At this time we lived in the tropics in North QLD, heat humidity and insects were a factor. Through seeing a vet dermatologist we also established he was allergic to beef. He also VASTLY improved on a raw diet. He is actually in a cooler climate now and due to a three week road trip with him we let the raw food lapse (gradually reintroduced). I think Raw is the way forward but need to research suppliers in our new area. A really good vet in our area has recently diagnosed him with a yeast infection, his ears, eyes and coat are regularly affected. Maddening none of the previous vets ever picked this up. He has various washes now, in particular Apple cider vineger, silver colloidal seem to help here. Saline bathing and cleaning of the sore bits always helped. As people on here have identified an inbalance of skin cultures can be a secondary symptom of something else. Hes had bloods before but is having more to rule out thyroid, immune system etc. That probably doesn't really help, as you know they are prone to skin allergies so best to get to a vet, check food etc.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


Hi Harry,
I'm sure you've found some good options by now, but we're located just outside of Byron, NSW and have recently discovered the 'Big Dog' raw food brand and are loving it. We've always made his food ourselves but actually discovered it before a camping trip as its super convenient to travel with. Our boy loves it too and its human-grade meat with really great ingredients for a balanced diet. We're also battling skin issues which I definitely think has a lot to due with the humidity, but also we believe to be an environmental allergy as well as it always gets worse the more time he spends outside. Unfortunately our property is quite overgrown in some areas so it's impossible to isolate which plants are affecting him the most and also would be impossible to get rid of them. We've had him allergy tested and he came back positive for so many different species of grass and trees, its unavoidable. Anyways we just started him on a probiotic and have also been using the apple cider vinegar baths as well, which seems to work really well for the itching. Please keep in touch if you discover any new cures!!


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## Travelstar (Nov 18, 2020)

Our girl and now our boy both are allergic to chicken. A straw poll of our local vizsla friends also seem to find chicken often a cause of issues. In our case it caused a lot of scratching & bad ears for our girl, and diarrhoea for our boy. It took a good three months of keeping our dogs away from it before the issues went away.

The vet and our trainer both feel chicken is often the most likely meat to cause problems for dogs, despite it being the most common meat in food.

I should add that in the last few weeks, we have discovered lamb is also a no go zone for the same reasons.

We now stick to fish and veg which seems to keep their poos well forms, scratching at bay and ears clear. Our girl however likely has another environmental factor, so we have added 'cytopoint' to the mix, which is a monthly injection. Specifically it binds to the excess histamines and keeps things in check. That said, if she has chicken or lamb, things will still flare regardless of the injection.

As our specialist vet reminds me, 'you did get a dog breed known for having allergies', and sadly she is right - most of our local vizsla owners seem to agree.


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