huskyluv Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 I posted this question on another forum but am re-posting it here since I'm not getting much help elsewhere. I'm copying and pasting here so I hope you all understand my problem. In response to being asked how often I bathe my sibe, I responded... "On average every other month, give or take a few weeks. I don't think I've ever been able to go more than 3 months without a bath. I also give him a blowout every few weeks with the high velocity dryer and you would not believe all the crap that comes out of his coat in between baths...even I find it hard to believe after seeing it with my own eyes. And the crazy thing is I only get the crap out of his coat by blowing or bath, no amount of brushing removes it and you can't see it b/c it's white." Update reply post I made: "I took my sibe, Dakota, to my vet on Monday (August 17th) and she had a look at his skin and coat and asked me what shampoo I was bathing him in and how often. She was able to see the white stuff that I mentioned by going through his coat with a fine comb. I told her I bathe him about every 6 to 8 weeks or so and she recommended I use a Seborrhea shampoo on him and actually bathe him more frequently like once a month with that if I can. Does this sound like a good idea to you? I gave him a blowout with the high velocity dryer on Tuesday (yesterday, after the going to the vet) and I've never seen so much white crud come out of his coat before. It is definitely much worse than it has been. Based on some other tips on another forum I've started added a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to his food every few days for his skin. I know an animal based oil would be better but I just can't stand the smell of fish based oils. He gets Nupro supplement added to his food every day, but I'm wondering if there are any other things I can do to help with his skin besides the Seborrhea shampoo?" Final update post made by me in response to questions: "First off a little background on Dakota that may help. I don't know about his prior history but we adopted him when he was around 2 years old (the shelters best estimate). We used to live in Washington state and never had a problem with his skin, we had him for a year in WA. Then we moved to FL last September (2008) and still no problem. The issue started up about the time it started getting hot and humid in FL which starts around late March/early April and the skin issue has progressively gotten worse as the heat and humidity have worsened. I discussed this with the vet and she thinks he is reacting to the heat and humidity since everything, even his scooting, coincides perfectly with the environmental changes. He started scooting a lot when the heat and humidity started up in the spring as well. I had the vet express his anal glands on Monday and they had very little so his scooting is not due to his anal glands bothering him. His fecal test came back negative so the scooting is also not due to parasites. She figures his skin issue and scooting is due to being itchy from the weather. I don't bathe him on a set schedule of every six to eight weeks, I do it when necessary like if he gets dirty or has a smell but I don't bathe any more frequently than 6 weeks so as not to interfere with this skin and coat too much. If he gets really dirty in between baths I hose him down outside and blow him out with the hv dryer. I just don't know if bathing him more frequently, even with a special shampoo, would be more helpful or harmful. Please keep the advise and opinions coming, I really appreciate it. There's nothing I can do about the weather but I do want to help him the best way I can with his skin issues. Even me and my chihuahua have been a little more itchy lately than usual. My skin is drier and itchier than usual too, I'm having to put lotion on more than I usually do. Neither of them has fleas just in case anyone's wondering, vet checked them over for that too." Any advice and opinions would be most welcome. TIA, Val Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Hi Huskyluv What a frustrating problem. What is his diet? I only bath Micha 3-4 times a year, max. Siberians are pretty clean dogs because their guard hairs protect them from getting dirt and grime stuck in their coat, and they generally are free from that yucky doggy smell. I don't think bathing him more is going to solve the problem, because it sounds allergy related. At most, bathing may soothe his allergies but that's managing the problem not fixing it. It may not be the heat causing his allergies but could be a reaction to plants or pollen that crop up in summer, grass, etc. It could be the same thing that makes you and your chihuahua itchy. Does he scratch a lot? Is the stuff that comes out of his coat like a dandruff type substance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskyluv Posted August 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Thanks for the reply. His diet is mainly grain free Innova Evo mixed with a little bit of canned food that I rotate. The cans I rotate between are Wellness, Innova, Blue Buffalo and Natural Balance. However his diet has not changed so we have not suspected that to be the culprit. He does not seem to be scratching more than usual, it's not excessive at all, just seems to be a normal scratch every now and then. The stuff that comes out of his coat is solid white and is like an extremely fine powder. When you look at his skin though it is neither dry nor oily. Hope that helps a little more. I didn't think bathing more frequently would be a very good idea which is why I wanted to see what other sibe owners thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 ohhh how frustrating and poor Dakota I know humans can go through a phase of being allergic to things, my stepdaughter used to be allergic to eggs but isn't anymore - can dogs go through this as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 I'm going to look out the name of a shampoo for you.....it's intended for human use but i used it on my horse that had a very similar problem, it was recommended to be by a friend and theresults were fab, the vet now recommends using that shampoo to all his clients with similar problems......it's not the cheapest shampoo in the world but if your using specialist vetinary shampoo i'm guessing it'll be the sameish price Off to search the net see if i can find the net it's afew years now since i had to use it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 I found it!!! Didnt take long lol Its called Polytar, and its pretty cheap now.....atleast half price it used to be! http://www.multipharmacy.com/shop/customer/search.php?substring=polytar&gclid=CNTGp7TAuZwCFZ0U4wodNDlhoQ It will take a couple of baths for you to really see any change but stick with if for a bit, fingers crossed for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 fab ...... added to rep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Hey HL - just another thought. I would contact Dr Jean Dodds at Hemo Pet and ask her advice. http://www.hemopet.org/ I went to a Dodds seminar when she was in Oz last year, she is amazing and I am sure she will be able to help you. If you email her, it may take her a few days or so to get back to you, but she receives emails from all over the world so it can take her a little while to respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbb23 Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Aww poor Dakota!! Sorry I have no advice cause im not sure on this one but Smeagle & Lucy have given top advice (added to Reps) so I think you should give that a try and see how you get on and if it helps. maybe it could be to due to the hot weather??? or mabe somthing at home is causing an allergic reaction or maybe the water you use to bath him could be different where you live to where you was befor??? (sorry the last one sounds weird but just a guess.......) Good luck and I hope Dakota skin get better!! keep us posted x x x fingers & paws crossed for you x x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 The stuff that comes out of his coat is solid white and is like an extremely fine powder. When you look at his skin though it is neither dry nor oily. We have taken on Diesel & his skin / fur is the same. When I had him MOT'd (!) at the vets, she said not to increase the bathing as this can strip natural oils, etc, but she gave me medicated shampoo (Dermapet Dermallay shampoo which cost 11.75) to bathe him in, soak him, rub in the shampoo & leave it for 5-10 mins to soak into the skin then rinse off as normal. We have only just started this so waiting to see a change yet, but he doesn't scratch or anything, we are only aware of it from 'furminating' him. I've heard of the benefits of Polytar shampoo but only in humans, but I think it's a good idea (rep added, Lucy) and trying Smeagle's advice regarding e-mailing Dr Jean Dodds can't hurt either (rep added, Smeagle!) as there could be other options to try also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 It worked fab on my horse! He had sweet itch which is a really nasty condition and causes alot of scurf and crap to come out of coat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskyluv Posted August 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Thank you all for the wonderful support and advise, can't thank you all enough. Val, please do keep us updated on how Diesel does on the Dermapet. That looks like something I can actually get in the US for a decent price. I found it!!! Didnt take long lol Its called Polytar, and its pretty cheap now.....atleast half price it used to be! http://www.multipharmacy.com/shop/customer/search.php?substring=polytar&gclid=CNTGp7TAuZwCFZ0U4wodNDlhoQ It will take a couple of baths for you to really see any change but stick with if for a bit, fingers crossed for you! Thanks for the advice Lucy. I looked around and can't seem to find anyone that carries the Polytar in the US though. I will keep looking. Hey HL - just another thought. I would contact Dr Jean Dodds at Hemo Pet and ask her advice. http://www.hemopet.org/ I went to a Dodds seminar when she was in Oz last year, she is amazing and I am sure she will be able to help you. If you email her, it may take her a few days or so to get back to you, but she receives emails from all over the world so it can take her a little while to respond. Thanks for the suggestion, Bec. I will send her an email and see what she says. Does anyone think there is anything extra I can add to his diet in the meantime to help with his skin? I already give him the Nupro supplement and just started adding a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to his dinner every other night this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 This any use to you??? http://www.yourchemistshop.com.au/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=polytar&x=41&y=8 Its a bit more expensive in the states tho! Umm otherwise maybe you could see if it would be possible to get some shipped to u??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskyluv Posted August 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Isn't that in AU? I just know that hubby is not going to pay top dollar to ship things from other countries. :ran_frown: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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