• Are Basenji's prone to skin condition? I have a 7 year old Basenji mix that has had skin issues on/off since we adopted him 6 years ago. His problems range from yeast infections on his paws, hot spots and rash. He has been treated successfully with steroidal medications, but only for short periods of time because we know they are harmful. I have also give him probiotics and bovine colostrum mixed with plain yogurt to try and control the yeast infections. I have to keep a cone on his head because if I don't, he just keeps licking and licking making it worse. Any help or suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated. Ty


  • It may be allergies. My boy had hot spots etc.. and after changing food, they went away.
    Hopefully it is as simple as that for you


  • Our current girl gets like black fungus spots if we don't watch her closely. Treating with a sulfur bath and antifungal usually clears them up. Living first in Georgia and now in Israel, humidity is an issue and the areas are almost always in her skin folds like under her front legs and back legs.


  • One of my least favorite topics. LOL I'd say they are prone but skin problems seem to be a problem for most dogs where we are.

    The first thing I'd do is an allergy test. Sometimes the results are surprising. We had a girl whose problems were greatly reduced by not giving her cotton blankets, which is what we were doing before finding out she was allergic to cotton. (Being cuddled by someone wearing a cotton nightgown likely didn't help either. LOL)

    The next thing I'd do is wash their paws after they've been outside. We've had good luck with that.

    Finally there are some topicals that can help. I think we've used Vetercyn (sp?) and at least one other. They don't seem to help as much as the washing but sometimes you may need to calm things down. You might ask your vet what he/she recommends.

    The cone of course sucks. We've also tried ace bandages and similar. All of which were not ideal solutions.


  • Our girl came to us with a yeast infection. We went through several vet treatments which worked as a temporary fix. We apply Gold Bond Eczema Relief or even a store brand dry skin lotion. We did this every day for several months. Yeast is gone but our girl likes it so comes to hubby, lays on her back by his feet and waves her paws at him until he lotions her.


  • @dreamskape My Dog never had any skin conditions at all. The only time she was ever sick was when she had Cancer.

    My Mom has had dogs that had Hot Spots and she is a Nurse and knows more about Drugs than anyone I know and she did not use Steroids like Prenisone because that is very hard on the Liver. She used a combination of heavily diluted Lavendar Essential Oil which is great for calming affected areas.

    She mixed that Eseential Oil with Distilled Water and kept it in a spray bottle. It was great because it worked.

    DAIRY Causes Yeast Infections so I would stop that post haste. No more Bovine anything. Your Dog cannot tolerate it and rightly so because Cows make milk for their Babies and that is all. I am a Vegan and never liked Milk even as a child.

    Try taking away the Yogurt and the Bovine Colostrum and the yeast infection should clear up. I not then get a fube of Monistat which is for yeast infections and put that on the Paws. That should help.

    Good luck!

    A


  • Thanks everyone for the replies... I agree that humidity doesn't help and the hot spots were worse a couple of months ago when we were having our rainy season. They are pretty much gone now that we are in the dry season but the paw irritation remains.

    I have him on Taste of the Wild food because it is lower in yeast than other dog foods but didn't think about the bovine colostrum being dairy. I was using that because it is said to be helpful with skin problems so I wanted to try it when he was having the hot spots. The yogurt (2 tsp per day) is suppose to be a "good" yeast and help with infections so that is why I was putting the probiotic in with the yogurt.

    I would like to try the Lavender Essential oil... do you now what the ratio is for mixing with water?


  • 1/4 teaspoon with 1/2 Cup of Distilled Water. Pur that in a spray bottle and iit is good to go. Bovine anything is Dairy. I suggest getting Monistat which is available in grocery stores and apply that to the Paws.

    Good Luck!


  • Thank you Antigone! I will try both!


  • @dreamskape
    There are safe proven treatments for pets. Essential oils have many warnings about toxicity and side effects.

    https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/are-essential-oils-safe-for-dogs/

    Bovine colostrum has many studies supporting it's safety with humans and no indications that it is bad for dogs.

    https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/colostrum
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257684/

    Always ask your vet and do your own research before taking advice that can be dangerous.


  • @debradownsouth EO can be used safely if they are diluted with Distilled Water. Bovine anything is Dairy. Colostrum is a replacement for a Cow's Milk if her Calf or Heiffer cannot Nurse.

    These by products from Cows are not that great for anyone but Bovine babies.


  • While some veterinarians will allow the use of lavender oil for certain issues; NOT ALL oils are safe for dogs; whether they are diluted or not.
    If a dog has sensitive skin, clove oil and cinnamon bark oil have been demonstrated to cause dermal irritation; similarly cedarwood and lemongrass (common ingredients in herbal flea sprays) can cause irritation.
    Be careful, particularly if you dog already has allergies, when using essential oils - some have benefit but others don't.
    If you want to use essential oils, consult a holistic vet first.


  • @wizard Lavendar EO diluted will not harm anything. 1/4 Teaspoon mixed with 4 Ounces (1/2 cup) of distilled water is very safe. I am not a Vet and I have a definite dislike for Small Animal Vets. They charge so much money and they always want to sell you something like Prenisone which is a Steroid and it can cause 'Roid Rage'. They rarely listen to what you are telling them. I know this because when I was out of College I had a Job as a Vet Tech. I took a course and have a Certificate but now they probably require a 2 year Course which costs a ton of money.

    I have always Vaccinated my animals myself. So I do NOT take risks with anything but knowing how Vets work I prefer homeopathic approaches. There are Homeopathic Vets they have additional training beyond the usual course. They have their own 'Society" and they treat small and large Animals. You can look that up on the Internet.

    I did not suggest the other oils you have mentioned because I know tthey irritate the skin

    Thanks!


  • @antigone said in Yeast infections and hot spots:

    Homeopathic Vets they have additional training beyond the usual course. They have their own 'Society" and they treat small and large Animals. You can look that up on the Internet.

    Yes, you can look it up.

    Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake - Quackwatch
    https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

    I realize that I’ve said it many times before, but it bears repeating. Homeopathy is the perfect quackery.
    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/homeopathy-as-nanoparticles/

    European Scientists Agree: Homeopathy Is Pure Quackery
    https://gizmodo.com/european-scientists-agree-homeopathy-is-pure-quackery-1819010331

    The debate about homeopathy is over. These verdicts prove it.
    https://health.spectator.co.uk/the-debate-about-homeopathy-is-over-these-verdicts-prove-it/

    A brief history of homeopathy - NCBI - NIH
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1676328/

    "Homeopathy or homœopathy is a system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, based on his doctrine of like cures like (similia similibus curentur), a claim that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people would cure similar symptoms in sick people.[1] Homeopathy is a pseudoscience – a belief that is incorrectly presented as scientific.[2][3][4][5] Homeopathic preparations are not effective for treating any condition; large-scale studies have found homeopathy to be no more effective than a placebo, indicating that any positive effects that follow treatment are not due to the treatment itself but instead to factors such as normal recovery from illness, or regression toward the mean."
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

    "What the Science Says About the Effectiveness of Homeopathy
    A 2015 comprehensive assessment of evidence by the Australian government’s National Health and Medical Research Council concluded that there is no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition.

    Homeopathy is a controversial topic. A number of its key concepts don’t agree with fundamental scientific concepts."

    https://nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy


  • This is really a lot of bunk. Vets do not respect the Homeopathic Modalities because they do not want the Competition. It is that simple and you can give me examples until the Cow jumps over the Moon but that does not change the fact that your sources are all mainstream.

    I give my off track Horses a pint of Guinness Stout first thing in the Morning because Alfred Guinness invented this as a Horse Tonic. I buy the Imported stuff because the Lymestone in the Water is what helps the Horses develop good strong bone. It is also full of prebiotics and probiotics and that is great for the Horse's gut.

    The Vets are against Chriropractic too. Well I have had my Horses backs 'cracked' by a Chiropractor and always had great results.

    You have to understand that the Mainstream will always be against simple things that do not require prescription for a Drug.

    The NIH still uses Chimpanzees and Monkeys for experimentation. They are now using Kittens and an organization called White Coat Waste investigates them all the time.

    There is always more info that is not yet in the Mainstream and since you really are a good reseacher I am surprised that you have only stuck to the mainstream.


  • @antigone said in Yeast infections and hot spots:

    There is always more info that is not yet in the Mainstream and since you really are a good reseacher I am surprised that you have only stuck to the mainstream.

    What is stick with is reliable, repeatable, provable research. I know facts aren't a friend to pseudo-science.


  • @debradownsouth The Mainstrem does not necesarily have the best answers. The reason you have those particular sources is due to the FACT that ALL Vets resent the competion from the Homeopatchic Vets. Horse Vets are more interested in being Homeopathic Vets because they know that Drugs are not the ONLY solution to solving a problem. One of my Mares has Gastric Ulcers and after trying to help to get rid of them it became apparent that there are too many. I had a full body scan of this particular Mare and she has so many that there is no way I could 'Scope' her. Since the Gastic Ulcer Meds did not work I am now treating her by diet which includes a cube of Alfalfa Hay every morning. This type of Hay absorbs the Acids in the Gut. All of the Hay is grown on the Farm.

    You simply cannot ignore the Homeopathic Modality because the Veterinary Community will always resent the Competition. A lot of the Homeopathic Modalities have been used for hundreds of years such as the Guinness Stout. I buy that stuff by the Case every Month. Now after a woman delivers a child in Ireland she is given a Pint of Guinness Stout because it is beneficial in restoring vitamins, minerals and protiotics that have been lost during Labor and Delivery.

    You just cannot deny things that have worked for 100's of years. The Vets dislike the Competion so they will always say that it is an invalid Science. It clearly is not.

    Thanks.

    A

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