Question by Dear Prudence: What can I use to clean under and around my dog’s eyes?
I have a 5 y.o. male shih tzu with really smashed in face. He has allergies and his eyes run constantly. I’ve had several vets check him & all have agree that it’s from allergies and I am doing a great job of keeping the area clean and well groomed.

Allergies are really bad for him right now in Florida and his eyes run all day while I’m at work. I wipe them a lot at night, but they seem to be developing a yeast or something from the moisture during the day. The area (skin fold) is always wet below his eyes. He is really itchy there and when I wipe the area, it smells “musty/moldy” like soggy bread or warm beer.

I made him an appt with vet but they can’t see him until next week. What can I do in the meantime? I’d like to find something that I can use to clean the area to relieve him of the itching and help with the odor. Warm water is not doing the trick!

Best answer:

Answer by roxychic3253
Saline is about the only product we recommend at our clinic. Anything else may be very harmful to the eyes.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by Laura: What is this bump on my dog’s upper lip?
I just noticed today that my dog has a tiny bump where her whiskers are. It looks like a pimple ready to pop, but flesh-toned and red in the middle. She is a lab mix, about four years old. She has been having some skin problems lately. The last time we took her to the vet we were told to give her lamb and rice food because her allergies to beef and chicken were giving her dandruff and dirty ears. She’s been on the lamb and rice diet for about two months now, but the past week she’s had some dry patches on her underbelly that look very red and scabby. I gave her some pedigree wet food for a treat yesterday, I hope that isn’t what triggered the reaction on her lip. If anyone knows what this could be please respond!

Best answer:

Answer by Holly
Cheaper food contains LOTS of stuff that can cause allergies in dogs. The rice in your lamb and rice food could also be causing problems.
I would say to give Acana Lamb and Apple dog kibble a try. It’s a great food for dogs with allergies.

As for the bump, it likely is a pimple. Dogs get them too. If it don’t go away in a week or so, have it looked at by your vet.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by proud nerd: dark spots on my dog’s lips?
I have a 3 year old weimaraner who, aside from some minor issues with food allergies, has always been very healthy. Over the past few days, though, I’ve noticed a spot on each side of her mouth (on the upper lip, about halfway down her muzzle) that has become very dark colored. It isn’t swollen, it isn’t bleeding, and it doesn’t seem to hurt her at all. Should I be worried? I generally stick to the rule that if she’s eating, drinking, sleeping, and pooping normally, I don’t worry too much about it. But this seems so odd, I was concerned that I should check into it. Thanks in advance for your input!

Best answer:

Answer by Jojo
If it’s on her fur, I wouldn’t be worried about it.
Something probably just stained her fur.
If it’s the skin beneath it, it could just be a developing mole or liver spot (yes, dogs get those, too).
I would suggest calling your vet and talking to them, but it’s probably nothing life-threatening.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by KayeJohn: Are my dog’s hot spots getting better or worse?
My dog was recently diagnosed with allergies and suffered through a pretty nasty hot spot right above her tail. The vet gave her a steroid shot (this was roughly two or three weeks ago) to help her cope and I treated the hot spot at home with an antiseptic spray and natural oils (aloe vera, witch hazel, etc.) She was very much relieved, I definitely saw a huge improvement, and I thought the raw area had begun to scab over and heal once I saw some crusty bits in her fur.

Unfortunately, just tonight she began acting restless, and licked the area raw within an hour. There’s no fur around the hot spot any more and I can clearly see the angry red skin. I cleaned the area and used the medicated sprays again to stop her from licking and gnawing, but what does this mean? Did the steroids wear off or was a nasty scab itching her? Should I risk taking her in to the vet in case he recommends more steroids or is there more I should do to treat her at home?

She’s napping just fine now, about thirty minutes after I applied the antiseptic and oils. The hot spot still looks angry and gross though.
Ah thanks, I was afraid of that. I didn’t think her diet would be an issue because I’ve always fed her food with protein as the first ingredient. She’s seven years old and this was her first noticeable reaction of this sort. I had guessed that her allergy stemmed from bug bites since her hot spot coincided with a trip to the family farm. Does this mean my house now has fleas lurking somewhere that keep bothering her? If she is allergic to fleas, would it have been possible not to notice for seven years?

Best answer:

Answer by MamaBas
Yes, the benefit of the steroid shot has probably worn off. In any case, it may be better to look to the cause, much as relief is needed. And maybe antibiotics are needed, to help it heal if it’s an open wound. Perhaps you should look for another feed (switching gradually), one with a low protein level, and no cereal. But yes, get back to the vet. If nothing else, he should log that the steroid treatment hasn’t totally sorted the problem out.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by ErgoF: Is vinegar safe for treating my dog’s yeast?
My female boxer has food and environmental allergies that are currently being treated, but as a result she has developed quite the yeast infection on many parts of her body. I am quite confident that the allergy treatment is working (treating the causes, not the symptoms) so that is not the question. Some of the research I have done on her yeast skin problems has indicated that vinegar is a good treatment and prevention for yeast on dogs. Is straight vinegar safe to spray on her skin or does it need to be diluted first? If so, to what proportions? Thanks for the info.

(I have asked this question before and got two very rude, ill-informed answers, so before you just tell me to take my dog to the vet, here is some more information:

My dog goes to the vet a minimum of once per month. She has had a serum test to determine the specific allergens that aggravate her and as a result she is on a limited ingredient diet and medication to handle some of the unavoidable environmental allergies. She takes an omega-3 supplement with her food. She is also given a prescription antiseptic bath at least once per week. Steroids are not an option as they bring about terrible side effects in her and are just plain not good for her anyway. Antibiotics are not getting rid of her itchy, smelly yeast infections (yes, skin scrapings have been tested and it is just yeast) so her vet recommended researching homeopathic remedies which I have been doing. My question above is for anyone who has had experience using one of these remedies or can recommend another one that they found to be effective. Thank you!)

Best answer:

Answer by cjrossi
Your vet … recommended that you go and research homeopathic remedies?

that’s interesting

vinegar might sting inflamed skin and especially mucous membraney type skin.

try it watered down first, see how it goes … but generally, I hold and extremely dim view of simple household item remedies.

Give your answer to this question below!