On top of everything Charlie is not well - itchy skin

As if things couldn't get worse with the animals, Charlie has been to the vet today, now, he has always had bad dandruff but it's never bothered him, he's 7 and it's just Charlie and his skin type but lately he's been itching. He's been flea'd and wormed and I can't find any fleas on him.

It's just localised to his rump really, his thighs are fine and everywhere else is fine. The vet sort of scrubbed some of the flakes onto some paper, then got some straight of his skin with sticky tape, then did slides with these but found nothing.

Then he was on about testing for burrowing mites, basically mange, now I have never seen a dog with mange but I have read about it in depth, I don't think it is, my dad rescued a dog covered in mange, he doesn't think it is, there are 3 tests in all (one also for fungus and one something else I can't remember) and all in all totally over £100. Obviously it's not an issue if I have to pay it but I felt the vet didn't give me any real advice about what he thought it might be, he seemed clueless and advised me on the tests. I said i'd read up on mange and to me it didn't look symptomatic and that's lot of money to pay for it to come back negative, he has sensitive skin anyway and i'm thinking its more to do with that.

Also, he sleeps with the girls, and they are all fine, which leads me to believe it's nothing contagious surely?

Anyway, I was sent away with a bottle of Malaseb and see how we go but if he doesn't improve I shall take him back to my old vet. It's 3x the distance but at least I never felt they were just money grabbing and they gave me a proper opinion there. This new one is convenient but I think they are just trying to get as money out of you as they can.

My old vet charged an initial consultation and not again after that, just treatment if it was for the same problem within a certain time frame, when I asked today at this new place the nurse said you have to pay a consultation every time. No thanks.

So in a bit of a huff, nearly £30 for a farting wee bottle of shampoo, bah!

oh Hun, what a time of it you're having.

I think there are various types of mites and some are even carried by healthy dogs with no adverse reactions - it is only when the dog's immune system is not 100% that they cause problems.

Some of the flea treatments will kill some kinds of mite - do you know which flea treatment you used...may be worth looking at the others.

Have you changed your washing powder recently (just wondering if his bedding is causing irritation, though I wouldn't have expected it to be on his rump if that was the case).

Fingers crossed the malaseb does the trick. xx

This sounds just like Cassie had as a puppy, lots and white scaley bits on her rump area only, kind of like dandruff, just like you are describing. Back then, I forked out £700 in total to see the skin specialist, who did no end of tests and came up with nothing, except the shampoo's the de-fleaing again blah, blah, blah.

Now I know all about that Malaseb (for Georgie), and I don't know whether that is the one with oats in it or not, but maybe that's the Sebomild??? Either way Kel, you need to use the one with the oats, which is a skin CALMING, soothing, conditioning shampoo, coz the other one is for killing off bacterial, so check out the label, and I will do the same with my bottles I have for Georgie.

The one I'm talking about, lathers up so soft and creamy and I'm sure it will actually get rid of this dry, flaky skin condition. I think you have to leave it on for a few minutes also, it will help a lot if you can do that, but I never bother, Georgie won't stay in the shower long enough, and when there's two of us in there it gets a bit steamy!

I don't knowanything about mange, never seen it, never had it with any of my dogs, but I will say from what you are describing it sounds just like Cassie had, and hers just disappeared, and yet she had it from the first day we brought her home, and I honestly don't know what it was either. Good luck, check out that label coz you really want that oaty one ok!

just to say really that oats work really well on the skin, as Luca has bad excema flareups and we use an oats based skin cream, and also oats in the bath.

You could try a muslin or pair of tights filled with porridge oats and run it under the hot tap to get the oaty water and then use like a sponge on charlies sore bits- it should help to calm the skin down and its got no chemical reactions etc..

good luck kel xxx

Thanks Fiona, no I haven't changed powder or done anything like spraying as I have racked my brains but I know he has sensitive skin so i'm careful how I was the beds anyway. He has been frontlined up to date, the vet said it could also be ringworm which I have also looked up and read and saw the pics and it doesn't look like that either, he did say however, if it was a parasite/mite etc it is very mild so far and to be honest, it's not gotten any better but it's also not gotten any worse as he's basically been itching about 2 weeks but as he has had skin problems before I have just bathed him and have gave it some time to clear up and because it hasn't he's been taken to the vet this time as it's never lasted as long before.

Thanks H that does sound just the same, I had never really done much looking into mange 'til recently, I suppose it's something you think your dog will never get if your clean e.t.c but it really doesn't look like any mange pictures I have seen but the ones online do look quiet severe, he doesn't have any bald patches or anything. I have tried looking at all sorts but can't see anything similar.

It is the non oaty one H that I have been given, for killing off bacteria, but I wasn't happy with the vet at all, he seemed to have no idea what it might be and was just advising on these tests for the answers. I will try the shampoo you suggested if this one has no joy, obviously if he gets any worse i'll take him back for the tests, but I will take him to my old vet where I know I will get proper advice. I don't mind paying money for a service but not when I come away feeling like there was no point in me going there.

Gosh i'm in a rotten mood today.

So is the oaty one the Sebomild then?

£12.10 online on the first site I looked on and they charged me £22.75 plus vat! This is why i'm suspicious!

Thanks Dani, I will give the oats a go when I have done with the malaseb so I know if one of them works which one it is! Poor Charlie and all these baths, he will be devastated! and probably prefer the dandruff!

Another thing is, I have never had a dandruff problem personally and I don't want to embarrass anyone but i'd be grateful to know, is it generally itchy to have a bad dandruff problem?

i would think it is as its flaky dry scalp so the skin is tight and flaking so i would imagine it is itchy>?

Thanks Dani, it's not like it's a totally unbearable itch like fleas, it's more he notices it when he's not doing anything, if he's busy he doesn't really stop to scratch, so it must be a mild irritating itch for him i'd think.