I took Kesha to the groomers today, to get a bath, ears cleaned and toe-nails clipped. She was such a good girl, the groomers loved her. Kesha is my son's Pit Bull / Shar-pai mix dog and is the sweetest dog ever.

When I went to pick her up, she was with a mini doxie, a toy poodle, 2 white highland terriers, a llaso apso, a sheltie and a few assorted other small breed dogs.

She was raised with small dogs and doesn't even realize how big she is. She towered over the toy dogs, but loved them.

Anyway, Kesha is all broken out on her tummy. It is bright red, very irritated looking. The groomer also stated that Kesha was broken out between her back toes. Maybe allergies?

She told me that Shar-pai dogs have very sensitive skin and are prone to skin problems. Evidently Kesha takes more after the Shar-pai side of her heritage, then the Pit Bull.

I then took her to the vets for her shots and an examination and the vet suggested Benedryl and using hydracoritsone cream on her belly. She also asked what kind of dog food Kesha was eating. I had her on Purina puppy chow, then she was switched to Purina Little Bits, as her sister (the Chihuahua) doesn't care for the bigger dog kibbles. The last time my son got food, he got the cheap Wal-mart Old Roy brand.

Has anyone else had skin trouble with their Shar-pai or Shar-pai mix dog? Will the Benedryl help? She seems to get so itchy that she licks her belly until it is bright red.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I will use the Benedryl and the cream on her tummy, but I am thinking she might try to lick it off?

Here is Kesha.
http://www.dogster.com/?123102

My grandma has three and two of them have horrible skin problems. They are known for it and it acts up at certain times of the year or if they use certain shampoos. You have to be really carefull because they also tend to be allergic to the perscription meds the vet may perscribe. Benadryl never worked for her dogs but it works on my beagle. Since it is just a mix it may be enough. But if she inherited that bad skin you could be in for a lot. Check her for lumps all the time too. They get skin cancer really easy and sometimes it is hard to find because of their skin. All I can say for the grooming is that she may have been allergic to the shampoo, or she may not have dried well enough. There are certain foods that are better for them but I can't think of them of the top of my head and my grandmas down in kentucky(and yes she does take all three dogs with her :)

Their first one that died of cancer was allergic to grass(which the vet said isn't that unusual but I still find it weird). The one they just rescued has already cost them a ton. It barely had any hair when they got it. The idiots that had her wondered why the shar pei they only paid 600 for wasn't healthy! And they tried to say she was breeding quality. They really didn't need another dog but my grandpa just couldn't leave her there.

I'm not sure how shar pei fever is passed down or if it is even genetic, but I have heard when skin flare ups happen an episode can be coming up. If you can find a vet that knows about the breed it will help a ton. They have to drive a long way for theirs but he knows what he's doing.

* I just had to add that shar peis are one of my favorite breeds their skin just sucks :( And people want to mix them wiht bassets! Idiots!
And I looked at your doggy and she is cute! She actually looks a lot like my grandmas first pei. She only had head wrinkles but of course she had the short ears.
And I forgot their dogster pages!
http://www.dogster.com/?100859
http://www.dogster.com/?100860
http://www.dogster.com/?100861

***Edited By: joce on 3/3/2005 5:56:08 PM***
Reason: yuik

LOL, Basset_Lover. I saw the post(but not the poster) and I was going to write, wait for Basset_Lover to come on--her son just got a Sharpei mix, maybe she can help you. DUH! Somebody is spending too much time on TP!

Thanks joce for the information on your Grandma's Shar-pais. I will have to do more research on this skin problem. Her belly looks so sore, almost raw. I don't understand how it could flare up in just a few hours time. They do put the dogs in kennels with duct work connected to it, to dry them. I wonder if the heat was too much for her sensitive skin?

I bought her some chew bones and cow ears to nibble on, trying to keep her mind off the itching.

Heat will affect it too. It's even worse if they have the stiff hair because it rubs on the parts that are getting hot. Does she have a horse hair type coat? They are the type that get the most irritations.

one thing i forgot to mention though, Basset, is that pits are known for skin sensitivity as well. what kind of food are you/is your son feeding Keesha?

Hi Bessieloubop - I will take your suggestion and the next time I see myself sign in, I will ask myself the question about Shar-pais.

No problem, how is Bessie? Still enjoying those spring time flowers? I'm so jealous, I want to sit outside and sniff the flowers, but mine are frozen.

:)

The food may be a big part of the problem. I had her on Purina puppy chow, then she was switched to Purina Little Bits, as her sister (the Chihuahua) doesn't care for the bigger dog kibbles.

The last time my son got food, he got the cheap Wal-mart Old Roy brand. The vet told me to throw out the Old Roy bag and get her back on Purina.

okay, it's official, i'm bonkers. the answer to my question is right there. i would look into some low allergy foods, Natural Balance Duck & Potato comes to mind for one, and maybe start supplementing with some Omega oils. looka me, acting like an expert. this is all regurgitated info, mind you, hopefully someone else will come along and set us straight, lol.
bessie is great. farting & destroying flowers as i type!
*hey, you're quick, did you just copy and paste that???

***Edited By: bessieloubop on 3/3/2005 6:12:37 PM***
Reason: *

I was kind of hoping the vet would suggest moving to a warmer climate. I think that would be beneficial to Kesha and to me. I'd go along as her guardian. :D

I'll look into those other diets, but you have to realize I live way up north, just south of the border with Canada and we don't have PetSmart or PetCo or any of the bigger pet stores up here.

First of all, I want to get rid of that Old Roy and get her back on Purina.

move down here to Tucson! it's 70 degrees out right now, the front door is wide open! and there are pet stores everywhere. where abouts in canada do you live, if you don't mind me asking. oh, and just as a tid bit, one of the healthiest looking, and feeling dog i have ever seen was fed Ol Roy. who freaking knows? my big lab is on some pretty gourmet food, yet he stinks and sheds like you would not believe. anyway, blah blah. good luck with your(son's) poocharoo.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=PRINT&A=561

***Edited By: bessieloubop on 3/3/2005 6:24:41 PM***
Reason: added

Actually, we don't live in Canada. We live just south of the border with Ontario, Canada in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If you look at a map, we're on the north coast of Lake Michigan.

I just got home from Austin, TX last week. It was 80 degrees and very humid there when I left. I got of the plane in Chicago, IL to 34 degrees and wind. BRRRRRR.

Tucson weather sounds wonderful. I'd love to get up for work and not have to scrape ice off my windshield in the morning. I have to put sweaters on the dogs when I let them out in the early morning hours, or they'd surely be frozen stiff.

Kesha doesn't live with me, she is James' dog, they both live with my Mom, just down the road. He never took her in for shots, so I'm the one that took the initiative and took her to the vets. This was also her first grooming today and now it looks like we really irritated her skin. I should have left well enough alone.

Oh joce, your dogs are too cute. Kesha weighs 44.9 pounds, so she looks lots smaller than your Grandma's Shar-pais. Of course, Kesha is not purebred, she is mixed with Pit Bull. Thanks for sharing their pictures.

I see that you had an Arabian. I raised Arabian horses for years. I had Egyptian Arabs and I love them.

Bassett. Here is a picture of "Buster" my shar-pei/great dane mix. I raised shar-pei's for a few years back in the early 80's. I was involved with showing and obedience. I only had 1 litter in the 14 years that I had the breed. I went though every food you can think of. The key to a good coat and no skin problems in Shar-pei's is no corn, wheat, or soy in their food. I learned it the hard way. I feed one of mine Science Diet and he went completely bald and was as red as a beet. Poor thing would scratch himself raw.

Buster the dog I have now came from the shelter and he was half bald when I got him 2 years ago. He is fed a grain free food and has never ever had any skin problems at all. He barely even sheds.

Good luck with her she is adorable.


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