# peeling/ flaking skin



## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

I was wondering if anyone had any idea what might be going on with Perry. Within the last week or so I noticed some flaking skin. I first noticed it on his shoulder of the leg that was shaved for surgery. But then tonight I saw some on another area on his chest. It's big flakes, reminds me somewhat of sunburn peeling though a little thicker. 

Any idea what it might be? If it might be something to worry about?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> I was wondering if anyone had any idea what might be going on with Perry. Within the last week or so I noticed some flaking skin. I first noticed it on his shoulder of the leg that was shaved for surgery. But then tonight I saw some on another area on his chest. It's big flakes, reminds me somewhat of sunburn peeling though a little thicker.
> 
> Any idea what it might be? If it might be something to worry about?
> 
> ...


Is the other place somewhere that the bandage might be rubbing too? Or an area he is lying on alot? From what I can see in the photo, the skin under it LOOKS healthy, so if it is combined to areas that might be rubs, I think I’d just keep my eye on it, and perhaps ask the vet the next time you go for a bandage change. It looks like you could almost carefully comb the dead skin out.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Is the other place somewhere that the bandage might be rubbing too? Or an area he is lying on alot? From what I can see in the photo, the skin under it LOOKS healthy, so if it is combined to areas that might be rubs, I think I’d just keep my eye on it, and perhaps ask the vet the next time you go for a bandage change. It looks like you could almost carefully comb the dead skin out.


I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps being confined and lying on one area a lot could reduce air flow and cause some issues, along with bandages which really restrict air flow.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

krandall said:


> Is the other place somewhere that the bandage might be rubbing too? Or an area he is lying on alot? From what I can see in the photo, the skin under it LOOKS healthy, so if it is combined to areas that might be rubs, I think I’d just keep my eye on it, and perhaps ask the vet the next time you go for a bandage change. It looks like you could almost carefully comb the dead skin out.


So far I've found it on his leg but above the bandages. I thought rubbing too because I also found some on his side where his petsafe 3-in-1 harness was rubbing (so switched him back to his other harness). But yesterday where I found it is on his chest above the harness area so not where it would rub. 

I am combing the dead skin out as much as possible (that's what I was doing when I decided to take the pictures  ). The skin does look/ feel healthy, which is what reminded me of skin peeling from sunburn which, of course, this is not. 

I will definitely be asking at his next visit, was just wondering if anyone had any experience with something similar. It didn't feel like we needed to make an earlier vet appointment (not that we could probably get one anyway unless it was an emergency) but wanted to see what you all thought.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps being confined and lying on one area a lot could reduce air flow and cause some issues, along with bandages which really restrict air flow.


It's definitely not under the bandage or rubbing from the bandage - but it could definitely be not moving as much combined with some areas the harness rubbing a little.


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

I’ve been searching around online (which I’m sure you’ve already done yourself🙄😂) but there’s nothing obvious that comes up. Does it itch and bother Perry? (Am not trying to make a diagnosis just wondering) x


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Have you changed foods recently or grooming products? Hot, sunny climate?
Shadow(another mostly black puppy) has developed this a few months ago. My groomer said that it is dry skin. It is along his back from his neck to almost the tail. At first I thought maybe the groomer did not rinse him well enough. He has very thick hair. But I rebathed him and it is still there.
It is pretty hot and humid here in S. Florida so I wonder too if it it isn't sun exposure. 
I wish I had made note of when it started. I switched his food a few months ago from salmon to turkey because of his digestive issues. The vet thought the salmon was too oily for him. I wonder if it is related to his diet change. Maybe a combination of diet plus weather?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Tere said:


> Have you changed foods recently or grooming products? Hot, sunny climate?
> Shadow(another mostly black puppy) has developed this a few months ago. My groomer said that it is dry skin. It is along his back from his neck to almost the tail. At first I thought maybe the groomer did not rinse him well enough. He has very thick hair. But I rebathed him and it is still there.
> It is pretty hot and humid here in S. Florida so I wonder too if it it isn't sun exposure.
> I wish I had made note of when it started. I switched his food a few months ago from salmon to turkey because of his digestive issues. The vet thought the salmon was too oily for him. I wonder if it is related to his diet change. Maybe a combination of diet plus weather?


That is interesting about the diet change from more to less oil. Does the vet suggest adding some fish oil to his current food? Or maybe feeding an occasional sardine (canned in water)? I know some people in my other groups do this.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

GoWithTheFlo said:


> I’ve been searching around online (which I’m sure you’ve already done yourself🙄😂) but there’s nothing obvious that comes up. Does it itch and bother Perry? (Am not trying to make a diagnosis just wondering) x


Those areas don't seem to be particularly itchy - though he seems to be itchy in general (chewing on his feet a lot) - I can't decide if it's because he's more itchy than normal right now OR if it's because he's in the cone most of the day so the times he's out he's got to get all of the chewing/ licking/ scratching out of his system before the cone goes back on


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Tere said:


> Have you changed foods recently or grooming products? Hot, sunny climate?
> Shadow(another mostly black puppy) has developed this a few months ago. My groomer said that it is dry skin. It is along his back from his neck to almost the tail. At first I thought maybe the groomer did not rinse him well enough. He has very thick hair. But I rebathed him and it is still there.
> It is pretty hot and humid here in S. Florida so I wonder too if it it isn't sun exposure.
> I wish I had made note of when it started. I switched his food a few months ago from salmon to turkey because of his digestive issues. The vet thought the salmon was too oily for him. I wonder if it is related to his diet change. Maybe a combination of diet plus weather?


No diet changes (we changed from S&C to THK about 5 months ago and this is more recent) and he's not outside in the sun enough for it to be sun exposure (especially given that he isn't supposed to be walking/ running around much even our potty breaks are much shorter than before) - definitely less outside exposure than when we lived in Kampala, though it has been more humid here than it was there. 

Well, not completely right about the diet change -- just remembered that we added an omega-3 supplement (fish oil) as per the vets recommendation (in addition to the joint supplement that he'd already been taking) for joint support (not quite sure how it is for joint support, need to ask about that) - could something in that be causing his skin to get dryer/ flake? Hmmm, will definitely need to add that to the questions to the vet on his next bandage change.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> That is interesting about the diet change from more to less oil. Does the vet suggest adding some fish oil to his current food? Or maybe feeding an occasional sardine (canned in water)? I know some people in my other groups do this.


In Perry's case though the only diet change was from less to MORE fish oil  with the addition of the omega-3 supplement.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> Those areas don't seem to be particularly itchy - though he seems to be itchy in general (chewing on his feet a lot) - I can't decide if it's because he's more itchy than normal right now OR if it's because he's in the cone most of the day so the times he's out he's got to get all of the chewing/ licking/ scratching out of his system before the cone goes back on


Poor Perry has been through a lot!!! Sometimes I think chewing can be stress related. Poor Perry has been through lots of stress. He also has been confined which keeps dogs from blowing off steam. I am stressed just think about all Perry has been through!

As far as fish oil, I personally have not found it to be too useful for mine. In fact, they do not do well on it. Although I know some people who swear by it.

Some people say fish oil is good for joints because it contains omega threes which can help reduce inflammation caused by an excess of omega six. This could be why the vet recommended it for joints.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

Melissa Brill said:


> In Perry's case though the only diet change was from less to MORE fish oil  with the addition of the omega-3 supplement.


I'd check the omega 3 to see if it has vitamin A. Vitamin A can cause dry, flaking skin. Too much Vit. A could be the cause. Maybe try lowering the dosage.
Poor Perry! That little soldier has been through a lot. Good thing he has you on his team!


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> That is interesting about the diet change from more to less oil. Does the vet suggest adding some fish oil to his current food? Or maybe feeding an occasional sardine (canned in water)? I know some people in my other groups do this.


I haven't talked to the vet about the new skin condition since it would be a dead end in my opinion. Not messing with his diet either since he has been doing so well.
The vague timeline also lines up with when I got his hair cut very short so I think it may be sun related or it be that his skin dried out with having the heat on in the house in our cooler months. His hair is getting back to being long and the skin seems to be improving. I am going to see what happens in the next couple months with keeping his hair longer first. I like to do easy first.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Tere said:


> I haven't talked to the vet about the new skin condition since it would be a dead end in my opinion. Not messing with his diet either since he has been doing so well.
> The vague timeline also lines up with when I got his hair cut very short so I think it may be sun related or it be that his skin dried out with having the heat on in the house in our cooler months. His hair is getting back to being long and the skin seems to be improving. I am going to see what happens in the next couple months with keeping his hair longer first. I like to do easy first.


Great point. Once the diet it is under control, it is scary to mess with it! Glad he continues to do well with the new diet!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Tere said:


> I'd check the omega 3 to see if it has vitamin A. Vitamin A can cause dry, flaking skin. Too much Vit. A could be the cause. Maybe try lowering the dosage.
> Poor Perry! That little soldier has been through a lot. Good thing he has you on his team!


No vitamin A in the supplement - just Omega-3, DHA and EPA. It's Welactin which is the one the vet recommended as (according to her) it's one of the few that is independently tested to ensure that it has the amount of supplements in it that it says.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> Poor Perry has been through a lot!!! Sometimes I think chewing can be stress related. Poor Perry has been through lots of stress. He also has been confined which keeps dogs from blowing off steam. I am stressed just think about all Perry has been through!
> 
> As far as fish oil, I personally have not found it to be too useful for mine. In fact, they do not do well on it. Although I know some people who swear by it.
> 
> Some people say fish oil is good for joints because it contains omega threes which can help reduce inflammation caused by an excess of omega six. This could be why the vet recommended it for joints.


I'm not a huge believer in supplements - as long as they have a well balanced diet - but with both his leg/ bone/ joint issues, the vet has recommended (and I will, generally, follow medical opinions) both a joint supplement and the omega-3 supplement. 

I am sure he is stressed out from being in his crate - though I am probably the luckiest person here in how zen he acts - I try to bring him out to sit with me when I can - so a few hours a day but he's generally spending probably 20 hours a day in the crate, wearing a cone, with barely any noise or anything. The most he does is jump up and come to the front of the crate if I stand up - staring at me hopefully that I'm taking him out.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> I'm not a huge believer in supplements - as long as they have a well balanced diet - but with both his leg/ bone/ joint issues, the vet has recommended (and I will, generally, follow medical opinions) both a joint supplement and the omega-3 supplement.
> 
> I am sure he is stressed out from being in his crate - though I am probably the luckiest person here in how zen he acts - I try to bring him out to sit with me when I can - so a few hours a day but he's generally spending probably 20 hours a day in the crate, wearing a cone, with barely any noise or anything. The most he does is jump up and come to the front of the crate if I stand up - staring at me hopefully that I'm taking him out.


I am not a believer in supplements either, however I can see some situations where they may be needed. I never feed any supplements. I did try a couple probiotics and fish oil, both of which had dire consequences.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am not a believer in supplements either, however I can see some situations where they may be needed. I never feed any supplements. I did try a couple probiotics and fish oil, both of which had dire consequences.


That is interesting because I’m also not big on supplements but probiotics and fish oil I see as different, both for dogs and humans. A specific strain of probiotic was recommended for DS by his nutritionist but it didn’t work for him. It’s often recommended and works well for others with his condition. It was a pain to both source and store. I do think probiotics help Sundance, but I wouldn’t dare try fish oil. DD takes fish oil and vitamin D.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> That is interesting because I’m also not big on supplements but probiotics and fish oil I see as different, both for dogs and humans. A specific strain of probiotic was recommended for DS by his nutritionist but it didn’t work for him. It’s often recommended and works well for others with his condition. It was a pain to both source and store. I do think probiotics help Sundance, but I wouldn’t dare try fish oil. DD takes fish oil and vitamin D.


I am definitely a firm believer in supplements where needed. Most pet foods are too high in omega six and require additional omega threes. However, I choose to feed fish vs fish oil because fish oil gets rancid quickly and I don’t know which ones to trust. My dogs have not done well on fish oil but tolerate fish very well.

As far as probiotics, I think some dogs need them and some may not. I also think the particular probiotic needed may depend on the dog’s current gut micro biome. My dogs do not have digestive issues and get lots of digestive enzymes from their food. They did not do well on probiotics. They start eating grass, bile vomiting and getting gassy which they NEVER do normally. Therefore, I am not going to give them probiotics regardless of the research telling me they need them.

I also think that many dogs may need joint supplements depending on what they are getting from their diet. My dogs get lots of glucosamine and such from their food so not needed for mine.

As a raw homemade feeder, if the day comes I am unable to source a wide variety of organs, I definitely will need to supplement them. If so, I will likely supplement with freeze dried glandulars vs synthetic vitamins and minerals.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I also think that many dogs may need joint supplements depending on what they are getting from their diet. My dogs get lots of glucosamine and such from their food so not needed for mine.
> 
> As a raw homemade feeder, if the day comes I am unable to source a wide variety of organs, I definitely will need to supplement them. If so, I will likely supplement with freeze dried glandulars vs synthetic vitamins and minerals.


I wouldn't give a joint supplement just in general - at least not til a dog got older... but with multiple bone and joint surgeries, Perry's vet wanted him to have them and I agreed with her. Same with the fish oil - I wouldn't give it to him just as a normal dog, but his ortho vet said he should take it with the joint supplement to try to prevent issues as he gets older.


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## Alecia (Jul 13, 2021)

mudpuppymama said:


> Poor Perry has been through a lot!!! Sometimes I think chewing can be stress related. Poor Perry has been through lots of stress. He also has been confined which keeps dogs from blowing off steam. I am stressed just think about all Perry has been through!
> 
> As far as fish oil, I personally have not found it to be too useful for mine. In fact, they do not do well on it. Although I know some people who swear by it.
> 
> Some people say fish oil is good for joints because it contains omega threes which can help reduce inflammation caused by an excess of omega six. This could be why the vet recommended it for joints.





Melissa Brill said:


> I was wondering if anyone had any idea what might be going on with Perry. Within the last week or so I noticed some flaking skin. I first noticed it on his shoulder of the leg that was shaved for surgery. But then tonight I saw some on another area on his chest. It's big flakes, reminds me somewhat of sunburn peeling though a little thicker.
> 
> Any idea what it might be? If it might be something to worry about?
> 
> ...


Hi Melissa,
That looks very similar to one of the side effects of allergies, my chihuahua was allergic to the grass in Florida and that is what his skin would do along with hot spots. I tried a lot of different things and what worked the best is apoquel. It’s expensive but by far the best treatment I could find. 
good luck!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Alecia said:


> Hi Melissa,
> That looks very similar to one of the side effects of allergies, my chihuahua was allergic to the grass in Florida and that is what his skin would do along with hot spots. I tried a lot of different things and what worked the best is apoquel. It’s expensive but by far the best treatment I could find.
> good luck!


I'm wondering if it could be an allergy to the fish oil... that's the only thing that's changed in the last few weeks.


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

Melissa Brill said:


> I'm wondering if it could be an allergy to the fish oil... that's the only thing that's changed in the last few weeks.


It almost seems ironic but I can’t blame you for suspecting the fish oil. Are you thinking to maybe stop giving the fish oil to see if it makes a difference?


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

LeleRF said:


> It almost seems ironic but I can’t blame you for suspecting the fish oil. Are you thinking to maybe stop giving the fish oil to see if it makes a difference?


As of right now I'm keeping it - will ask about that at the vet's next week and keep an eye to see if it's getting worse. I am thinking that if it stays in 1 or two spots (not his whole body) that maybe it's not an allergy but rubbing,etc? But I want to ask them about it before stopping it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> As of right now I'm keeping it - will ask about that at the vet's next week and keep an eye to see if it's getting worse. I am thinking that if it stays in 1 or two spots (not his whole body) that maybe it's not an allergy but rubbing,etc? But I want to ask them about it before stopping it.


I think allergy sleuthing is often a case of trial and error and there are different ways to go about it. If you continue the fish oil and the condition improves and does not recur, you will know It is unrelated.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I think allergy sleuthing is often a case of trial and error and there are different ways to go about it. If you continue the fish oil and the condition improves and does not recur, you will know It is unrelated.


That's my thinking - if I continue it for a few weeks (since it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all) and he's fine then it wasn't the fish oil


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> I wouldn't give a joint supplement just in general - at least not til a dog got older... but with multiple bone and joint surgeries, Perry's vet wanted him to have them and I agreed with her. Same with the fish oil - I wouldn't give it to him just as a normal dog, but his ortho vet said he should take it with the joint supplement to try to prevent issues as he gets older.


Actually, my vet suggested that I start Panda on Glycoflex (actually Glycoflex II, since that's what I feed Kodi, but it didn't HAVE to be that  ) when she was right around a year old, and starting agility training. She is a sports medicine vet who also sees a few "normal" patients as well. She told me that there are studies that have show the these supplements can be protective against injuries, especially in dogs that will be in steady, regular work the way mine are. But I also do other things to keep my dogs in top physical shape. They get plenty of regular exercise and get tuned up by the chiropractor regularly as well. Kodi gets a tune-up every 6 weeks, Panda and and Pixel trade off in the "other slot" every 6 weeks, since they are much younger, and it is mostly preventive for them. So they get seen about every 3 months.

It is probably true that the average pet dog who runs around the back yard or goes for a half hour walk once a day does not really need this kind of supplement.


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