1st May 2006

My Labrador has developed a scabby patch on his side ...

Read more: Dogs Conditions Health | Comments (1)

Question:

My Labrador, Storm, who will be two in August, has developed a scabby patch on his side. He's had skin scrapes that have been checked for bacterial infection, and cultures have been taken to try to find out if it's a fungal problem. He doesn't appear to be ill, just a bit itchy, and he has been going through a normal moult. He doesn't seem to want to put any weight on, though. He was neutered at 10 months due to the fact that his testicles hadn't dropped. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Answer:

Unfortunately, skin problems can be very difficult to diagnose and treat. It is important to realise that it is very likely to take a long time to get to the bottom of the problem. It will certainly require plenty of visits to your vet. Skin problems often cannot be cured, only kept under control with medication. If all the tests that you have described prove negative, it may be that Storm's skin problems are due to an allergic skin disease. Atopy is an allergic skin disease that is very common in dogs. It occurs when a dog has an allergy to foreign protein, such as that in pollens or flea saliva. It is therefore very important to treat Storm every month with flea treatment provided by your vet, to ensure that his flea burden is kept as low as possible. It may be necessary to spray the house with a household spray to remove the various parts of the flea's life cycle that do not occur on the dog. Storm may need to have intradermal skin tests to determine which proteins he is allergic to. You should discuss this possibility with your vet, who may feel that a referral to a specialist veterinary dermatologist may be necessary.