# Any one have a dog with Seborrea?



## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

i recently had Chewy at the Vet for the precheck b4 getting him fixed. I asked the doc why he had little ity bity bald spots, flakes of skin even tho he has oily skin and why he smelled soooo bad after about a week after getting a bath. He said he has the seborheic oder but didnt diagnose him with seborrhea. I was wondering if anyone else has had a dog that has it or currently has a dog with it. what did you do to help with it? were you able to get rid of it or is this a lifetime thing? what was causing it in your dog if you figured it out? My vet gave me a med shampoo and told me to put fish oil in his food. i hate to spend the money on fish oil if it isnt going to help. i was wondering if anyone has tried olive oil instead of fish oil? I dont want to constantly buy the med shampoo because its expensive for such a small bottle and Chewy is getting too large. hes already over 50 lbs and keeps growing. Anyone with this problem please i would love you input. Thanks!


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

My dog possibly has a yeast infection on his skin. My vet suggested I bathe him in medicated shampoo and he suggested Nizoral. This shampoo is very expensive (17.50 for 4 oz!) so I called the clinic and asked if I could get the shampoo that they have there. I live 2 1/2 hours from my vet so I wanted them to put the shampoo aside so I could get a friend of mine to pick it up since he goes into that town for school. I guess my vet is trying to find things that are easier for me to get since I am so far away so he said that I can use Head and Shoulders Intensive Treatment or Selsun Blue instead of the Nizoral. 

I wonder if you can try either the Head and Shoulders or the Selsun Blue? They are much cheaper than a medicated shampoo and it says on the bottle that they treat seborrhea. It is worth a shot.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

The best treatment (and only really effective one IMO) is a sulfa tar shampoo. My old lab had horrible seborrhea and this stuff would clear him up in a heart beat. The problem with seborrhea is that the body produces too much oils and causes the scaling and balding. (Just a little unknown fact about balding in humans. It is caused by a build up of sebum on the scalp and in the hair follicle thus causing the root to die and fall out.). Dogs aren't any different really. Seborrhea is a lifetime issue that could crop up at amy time if the dog's skin/health becomes compromised say thru an allergic/food/flea reaction or the like. 

I just got this one and tried it on my pets who were all itchy from a bad bag of food. Something to note about sulfa tar shampoos is they dry the damaged area so be sure to follow up with a good moisturizing rinse afterwards. Make sure ANY seborrhea sulfa tar shampoo you use has at least 2% sulfa tar in it. 









PS. All natural and NOT tested onanimals.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

Thanks! some websites i had visited said to leave the treatments on for 10 to 15 min(depending on treatment)...for chewy that is a long time to be standing in the tub, and for me to be either bent over him or sitting down with him at the tub.He gets impatient and my legs and back start to hurt. I wonder if there are sprays that can be left on that would help treat it and have a good smell? I think i may try the head and shoulders. Its worth a shot. if it doesnt seem to help any then I can look into the sulfa meds. The stuff the vet gave me doesnt contain that and to top it off its for normal to dry skin and chewy doesnt have dry skin he has oily skin. It's called Allergroom. It's a 10-15 min leave on shampoo..ugh. it was about $12 for an 8oz bottle which i feel was a bit much for such a small amount when hes such a big dog. Is there anything that is more natural to use does anyone know? like applecider vinegar? Witch hazel? Im all for natural remedies!
Is there anything that anyone has tried to feed them that has helped? other than fish oil? 
If i could get it down to giving him a bath once every other week instead of every week id be a lil happier. but if i try to stretch it to 2 weeks he smells my whole house up and its so gross.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

My vet suggested 2-3 baths a week and leaving the shampoo on for 10 minutes. This will be very difficult for us because Iorek HATES baths. He is also a large dog (~52 lbs) and he is a sammy so he has LOTS of fur. It is not going to be fun for any of us but to me it is worth it if it stops the itching. For the Nizoral the vet actually suggested 3-5 baths a week for 3 weeks and then once a week for 3 weeks. He said less (2-3) for the H & S but still the same time, 3 weeks and 3 weeks.

I heard that a white vinegar rinse may be helpful but I haven't tried it.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

If the dog truly has seborrhea (as it sounds) then head and shoulders won't be effective. That is generally recommended for fungal issues of the skin. The standard treatment for seborrhea IS Sulfa tar based shampoo to dry out the skin since seborrhea is a moist dermatitis issue you have to dry it up before it can heal. If the vet gave you allarest/allergroom on top of it he probably is seeing some discomfort being caused by the seborrhea and wants to provide the dog some relief from secondary skin issues that often accompany seborrhea. ANY shampoo therapy HAS TO BE LEFT ON for a mnimum of 10 minutes and 15 is what is generally recommended for the medication to be effective with you lathering and scrubbing it into the dog's fur to reach the skin the entier time. There are no sprays taht are designed to help sseborrhea that I am aware of. Looking for the quick fix answer is not going to happen when it comes to skin issues in dogs. No one likes to break their backs for the hour it takes to wash a dog properly with a theraputic bath but if you want this to get better you HAVE to do it or take him to a groomer and have them do it. Don't make the dog suffer. 

I have to wash 6 dogs ranging from 5 pounds to 85 pounds and do I like it?? NO, Do I have back problems, yes, fused vertebrae so it's painful as hell, but it's all part of the commitment we make to our pets.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

My vet never gave me a sulfar tar based shampoo is what the problem is. I dont like that vet. been having too many issues with him and plan on going somewhere else.I called yesterday to find out what exactly it was that the vet diagnosed him with so i could do the search to find out more about it and the vet tech told me "well the doc didnt diagnose him with Seborrhea but made a note he had Seborric oder". im not looking for a quick fix but a more effective one that will help lessen the amount of baths. I got lucky with Chewy because he loves water and i feel bad for anyone who have larger dogs with Seborrhea that hate water. Chewy jumps right in the tub plays with the water while in there. Ozzy hates getting baths so thank god he doesnt have any skin problems that require regular bathing. Besides that he has thick fur thats hard to wash anyway. Thankfully i only have to give him a bath once every few months.
My vet had on the shampoo bottle bath every 10-14 DAYS. Well he cant go more than 7. He starts to stink too much. 10 days is pushing it. B4 i had gotten him my aunt said she had to bathe him 2x a week sometimes 3. He had these little "bald spots" (bout the size of a pimple) on his neck and back. His fur running down the middle of his back the whole way to his tail was corse looking and he had the flakes on his back. When i had first brought him home from the vet this is what he looked like. I thought maybe it was a nutritional problem at first because i most certainly wasnt feeding him the crap she was and he started to improve. his fur got shinier and the spots almost went away and he can go longer than b4 without a bath. He doesnt scratch but maybe once a day at his neck so it's not making him itchy. Does seborrhea usually an itchy condition?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

ABSOLUTELY YES. Seborrhea can be tremendously itchy hence the accompanying skin infections from them damaging their skin. Trust me.. go get the sulfa tar shampoo and with in 2 baths you will see a dramatic difference. My old lab had TERRIBLE..I mean TERRIBLE allergies and we were always batteling suborrhea and other skin issues and that stuff was a lifesaver! Sulfa tar shampoos are about the only thing out there that will make short order of seborrhea. You can order them anywhere off just about any site and they aren't amazingly expensive. The one I just got was like $10 for 17 ozs. and smells like green apples. It also cmes in a between bath spray. I got it at jeffers pets.com because it was chepaer but here is their web site. http://glo-marr-kenic.com/cat23_1.htm $13.30 here. 

and at jeffers (who will have it to you in about 3 days with standard shipping). http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=0&mscssid=TR7CJ5NG1DVS9KP5LBPRKKNCCQP1F5B8&pf_id=1252 Only $7 here.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

If it is an itchy condition then i dont understand y he isnt itchy. he hardly ever scratches. He has half the symptoms of Seborrhea, itchy not being one of them. I'm wondering if maybe this is just a food issue, because like i said b4 i changed his diet and he showed a good improvement, but it didnt dissapear completely. I had a boxer once that had food allergies...mainly beef...he would stink like yeast, chew and lick his paws, get ears infections and have runny poo that also contained a gross black like manner to it. He was put on a non beef diet and he improved. Chewy only has the dirty wet dog smell and the flakes with oily skin. even the corse look to his middle back fur is slowly improving. All my dogs are on Purina lamb and rice and do wonderful on it. I'm wondering if he may have an allergy to beef but his body is taking it differently than most other dogs with food allergies. I used to give him raw hides but i ran out about a week ago and dont have the funds to get more right now and his fur even looks a tad bit better. Think this could be a food allergy?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

All dogs react differently to seborrhea. Some itch like mad, others barely scratch. Personally I think if the dog is doing better off the raw hides (which are filled with caustic chemicals) then keep him off them. Raw hides do no good for our dogs and bully sticks (or something similar) are about the same price, natural and much better for him. If you think he has a beef allergy then you can get lammy Q's or chicken tendon/muscle jerkey treats, all different things. Dr. Foster and smith and Jeffers both have great treat sections. I would still try the sulfa tar shampoo and possibly use sme witch hazel on the affected areas (it's an astringent), then follow up with a good moisturizing spray to help restore the skin's natural oils since both the shampoo and witch hazel will dry out the skin. BTW Olive oil in his food will also help restore his coat and skin. 1 tablespoon per 20 pounds. BUT if this is a food allergy none of these remedies will be long lived until you find out what it is in the food that is causing the reaction.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

Well i guess its going to be a trial and error thing then. I'll let you know how he is doing in about a month with no raw hides and his normal baths and olive oil added to his food. I Condition my dogs with Applecider vinegar after they have been washed. It makes their coats so shiny. Ive had numerous people tell me how soft and shiny my dogs are. After a month if it still seems he is showing no more improvements then i will get the sulfa tar shampoo and go from there.
Problem with food allergies is vets cant check them for a food allergy. the only way to tell was to try certain foods and take away foods and see what happens. Thats what the one vet told me when i had Tosha taken in for blood work for allergy testing. She broke out in hives real bad once. Im almost positive it was only stress related because my hub had been out of state for a couple weeks and that is the only time it ever happened.
Thanks for all your input! we'll see how this goes!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Vets CAN test for food allergies. It's called a scratch test. Also maybe the apple cider vinegar is causing skin issues. Try going with out it for a while and use a mink or emu oil spray insted. Same luster. I would still use the sulfa tar shampoo. It can't hurt, only help. You're welcome for the advice.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

The vets told me they couldnt. i will call another one and see what they say. I know the ACV is not a bother to anything because when my aunt had him he was way worse off and she never used it for anything. i dont think she even had any in her house. ever since i started using it he showed improvements. He is getting fixed 2moro so i will ask then about the allergy testing


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

OK... I just called MY vet and spoke to him about this. He said the general protocol for food testing for allergies is process of elimination BUT if you see no improvement and the issue is chronic (reoccuring) with no course of meds being the "cure all" then they can do scratch testing (which is expensive) for food issues. He also said if you ahve changed food multipul times and still have issues then it is likely NOT a food allergy but environmental which they actually CAN do the scratch testing for (molds and the like). If all that fails then look to an auto immune disfunction. May I ask whre in Pa you're located? If you're close to me then you might want to see this vet (or any other vet for that matter) for a second opinion.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

I am planning to get my dog tested for allergies over the Easter break. It is going to cost $350 and it is actually a blood test, not a scratch test. This is the place where my vet is going to send the blood work http://www.varlallergy.com/

I hope to find some answers for my dog's itching when I do this. I am thinking that he has some food allergies and some environmental allergies. 

I hope that your dog gets some relief soon.


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## lovemyromeo (Feb 6, 2010)

I have a 7 year old Male Maltese named Romeo and he has had Seborrhea condition now we have been fighting for over 8 months. After numerous trips to the vet and trying different combination of antibiotics, steroids (Prednisone and Prednistabs) and shampoos (Oatmeal and Aloe and Mellaluca), I have finally seen some improvement and not from anything the vet suggested. He has always been fed One Formula Rice and Lamb or Chicken and Oatmeal and I have switched his food to Eukanuba Sensitive Skin (no grains), I bought a new shampoo that would make his coat smell fresh Pet Head Life's an Itch and I give him 2 Benadryl 25mg capsules a day.

His itching has subsided and I just now gave him a bath and the skin irritation looks better than it has in months! I have noticed that he has a patch of hair that is coming in tan instead of white and I called a friend that has a dog grooming parlor and she said that is normal for dogs who have been suffering from skin aliments. So I hope I can keep Romeo comfortable while recovering from the itchies and if any of his other dog friends out there have owners dealing with the same issues might give this combination a try. Other suggestions my groomer said is to switch up his shampoo and not use the same one for a long time. 

Good luck!


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## SupaSweet777 (Aug 22, 2009)

ioreks_mom said:


> I am planning to get my dog tested for allergies over the Easter break. It is going to cost $350 and it is actually a blood test, not a scratch test. This is the place where my vet is going to send the blood work http://www.varlallergy.com/
> 
> I hope to find some answers for my dog's itching when I do this. I am thinking that he has some food allergies and some environmental allergies.
> 
> I hope that your dog gets some relief soon.


I was told that the scratch test was more effective. So I am opting to do the scratch test on Jhazmyn come March.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

My vet said that this company does the best, most reliable testing. I can't get a scratch done anywhere so this is my only option.


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## Nightmagic11801 (Dec 23, 2009)

well an update on chewy. I have had him off ALL sources of beef for over a month. (His food diet has always been lamb and rice, but i would give him bones to chew on.) i have only had to bath him 2x in a month. he does not smell like dirty wet outside dog as bad as he used to. Before it would smell my house up with in a week. He was able to go 2 full weeks and it still didnt smell up my house! Now if you pet him your hands will slightly smell like it. But this is soooo much better than having him smell up the house with in a week. He still has the flaky skin. and his ears got all rashed up inside and he was scratching at them. I put hydrocortisone in them and in one day they were almost fully cleared up. 2 days and they were cleared up. and i would only put it on once a day. Hydrocortisone lists Seborrheic Dermatitis on the uses list.And it is a great help! Since i have now gotten the smell under control and his ears, i am working on his skin. I bought safflower oil since it contains vitamin E and antioxidant. It's also cheaper than olive oil. He has been getting at least one table spoon a day in his food. I started that about a week and a half ago so i want to see his progress in about another month with this. I may have to up it to 2 tbsp tho this week due to his weight. I have also since had him fixed, had his nails done and even has the micro chip.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

I am glad to hear that he is doing better.


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