# Please help!! Need Advice



## Samshagav03 (Feb 22, 2016)

Hi - My Golden is 11 years old and has been very healthy his whole life. This past summer he developed hot spots which the Vet said was normal and put him on on a steroid. The spots went away but he has been itching ever since. He is on allergy medicine and just finished an antibiotic course for skin afflictions. He is still itching We changed his food and put him on a fish based food without grains. We have been trying everything but nothing helps. He is up all night itching or moaning and panting. I should also mention he has developed bumps under his skin - the vet said they are benign and most goldens get them as they get older but several of them have popped up overnight. Anyone have a suggestion of what else I can try to help him?? I'd really appreciate the advice. Thank you so much in advance!!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear your boy is having some problems. 

Since he is on allergy meds, did your Vet do testing to determine what he's allergic to?

What type of treats are you feeding him? There could be an ingredient in them if you give him treats that is causing the problem. 

Do you use any type of flea/tick meds? If so that could be irritating him too.


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## Elsa Cholla's Mom (Feb 8, 2016)

At some point you may to start from the beginning. If the allergy meds are not helping, (do they?) I would consider them suspicious too. I have personal allergy/auto-immune issues, and I have become allergic to most allergy meds. If you start thinking of it as an auto-immune issue, then consider looking into what would support his immune system. Not sure what immune support is best for dogs.

Also consider what in his environment could have put his immune system over the top. Did you paint, get new carpets or rugs, new furniture, etc. Start using new detergent, cleaner, or air freshener? It may not be just a food issue. 

Do you do anything topical to help him out? We use to use olive oil to help ease the discomfort for my daughter's dog's hot spots. Licking it off can only help. In Odin's case, cutting out all human food and putting fish oil pills in his food stopped it. Sounds like your dog has a bigger problem with it.


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## KBDean (May 22, 2015)

I am currently going through the same things at the moment! I am slowly learning what works with my boys and what doesn't. I found that lamb ingredients were causing the hot spots to intensify. From my research so far, lamb is a "hot protein" and is common with causing hot spots (apparently) - has anyone else heard this before?

I have been suggested a product that I can get here in Australia - not sure if you can get it - but it's called Essential 6. It's a topical treatment that you can add to the coat which is an oil base. Currently though I have cut out lamb, including in treats, and am using a 6:1 ratio fish oil tablets, and a mix of omega oils such as sunflower oil and flaxseed oil. You can also use a high potency vitamin c - i get mine from here: Natural Animal Solutions - Skin Allergies - if your dog is fussy maybe start with the oils first.

Hope this helps!!


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

As dogs age they can develop food allergies.
Our Collie-husky cross became allergic to beef, so we switched to lamb & rice.
Our current golden was getting hot spots on chicken so we're now she on salmon based food. Sounds like you've tried that.
Also too high protein in their diet can cause problems in aging dogs.


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

When we switched Chance over to grain-free food, he never got another hot spot. Might be worth trying for your Golden.


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## gldngrlt (Feb 24, 2016)

Hi, my sister in law went through this with her Jack. It took forever to find the right diet. Also, just a thought, but I've recently switched to a holistic vet. Unfortunately, there's some things used to treat problems that can actually make it worse. It's amazing to find out about alternatives to some medications.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Welcome to the Forum!

Bumps under the skin might be a sebhorrehic disorder, where something causes the body to produce too much oil. The bumps that form tend to be very itchy and sometimes split open and ooze - at least in humans. I've seen some references that show this is the case for dogs, too.

While you investigate allergic conditions, as others have suggested, giving your boy some relief is important. We have had good luck with Douxo Mousse for a variety of skin conditions. There is a product specifically for allergies and another for seborrhea. Here's a link to the company site:DOUXO. I have not been able to find the products locally, but searching on Amazon helped us find vendors.

Good luck and please keep us posted.


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