I also meant to say that fuciderm is our life saver with Ella, we do put it on her sparingly, but we definitely put it on her every night.

The spray we use is called cortavance.

We use the episoothe shampoo and I must say this does help too and last week our own vet had been to a conference on skin problems and we now have Virbac Microbex shampoo too.

We are willing to try anything.

Oh wow thank you so much, had no idea skin scrapings can show up differently to allergy tests done without a reaction!

I looked into intradermal skin testing a *lot* and would have had that done if we felt the problem was environmental but the vets didn't they thought food with his tummy troubles too. So I asked for the food allergy blood test and it came back as environmental, and the blood tests are not meant to be as accurate so I am a bit doubtful of the results to be honest

I know what you mean re she still has issues, but you can attempt to keep her away from them as much as possible and the like? Rupert does seem quite lucky how its only every three months but this time around with his groin rash after all his vet treatment he was crashing into walls then rolling on the floor growling and then howling his heart out, the way they're getting so much worse each time makes me want to really find out what is causing this for him.

Will mention to my vets when I next speak to them about a referral to a specialist. The vet I prefer there has a certificate in dermatology but I think that's the lowest qualification for it.

Where are you? If you are anywhere near Bristol I would
recommend a visit to Nick Thompson. If
not check out homeopathic vets in your area.

I'm on virtually the same with my old gsd who suffers with atopy (has done all his life) and I always found his skin problems went along with horrendous ear problems flaring up, sometimes to the extent we were on ab's for about 3 months, GA to flush them out etc. and nowadays, I have to make sure I use an ear cleaner at least once a week to keep them as good as I can.

That rash really looks bad and sore, but of course, I've seen it with mine many a time, and apart from using the Epi-soothe (it's oat based, nice and calming) religeously every week, along with Fuciderm (my life saver!) I can't offer much more in the way of advice. I have found good results with Hibiscrub (another life saver), but I would never use it when the rash has flared up to that extent you want something nice and soothing. I use soothing creams afterwards too, such as Sudocreme, Vitamin E cream etc. and that really does help to calm it all down. Aloa Vera gel did nothing.

We had every test going for allergies and he too is allergic to just about everything. He has to be kept on salmon and potato because the vet thinks that salmon is beneficial to him and I must never take him off it.

Have you tried the Piriton route yet? This keeps control of the immune system, stopping it reacting wildly to everything he's allergic to, it might be worth a try?

We're at the stage now with ours, he has cushings, he has no immune system left (or so the vet tells me), so we're on a maintaince programme with him, whereby we have one week on and two weeks off of ab's (Cephacare specifically for skin) and so far so good.

Regarding those stomach problems, again I had the very same, and my vet suggested he needed more fibre too, and told me to add Oatbran to his food (he said he does this with his own dogs each day because it keeps the digestive system in good order). Again, so far so good on that front too.

What about bedding? I found my dog to be more comfortable on cotton sheets rather than any sort of blankets, so I use duvet covers on his bed which I wash almost every day without fabric conditioner of course, and non bio detergent.

I also have to make sure he has a Stronghold administered every single month to keep those biting mites at bay, because they're the ones that get into the ears and start aggravating them again.

Good luck, I do hope you get some results with a specialist.

I'm in Essex so quite a way sadly

Fantastic thanks for all the info

Aloe Vera gel was something I was going to look into but I will cross that off my list for now. Sudocrem and Aqueous Calamine creams haven't helped him at all in the past sadly

When you mention Piriton do you mean long term? He got some the other day when his ears flaired up but they didn't seem to help and at his check up he had to have a steroid shot. That was the first time we tried them though and I think I have heard of people giving a tablet daily even when there appears to be no flair up is that something I should ask the vet about?

Rupert doesn't strictly have a bed, he has a crate with vet bed in but he doesn't spend huge amounts of time in there (he prefers the edge of my bed but is quite often on the floor). I would say he spends most of his time on the floor to be honest which is just floorboards we've no carpets just rugs and not got any real way to clean them except spray stuff

So sorry to hear your boy has cushings, hope he is doing OK. My Dad's westie has had it for three years and my godmum's spaniel has had it about 18 months and both are doing well, hopefully your lad will do well too!

Yes, he's doing ok, but only because of the current ab's he's on, because of course, having cushings, he now has demodectic mange to go along with his atopy, because as the vet explained to me, all dogs have this particular mange, but their immune systems can keep it at bay (hence the reason my 2nd dog hasn't caught it!), but when you have a dog with cushings, no immune system to fight it, it's another ongoing battle

One thing I did forget to mention is, although my dog used to have the steroid jabs on a very regular basis, sometimes they worked for a week, sometimes they worked for a whole month, or I used to give him the prednisolone's prescribed for a couple of weeks or so, BUT, when we had a break for a whole year due to an enlarged liver problem (oh that was a complete nightmare!!), a new vet prescribed him another steroid tablet for me to give him on a daily basis, which is Medrone-v 4mg, and I have to say, since giving him these tablets, it's a different world! He stopped scratching INSTANTLY and hardly ever scratched for about 2 years, until of course, he got the cushings so we're pretty much back to square one again, but with a different type of rash now!

Ask your vet about the medrone-v and whether he thinks it might improve the situatiion for your poor dog if he could have one of those a day instead of the constant injections and ab's because it could actually work just like it did for my boy. It's a VERY low dose, especially when you get down to one every other day, it's insignificant really, but if it helps keep that skin calm then you're on a winner! All the best, hope some of that helps.

oh how horrible for you and your dog

My dog has mallesizia and hyper allergic skin desiese.

She actually comes up with new things to be allergic to all the time. Fabreez is her latest one. But also every dog shampoo ive tried bar malaseb, all washing powders bar fairy, every flea treatment but i use stronghold as she has a minimal reaction to that, most cleaning products so i can only use dettol downstairs and when i clean the carpets i cant add the shampoo to the water. My mum who has ocd mopped my kitchen with bleach last week while i went and walked phoebe i had no idea and it took me ages to fiqure out why her groin tummy chest and elbows were red raw and it looked just like your photo but it did go after a bath and i remopped the floor with the dettol. We see a skin specialist and i strongly reccomend trying to see one, but you may have to accept like me and others there is no cure just management.