Dog with extreme dry skin?

Question

My aunt's dog has extreme dry skin. She has ton of dry skin tangled in her hair. She is also losing ton of hair. If you push up on her long hair you will see ton of bald spots. she has a big one in the middle of her back. The hair on the top of her neck covers it up. What is wrong with her? how can we fix this? Please Help I am Extremely worried!!! :( P.S.- she id a Miniature border collie and is 5 years old.

Answer 1

Border Collie Miniature - puppies, rescues

These are medium sized dogs that look rather like lightly built Australian Shepherds without a bobtail. Their body is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The dog�s muzzle tapers to the black nose. The ears are usually half-perked. The oval eyes are generally dark brown. The border collie miniature puppies aren't commnly found in rescues are are best obtained from a reputable breeder.



just to prove your point. anyway that happend to my dog and it was a skin infection needs antibiotics. or could be some type of mange never know

Answer 2

Not so fast. The fleas that were on your dog have been laying eggs, which have rolled off into your carpets and are going through 3 more stages before emerging into adult fleas again. This process can begin now and last up to about 3-4 months. If your mother was thinking she was getting rid of the fleas by bathing, she was not. It is possible for your dog to be affected by a single bite of a single flea, which you may never even see -- especially if she is sensitive to flea saliva. (yep, fleas have saliva!) Get your dog on a good flea product recommended by your vet, and continue using it every 30 days for life. If you have any cats or other dogs, they need to be on something too! As for biting and scratching, then your dog's skin is probably infected from all that activity. Nothing short of antibiotics from your vet will change that. Fatty acid supplements are great, but they won't cure an infection. Brushing probably will do more damage. Remember that skin comes in layers. Bathing and damp skin separates those layers and makes the perfect environment for infection. Brushing or scrubbing with fingernails, etc, will do that same thing. I would take the dog in to the vet, get antibiotics as needed, and continue the flea prevention, rather than trying to kill fleas that are there already. It's always easier to prevent something in the first place than to cure it later on. Anytime we see a dog scratching and biting near the tail, with hair loss there, the very first thing we think of is a flea problem. And remember, it could be one flea. Fleas bite every 5 minutes, and even one bite can set off an allergic reaction. With good flea products they only get to bite once and they will die and cannot reproduce. That would be comfortis or trifexis. Other products that are also good (frontline plus) will kill the fleas as they walk thru the hair coat, and they cannot reproduce either. Any other products probably won't even work. Hope this helps you and your mom

Answer 3

Hate to tell you this-but their is NO such thing as a Minature Border Collie, Border Collies come in 1 size.



Medium.

ONE SIZE ONLY!

Height: Dogs 19-22 inches (48-56 cm.) Bitches 18-21 inches (46-53 cm.)

Weight: Dogs 30-45 pounds (14-20 kg.) Bitches 27-42 pounds (12-19 kg.)



If there smaller than the medium then they haven't been bred by professional breeder. they been bred by poor breeders SUCH as Puppy mills and small backyard breeders or they been crossed with another small breed to retain the look of the border collie on a smaller scale.



They are generally a hardy breed, but some are prone to hip dysplasia, PRA and an eye disease common to Collies known as Collie Eye Anomaly. Many Border Collies are allergic to fleas and some are prone to epilepsy and deafness.



Sound like a flea allergy-give her a bath with medicated shampoo! Sounds like its mange to me!

Dogs that have flea allergy dermatitis are hypersensitive to the saliva a flea passes into the dog’s skin when it bites. The bite from a single flea will have a minimal affect on a normal animal, but dogs with flea allergy will experience immediate itching, redness and swelling. It is the dogs themselves, and not the fleas, that typically do the worst damage. When a dog scratches its fleabites excessively, hair loss and skin abrasions can result. Some dogs will develop circular, red, painful sores called hot spots that can occur anywhere on the skin, but commonly are seen along the back and tail base.



The most common canine allergic skin disorder, flea allergy only can be resolved by preventing the dog from being bitten by the flea and removing all the fleas from the dog’s environment. There are medications available, however, that will alleviate the itching and discomfort until complete flea control is achieved.



Clinical Signs:

Pruritus, alopecia, barbered hairs, papules, erythematous macules with crusts, and acute moist dermatitis can be seen in a typical dorsal lumbar and tail base pattern. The lesions can extend to the thighs and caudal abdominal areas. Secondary pyotraumatic dermatitis, pyoderma, and seborrhea are commonly noted. Chronic skin changes include thickening of the dermis with acanthosis, hyperkeratosis and lichenification.



Symptoms:

Common findings in a dog that is allergic to fleas include increased scratching or itchiness, loss of hair, hairs that appear broken, crusts and erosions of the skin, and pimple-like bumps. Thickened skin with darkened areas can be seen in severe cases. Fleas or flea feces, which can be difficult to detect, indicate the presence of fleas. Hot spots sometimes can be seen along the dog’s back and tail base. These sores are usually circular, red, oozing, and very painful, often requiring medical attention

http://www.bobmckee.com/Client%20Info/NewFiles/flea%20allergy%20in%20dogs.html

Answer 4

she needs to see a vet. She most likely has some kind of fungal or bacterial infection on her skin.. or it may even be allergies.



Since there is hairloss, there's more to it than just dry skin!



PS there's no such thing as a "miniature" border collie!

Answer 5

have the vet run a blood test!Your aunts dog may have some problem with the thyroid gland.

Its easy to "fix" thyroid medication available from the vet.

Another common problem:Cushings disease.A blood test will be able to tell the vet, if that's the case.

Answer 6

Your dog probably has "mange" Mange is a skin condition in which the skin gets flaky and dry like you explained. definitely take her to a vet immediately. the vet will know what to do from there