Ok, maybe it isn't that funny, but that's my life. I am now confident that I understand my Perioral Dermatitis! I have it completely under control! I get flare ups every once and a while but that's my own fault. Here is what is going on now...
In July 2015, my boyfriend and I decided to adopt a puppy! He is an angel. Behavior-wise, I couldn't have asked for a better dog. I got him for free off of Facebook, I was told that he is a German Shepard/Blue Lacy Mix. Things started off normal enough, peeing inside, chewing on everything... regular puppy stuff. I started training him using Cesar Milan's book and he picked things up super fast. By the time he was 10 weeks old and my boyfriend returned from Iowa to meet his baby boy, Percy knew how to sit, shake, and lay down and was almost housebroken completely. I felt so lucky to get this dog. He picked things up so fast!!!
Here is our baby boy Percy!
Here is what his legs look like:
UGH!!! This is so frustrating! He is such a happy dog! I just want him to feel better. I really don't think that it is a food allergy anymore. There are three likely scenarios that I see.
Scenario #1: Inhalant Allergies
Just like humans, dogs can be allergic to the world around them. Ragweed, cedar, mold, even grass! With this type of allergy you can usually tell by them rubbing their face on things, goop coming out of their eyes, or runny nose. If a dog has these allergies they typically scratch, chew, and itch in their groin/thigh area, feet, ears, and armpits. He has been known to get a slight rash under his armpits after he has been outside in the heat for a while, but that always cleared up if we wiped it down after playing outside.
Scenario #2: Puppy Pyoderma or Impetigo
This is apparently super common in puppies but I have never come across it before. It's almost like a puppy acne that itches. I've noticed these little pimple-like bumps on his skin. When this started I noticed a few on his tummy but now they seem to be moving across his legs and sides. Puppy pyoderma is a type of bacterial skin infection. Many times it clears up on its own, but from what I've read, most people put their dog on anti-biotics and that clears it up. If this is what it is, it surprises me that our vet didn't catch it sooner. When the little pimples pop, it's not a pus, it's more of an evil juice that burns his fur off. Every time one bursts, all of the fur around that area disappears. Of course he scratches these because they itch, so they burst, and my dog loses all of his fur... great.
Scenario #3: Yeast Infection
What... yeast? Really? Dogs actually get yeast infections all of the time. It usually spurs from their food. If their food has a lot of simple carbohydrates, these can cause the dog to develop a yeast infection. One of the symptoms of this is when dogs constantly chew on their feet. The sores that develop on their feet ooze and stay moist.
What I think is going on!
I could be wrong... but I think it is a combination of all three things. The least likely I think is the inhalant allergies. The food we started him on was not a great quality food, I believe that is how he developed the yeast infection. The pyoderma is something that just happens and they can get it from anywhere. If allergies come into play here, the allergen count in Austin has been insane the last few months so it wouldn't surprise me if some of the itching is coming from that.
What are we doing?
Of course I want to try to treat this naturally. If I can fix my skin problems... I can handle a dog right?
The vet gave us this shampoo:
It is an antifungal/antibacterial shampoo. We use it twice a week on Percy. We leave it on his fur/skin for about 10 mins and then rinse him off.
The next thing I bought was this Omega-3 supplement:
The next thing I purchased was this allergy supplement:
I figured if seasonal allergies are part of the problem, this is a natural supplement that might help out. He gets two of these a day. He actually loves the taste of them too. I will make him do tricks and give it to him as a treat.
Yeasty Paws!
To help with the yeasty paws I found a soak that is supposed to help clear it up. I started doing this after his baths twice a week. When his bath with the prescription shampoo is over I rinse out the tub and fill it about 1in with water. Then throw in a cup of hydrogen peroxide and a cup of white vinegar. The important thing to remember with this is that it is JUST a foot soak! The hydrogen peroxide will bleach the dogs fur! You can use just vinegar if your dog doesn't have white feet.
How is it going?
We have been using all of these things for about 2 weeks now.
The vet also gave us a cone for him so when he is obsessively biting or scratching we put that on him and he will stop... and usually just fall asleep because he gets frustrated.
We have been feeding him a high-quality grain-free food for about 2-3 weeks now.
He is eating Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula. He loves this stuff! And there are no grains which I believe is helping with the yeast! Between the food switch and the foot soaks his feet have almost completely cleared up. This didn't happen immediately. Just yesterday I noticed that almost all of the sores on his feet were dried up and healing. There haven't been any new sores on his feet for two or three days which is a big accomplishment. He still chews on his paws a little but it has decreased significantly and he isn't chewing to the point where he is bleeding or creating new sores.
The fur on his legs is beginning to grow back! YAY! It is still super patchy and thin, but I do see a lot of new fur growth every day. His legs were almost bald so a little progress is a lot of progress. The pyoderma seems to be moving across his body. It left his legs and now is on his sides. He has been losing some of the fur on his sides but not as bad as his legs were. I brush him at least once a day and when brushing a LOT of dead skin comes off. I think the pyoderma may be drying out? I'm not really sure.
He still itches a lot but it is getting better. Usually when he starts scratching himself now he will scratch for about 10-20 seconds and then stop. If he continues past that I'll stop him. He usually listens, but I know some days he feels worse than others and that's when he gets the cone. It's not his fault, and I feel bad, but if we let him scratch too much it only makes it worse.
I can't pinpoint exactly what is going on with my sweet puppy. Once everything is completely resolved I will try eliminating things and see what really is helping (I don't want to keep buying supplements if they aren't actually doing anything). For now, he gets his baths, his supplements, lots of brushings, and plenty of cuddles! I'll post again in a few weeks to update his progress! Hopefully we won't have to put him on any antibiotics or anything like that but we will just have to wait and see!
-G
