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Old 04-28-2007, 12:36 PM   #1
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Skin issue - French Mastiff

My 10 month old French Mastiff has a small area on her foot that is red and irritated. The hair has fallen out. Any ideas?

We'll probably go to the vet next week. Just wanted to see if anyone knew of what it could be.

-Thanks
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Old 04-28-2007, 12:39 PM   #2
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

Has she been licking/chewing the foot excessivly?

What are you feeding?

Have you tried giving Benadryle (1 mg per lb) ?

Do you hava tick problem where you live?
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Old 04-28-2007, 12:43 PM   #3
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

She's not licking or chewing the foot excessively, and I've sprayed the foot with Bitter apple to ensure she doesn't chew.

Feeding Bil-Jac. I haven't tried Benadryl, but will.

As for the ticks, I found a tick on her a few weeks ago and just put her on k9 advantix.
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Old 04-28-2007, 01:18 PM   #4
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

OK, first, Bil Jack is really bad food. Because it contains wheat and corn it could be causing a food allergy, which would cause the sore paws. Look in the diet section for suggestions on good foods.

I would have a tick titer done wen you go to the vet, if that is where you found the tick, there is a possibility that there's an infection and tick disease is very nasty and can lead to serious health and temperment problems something you don't need with a dog the size of a DDB.

The other possibility would be environmental allergies. I know my Bulldog breaks out every time we cut the grass.
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Old 04-28-2007, 01:28 PM   #5
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

Quote:
Originally Posted by cshellenberger View Post
OK, first, Bil Jack is really bad food. Because it contains wheat and corn it could be causing a food allergy, which would cause the sore paws. Look in the diet section for suggestions on good foods.
Thats funny... its a recommended food on other boards, and a personal favorite of a very well respected working border collie owner/trainer. Its amazing how opinions differ from board to board.

Corn and wheat do not cause allergies, the immune system does. Removing grains from the diet is not the appropriate way to diagnose food allergies.

This is probably a bacterial infection. If this is the only toe, I can guarrantee the dog does NOT have food allergies. He probably got a cut or a sliver and the toe got infected. I would put some neosporin on it, it certainly won't hurt anything.

Just for comparison, here are photos of a dog with food allergies and a secondary bacterial/yeast infection. Ignore the shiny nails, I had just finished applying his medicine prior to the photo.







After a second look, it could also be ringworm... so if the neosporin doesn't cure it by the time you get to the vet, definately have it looked at.

Last edited by Misskiwi67; 04-28-2007 at 01:31 PM.
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Old 04-28-2007, 01:41 PM   #6
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

The picture provided by the OP looks just like one of my guy's feet when his problems started. It could be pyroderma. Ask your vet to test for it. Mastiffs and GSD are very prone to this skin problem.
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Old 04-28-2007, 03:57 PM   #7
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

Quote:
Originally Posted by Misskiwi67 View Post
Thats funny... its a recommended food on other boards, and a personal favorite of a very well respected working border collie owner/trainer. Its amazing how opinions differ from board to board.

Corn and wheat do not cause allergies, the immune system does. Removing grains from the diet is not the appropriate way to diagnose food allergies.
This is where I get that Bil Jac is poor quality. Also from my own experiene having a dog WITH food allergies. Corn does indeed cause food allergies as does wheat, so to state that they don't is careless.
http://www.allpetsmacomb.com/allergies.html
http://www.medi-vet.com/canineallergy.aspx

How to grade your dog's food:

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâ?Ts rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D

69 = F

Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.
Dog Food scores:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil Jac Select/ Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

**** Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Benful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
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Old 04-28-2007, 05:46 PM   #8
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Re: Skin issue - French Mastiff

Quote:
Originally Posted by cshellenberger View Post
Also from my own experiene having a dog WITH food allergies. Corn does indeed cause food allergies as does wheat, so to state that they don't is careless.
How was your dog diagnosed with food allergies? A proper diet trial, or trial and error? Corn and wheat are not the top food allergens, but they are the top grains ridiculed on forums where education is by word of mouth. Corn is actually listed LAST in most top ten lists, and in one study I read it caused 3 cases out of nearly 400. Yep... thats a major allergen right there. Wheat is a more common allergen, but that doesn't mean every allergic dog is allergic to wheat.

Quote:
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996 Aug 1;209(3):608-11.
Responses of dogs with food allergies to single-ingredient dietary provocation.

* Jeffers JG,
* Meyer EK,
* Sosis EJ.

Animal Allergy and Dermatology Clinic, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA.

OBJECTIVE--To characterize specific food ingredients causing allergic reactions in dogs and to assess cross-reactivity between proteins derived from a single animal source or from different plant products. DESIGN--Prospective study. ANIMALS--25 dogs with histories and cutaneous signs consistent with food-allergic dermatitis. PROCEDURE--Dogs were fed a food-elimination diet until resolution of clinical signs and then challenged with their original diet. A diagnosis of food allergy was made if there was complete return of pruritus within 14 days of challenge exposure. After diagnosis, dogs were fed the food-elimination diet until signs related to dietary challenge abated. The dogs then were fed beef, chicken, chicken eggs, cows' milk, wheat, soy, and corn in single-ingredient provocation trials for 1 week. Any cutaneous reactions to these food ingredients were recorded by their owners. RESULTS--Beef and soy most often caused adverse cutaneous reactions, although all ingredients induced clinical signs in at least 1 dog. Mean number of allergens per dog was 2.4, with 80% reacting to 1 or 2 proteins and 64% reacting to 2 or more of the proteins tested. A significant difference was found between dogs reacting to beef versus cows' milk and between dogs reacting to soy versus wheat; thus, the hypothesis of cross-reactivity to ingredients derived from a single animal source or to different plant products was not supported. Similar differences between chicken meat and eggs were not identified. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS--Long-term management of dogs with food allergies is facilitated by identification of the most commonly encountered food allergens. Because cross-reactivity cannot be verified, each protein source should be included separately in food-provocation trials.

PMID: 8755979 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Quote:
Lecture 8 and 9 - Allergic Skin Disorders

Dr. Wendy L. YaphéView VINner Profile

D. Inciting allergens

1. Characteristics of food allergen

a The inciting antigen is usually a protein (glycoprotein, etc.) contained in the diet.

b. Food allergies develop to those foods most commonly fed.

c. Food allergy induced by fats, carbohydrates and food additives are comparatively rare.

d. Patients with GI manifestations of food allergy often have multiple food allergies, whereas those with dermatologic manifestations often have single food allergy.

2. Dog: most common dietary protein allergens (in order) include beef, dairy, wheat (accounts for 66% of all cases), soy, chicken, eggs, and corn

3. Cat: most common implicated dietary proteins (in order) include beef, dairy, fish, (accounts for 90% of all cases), lamb, wheat, and chicken. Recent studies (New Zealand) also implicate wheat and corn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cshellenberger View Post
Start with a grade of 100:

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

Oooh, another grading system where a sprinkle of blueberry powder makes up for artificial coloring. Now thats an excellent way to grade a dog food...
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