Lawson has a rash, belly, genitals, pits. Warm to touch but not weeping or crusted, not mange and not ezcema. Vet visit today, possible reaction to a flea bite and atopic reaction. He had a steriod shot to decrease the itching of which there is not much, vet was surprised he was'nt beside himself with scratching but he is'nt and has'nt. Is on steriods for the next 2 weeks in decreasing doseages, no red meat, no dairy, no cereal based food, NO KABANA BRIBES Once the rash settles I re intro each food to him for a few days and watch for a reaction. Apparently some dogs have a reaction from a flea bite which reacts with an atopic allergin like a pollen, grass, dust or a foodstuff. Either of which alone cause no reaction but when a flea bite occurs out comes the itchy dragon
His rash has decreased already in a few hours and hopefully this will be the end of it if I can localise the allergin trigger it will be easier again, rather do it by way of elimination than subject him to blood tests and skin scrapes. Should take about two weeks to sort through his diet and eliminate what it could be. Live and learn

Have you recently washed the bedding he sleeps on? Used carpet deodorizers? Changed detergants or cleaning products? Sometimes this change can trigger a skin reaction. When I worked for my vet clinic we had lots of animals come in that had reactions to all kinds of different products when a change occured.

Has the vet considered that it might be a Bacterial Infection, they often have Redness, pustules or bumps and sometimes itching. This often occurs as a result of another condition such as a parasite, allergic, or hormonal condition. A microscopic examination of smear along with a culture would tell. They usually treat underlying condition and use topical and/or oral antibiotics…. You may want to ask about a culture if things don’t clear up fast.

Allergic and irritant contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction following exposure to metals such as nickel; materials such as rubber, wool, and plastic; and chemicals such as dyes and carpet deodorizers; or inflammation caused by irritating substances such as poison ivy. Generally requires multiple exposures. The symptoms are generally red skin and small bumps or blisters on the areas of skin that are sparsely haired and directly exposed to the offending substance, itching; hair loss in chronic conditions. The vet can perform a patch test, exclusion trials to figure out the reaction pattern. Once determined treament would include restricting exposure to the allergen or contact irritant in the dog's environment; steroids, antihistamines.

Hope some of this helps...keep us posted on how things are going.

Karolina Koolies

Karolina,
No change to environs, with the exception of an area where there were tree branches drying and we moved them from the area as its to be part of a kitchen garden..Lawson took to laying there in the morning sun with Gem. But Gem does not have this rash. Dog physiologies are diverse but if this was totally attributable to one cause, the vet thinks Gem would have it too. Hence, the theory that it is atopical reaction to a flea bite. Parasictic and bacterial causation was ruled out as it is in a confined area how that works I dunno.
As of today, there is almost no sign of the rash being there. He starts his steriods tomorrow.

Glad to hear it is getting better... keep us posted. I know how it is to worry.

Karolina Koolies

Hi Lawson Legend

Just a thought, Has your dog been for a swim anywhere as a lot of these problems occur when a dog swims in an area that may have some nasties in the water.
Am glad to see things are improving

Jack Wilja Koolies

Hi Jack, No, he has'nt been near the water for ages..would'nt let mine in the creek here. Only beach and dam on relatives property but not since March.
HE's got no sign of a rash now and his skin is not even rough and there are no signs of ill effects on him ( scaling, scabbing, dry or flaky skin) that Brony ( vet) told me to watch for. Today, we re introduce red meat but to date no new reactions
Will keep you posted