Question:

Name: Sue Kinnaird

Pets’ species and breed: Rottweiler

Pets’ age and weight: 18 months, 130lbs

Pets’ health status: good

Are they spayed or neutered? No

Brand of food: changing diets

He has a skin problem; itchy, flaky, like cerises. Smells and loosing hair, the vet gave me medicated shampoo, and said he had mites, so a bath once a week in miteicide shampoo and after spray. This seemed to make him itch more. I did this for a month. I have been adding salmon oil and garlic olive oil to his food. I even tried tea tree oil and diluted it to brush him out. He is somewhat better. I know he needs a good diet, I tried to choose the ones with high fish & protein, he was on one for 2 months, and then they were out of stock so back to PC brand. This has been going on for over 6 months. He is still suffering and scratching, especially his elbows and neck. The breeder recommended Orijen dog food, but it is sold in the states, we are in Canada.

Answer:

The most important thing to do in this case is to make sure the mites are gone.  This can only be done through your veterinarian.  Mites are very difficult to treat and can take weeks to months to treat them successfully.  The skin will never be normal if the mites are still there, so this needs to be addressed first.

Using the right diet or supplements or topicals, when there are mites present will never result in long term success.  The mites need to be treated repeatedly over many weeks to months.  Once the dog is successfully mite-free, then diet and supplements can be used to restore the skin and coat back to health.  The Orijen brand food you mention is a great choice and is made in Canada, so with a little research, you should be able to get it there.  Their website is www.championpetfoods.com for more information.

Good luck with the mite treatment - it is challenging but hang in there!

Dr. Miller