Belly and Armpit Rash – Puppy Pyoderma

Hi,
Your female lab puppy, Jazz, has a fairly common skin rash called Puppy pyoderma. This is not contagious to humans or to other animals, as it is similar to a diaper rash in human babies.

Basically, you will need to improve her diet. See our recommendations about a proper dog food diet, especially our Organic Puppy Food page.

Do not give her any vaccinations until her skin has cleared up completely, even if it takes a month or two. In fact, this rash may have appeared soon after a vaccination was given.

Bathe her belly and armpits with a mild shampoo, like Johnson and Johnson’s baby shampoo, every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. Keep her clean and dry.

You may also need to make sure her vulvar area is clean too. Just use a damp washcloth to clean her up, after she has urinated. As a puppy, she has not learned to clean herself that well, so you will have to help.

Having her seen by a local holistic veterinarian would be great to help guide you along the path toward a long healthy life for her.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,

Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
Dog Skin Conditions,
Dog Itchy Skin,
Dog Skin Rash,
Dog Skin Allergies

Our baby is just three years old and although she is as I call her a liqiurice all sort, from a rescur centre, about spaniel size, she has not been a well doggy. We has since discovered that her pancrease ha probably never worked and has been diagnosed with diabitese. We inject her with 15 units of insulin twice a day and since discovering her condition she had been a much happer dog. But she has developed a terrible skin rash. It comes during the hot summer months and when she plays on the grass. It has been a constant fight to treat and most upsetting and frustrating. Since she has diabietes we cannot treat with cortisone which made a huge difference. Non of the anti hystamines work. We have tried everything from Rooibos tea to burdock root on the natural side as well as all the creams the vet has offered. What seems to help but has not cured it is rubbing fissan paste and dusting with talc. It seems to soothe the itch but still the intensity of the rash changes from one day to the next. Our pharmastist made up a cream that also helped but it has the poison, Deet, in it which I am totally agains using as I am afraid we are slowly poisoning our baby. Has ANYONE found a cure for this very frustrating and stressful condition? We have spent a fortune on tests but her diabitese restricts some of the treatment.

Hi there,

We were sorry to read about your dog’s problem. Due to legal reasons, we are only able to respond to new questions after you sign up for My Online Vet. As soon as you do, your question will be posted to a new page where our veterinarians will respond.

Please click on the “Ask Me” picture at the top of the page to learn how to sign up.

Take care,

Jeff

This was very helpful as my puppy has the same thing. Ironically, I just switched her food to Wellness. Hopefully this will clear up in the next few days!

Hi Guys a while ago I commented about my Doggie with Diabetes and a terrible skin rash. Nothing seemed to help but since then I have discovered a cure for her. I have changed her diet to a raw diet ie. raw minced chicken or beef with grated veggies and fruit all mixed together. I have also put her on Alpha Lipoic acid, and Burdock root to clean the blood. If on occasions her skin flares up I use a tablet called ALLECET for hayfever and skin conditions and it’s working a treat. Good luck as it is a most frustrating and difficult problem to sort out as each dog is different. This has just been my experiece and I do suggest you clear it with your vet before going ahead with my advice.

Hi Gina,
Thank you for keeping us posted, that is wonderful that you have found a means to improve your dog’s health.

I felt that I must comment on the use of Allecet in dogs. It is not approved for use in dogs, although it is a ‘second’ generation drug derived from Atarax, an antihistamine commonly used in dogs, there was only one study that I found that tested Allecet (cetirizine) in dogs in 2004 in Canada. Click here for more information.

The dosage for antihistamines that ARE used in dogs such as Benadryl and Atarax, is much higher than it is for humans. The veterinary dose is one mg per pound 2-3 times daily for a dog. While an adult human only needs one 25 mg tablet of Benadryl, that would be the same dose you would give to a 25 lb Cocker Spaniel. In the Canadian study they used a similar (higher) dosing.

The side effects were nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.

Much better to seek the help of a holistic veterinarian, and use homeopathic remedies, or herbs, improved nutrition, Chinese herbs and acupuncture, instead of resorting to conventional drugs, if possible.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Skin Conditions,
– Dog Itchy Skin,
– Dog Skin Rash,
– Dog Skin Allergies,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Skin Rashes, Marks, Spots, Lesions & Patches (including itchy skin and mange) Section

Dear Dr. Carol

Many thanks for the info on Allecet. I researched it well before giving it to Nushka.

I watched her reactions carefully and found that on the odd day she would be a little sleepy but otherwise there were no other side effects. It works wonders when the rash gets nasty but I have managed to control it well with the diet, creams and talc.

Every now and then when she insists on rubbing and playing on the grass in the hot weather it gets more difficult to control. Soap is a complete no no. I wash her down with rosewater and a shower wash without any chemicals or soap in it.

There are quite a few on the market also from the Holistic vets but they can be expensive. Good luck to all. It’s well worth the effort for our best friends XXX

Hi Gina,
It sounds like you have worked out a safe and fairly effective treatment plan for Nushka. And if you only use the antihistamine, Allecet (cetirizine), sparingly, that would be the safest way to treat her.

Although, it would be even better if you were able to find a holistic veterinarian that could treat Nushka’s skin problem without using ‘drugs’.

Perhaps, finding a veterinarian from the membership list on http://www.theAVH.org, that practice mostly homeopathy, would be helpful.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

My puppy has the same thing and he is a yellow lab too! Good to know, it was just after he was vaccinated, actually… So I will hold off on vaccines until it clears up. And wash the area daily. He is also due for another round of worming and I’ll wait on that as well. Thanks!

Dito 🙂 Chocolate Labrador here that has just had 12 week Vaccination 2 weeks ago. I’ll swap her to a Raw diet and bath the area and see how i go. I was using a really good brand of biscuit but I guess at the end of the day they all have nasties in them.

July 17,2015

Dear Anonymous owners of Yellow Lab puppy and Chocolate Lab Puppy,

You are both on the right track. At this time, I am no longer answering questions online. It would be best to take your dog to a veterinarian or, better yet, find a local holistic veterinarian to help.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Take care
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman