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About Doggie Shampoos

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Dr. B, my Yorkie's skin is flaking, and that's not all...

My Yorkie has flaking skin with some redness on her belly. Also, some irritation around her eyes. She has taken Orbax, Medrol, Pyoben and Malaseb shampoos, but the flaking is still present. Are there other better medications? Will continuous use of medications be necessary. In other words, is this condition ongoing and not really curable? I'm thinking I'm not using shampoos often enough. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Thanks, Diane Barker, Baltimore, MD

Dear Diane:

This is really a hard question to answer as the symptoms you describe could be attributable to a number of causes. What you fail to mention is the kind of response that she had to the varied treatments. Sometimes the conditions that occur are not curable, but the symptoms may be controlled or moderated by medication. Any time that you give a medication that provides symptomatic relief, the best dosage is always the least amount that controls the problem.

The most common ailment that would come to mind about your dog's skin condition is that of an allergy. Usually the Medrol would provide some relief. If the problem is not, and has not been responsive to anything then I would advise you to have a skin biopsy to find out the underlying etiology.

Good Luck!!
Dr. B

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