Is this normal?

[aquarian215]

I posted something a couple months ago about Dudley shedding ALOT, and I ended up bringing him to the vet because I wanted to make sure it wasn't some sort of allergy (he scratches quite a bit, and was licking his feet as well) well he was fine just shedding, the vet did some sort of scratch test as well and that came out fine ( I think it was for a yeast infection????) Well now his skin is black around his genitals and some spots on his chest, I did some research and came up with a couple different conditions that could cause this but the only symtoms that Dud has is black skin, his coat is nice and shiny, he doesn't smell (well any more than his usual smell) his shedding has cut down a lot, and he is not itching any more than usual. He has his yearly check up at the end of April, and I have brought him to the vet a couple of times because I thought something was wrong, and it always turns out as nothing, so I think I am going to wait till then to have the vet look at it (these next 2 months are filled with vet bills, yesterday was the 2nd round of shots for the kitties, then Dudley's shots and he needs more heartguard and frontline, then in the beginning of May the kitties are getting spayed) Does anyone have any ideas? Should I take him in? Or is it safe to wait? Anything I should look for?

[Kymcole25]

I had the same problem with my lab/mix, Kylie, when I first got her. She actually got bald spots from scratching so much...we took her to the vet a bunch of times, and there wasn't anything he could find wrong. He just recomended changing her food.

[calgal]

Maybe you could save quite a bit of money by going the holistic approach to combat fleas.

Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia - Ticks, fleas, bees, flies, snakes and other gremlins! And how to deal with them!

[aquarian215]

Well Dudley doesn't have fleas, so I don't think that would help.

[dogs4life]

I suspect your vet was looking for external parasites if they did a skin scraping. If you're worried, please call your vet, tell them what's going on financially and let them know what his symptoms are, they might give you some advice over the phone since you have an appointment soon anyways....might be worth a try.

What food are you feeding, I find shedding and itching always diet related for my animals whether it's treats, food or snacks they bum off the kids.

What about food allergies, environmental allergies, an allergic reaction to vaccination, diet deficiency or hormone imbalance (thyroid)?

Look up Hyper-pigmentation and atopic dermatitis, do they sound like what Dudley has?

If it's yeast or bacterial, then I'd suspect those are just secondary infections and the main problem would need to be addressed before you can get control over the yeast and bacteria.

If your normal vet is not helpful, then I'd try a vet dermatologist next. In the mean time, if you suspect yeast, you can help relieve the itching with vinegar wipes (1-3x per day), just a paper towel with distilled white vinegar or cococut oil as both have strong anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties without being toxic to Dudley or your children.

Just my thoughts.