My dog has hepatitis dermatitis. How do I improve her skin & coat?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Sharon is handsome! His fur looks very good. Diet plays a huge role in coat health. As does taking care of his overall health-vaccinations, deworming, external parasite control etc. Omega 3 fish oils can help with the coat. Try VRS Omega Benefits or Nordic naturals. http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ I hope this helps!

Hello. Willow may have a bit of dermatitis going on. I would recommend bathing her in a Benzoyl Peroxide based shampoo which you can find at most pet retailers & online. Follow the directions by making sure you leave the lather on for 10 minutes before rinsing. Repeat twice a week until the skin heals ( which may take several weeks of bathing ). If the skin does not seem to be healing, she may have allergies or require antibiotics, but a medicated shampoo often will clear up these minor issues. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

A few things to consider. She should be tested for hypothyroidism to make sure she doesn't have a thyroid condition. She probably needs to be on some type of allergy medication long term to control any allergies that are contributing to her skin condition. Your vet could try an antihistamine, like hydroxyzine, and see if that helps. There is also a new medication called Apoquel which seems to work very well. She should also stay on the antibiotics for at least 3-4 weeks before stopping. Adding Free Form Snip Tips may also help keep her skin healthy. You could also try a hypoallergenic diet like z/d for 8 weeks and see if that helps. Lastly, you could take her to a veterinary dermatologist if your vet can't get her condition under control.

Coat length is determined by genetics so you can't change that. At home you can try giving him an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets and changing the food. There are two brands of food, Royal Canin and Nutro, which are aimed at skin and coat health. Supplements and diet may help to promote a healthy coat. Additionally, conditions such as skin infections, parasites, allergies and endocrine disease will all cause poor hair coats so it's important to make sure Bollubhai is healthy. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Those patches are likely infection or severe inflammation. The key is to figure out the underlying cause. Those spots on Hershey could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Hershey wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Patchy hair coat can be due to a number of factors, including endocrine disease (such as hypothyroidism), allergies, bacterial or fungal or parasitic infection of the skin. I would recommend an exam at your vet so they can see the hair coat and skin. They may recommend testing such as bloodwork to screen for thyroid disease, or skin cytology to check for infection.

The next logical step is liver biopsy. Please, discuss it with your vet. If they are not able to take a biopsy (not every veterinary practice is capable to perform this procedure) you should ask to be referred to specialists in internal medicine. They will be able to offer much wider range of investigation and treatment.