Question:
We have a golden retriever mix (Sheeba) that has had a severe skin condition since this past March. She has had two biopsies, and both indicated allergies (allergic to certain elements in dog food), so I have been making homemade dog food. She is also allergic to grass, weeds and trees.She's taking DepoMedrol injections, which give her relief for about two weeks, and then the intense itching returns. Her skin has black scaling spots, and when we started her on the allergy serum, the spots started to come off with raw, bleeding skin underneath. She went downhill after several serum shots, and we haven't been able to get her back to the point where she was before the serum.The vet says there's nothing more she can do. Sheeba has seen four vets, and our present vet has consulted with experts in Raleigh, N.C. No one has seen anything like this. The vet indicated we might need to decide to put her to sleep. I'm not opposed to this if there's nothing else that can be done.If there were anything you could suggest,
K.G., Hendersonville, NC Jan 21, 2007
Answer:
Your poor dog, judging by the photos you sent, is indeed in a tragic state. Treatment with prednisone may give temporary relief, but it will worsen the problem because your dog's immune system is clearly compromised.You did not say whether the veterinarians ruled out Cushing's disease and hypothyroidism. Those are the first things to consider and are two endocrine diseases all too common in older dogs.Postscript: I telephoned K.G. to learn that her four veterinarians never considered the above, or that allergies are a symptom and not a primary cause of disease. Sheeba suffered a stroke on prednisone medication and was euthanized.
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