# "Blue" Dogs! (and their skin conditions)



## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

Well, I wanted to start a thread that other 'blue' dog owners can share their stories about their dogs and their 'skin' issues. My hub and I recently purchased a blue min pin from a breeder and when we got him, she told us to just watch out for his skin because it is naturally more sensitive than non-blue min pins..SO, after she said this I immediately began research and found that indeed blue dogs of several breeds, dachshunds and dobermans to name a couple, ALSO have this sensitive skin issue.(this was confirmed by our vet as well) 

I wanted to share what so far (we have had Elvis for 3 weeks), and already we notice he has dry skin but also he was tested positive for Pyoderma that may/may not be in relation to his blueness. The flaky skin is not itchy to him but holy heck is the Pyoderma itchy..He got prescribed Mal-A-Ket medicated shampoo twice a week for 2 weeks to 'see if this works before resorting to antibiotics' ..We are on second dose of week 1 and no luck..He is still super itchy and it looks about the same..

Natural alternative I am trying in conjunction with the medicated shampoo are rubbing him down with coconut oil, yes, that coconut oil that is also great for humans..My husband and I love coconut oil on toast and pancakes too lol..But back to the doggy, I rub him down with coconut oil in the 'hot spots' twice a day and when we bathe him, I add some coconut oil in the shampoo. I also give him a small amount of coconut oil to ingest, as my research and reassuring from the vet, has led me to know that coconut oil has GREAT benefits for dogs both inside and out : Ingested-->great for their digestive system, for natural increased energy, it is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial properties, helps with doggy breath and Topical ---> healthy coat, neutralizes doggy smell, promotes healing to bites and stings, helps with eczema, itchiness, fungal infections and allergies, among many other benefits..THAT particular reason alone is why I am trying the coconut oil to begin with. I don't want to resort giving this 12 week old pup any prescribed lotions or antibiotics at such a young age..The shampoo is ok so far because his condition seems to be accelerated already..

I wanted to share this with others who 1. own 'blue' doggies, but 2. who may have/had a doggy with Pyoderma and you can share with me, what you tried, what helped and most importantly, how long did it take to heal? 

Thanks to everyone in advance


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I know with the blue and fawn Dobies, it is a real problem. Kris' mother was a blue. Kris was the only red, the others were black and tan. I would not have taken her if she had been a blue. Her mother had thinning hair on her head and sides but I know a lot of them end of almost bald. In the Doberman it is call Alopecia so don't know if it is the same thing as Pyoderma.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

When I was job shadowing I had an entire family (mother, father and two pups) of blue bully type dogs with skin issues come in.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

I have an 8 year old blue Weimaraner and the only issue we've had in all these years are his mildly dry skin, which is only an aesthetic thing as it doesn't bother him at all. 

My 9 month old standard gray colored Weimaraner had Pyoderma twice when he was a young pup, treated with antibiotic and was resolved in about a week, both instances. No biggie, pretty common in puppies. 


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## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

Alopecia is something that can occur in this min pin Kyllobernese, though Pyoderma is something else at this stage..BubbaMoose, I hope it's just a 'thing' that is common for pups bc we were all sad that already he had some issues with his skin/coat..From what I could find in my research, allegedly the more serious skin issues that blue dogs get (e.g. alopecia, baldness), happens when they are at least a couple of years old :S ... I sure hope the combo of shampoo and coconut oil helps bc I don't want to do antibiotics with the dog so young but I suppose if need be, we will..


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

The skin conditions found in dilute dogs (blue, isabella, ect) are not conditions CAUSED by the coloration but the coloration is one of the ingredients in the condition. So not all breeds of dilute dogs will have skin conditions, it just depends on if the breed or pedigree behind the dilute dog also contains these other genes that get activated by the dilute gene.


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## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

Interesting..So to update this post, It has been a week since we started that Mal-A-Ket shampoo on the dog and the skin seems to be either the same or slightly worse so I called the vet to ask specifically what bacteria they found on him when they tested him (the vet had mentioned Pyoderma), and they told me they found "cocci bacteria"..They told me to continue with the shampoo treatments for a few more days and if that still does not improve, to get antibiotics..Trouble is, I have done some reading on this cocci bacteria and it is troubling..It allegedly is fairly common on puppies, passed down from mom/other adult dogs in area where pup was born (he comes from a breeder of miniature pinschers where there are several other litters around him from day 1 of birth), it can affect sinuses (which may explain his watery eyes and sneezing?), it can be passed from dog to dog and a few other things..Has anyone had an experience with this on their dog, and if so, is this something that I should not worry too much about ? Oh gosh, I am really getting the feel of being a first time puppy owner :S


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

My advice would be to just listen to your vet.
I have experience with puppies with skin issues (Toby has some issues we've been dealing with since June), but I don't know what bacteria specifically was found on him. Currently he's on antibiotics again and similar to your pup, taking baths with a vet-prescribed medicated shampoo twice a week. 
The 'cocci bacteria' most likely IS the cause of his runny eyes and sneezing, is your vet aware of these symptoms? 
Is there a specific reason you would like to delay treating with antibiotics?
How many other litters were around him when he was born? From the sounds of it, he's a mill puppy, and people tend to have a lot of problems with them health-wise too.


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## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

As for the antibiotics, I just didn't feel quite right giving meds to such a young puppy, but that is just me and the vet agreed which is why she wanted to try the shampoo before putting him on the medication..And the breeder we got him from, she seems legit. We visited her place in Corning, CA (we live in Sacramento) and there were about 6 adult min pins and 2 active litters, including the one Elvis is from. She has show dogs that have won including Elvis' mom, so we truly believe she is a good breeder, however, maybe having so many dang dogs, it's easy to have one pass something or other to the others? I am just concerned bc along with the aforementioned things that happen due to this cocci bacteria, loss of appetite and diarrhea may follow if it persists and that is one thing I certainly do not want to go through with him especially after having put down a 13 yo cat recently due to a sudden illness..I think that traumatized my hub and I :'( ..How long has your dog been on antibiotics and did they seem to dramatically help in conjunction with the medicated shampoo? Thank you in advance..


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

HarleyQuinn81 said:


> As for the antibiotics, I just didn't feel quite right giving meds to such a young puppy, but that is just me and the vet agreed which is why she wanted to try the shampoo before putting him on the medication..And the breeder we got him from, she seems legit. We visited her place in Corning, CA (we live in Sacramento) and there were about 6 adult min pins and 2 active litters, including the one Elvis is from. She has show dogs that have won including Elvis' mom, so we truly believe she is a good breeder, however, maybe having so many dang dogs, it's easy to have one pass something or other to the others? I am just concerned bc along with the aforementioned things that happen due to this cocci bacteria, loss of appetite and diarrhea may follow if it persists and that is one thing I certainly do not want to go through with him especially after having put down a 13 yo cat recently due to a sudden illness..I think that traumatized my hub and I :'( ..How long has your dog been on antibiotics and did they seem to dramatically help in conjunction with the medicated shampoo? Thank you in advance..


He was put on meds in June or July, he was on them for about 3 weeks, we saw a little improvement but not a ton. We decided to give the shampoo more of a chance and have used it for every single bath since - mind you he wasn't being bathed twice a week, it was more so just as needed, and it didn't seem to help much either. We took him back to the vet on the first because in addition to the loss of fur he's still experiencing, he now has these little bumps all over him that look as though his skin has layered itself and then peels off as scabs, causing more bald patches... This concerned me, and so he's on the same meds as last time and we've been told to bath him twice a week with the shampoo, so we're giving that a try since we didn't realise before that it needed to be so frequent. 
Keep in mind too, a dogs fur can take 3 months to regrow, so I know it looks as though I waited a fairly long time before bringing him back in, but we wanted to make sure it truly was getting worse before we spent hundreds more trying to figure this out. So far we've spent about $400 on trying to fix this current issue.


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## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

Hello and thank you for your reply BostonBullMama..Here we are, about 3 weeks in to the shampoo treatment and the actual bumps and appear to be almost completely diminished..He still has a few bumps in his ear and 2 or 3 bumps in his back part but where he had the most, on the top of his head and neck area, they are almost gone but now he is bald there! I really hope his poor fur grows back  ..I have also been giving him a lukewarm oatmeal/coconut oil bath once a week to help with the itchy and that seems to help a bit..This bacteria is really taking a toll on the poor little thing, hope we can get rid of it completely..


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

That's really interesting. I never knew that blue coloring was a problem for other breeds besides the pit bull. I know, from reading, that poor breeding and over breeding for blue pits causes some health problems. I figured it was just because the idiots were only breeding for color and money and that was what was leading to the skin problems.


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## Tainted (Jan 23, 2012)

I've got a 4-year-old and one that'll be 3 next month, and neither have had any skin issues thus far. I pray that it stays that way.

Hope your pup's infection clears up completely, soon.


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## HarleyQuinn81 (Sep 18, 2013)

I know my particular pup was not bred from 'blue' parents..His parents were both classics and in his litter, there were 2 blues, 1 classic and 1 brown..But absolutely, I have read that too, idiots breeding blues to sell that color..Those that are born to blue parents are almost for SURE going to have issues..

@ tainted, the vet told me that IF/WHEN a blue dog will have alopecia or other skin issues related to the 'blueness', they normally begin to show signs at age 2yrs +, so you may be lucky! I am glad to know that your doggy does not have issues related to his fur color..

Update on my doggy: He was actually put on antibiotics and the little sporadic bumps appear to have diminished greatly, but still he is itchy, although we don't quite know if his itch is from THAT , or from his dry skin due to his medicated shampoo :\ ...I have a follow up tomorrow for him and they will retest the bacteria on his fur to determine if it indeed is diminishing or if it's the same etc..

Thanks for sharing your stories


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