Dermacton - opinions please!

skypie123_2

My dog Scraggy and I have been through the mill trying to find out why he chews his feet constantly, licks them, bites his tail etc. He is wormed every 4 weeks with Advantage spot on and I feed him raw now.
Still does it
He has made a bald patch on his tail. I know I can have tests etc but often these are pretty inconclusive my vet told me.
I bought some Dermacton spray and whilst he hasn't been biting etc I need to keep spraying it every 8 hours or so.
Has anyone tried the soap or the cream? Are they any better? The spray smells quite strong and its only a tiny bottle, arrived yesterday and is almost empty!

Caroline_a

What does the vet say?

skypie123_2

Vet said it could be allergy to food, so far nothing seems to have changed, tried elimination diets, and also hypoallergenic foods, and now he is on raw. Vet gave me a sample of some Hills foods they sell.
Tried various shampoos that the vet suggested, no change.
Vet did say we could have tests for allergies but that they wouldn;t prob be very conclusive and as he is 11 now, its prob not worth the money
He has always done it since he was 2 when I adopted him. I was told it was behavioural as he had been in kennels for a long time at the RSPCA. But he does it when occupied to although it is worse when left to his own devices.
He has been wormed, de-flead etc.
I am hoping this Dermacton is the stuff that works as he bites himself raw and has pink paws :(:(

tizerbelle

Mum's old dog developed an allergy to grass seed and she used Dermacton cream on his pads to alleviate this - worked wonders for him. She used to put it on 2 or 3 times a day depending on the season and a pot seemed to last for ages - only needed a little bit each time. I presume with a spray there could be a fair bit that just sprays into the air rather than on the dog.

skypie123_2

Its amazing the transformation once I've sprayed him, he instantly stops biting. But my bottle is virtually empty and it only lasted the weekend. I think I had better get the soap and the cream. Does the cream smell as strong as the soap?

RacyRed

skypie123 wrote: »

He has always done it since he was 2 when I adopted him. I was told it was behavioural as he had been in kennels for a long time at the RSPCA.

One of my cats, who was in rescue for a very, very long time, also does this. With her it is stress related I think - last outbreak seems to have been triggered by a visit to the vets for her boosters . She seems to go through bouts of it which wear off until something triggers another bout.

I find Zylkene and feliway help. I have some cream which I'm about to start using to see if that helps. It is a balancing act for me though as she doesn't like being handled so there is a chance that applying the cream will make things worse instead of better,

It is such a massive worry when they do this.

My cat appears not to realise what she is doing, she is sort of in another world when she chews on herself, is your dog like that?

foreign_correspondent

yes, it all smells the same - but the smell of the cream doesnt seem to linger as much as the spray, perhaps because it is going straight onto the skin, instead of being sprayed into the air - the best thing to do is use the soap for bathing him, and the cream or the spray on sore/itchy bits.

I have bought all three for my dad's terrier, the soap means he gets a thorough dousing with the stuff when he is bathed, then we use the cream mainly (he isnt keen on the sound of the spray!) a couple of times a day when he is itchy. We have also found it helps to wipe down his belly with a damp flannel when he has been running in the fields, (then pop some cream on) - it may help to wipe or rinse your dogs feet after he has been out.

hethmar

We had £600 worth of tests on our dog. The vet just gave up and prescribed steroids, which I hate giving to dogs.

I changed their food and use dermacton and its pretty much under control now. It doesnt cure, but it controls thank gawd. I dont wake up in the night to the sound of gnawing or chewing I use the shampoo soap and keep the cream handy for sore spots. The spray the dogs didnt like because of the noise. But Im surprised you have got through so much in such a short time?

You have nothing to lose anyway, they have a 100% money back guarantee.

Like FC says, use a damp flannel to wipe his feet and legs and understomach when you return from a walk.