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sm and itchy skin?

sally28

Active member
Hi everyone,

For the last 6 weeks my cavy is suffering from terrible itching and it seems to be all over her body. As she was diagnosed with sm this year i was very concerned it may be
related to that so i took her straight to my vets. After a check up i was told her skin is very pink and suspected some sort of allergy and there were no signs of fleas or mites.
So we tried a course of steroids for a week, and then the itching came back. My cavy was then given a strong injection, which i was told would work for 2 week and it did.
I hate seeing her like this she is biting her feet and scratching her tummy and it is pink again.
So i am back to the vets tomorrow, i know with some sm affected dogs they tend to itch there heads and necks but she has never done this yet!
So i am not sure if it related to the sm? Its horrible having a dog with sm as since finding out she the condition i constantly check for worsening signs or any symptoms she
has like the itching automatically assume its related to the sm. My vet tends to think it isn't related but has no idea what is causing it?
So i was wondering if anyone else who has a cavy with sm has experienced this? I was also wondering if the gabapentine that she takes could be cause also?
As i have read it can cause dry skin, but she has been on it for quite a while now already so would of thought it would of come up before now.
Anyway i will see what happens tomorrow at the vets and see what they think this is.
Thanks for reading
sally and a itchy cavy ( pumpkin)
 
Thanks Brain and Sabby for your quick responce, and for recommending the dermacton products.
I will definitely give that a go, had a look on the website at the poor little dogs with skin allergys and the results were amazing.
Thanks again
 
Sophie does not have SM (so far) and I know nothing about dealing with it, but is it possible your dog might have developed a food allergy? Our Sophie itches and scratches like mad when she is fed kibble, to the point it made me wonder if she had SM. Changing her to a raw diet of meat & veggies stopped all scratching. She is allergic to potatoes, sweet potatoes, both are found in the 'grain-free' type kibbles, to the point she will pull the hair out from the top of her rump. Rice in another kibble she can handle in very small doses causes itching, also. She gets it very sparingly, too, because of the itching. No easy meals in our home for our Cavalier.....
 
I started Rose on this a few weeks ago, http://www.backtobasicspetfood.com/dog-food-analysis-ingredients and it really helped her itchiness...until I got the "big bag" and absentmindedly dumped the last of the previous brand food that was in the dog food container in with the new food:oops: (because that's what I always do, right??). Then she started itching like mad again, if not worse...duh, doggiemom of the year award for me...:bang:. I spent tonight picking the old food out of the 13 lbs of new food... It doesn't have potatoes, rice, wheat, etc. in it. I was soooo happy to find it!

I don't know if you have Pet Supplies Plus in Tenn., but that's where I got it here (Alabama). The small bag has some great coupons in it, too!

Back to Basics: Turkey

Turkey Giblets (Turkey Livers and Turkey Hearts),
Turkey meal,
Turkey,
Chicken Meal
Tapioca
Pea Protein
Poultry Fat (Turkey & Chicken, Naturally Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)
Dried Whole Egg
Whole Flaxseed
Menhaden Fish Oil
Natural Chicken Flavor, Peas
Sunflower Oil
Salt
L-Carnitine

Potassium Chloride
Zinc Proteinate
Iron Proteinate
Vitamin E Supplement
L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C)
Choline Chloride
Biotin
Copper Proteinate
Manganese Proteinate
Niacin
Calcium Pantothenate
Sodium Selenite
Vitamin A Supplement
Riboflavin Supplement
Vitamin D3 Supplement
Thiamine Mononitrate
Vitamin B12 Supplement
Calcium Iodate
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
Folic Acid
 
My Sm dog had awful skin. she was an oozing scabby mess. The vets would not believe she had Sm because of it.
I think it was stress related , when she started scratching and biting herself she had perfect skin but chewed her stomach so much she started an infection and the stress made it spread. Atopica was the only thing that helped.
 
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