97 Tips for Raising Labs
Following are approximately 97 questions readers of BigYellowDog.com submitted in recent years. They were answered by a licensed veterinarian on the site as a general service to all Lab owners. This information is for general reference only. Always consult your veterinarian for any questions about your Lab's health. We hope this information is somewhat helpful. At this time, we are not accepting any more questions.
Question
For the past three summers, our 9-year-old lab has had a serious skin irritation. Small spots that scab over and then fall off, taking the hair with them. She ends up half bald. This goes on for several months. The first year that this happened, we had her tested for mange, mites and allergies. There was a list of approximately 6-8 culprits, none of which we were able to narrow done conclusively. Now we have met two other Lab owners who have experienced the exact same symptoms. All have occurred after the dogs have done extensive swimming. One owner was told that it was a parasite in the water left by birds. My own vet is not familiar with this and I wondered if you had any further information or advice. Although Chelsea seems to feel fine, she is itchy and often scratches. We are bathing her with a special bath solution, however it only provides relief for a couple of days. Any ideas you might have, would be sincerely appreciated.
Answer
It depends on whether or not your dogs problem only occurs certain times of the year or year around. I would suspect that this is a seasonal allergy problem unless you live in a year-round warm climate, in which case it may be an all-the-time problem.
It seems your dog is suffering from secondary bacterial infections due to swimming in ponds,etc.. In the last few years we are seeing more and more cases of retriever breeds with more severe allergy problems. Most of the allergies are due to their breeding, which makes them more sensitive to the environment.
I would recommend after your dog swims to
make sure and bathe your dog in a hypo-allergenic shampoo such as an oatmeal
bath and make sure the dog is dried. This will prevent your dog from getting
secondary bacterial infections due to the pond water and dampness of his/her
coat. Also if there are any spots of broken skin your dog should be on
antibiotics or it will be hard for the skin to heal.
Some dogs also have to be put on an antihistamine along with the frequent baths to keep this problem under control. It is not harmful to bathe your dog as often as needed
to prevent this problem if you use a good hypo-allergenic shampoo. Be careful
not to use human shampoos or cheap dog shampoos. Go to a good pet supply and
buy a quality shampoo so as not to dry your dog's coat out.
