How to Help Westie Dogs with Skin Problems
The West Highland White Terrier is commonly called the Westie. According to the American Kennel Club, Westie dogs have a "strong-willed personality and a large amount of spunk, determination and devotion ... The Westie loves people and makes an affectionate addition to any family." Westies are a healthy breed overall, but certain genetic and non-inherited skin diseases seem to be more common in Westies than in other breeds. Some of these conditions are Malassezia dermatitis, ichthyosis, atopic dermatitis and primary seborrhea. To help Westies with skin problems, their owners must be consistent in the dog's daily care.
Things You'll Need
- Medicated shampoo
- Leave-on medicated conditioner
- Clippers or scissors
- Antifungal cream
- Omega-3 fatty-acid supplement
- Hypoallergenic food
- Cyclosporine (if prescribed)
- Oral Ketoconazole (if prescribed)
- Prednisone (if prescribed)
Instructions
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Malassezia Dermatitis
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If your Westie is scratching a lot or chewing her feet, call the vet. Examine your Westie to see if he has greasy, red, itchy skin and a bad odor. Check his neck, groin, armpits and perineal areas. If your dog is scratching a lot or he seems to be in pain when you touch him, you need to make an appointment with a veterinarian.
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The veterinarian will take skin scrapings and examine them under the microscope. Bring your dog to the vet for a complete examination. The vet will look under the microscope for Malassezia organisms in skin scrapings. Malassezia dermatitis is a skin yeast infection triggered and exacerbated by humidity and airborne, food or flea allergies.
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Topical antifungal cream may give temporary relief but is seldom adequate alone. Begin treatment immediately. Your vet will prescribe topical or oral medication and palliative care. Topical treatment alone is seldom successful, but, because oral medications are expensive, starting with baths and antifungal creams is advised if the infection is not widespread. Sometimes diagnosis is confirmed by the dog's response to treatment.
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Bathe your Westie twice a week with medicated anti-yeast shampoo, which must be lathered, left on the skin for 15 minutes, then rinsed. Apply a prescribed medicated leave-in conditioner after shampooing.
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Follow your veterinarian's instructions if ketoconazole tablets are prescribed. Common side effects are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If nausea occurs, cut medication doses in half; if nausea is severe, discontinue use immediately.
Primary Seborrhea
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Observe your Westie for signs of seborrhea. If she has scaly skin or is scratching and licking excessively, or if she has inflamed ears, greasy hair with a rancid odor or reddish skin, contact the veterinarian.
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Take your Westie to the veterinarian to be examined for primary seborrhea, a genetic condition described by Dr. Mike Richards of vetinfo.com, as being "a defect in the way the skin produces keratin." You vet will check for secondary conditions and underlying causes, such as food allergies, atopic dermatitis, Malassezia infection or bacterial pyoderma.
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Use medicated anti-yeast shampoos twice a week to treat infection. Bathe your dog frequently with medicated anti-seborrheic shampoo. This treatment should ease your dog's discomfort and manage her symptoms.
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Clip or shave your Westie's hair so the shampoo thoroughly penetrates through the fur to the affected skin.
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Supplement your dog's diet with omega-3 fatty-acids, essential for skin cells to function properly. Special baths and a hypoallergenic, high-quality grain-free diet plus supplements may help with your Westie's skin problems.
Airborne Allergies
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Watch your Westie to see if she is rubbing her face with her front feet or licking and biting her feet, or if she develops an abdominal rash.
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Ask your vet or veterinary dermatologist about testing for allergens that may be causing the skin problems. Treatment for airborne allergies usually entails more than medicated baths.
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Try Cyclosporine modified oral medication (Atopica) only if your vet feels other less costly methods have not succeeded. Cyclosporine is extremely expensive but often effective in controlling atopic dermatitis by attacking immune cells responsible for allergic responses. One common side effect is gastrointestinal upset.
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Tips & Warnings
Try nizoral or ketoconazole shampoos to help prevent relapses. Sulfur and benzoyl peroxide shampoo may work in long-term treatment of Malassezia dermatitis. If your Westie becomes itchier after his bath, it may be because toxins are released from yeast cell walls as the organisms die.
Never use ketoconazole in dogs with pre-existing liver disease or decreased platelet levels, or dogs taking antihistamines.
Give oral prednisone only as prescribed by your veterinarian. Rule out allergies and discuss the harmful side effects associated with using steroids. Never abruptly stop prednisone treatment.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit westi image by Stefan Richter from Fotolia.com west hilend wite terrier 4 image by Olga Barbakadze from Fotolia.com microscope kit image by PHOTOFLY from Fotolia.com tube mit schwarz ölfarbe image by Lucky Dragon from Fotolia.com shampoos and shaving foam lined up image by Georgios Alexandris from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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We have a four yr old male westie with skin allergies, have changed him to a grain free diet a year ago and is on cephalexin and hexadene shampoo. It's always a struggle just seem to get off his meds and the skin allergy returns. Wondering if it's our 6 yr old african grey parrot because of the dander.
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My Westie had Malassezia Dermatitis. She seemed to have developed it from the dog food I was giving her during the time my dad was ill and I didn't have time to make her food. At first we thought she had a dirty belly (blackish) but after a shampoo, I flew to the net to discover this skin condition. I sure didn't like anything I found about how it could progress with hair loss OR the medicines they would put my dog on if we went to the vet! They all seemed too dangerous. I went back to making her food of just cooked ground beef with cooked brown wild rice and green beans. I ordered a GREAT shampoo: Richard's Organics - Anti Bacterial Shampoo with Tea Tree Oil and Neem Oil. This stuff was like magic! We bathed her about once a month, but every few days in between, we just soaped up her belly and underneath area with the shampoo. EVERY TIME we did this more and more of the blackness disappeared. I'm sure you could probably make a mixture of Neem and Olive Oil or Tea Tree and Olive Oil to blot on intermittently as wel.... but these two oils are antibacterial and do an AMAZING JOB. You probably won't need an expensive vet and dangerous anitbiotics if your dog responds like mine has. I was very impressed and saved hundreds of dollars and many trips with just this simple shampoo, keeping her bedding cleaner and putting her back on a corn free diet. Let me know if I can help you out.
