Jump to content

ZRD a permanent issue?????


Recommended Posts

Hi again,

I would like to ask you a question about ZRD. We've decreased the dosage of zinc gradually after 3 weeks of treatment as the skin started to look healed almost completely and in two days dermatosis reappeared violently and extended rapidly. Does this mean that this will be a permanent issue if we stop giving COSMO zinc supplements ??

Thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it is different in each dog, so I can't answer that - what I will say is from experience, Myshka's comes & goes at will. I see it start, I give her zinc supplements, I do this for a few weeks, wean her off them then she could be OK for a month or 12 months ... I just keep a daily check on her now & do it 1 day at a time

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi as Val says each dog is different ,the treatment of ZRD is a long process some dog may never get rid of it totaly, some dogs flare up now and then ,in Kira s case she got it when she was about 2 years old after quite a few months of treatment I stopped giving her zinc suppliments and it came back worse than ever so I put her back on them for another year then tried again and she has been (up to now )free from ZRD .I added kelp to her diet as it is rich in nutrients including calcium and zinc ,I think this has helped her a lot with the ZRD,Anne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you stop drinking water you will get dehydrated, and if you stop giving your dog zinc he/she will have a zinc deficiency, so yes it is permanent. However, the effect of ZDR and how much zinc your dog needs depends on the dog itself. Some dogs are fine with getting zinc from foods such as liver, others might need supplements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a generous amount of zinc in the dog food I feed Nanook. Maybe look into some brands that are supplemented with zinc? Think of it as the same thing as a person with anemia, or iron deficiency. Unless they increase their iron intake/take supplements, the amount of iron present in their body will be deficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good points, thank you all. We'll go on zinc for the time being, still we're going to make some further investigations next week, the biopsy came negative but we haven't yet done a test for mange, one of the vets we've consulted said that there is a kind of mange that is genetical and maybe our Cosmo is suffering from it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope you get the results quickly and Cosmo can start feeling better soon, just a thought - Myshka had a biopsy on the eyelid that flared up at one time, that came back negative yet responded to zinc supplements as the vet was adamant it was ZRD, so I would, for now, continue with adding zinc to the diet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately here in Romania, the vets don't give us a clear diagnosis, we have to do researches on our own, anyway, so far zinc supplements help a lot with this dermatosis whatever its nature is, we only fear not to intoxicate the poor Cosmo with too much zinc, this is a possibility as well, even if we give him only the recommended amount in ZRD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good points, thank you all. We'll go on zinc for the time being, still we're going to make some further investigations next week, the biopsy came negative but we haven't yet done a test for mange, one of the vets we've consulted said that there is a kind of mange that is genetical and maybe our Cosmo is suffering from it.

My mothers dachshund has/had this. It's called demodex. It's not contagious because it's caused by a mite that all dogs have. What happens is in times of stress, the dog's immune system lowers or displays irregularities and creates an ideal environment for these mites to overpopulate. This generally results in hair loss, and in severe cases, infections etc. My mom's dog got a few random bald patches, though they weren't very big. In the scheme of things, this isn't a very severe diagnosis except in the most extreme of circumstances. What we had to do for our dog was buy some expensive shampoo and give her a series of "dips" (baths) until it eventually cleared up. The test for demodex is very simple: just a skin scraping on the affected areas. I'm surprised they haven't done this already. However, I doubt this is what your pup has. From the images I've seen in another thread, it looks a lot like other photos I've seen of zinc deficiencies. Plus he is a husky! Demodex is most common in puppies under 2 years old, and you would generally notice signs of it (such as small bald patches) when the puppy is very little. If your dog is over 2 years and has it, this may be a sign of a genetic immune deficiency. My bet is on ZRD, though. Seems a bit like your vet may be trying to milk you of whatever they can get by making him take more tests. Then again, I'm biased from working in a veterinarian's office. I'm not particularly trusting of them because I know the techniques mine uses.

In any case, best of luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Caiti, I think you are right about the methods some vets use with their clients, which is very sad. The first thing I would have done,post-4265-13586080973436_thumb.jpg would have been a skin test of the affected area under microscope to make at list an idea about what is actually there. Anyhow, we'll do this eventually. Me, as well I believe it is zinc deficiency even if vets don't confirm. I've posted some photos with Cosmo having his second eruption much worse than his first one, which was one month ago.

post-5334-13585978467165_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Demodetic mange can be treated using Ivermectin (I think that's the drug) for long term control, but some dogs are sensitive to it so the protocol should be developed by a vet. @Arooroomom has had it with one of her sibes, I think, and she would be far more knowledgable than I on that subject. If the condition resolved with zinc, I seriously doubt it's demodetic mange. The mites wouldn't respond at all to zinc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, this is ZRD what our Cosmo is suffering from. The vet confirmed. We are now under treatment with zinc, the skin starts to look better, but it will take some time until it will look normal again . We've already made some changes about his diet, taking into account info found on this useful site; we'll be much more cautious about the zinc aspect in the future as indeed it seems that zinc deficiency becomes more and more frequent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy , along with dressing your husky as a unicorn on the first Thursday of each month