skin

It is no secret that English Setters can and do suffer from Skin problems. It can be very distressing to sit and watch your dog pick and scratch themselves to bits. The first thing we all do is head off to to the Vets thinking that there will be a simple cure to stop our dog's suffering. Sadly, in most cases this is not going to be the case.
In all of our years owning English Setters we have had many dogs with this complaint. We have never managed to tackle it completely.
You will emerge from the Vets clutching some form of Steroids, perhaps a special shampoo, maybe a flea spray and, if the Vet is persuasive enough, a bag of some form of 'special diet'. If you have purchased all of that the final bill we be well over a £100. Once the steroid course has run out you will be back at the Vets within days. They will then try to get you to have your dog allergen patch tested. We know of several dog owners (not just Setters) who have had this done and found their dog to be allergic to at least six everyday items, sometimes many more. Nearly all come back with an allergic reaction to grass! How on earth do you keep your dog away from something that is everywhere. Once again out comes the wallet and large amounts of money exchange hands. The patch test is all well and good if the results come back with one clear allergy - or your dog lives in a controlled environment, (in a sealed container).

Over the years we have been contacted many times for help and advice relating to this problem. This is one person's story of this distressing condition.

I have a 3 year old English Setter called Tess, who is absolutely wonderful and a joy to have. however in the last few months she has developed a very severe "itch". She scratches and nibbles all over all the time, especially around her face and her bottom area. She has in the past eaten her feet but this has passed, it seems like the irritant or itch is traveling from one area of her body to another. Our vet has prescribed steroids which does lessen the scratching but once the course is finished the "itch" returns. At the moment she has the area under her tail red raw and is constantly scratching under her chin and the side of her very beautiful face. We have recently changed the food she has been on to X dog food. My mother spoke to the man himself who assured her this food would do the trick. She has only been on this food for 3 days, so I can't say we have noticed any difference.

Very sadly for our lovely breed, skin trouble is prevalent amongst English Setters. As I write this Anna who is nine, is scratching herself to pieces in her bed. She has very little coat underneath her. Her previous owners, along with guidance from their vet, placed her on steroids from an early age (puppy-hood). As a result it destroyed her pancreas function and she now has to have an expensive dietary supplement to survive.

To get back to Tess. Light coated breeds of dog in general are particularly prone to skin problems- Westies, etc. In English Setters the itch is not genetically in any one particular line. It is just a matter of chance. Unlucky for some. As for the cure I will say that we have never managed to actually cure the problem, although we have managed on several occasions to alleviate the dog's distress. The object is to remove as many allergens as possible from the dog's environment and diet. We know people who have had Patch Tests done on their dog's skin (very expensive), to try to identify the allergen, and they have been inconclusive as it would appear that the dog is allergic to all the tested materials.

For diet, I do not think that the special complete foods work. There is no proof that they work - or for that matter just what they contain. The product may cost a lot and come with good advice, but the truth is they could and can contain any old rubbish and you pay for the name.

Try to keep away from wheat (gluten) containing products they tend to over-heat the body. Most dog foods (tinned or dried) contain wheat. If you are able, feed fresh meat along with rice or potatoes, although you will have to give a veterinary canine vitamin supplement if you do this long term. Good pet shops will supply convenient packs of frozen meat which actually work out to be quite economical. Is Tess's skin dry at all and her coat brittle? At least one Evening Primrose Oil 1000mg capsule everyday should help anyway. Various other similar products are available which also contain Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). You can get them from the vet but they tend to be cheaper from supermarkets, Superdrug, Boot's etc.

Antihistamine tablets called ATARAX 25mg (only available from vet) may also help. My best result with them was with Glen. He was a feet chewer. He actually grew the coat back on all his feet whilst on them. This drug also has anti-anxiety properties so can help if the dog is a bit stressed out and nervous (which some Setters are).

There is a great shampoo called MALASEB, again only from your Vet, this is an anti-fungal shampoo and only fairly recently available. Many Setter owners swear by this. You do need to follow the instructions as to length of time left on the coat.

Is Tess speyed? If so her hormones could be imbalanced. Ask you Vet about getting her back on the right track!

Try to keep Tess dry at all times. Our first Setter, Ross, loved the water and was 'always' wet- the problem was that as a result he developed skin trouble which almost developed into wet eczema.

Pollen can be one of the culprits and the problem can get worse when the pollen is out (most of the year), tree pollen, grass pollen etc. English Setters also seem to flare up if any strong disinfectants or cleaning materials such as Shake 'n Vac are used in the house or their bedding is washed in perfumed or biological wash powder. Treat them like a baby - use dermatologically tested and perfume free wash powder.

Have you asked your vet if she could have mites. These are tiny tiny things that cause all sorts of scratching and itching and are almost invisible to the eye. To name a few :-
Harvest mite usually attacks the feet at this time hence its name.
Cheyletiellosis, known as walking dandruff, this can be picked up from rabbits, foxes etc.

These are not fleas and, as I said before, are very hard to see. They are treatable. If I have stated the obvious then please excuse me. I have tried to write down all the roads and avenues that we have been down in the hope that it might just help both Setter and owner.

We have taken in many a Rescue some with awful conditions - but being perfectly honest, it is the ones with bad skin problems that upset us the most. Sometimes the only option is the use of steroids to try and give the poor dog some quality of life. If you have to resort to long term steroids try to use them only intermittently and use alternate day therapy when you have to use them. The long term (28 day) injections do not seem to work for more than a few days, if at all.

Allergic skin diseases are among the the most common, difficult and frustrating conditions to diagnose and treat. Allergic or, more correctly, hypersensitivity reactions occur when the immune system makes an exaggerated response to a foreign substance leading to tissue damage. In dogs four major groups of foreign materials, or allergens are involved - flea salvia, food constituents, inhaled particles (dust and pollens) and contact allergies. Canine allergic reactions usually lead to skin damage via complex, and, in many instances incompletely understood mechanisms, resulting in inflammation and pruritus. Animals are not born with allergies but develop them after repeated exposure to an allergen. Consequently dogs may develop food allergy having been fed the same diet for many years. Dogs may become allergic to more than one substance, which can make the diagnosis and treatment difficult. Furthermore, dogs may develop (new allergies) after previous ones have been identified and controlled

After flea allergy, in inhalant allergy, or ATOPY is probably the commonest allergic skin disease in the dog. When an affected individual inhales dust, pollens and moulds an allergic response occurs. The disease is similar to human asthma or hay-fever, except that the target tissue is the skin, not the respiratory tract. The disease can affect any breed, particularly Terriers, Labradors and Setters. There is often a history of related individuals also being affected, suggesting a genetic basis to the problem. Symptoms, usually begin at one to three years of age and may initially be seasonal, for example, associated with high pollen counts in the Summer just like human hay-fever. However, the condition may develop into a perennial problem Affected individuals are itchy and may rub and scratch their faces, particularly around the eyes and ears, and lick or chew their feet. The armpits (axillae) groin and the inside of the thighs may also be affected. Diagnosis is based on the presence of the features discussed above and by ruling out other causes of pruritus. In around 80 per cent of the cases the diagnosis can be confirmed by intradermal allergy testing. This complicated procedure involves the injection of small volumes of a range of liquid allergens into the skin. In atopic dogs one or more of these will elicit an allergic response at the site of injection. These test are currently only performed by Veterinary Surgeons specialising in dermatology. Treatment is difficult. In rare instances the dog can be isolated from the offending allergens, although this is seldom practical as allergic dogs are frequently hypersensitive to more than one substance. Anti-inflammatory drugs including (steroids) anti-histamines and essential fatty acids are used to reduce the inflammation, irritation and pruritus. However, the above will not improve all dogs and steroids may induce serious side effects . Some dermatology specialists use multiple injections of allergens in an attempt to desensitise or hypersensitise an animal, but this is expensive and may only be of value to 60 per cent of cases.

The prevalence of food allergy in the canine population is a subject of much debate. However, it is the easiest of the allergies to investigate and treat and therefore most veterinary surgeons suggest a dietary change at some stage in the management of the itchy dog. Dogs can become allergic to a wide range of foods, although dairy and beef products, together with gluten from wheat, are amongst the commonest offenders. Clinical signs vary, but pruritus is a common feature, especially affecting the face and around the anus. Some dogs may have a history of gastrointestinal disturbances.
Diagnosis is based on a two to four week dietary trial, with a home cooked diet fed to the exclusion of all other foods. The diet should be boiled rice or potato with a source of protein TO WHICH THE ANIMAL HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED, for example, fresh or frozen fish, chicken or lamb. With water only to drink. This MUST BE strictly adhered to. NO OTHER FOOD SHOULD BE GIVEN DURING THE TRIAL. If the condition improves, the dog should be challenged with the original diet to determine whether a relapse occurs, thus confirming diagnosis. Treatment is based on feeding a diet that does not induce skin disease. Even if this does work some dogs will go on to develop hypersensitivity to their new diet and hence the problem may recur.
Considerable dedication is required in long-term management of dogs with dietary allergy.

This condition is seen uncommonly in dogs as their hair coat prevents substances from contacting the skin surface. The major clinical sign is pruritus at contact sites such as the feet, chin, scrotum, elbows and hocks. Many substances can induce contact allergy, including plant materials, disinfectants, wool, nylon, and dyes, and sometimes shampoo, ointments and insecticides used in the treatment of skin disease. Contact allergy develops slowly and so a recent change of bedding or carpets is not usually significant. Diagnosis involves removing the suspected allergen from the environment for two weeks. If the condition improves, the diagnosis is confirmed by re-exposing the animal to the suspected material. Treatment is to remove the offending allergens. Contact irritant dermatitis is commonly seen in dogs and should be distinguished from contact allergy. Only a small percentage of dogs will have an allergic response to a contact allergen, whereas all dogs will have a skin reaction on exposure to an irritant such as concentrated disinfectant or detergent solutions. The clinical signs of contact irritation are similar to those of contact allergy and occur at similar body sites.