Question:my pet is 9 yrs old , he has developed severe itching on his body...once he even nipped himself......have taken him to the vet...but this has been recent...and also noticed that his skin is turning black..no hair loss whatsoever.....also he has this infection in his ear....the doc says probably he hurt himself while scratching his ear....all he needs is an ear cleanup......the ear thing i know....but is his skin turning black......he eats well too...his tummy is already black in colour....he is a full size gsd. help me. what do u think...
Answers:
The skin and the ears are most likely related. Dogs with allergies (German Shepard's are prone to them) will have skin itching and ear infections. Changing the food can help the ears but often regular cleaning and medication - even when there is no sign of infection can keep them from coming back.
There are many options for treating allergies, you should first make sure there is not a mite problem though.
The skin turning black is nothing to worry about - when animals skin has chronic inflammation it activates the cells that produce melanin (what gives us a tan or darker skin) and causes the skin to turn black. Often this will go away when the infection or allergy is under control. It's not harmful to the animal in anyway though.
Other Answers:
take it to the vet and buy some cream for it
He has a parasite. The best medicine over the counter for it is Tar.
signs of hypothyroidism. ask the vet to check. it could also be mange, but I doubt it.
Honestly, if your vet doesn't seem concerned with the skin thing or the ear or any other of your dog's ailments, you really need to find a new veterinarian. 9 isn't that old yet and these problems should be treatable. Skin changes are due to nutritional and bacterial changes and he needs to be looked at.
How would you like to wallk into the doctor with a huge itchy rash and no way to treat it and have them tell you to put a band aid on it and go home? This is what the dog is going through. Help him.
My golden retriever had the same things. We found out it was two things. He had a food allergy, believe it or not. Go to a pet store (Pet Smart, etc) and they have food that helps skin allergies. I guess its fairly common. The other thing is he has to keep really clean. Baths every two weeks and we have to keep his bedding freshly laundered. Yes, our dog is very spoiled, but we love him.
Is the black skin dry, flakey, oozing or just black? If the GS is itching go to the vet. It will make the dog crazy without proper help
my dog was a golden retriever and he had the same problem and it was worse at the summer time and threes one cure and its like $4,000 and we decided instead of making him suffer we put him down i mess him so so much take care of your dog do whats best you decide think how he or she fills
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