I am new to the site so I may not be doing this right yet. Thanks to all for being patient. I am very excited about having this resourse. I have 2 pit mixes that seem to get frequent rashes It usually shows up first under the legs (the armpit I guess) I am spending lots at the vet and after a week or so of meds (antibiotics) it seems to subside. Then it will come back again. The vet says that its common for Pits to have skin issues. Any thoughts?

Nothing huh?

Alec, what are you feeding your pups?
And do they BOTH reliably get the rashes at the same time?

Skin issues like frequent rashes (that aren't caused by an obvious environmental irritant) can be related to food allergies... I'm not an expert, but this forum has MANY people who can offer more advice (in addition to lots of wonderful info on healthy diets), I'm sure someone will chime in.

Welcome to the forum!

~Natalya

Natalya,
I feed them Science diet dry only. They never get human food ever. The vet says that its not a food alergy. They get lumpy scabs under thier coat that dont seem to bother them but my male is tan and it is leaving scars.

Thank you for responding by the way

Alec, can you tell if the effected area itches them? Do they lick at it, or try to scratch?

Didn't read the whole thing, but there was a thread here recently on dog rashes - it might be of some help...
http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=166813&page=0&fpart=1

~Natalya

*Rash related or not, I would do some researching on this site on kibbles - the good, the bad and the REALLY bad. If I remember correctly, Science Diet is right down near the bottom...

Alec,

I strongly urge you to switch from Science Diet. Don't feel bad, I fed Purina Pro Plan and Eukanuba (both of which are quite frankly crap in a bag... just like all Hills products) years ago before I dug in and researched canine nutrition. I was forced to do the research because my GSD was getting hot spots and scabs just like you describe. Now, I'm not saying that I know 100% that nutrition is the cause, but a change sure will not hurt and that would be the first thing I would try. I switched him to a holistic kibble only made with human grade ingredients and he did much better. Eventually I made the switch to raw, and the difference was quite frankly astounding. Do a search of the board about food and nutrition, and read the articles Leerburg has on the raw diet. It's not exactly cheap, but if you buy in bulk and plan it out a bit it ends up being inexpensive because of the reduced vet bills, grooming bills, and the overall impact on the dogs. It's not like Science Diet is cheap, you're not feeding Ol' Roy, which is what pisses me off the most. You would think if you spend that much money on food it would be good, but it's not.

I totally agree. I was feeding my pup science diet Lg Breed Puppy food, and was sure it was a great food. Then I started doing research on this board, and started looking at the ingredients (all the while thinking, "I'm sure it has good ingredients.") Wrong! The main ingredient in the Science Diet I was giving Kodee was corn meal. I was so p.o.ed - that stuff is recommended by vets everywhere, and it's not cheap. I was conned, basically. So I switched to Orijen Adult food (all natural, human grade ingredients, grain-free, meat-based). His coat is so shiny & sleek I can't believe it. His is in the process of shedding his puppy coat, and his new adult coat is very glossy and healthy. I am gradually adding more raw to his diet, and I will probably switch over totally eventually.

Science Diet is terrible - I threw away almost an entire bag b/c I didn't want someone else to use it after I switched Kodee. I have learned from the very informed people on this site, that vets do not always give the best advice, especially regarding nutrition. Just my opinion, but what have you got to lose by trying a better diet. Even if it doesn't solve all of the skin problems (although I would be surprised if it didn't help/eliminate the problem), at the very least, your dogs would be getting better nutrition.

Good luck, and welcome to the site!

Alec,

This link All Natural Kibble List

is great for choosing a new food that is all natural if you do not want to go with the raw diet. The cost, is not going to be a big factor since you are already feeding Science Diet. In fact, some of these may save you some money.

I urge you to consider switching, your dogs will benefit from it.

Alec; I just recently got a holistic heath care book and looked up rashes, my cody didn't have a rash but was very itchy about a week or so ago. As a treatment for rashes they recommended you take your dog off dry commercial dog food and put them on raw diet. Toxins can build up in dogs, as can wheat and the chemicals you find in dry dog food, eating a raw diet, flushes out system and it is the best "natural diet" for a dog to have.
My cody was a rescue and I have had him about one month, and have taken him off dry commercial food they fed him and have been feeding him raw. What is in our dogs food is shocking! No wonder so many pets are getting cancer now days!
So, there you go, you have a lot of good advise from the others who have responded to your email. I hope soon your pups will be back to normal.
God bless you