As my last Chessie grew older he developed allergies which then turned into an auto-immune disease which led to his body rejecting his skin and ultimately led to him having to be euthanized. From what I have read about the subject this is rare in most breeds. My newest 5 month old scratches like he has fleas (which he doesn't) and has developed some sort of rash along his back. The skin is sloughing off soft scaly layers. Is lightning going to strike twice? Anyone have any similar expiriences or can offer any advice?

Is this dog related to the previous dog ? How old was the previous dog when it developed the skin problems ? Not sure what you mean by skin reaction.

Have you looked into toxics in your area or where you swim the dog ?

Dyane

Sounds like a simple puppy pyoderma, which intales a trip to the vet for some antibiotics.

Richard, So many possibilities and too little info. Did this rash occur recently and was the onset gradual or appeared quickly? Did you recently apply any type of flea/tick control?
Could Deuce have rolled in something in yard or park? Does it (the rash) appear similiar to that of your prior dog? Please update extra info
to correctly diagnose the problem. Also, does the skin feel warm around the rash as compared to non-infected areas?

Thanks for the responses.

Here's as much info as I can provide;

Deuce swims in a swimming pool. The Ph is neutral and the chlorine content is between 1 and 3 ppm.

My last Chessie didn't start dveloping skin problems until he was about 6 ( in human years).

About 2 weeks ago I came home and let the Deuce out of his crate. At that time he had an area on his back that looked as if someone had rubbed vaseline on him. I gave him a bath. The next night the same condition arose and I gave him another bath. On the third night he still had this vaseline type stuff on his back so I gave him another bath. Needless to say he looked very clean by the end of the week. On the following Saturday I took him to southern Maryland to the ACC field day. The vaseline stuff was gone. In its place though was some soft but crusty scaling of his skin. On Saturday and Sunday of that week I brushed him and removed the scaliness. Since then neither the scalliness nor the vaseline stuff has reappeared. He now has a very small spot on his back that has no hair although it appearts that the hair is coming back. Other than that everything appears to be realativily nomal. Should there be some cause for concern?

Richard, Think I Know the problem. Originally you mentioned the rash. Now you referred to the "vasoline" like sustance. You mentioned 3 baths in 3 days. This is why the rash appeared.
Chessies are fair (pink) skined. Their skin can become very sensitive to any irritation. Plus the vast # of baths caused the skin to dry out and hair in that area. (esp if you used any type of shampoo). Chessies should not be bathed
frequently because it will dry up the skin and the oil glands will decrease output. I know this through Chelsea's ordeal when she was rescued (after german shepherd attacks, she required frequent bathing because of infection. these baths dried her skin and she lost her unique oily coat. She still has this problem 2 1/2 yrs later. Her hair fell out on her lower back but eventually grew back, but it still falls out when she RA-RAs (see her picture) because she rolls hard on this affected area. Her skin gets the same flaky appearance you described). You said Duece's hair was growing back and he appears OK now. Keep observing for a relaps, but I think he'll be fine. Note, after swimming in the pool, just hose him off with fresh water (no soap/shampoo) to keep the chlorine/chemicals from irritating and drying the skin.

If you had a photo of this I could be certain but what you are describing is seborrheic dermatitis. I doubt it was from too many baths. This is not uncommon at all in young chesapeakes particularly those that swim a lot in the summer/warm weather.

It does start out looking like a rash. It is from oily skin that gets scaly. Then bacteria get under the scales and cause the flakes you see. Sometimes the bacteria get so entrenched that an infection starts.

You need to hose off your dog after swimming with clean water. An anti-bacterial bath once a week (let soap sit on his skin 5 minutes before rinsing) can prevent outbreaks. If the outbreaks get out of hand you may need an oral antibiotic along with the baths.

If it is this, it is nothing like you experienced with your other dog. As your boy gets older, this problem tends to go away-maybe the skin isn't as oily later in life.

Swimming tends to bring the olis out in coat-a dog who has been out hunting all season gets "oiled up" if not cleaned.

Dyane

Dyane

Dyane-
Question - Salt water on chessie coat? Should one rinse chessie off after working in salt water? Is salt water healthy for oily coat? Anyother knowledge is welcome.

Salt water gives a great coat texture from the salt content. You don't get the oily skin problems because the salt dries the skin out and kills the bacteria to some extent. I would say once a week rinsing the coat unless you start to see the skin getting really dry. The BEST supplement for skin and coat is Extra Strength Derm caps.

Thanks Dyane. Your advice is welcomed since you have been in chessies??? 100 years???

Just kidding!!