# Skin Conditions/Eye condition



## debssy85 (Apr 12, 2013)

Hi, I have two havanese dogs, both 2 years old. I have had no issues with one, and the other Charlie, has had issues since he was a baby. He has had to be sedated for an ear infection, he constantly bites his paws and has very little hair on them now, he has had rashes on his stomach and now he has conjunctivitis and excessive tear staining. Because of all this, he is terrified and will not allow us to put any medication on him. He won't even let us put a muzzle on him to put eye drops in etc. The dog trainer I have been in contact with says he is showing extreme signs of fear agression and there is no easy fix. He has had so many courses of antibiotics I don't care to remember, and creams etc. I don't know what else to do, I feel so helpless that he is suffering and the vets just keep trying new things. At the moment, his eyes are the main concern, he has excessive tearing that clumps together and hardens at the sides of his eyes, we can't get near him to soften it every day so it just get's worse and we have to take him to the vet. They have checked for blocked tear ducts but they are fine. Can anyone suggest anything we could try? Thanks


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Have you talked to the breeder about the problems you are having? Do they have any suggestions?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

if the vet can't figure it out, I would try a food change, . It may not help ,but food can cause numerous problems. I'm talking raw , home cooked or freeze dried.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

You need to get him on the best quality food that you can and give distilled water to drink as it has no minerals to clog up the eyes. That should be a start. Maybe he has an allergy too. Have you brought him to an allergist? What kind of food, water and treats do you give him?


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## My2Havs (Jun 5, 2009)

If you haven't already, I would try treating for allergies, this might be an environmental cause (or food allergy as someone mentioned), especially since he also chews his feet. My 12yo boy has had runny eyes and eye infections many times in the last 5-6 years so I take him to the ophthalmologist when he gets bad. You might need to get him on an antihistimine to help this. Does he rub his eyes and roll his head from side to side on the carpeting? The eye doc can also tell you if he has hairs on the inside of his eyelid which may cause excessive tearing. I have antibiotic eye drops, drops for itching and an antibiotic eye cream to handle all this. He's very good about all this so I realize how hard it must be if your dog resists. What might be comforting is a warm washcloth just holding it gently on his eyes while holding him and talking soothingly. My dog seems to really enjoy this. Don't poke and prod for now, just make it a good experience to get him used to the handling. 

I hope you can find the help he needs.

Monica, Dooley & Roxie


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

oh my gosh, poor guy! A muzzle!?? He must be a wreck with fear...  my heart goes out to him and to you.
you DEF. need to get him in to be tested for allergies, seasonal AND food.
What has he been eating??


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Does your vet not suspect allergies?

What you are describing sounds very similar, but more extreme, than the situation we have gone through with Finn. Finn was having nasty ear infections. The first one was pretty ugly and the vet had to clean out his ears and he screamed and carried on as if he was being tortured. I could not get close to his ears for awhile after that. He raised such a hissy fit and screamed so loud, it hurt MY ears. I had to take him to the vet every day for the course of treatment for that first infection. He has had trouble with his ears since about 9 months of age. I have kept in contact with his breeder since he came to us at ten weeks of age. I found out that his daddy started having issues, losing hair, scaly ears, and I can't remember what else, and she had him tested for thyroid, among other things and then finally tested him for allergies. Knowing that Finn's daddy had allergies gave us a place to start and when Finn started showing some of the same signs, I had Finn allergy tested too - although it is not inexpensive. Finn was chewing on the joint of his left front leg. He got an infection in his muzzle from rubbing his face on the floor. He has also had an infection in the corner of his eye. I have to treat his ears with drops every other day or so, or they still flare up. We did change his food after the allergy testing came back. But he also tested positive to molds, weeds, grasses and trees. I wash his face after he has been outside playing, and run the cloth over his hair and wash his feet; mostly in the spring and summer.

It was slow going, but I would handle his ears briefly and not try to clean them or put drops in them, just trying to get him used to me handling them again. It took quite a bit of time but at least the screaming stopped. He still doesn't like me handling them that much, but he tolerates it and I am able to get the drops in them. 

My heart goes out to you. It is so upsetting to see them suffering and not know what the problem is. 

The odd thing about Finn and his daddy - they were both doing well, until his breeder changed his daddy's food and I had changed Finn's food.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

Have his liver checked and seek out a holistic vet in your area. There is also a dog nutritionist, Sabine, that can help with the diet. Good luck and I hope you can find a solution.


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