Seborrheic dermatitis in Irish Setter.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, poor Killian. She sounds so uncomfortable. Skin problems can be really difficult to deal with.

It's always tough for me to talk about skin issues without actually seeing the dog, but I can give you a few of my thoughts.

Has she been on a good flea product lately? The reason I'm asking is because sometimes when a dog has extreme dandruff and scaly skin it can be because of a parasite called cheyletiella. Cheletiella is treated quite easily with any flea product such as Advantage, Revolution or Frontline.

Has she had her thyroid level tested recently? Sometimes when dogs are on thyroid medication their requirements for how much medicine they need to get can change. So, if she has not had her level checked in the last few months this may help. If her thyroid is too low then this can cause skin issues.

Another thing that may help is to ask your vet if they can do a biopsy of her skin with a local anesthetic. The reason to do this is to help us get a more accurate diagnosis. There are some less common skin conditions such as epitheliotrophic lymphoma which is a type of skin cancer, or ichthyosis which is a rare skin condition that can look like what you are describing.

Omega fatty acids may help somewhat as well.

And one final thing that I can recommend is to ask your vet for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. These vets see skin problems all day long and they are very good at figuring out how to solve them. It may be worth a try.

I hope she gets some relief soon!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

It does sound like your vet has been extremely thorough!

I'd be interested in knowing what the biopsy results showed. "Seborrheic dermatitis" tells us that there is flaky skin, but it doesn't tell us the underlying problem.
Do you have a copy of the biopsy report?

Many times the seborrheic dermatitis can be secondary to allergies. Often it is really hard to determine what she is allergic to.

Personally, I would not have a problem putting an older dog on steroids as long as there is no known problem with the liver, kidneys or heart. If she is uncomfortable then she needs something to help her out!

You still may get some help from the dermatologist. If we have a diagnosis for a dog's skin condition but the dog is still uncomfortable, then there has to be something that can be done. So, if this were my case I would definitely be giving you the option of a dermatologist referral.