Hello. I am new to Its a Husky Thing but not new to Huskies. I have had my husky (Akira aka Air Wolf) for 2 years now. I recently heard of a group of Huskies that were being kept in horrible conditions and the breeder was going to be giving all of his dogs away. I had to go see what was going on. When I arived at the breeders home I knew right away I was going to save one of them. Two one year old males were being kept in a 10x10 kennel of mud. Their H2o was a bathtub of water that could have been there for weeks. Anyhow, long story short, I took the oldest dog that was in a seperate kennel same conditions. He is a four year old male and has a skin condition i have been trying to fix. His coat is very coarse and not very healthy looking. Took him for all his shots and to the groomer. He dosent seem to have much of an undercoat and has quite a few hotspots. I have been giving him benadryl to help with the itch and fishoil with food to help with his skin and coat. I have had him for about a week and 1/2 and havent seen much of a difference. He is still itchy. Vet told me it was a flea allergy but im not so sure since it is mainly in certain spots. My opinion is that he has been covered in mud for years drying out his skin. I'm in need of other suggestions for him so he can finally begin to enjoy life. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. As for the dogs that were left at the breeders a friend and I got together and looked high and low and thanks to her I think all the dogs will be taken from the pit of mud.

Oh my god that's terrible I'm so glad you were able to save at least one of them I would have definitely gotten one, or all if it were possible. Hope your new pups coat gets better

Wow! That is awesome you were able to save one..I would of wanted to take all of them!

Have you tried coconut oil? My chihuahua had severe allergies and would scratch so much even on a prescription antihistamine she would get hot spots and the only thing that would save her would be giving her coconut oil (mind you dogs love it) and applying it to her sore spots.

Here is a thread all about it -
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t4315-coconut-oil?highlight=coconut+oil

Hummm.. Never would have thought of coconut oil. I will try that in combination with the fish oil and hope for some improvement. Thanks for the info.

Just make sure it is organic and virgin. I recommend http://www.cocotherapy.com/

Good luck and keep us updated!

Wow - that sounds horrible! I'm glad you were able to help and save one. Do you know what happened to the others?

+1 on coconut oil - I don't use personally because I have allergies to it; but a friend of mine does and loves the results. We use Grizzlies Salmon Oil.

Something he probably has never had to make life heaven: Peanut Butter + Honey (1 tbsp) + Banana + plain yogurt (we used Greek) frozen in cubes or in a Kong. Our Nova loves it - a bit messy but its heaven for him.

organic and virgin coconut oil.. got it. I will update
I have tried the peanut butter thing for his benadryl but he dosent like peanut butter. (go figure)
as for the other dogs left at the so called breeders house they should all be picked up this week. we have found people to take them all. if they are not all picked up, a friend of mine that works for humane society will be going to pick up the remainder.

Air Wolf wrote:

organic and virgin coconut oil.. got it. I will update
I have tried the peanut butter thing for his benadryl but he dosent like peanut butter. (go figure)
as for the other dogs left at the so called breeders house they should all be picked up this week. we have found people to take them all. if they are not all picked up, a friend of mine that works for humane society will be going to pick up the remainder.

Glad to hear they are getting all picked up.

On a side note - doesn't like Peanut Butter?! What?!
Have you tried liquid form? We had to give Nova Pepto for an upset stomach a few times. If you go the pharmacy ask for a baby syringe 5ml. You have to get them to sit (I have to hold him with my legs sitting down in front of him) and you squirt in along the side of the mouth towards the back. Make them take the medicine without having to trick with peanut butter. Its not an easy thing - but it makes it so peanut butter is a good thing and we don't hide anything in it.
My aunt used to use cheese with medicine.

Have you tried pill pockets or liverwaurst for giving the pills?

Does he seem to scratch a lot? Have you had him checked for scabies (sarcoptic mange)? Our rescue had a similar skin issue and first we were told allergies and we went through the benadryl, prescription antihistimines, everything, but it only got worse and worse. The vets were unable to find scabies during skin scrapings, but due to the severity of her itching and the self-harm she was causing by scratching, the vet decided to treat for scabies anyway. A does of liquid ivermectin once a week for a month made a tremendous improvement. It still wasn't totally resolved, so they increased the dosage to every 4 days for a month and it has finally been completely cleared up. She's like a totally different dog. Unfortunately, even though they were no where near each other, it spread to one of our huskies, but hers was a much milder case and was cleared up with a months worth of treatment. Luckily, our other husky managed to escape without getting it.

Oh, and I second the pill pockets, they were the only thing that helped when trying to give the rescue pills.

When I had to give Karli her pain meds, I wrapped it in cheese. She gobbled it right up without even realizing there was anything in the cheese. Pure aloe is also good for the skin, I know its used on birds with dry skin, so maybe see about adding it to bath water. It may help a little anyways.

What about the food you are feeding could he have an allergies to it as well? His coat and body will take time to recover so only a week is not that much time. Thanks for taking him and working to get the rest saved!

Arainais wrote:

Does he seem to scratch a lot? Have you had him checked for scabies (sarcoptic mange)? Our rescue had a similar skin issue and first we were told allergies and we went through the benadryl, prescription antihistimines, everything, but it only got worse and worse. The vets were unable to find scabies during skin scrapings, but due to the severity of her itching and the self-harm she was causing by scratching, the vet decided to treat for scabies anyway. A does of liquid ivermectin once a week for a month made a tremendous improvement. It still wasn't totally resolved, so they increased the dosage to every 4 days for a month and it has finally been completely cleared up. She's like a totally different dog. Unfortunately, even though they were no where near each other, it spread to one of our huskies, but hers was a much milder case and was cleared up with a months worth of treatment. Luckily, our other husky managed to escape without getting it.

Oh, and I second the pill pockets, they were the only thing that helped when trying to give the rescue pills.

He does scratch a lot. mainly when he is inside. he seems to scratch much less when he is out. He has had his skin looked at by vet and i was told he had a flea allergy. he has been treated for fleas and ticks and i have seen a difference in the last two days. however he is still itching. as far as a condition that could be spread, i have been monitoring my girl sibe and she has had no change. if he dosent make a major change in the next week i will take him for a skin scraping. Thanks for all of your imput.

Super Nova wrote:

Air Wolf wrote:

organic and virgin coconut oil.. got it. I will update
I have tried the peanut butter thing for his benadryl but he dosent like peanut butter. (go figure)
as for the other dogs left at the so called breeders house they should all be picked up this week. we have found people to take them all. if they are not all picked up, a friend of mine that works for humane society will be going to pick up the remainder.

Glad to hear they are getting all picked up.

On a side note - doesn't like Peanut Butter?! What?!
Have you tried liquid form? We had to give Nova Pepto for an upset stomach a few times. If you go the pharmacy ask for a baby syringe 5ml. You have to get them to sit (I have to hold him with my legs sitting down in front of him) and you squirt in along the side of the mouth towards the back. Make them take the medicine without having to trick with peanut butter. Its not an easy thing - but it makes it so peanut butter is a good thing and we don't hide anything in it.
My aunt used to use cheese with medicine.

Feeding him pills isnt that big of a deal. i can eventually get him to eat them with some meat. he is very picky, wont eat peanut butter, cheese, fruit, or veggies. such a snob. lol maybe some wine with his cheese. jk

jbealer wrote:

What about the food you are feeding could he have an allergies to it as well? His coat and body will take time to recover so only a week is not that much time. Thanks for taking him and working to get the rest saved!

i feed my girl beneful and the occasional cooked meat dinner. (prob 3 nights a week) i am feeding him the same. i am prob gonna switch them both to blue buff or chicken soup. i know a week isnt much time, i just want to make sure im taking the right steps to get him feeling better. i have a lot of experience with dogs but have never had one with skin/coat issues. Food suggestions would be goood too. Thanks

cinnamonbits wrote:

When I had to give Karli her pain meds, I wrapped it in cheese. She gobbled it right up without even realizing there was anything in the cheese. Pure aloe is also good for the skin, I know its used on birds with dry skin, so maybe see about adding it to bath water. It may help a little anyways.

I like the aloe thing but i dont want to give him too many baths. i will try the aloe directly on the hotspots if coconut oil dosent help. Thanks for help.

Mike,
try looking into a grain free food, i know some say it does not matter and that were all brain washed to think that GF food is the best... but what i know is that most of us here feed a grain free food or raw and all our pups do well on it regardless of the brand. check out http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/4-star/ look at the 4 and 5 star foods for brands. check out your local natural dog food stores for advice as well. i feed nature domain from costco not sure if thats hit your area or not yet. we also have an ongoing what are you feeding your dog thread to give you some ideas. https://www.itsahuskything.com/t174-what-are-you-feeding-your-husky

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/

You can use this link to view all the top star foods. A lot of huskies have problems with grain so I would make sure it is grain free and I myself don't recommend BB as my girl had lots of problems on it. She is now eating Wellness Core which is a 5 star food. Other good ones are TOTW, Acana, Earthborn, Orijen..mostly what everyone on here feeds . I had to try several foods with my chi as we could never figure out what was causing her scratching and limiting her food to ONLY straight kibble and no treats or people food helped wonders so I knew she couldn't have an allergy to anything except her kibble. Between finding the right food, an occasional oatmeal bath, and coconut oil..around her eyes were no longer raw and bleeding so I really hope it works for him too!!

jbealer wrote:

Mike,
try looking into a grain free food, i know some say it does not matter and that were all brain washed to think that GF food is the best... but what i know is that most of us here feed a grain free food or raw and all our pups do well on it regardless of the brand. check out http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/4-star/ look at the 4 and 5 star foods for brands. check out your local natural dog food stores for advice as well. i feed nature domain from costco not sure if thats hit your area or not yet. we also have an ongoing what are you feeding your dog thread to give you some ideas. https://www.itsahuskything.com/t174-what-are-you-feeding-your-husky

Thanks for the links. i have looked at them and i will def be changing thier food. looked into beneful that i am now feeding them and realized that i have been feeding my girl garbage for years. before i got my first sibe, i researched the breed for months and knew they were a breed that have more needs than most but i never really thought that much about food until i joined this site. Thanks for ur help.

laura56083 wrote:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/

You can use this link to view all the top star foods. A lot of huskies have problems with grain so I would make sure it is grain free and I myself don't recommend BB as my girl had lots of problems on it. She is now eating Wellness Core which is a 5 star food. Other good ones are TOTW, Acana, Earthborn, Orijen..mostly what everyone on here feeds . I had to try several foods with my chi as we could never figure out what was causing her scratching and limiting her food to ONLY straight kibble and no treats or people food helped wonders so I knew she couldn't have an allergy to anything except her kibble. Between finding the right food, an occasional oatmeal bath, and coconut oil..around her eyes were no longer raw and bleeding so I really hope it works for him too!!

Thanks for ur input. i will research all brands of grain free. He has had the oatmeal bath and im about to try the coconut oil.

As suggested extra virgin coconut oil is amazing! I apply it to their elbow's and give them a tablespoon every now and then. I also give raw egg's too, which helps a lot with their coat!

So glad you saved the poor guy. I hope he starts looking better soon

Hayden_69 wrote:

As suggested extra virgin coconut oil is amazing! I apply it to their elbow's and give them a tablespoon every now and then. I also give raw egg's too, which helps a lot with their coat!

So glad you saved the poor guy. I hope he starts looking better soon

I just started with the raw egg. lets hope it helps.. thanks

Do you think you could upload some pics of the pup

elmerdc4 wrote:

Do you think you could upload some pics of the pup

funny you asked. that is what i am working on now.. i will have his pic up soon

elmerdc4 wrote:

Do you think you could upload some pics of the pup

ok.. Loki (my new sibe) is the one on the right. He is the one that has the skin issues. he's a happy pup, just itchy.