Help!my westie is suffering skin problem Health

My westie’s skin color is turning dark and losing hair. She is 9 months old, the cutest puppy ever. Anyone can help?

Has she been to the vet? That is the first thing you should do. Skin conditions are very hard to diagnose and can be caused by a huge number of things. There is no way to determine the issue without testing.

She's adorable.

Unfortunately, it's common for Westies to have skin problems. Always wise to let the vet have a look and if they find nothing, get them on a good, grain free diet, don't use any strong detergents and always use a mild, non-bio for washing bedding.

With many Westies I've known, it's a case of managing it rather than curing

Yes. The vet said it's not caused by infection, maybe Maji has food allergies

Thank you!! I try to cook Turkey and Broccoli for her from now on. Hopefully she will get better

She's a real cutie

Just an extra thought. Does your puppy itch and scratch?
A lot of Westies do have black skin.
Could your puppy be changing coats? The puppy coat is soft but changes to a harsh wire coat as long at it does not get clippered.

Some vets are into alternative medicine. This is worth a try.

Maji is adorable!!! How is her skin lately? It was some time ago, but we where ordering Hills prescription diet food from the pet meds online when our dog had a skin issues. Maybe something worth checking with your vet?

Sounds like atopic dermatitis. My mothers westie has terrible skin issues she has been battling ever since she was around a year old (just past doggie adolescence is when these things usually start showing). She went to the vet many many times and was first put on apoquel (a steroidal med- it helped a tiny bit for a few months but then seemed to stop. Also it carries health risks like lowered immune system and eventually even a higher risk for developing tumors). Then she tried cytopoint (a once monthly shot that is supposed to help stop triggering the urge to scratch in the brain, therefore helping inflamed skin not turn into sores or infections and hopefully heal on its own). Just like apoquel, it seemed to help for the first month or so and then it stopped which we’ve since heard is common.

It can be an incredibly frustrating, expensive and heartbreaking issue but these are a few initial steps to take to hopefully figure out the things that will help your pet keep skin issues under control:

1) see a veterinarian that specializes in dermatology and have them do a skin scrape to figure out at least some of the things your dog is allergic to.

2)One common allergen is parasites, obviously, but while most dogs just itch the flea bite itself, many westies actually have an allergy to flea saliva meaning most of the surrounding area if not the dogs whole body will become inflamed and itchy as well. So make sure you not only have all the animals in your house on a good flea med, but make sure you don’t have any neighborhood stray cats outside or other wild animals coming around the yard to drop off those nasty flea eggs.

3) Sometimes skin issues can be at least partially exacerbated by hormones so spaying or neutering might be considered. Something to discuss with vet.

4) Diet is another huge issue and while the vet derm may be able to name some things they seem to be allergic to, the only true way to tell if your dogs condition is caused by certain common ingredients in dog food is do an elimination diet. This is where things get a bit trickier. Many people who have dealt with this issue in westies swear by feeding their dogs a raw food diet. Unlike us, dogs don’t need to have meat cooked to digest it and there is lots of good nutrition is raw bones (NOT regular/cooked ones that splinter) as well as certain organ meat. I’ve heard many success stories claiming that this not only cured the skin issues but also gave the dog more energy and a healthier coat as well. Downsides to this are obviously the time and energy that goes into buying/handling the ingredients and creating a menu sure that gives your dog the proper fat/protein/fiber ratios that dog foods automatically do. On the other hand, it’s something that I’m sure gets easier once you’ve passed the initial learning curve and have a system/routine down that works for you. Furthermore, if it can stop your fur baby from suffering and give them a higher quality of life, I’d say it’s at least worth a shot.

One super amazing resource for westies with this specific issue is a Facebook group (you have to answer a few simple verifying questions to get “accepted” into the group first but it’s well worth it)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/westie-advice-group-uk-wag-1706806802880015/


Hope this helps!