My Westie, Sadie,is 6 and a half years old and for the last few months has developed recurring eczema problems - not always in the same place, and this time in about 3 or 4 patches on her back. I have taken her to her vet, but she has been prescribed the usual antibiotics (this time a 3 week course - this is the fourth course this year, the last courses being 2 week courses) and a local wash. Poor Sadie is obviously in a great deal of discomfort since she can't scratch the scabs on her back (thankfully i think!) but she is such a happy dog and it is getting her down. Have you any suggestions other than what our own vet is doing?

Another question I have is this. I massage my pets regularly (I also have 2 cats) and am usually quick to spot skin problems or lumps. However in this latest case with Sadie, the scabs seemed to "appear" very quickly. Is there any other way of spotting a potential outbreak of eczema before it gets to this stage?

Regards

Hi,
Westies are very prone to 'atopic dermatitis', and finding the most appropriate treatment can be very difficult.
I suggest that you ask for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist - there are several in various practices around the country, including the university veterinary schools. There is a list elesewhere on the Vetclick web site.

W

awwww its a shame when this happens isnt it. i have a little westhighland terrior named bella bow and she is 7 months hold. lately she has started to chew hew front legs which has resulted in her becoming hairless in these areas. we have visited the vets who have given us some cream to put on poor bella bows legs. thankfully the cream must be taking the discomfort away as she has stopped chewing her legs. we used to put a pink fluffy coat on her to walk her in so that she didnt get cold and this is when we noticed the hair missing on her front little legs. we thought that she must have been alergic to the fluff which was on the coat but after visiting the vet she told us not to let her wear the caot as this may be making the exczema worse. luckily thouhg her little podgy cute legs are gettign better. shes a lovely little puppy who loves playing through the day and cuddling up on the couch at night to watch telly. her home friend is a white boxer named casper who is 8 years old and they are inseperable. also, my mum cant leave the house without bella as she loves to have rides in the car and won't stop crying until my mum returns home.

Hi there to anyone with a West Highland White with skin problems. Using a bioflow magnetic dog collar helps the problem. Also Otidex cream from the pet shop, bathing the feet in a mild solution of vinigar and warm water will also sooth and help.
I have two westies they contantly use magnetic collars and their skin is great.

Hi,

Thank you for that contribution, but not all westies have atopy ( aka excema), and I suspect that yours may come into that category!.
However, anything is worth trying to help with this troublesome and usually intractable skin condition.

W

Hi Jill, I would like to try the vinegar and water solution. Please could you let me know what part vinegar to water?

Thanks

hi there i also have a westie with eczema i give him evening primrose oil once a day it seems 2 help u can also try cod liver oil or oil supplement with omega 3 in it its good for the skin and coat

I have recently re homed a dear little westie named Mabel, not knowing anything about the breed I soon discovered that they are prone to skin problems,and Mabel is not an exception!. I have changed her food to James Wellbeloved white fish and rice add a small amount of cod liver oil on top of kibbles, also I give Mabel a small bowl of goats milk daily and her skin and coat is looking greatly improved. Also my vet advised me to soak her feet in a weak solution of hibiscrub and rinse of throughly this has helped.

Hi,

When I was in practice in Glasgow I saw very many Westies with 'Westie Skin' and it was very difficult to treat.

Now there is a medication 'Atopica' which seems to be quite effective.

W

My poor Westie Alfie (6) has such terrible problems with his skin, he is red raw in places and his ears are very red. He has been on antibiotics and anti-itching drugs for over eight weeks now and has shown very little improvement, we have tried a special Westie food from the vet and he has a wash twice a week with a prescribed medicated shampoo and the vet also suggested trying a treatment for mange even though he felt it was not this. I am getting really worried as he now has to live with a buster collar on permanently because he bites till he bleeds, his quality of life is not good at all and he is such a lovely boy. ANY suggestions welcome.

Hi,

I do sympathise - this condition is not uncommon in Westies and very difficult to control. Steroid treatment helps for a time, but most vets are reluctant to keep a dog on steroid s for very long. Dietary changes also ma\y help.

I think that your vet is doing his best, but it is an uphill struggle.

W

Walter Beswick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi,
>
> When I was in practice in Glasgow I saw very many
> Westies with 'Westie Skin' and it was very
> difficult to treat.
>
> Now there is a medication 'Atopica' which seems to
> be quite effective.
>
> Do you know where i can buy this product and how does it work?

You will need a prescription from your vet.

Hi
I have just read all the emails regarding AD in westies and thought you may beable to help. Tilly is now coming up to 2 years old and has had AD since she was 3 months old. We have had skin tests, allergy tests and all the usual medication from the vet but to no avail. She has really deteriated in the last 2 weeks and now has red, sore, very ichy skin on her tummy, groin legs botton round both eyes and her nose. It is also becoming hairless and very dark. She has also started sitting and spinning on her bottom which has resulted in a gashed tail and a very red and sore rear end. She is sneezing all the time and has a runny nose. I am at my wits end as to what to try next.
Jo

Hi,

I am sorry to hear that your westie has this awful skin condition which causes such misery to so many westies.
The treatment of choice today seems to be a medicine by the name of 'Atopica' It is a prescription-only medicine and can be obtained only from you vet, or on a prescription written by your vet after your dog has been examined.

W

i would just like to add i have a westie which i took on from a woman who couldnt cope with him she said hed lost some hair when i went to pick him up he was nearly bold and his skin was like elephants and the smell was horrible i have treated him with malaseb shampoo and all of his hair has grown back it was a constant battle over the last two years and just when we thought wed won it has flared up again we had to bath him every day for two years when it does come back he also smells aswell so i will change his food to the one you recomend i wish i could show you the pictures as you wouldnt belive how bad he was and he is such a loving dog

Hi,

Well done, you. It is a heartbreaking condition to treat.

W

hi,

i have 2 westie boys aged 4 years and 1 year old - I feed them on 'burns mini bites' as i changed over from james well beloved about a year ago - i also give them small amounts of either cooked or raw mince meat, chicken meat a few times a week as well as the odd raw egg which they adore. I have read that a raw diet does go a long way to help in skin issues (although i have never gone to the full raw diet as i have not got a proper bone grinder). I am very wary of going down the antibiotic/steroid road they can cause more problems further down the line. Touch wood neither of my dogs have experienced any skin issues.

Hi,

By no means do all Westies suffer from this distressing condtion.
If you are fortunate enough to have two which do not, almost any balanced diet ( which a 'Raw Meaty Bones diet IS NOT) will suffice.

W

hi i live in spain and i have spent a fortune on my westie called roxy .she has suffered the same as your dog completly bold then she starts growing again then goes backwards again the aprtment smells and i am brushing shovel fulls of dead skin every day but she is healthy just uncomfortble i am at my wits end can anybody tell me where i can get a decent medication in spain thankyou

Hi,,

In many years of practice in an area where westies make very popular pets, I never did find a 'cure' and not even a reliable treatment for this very troublsome dermatitis to which the breed is prone..
Antibiotics are of very little help, steroids tablets or injections work for a time but prolonged use may casue side effects.
Regular baths with an antiseborrhoeic shampoo is the best that I can advise. Evening Primrose oil as a food supplement has sometimes helped.

W.

Hi

My westie is 10 and has suffered increasingly badly from eczema for the last 5 years. In addition he seemd to have constant ear infections which are linked to the eczema. The only way that I seemed to be able to contol it was steriod injections which I was not happy about but every other avenue we had gone down failed to work.
On a recent visit to the vets it was recommeded that I try evening oil of primrose. Within 6 weeks he was clear of all problems! There has been no sign of an ear infection for over a month now which is a first for the last 4 years.
I have been using it for 3 months now and although we have a few patches it is nowhere as bad as it was, and he is a much happeir boy now. It remains to be seen as to wether the problem has been solved on a temporary basis but even to have been able to give him some time free from this horrible problem has been worth it!

Anne

Hi,Ann,

Thank you for that.
I too have had some good responses to Evening Primrose oil, but they have not been consistent. I am pleased that you have found something which helps your dog control this distressing condition to which Westies. are prone.

W

one of my westies has this problem which has been helped with starflower oil taken daily and 1/2 a tablet of piriton. the piriton was recommended by our vet and seems to take the edge off the irratation therefore reduced scratching!! hope this helps

Hi ,

I have a two year old westie called Ruby Rocks, she is a lovely dog, very very tiny and extremely happy but is suffereing from a skin problem, she has red / black marked skin on her groin area which is becoming very sore, she also is constantly rubbing her behind along the floor and I am very worried. The area is becoming very sore and the skin is starting to become hot and very sweaty and looks like it could bleed..
My other westies George is 9 yerays old and apart from the odd ear infection and slight skin flare up which I control by washing him in Exmarid every few weeks, is in great condition.

Please could you advise me on treatment for our little ruby.
Nicola

Hi,

This does sound very like atopic dermatitis, an unpleasant skin conditiopn to which westies are very prone.
She does need veterinary attention, but look to controlling it at best, not curing it.
Your vet may be prepared to refer you to a veterinary dermatologist.

W

My poor little westie has had very bad skin issue over the last 8 weeks,ear infections and after several trips to the vet and a small fortune I am left wondering what to do next. The injections help for a few days, and my Westie has been on and off Steriods so much. After seeing my parents two westies, which one has the VERY same thing we have decided to try the Evening Primrose oil after much research, can you tell me what dose is best?

Thank you

Hi,

I would advise one teaspoonful every day in his food. I think that you will find that it helps - for a while,
I never found a 'cure' for this horrible condition to which Westies are so liable. Many treatments produce a short-term inprovement, but then fail to work.
Steroids, in the long-term, make the condtion worse, I am certain.

W

hi there i also have two westies with atopy your dogs glands may need to be cleaned if its dragging its bottom along the ground. omega 3 and 6 capsules one a day will bring back the pink skin back. its a constant battle.

Hello. I have been reading your emails about Westies. I have a 8 year old Male , named Scottie. The last week or so I have been noticing sores on him. Under and around his head, chest, legs and sides, bacially wherther there is hair. If I scratch them they bleed and scape up. He does not appear to want to itch these sores. I know they bother him whem I touch them. I bathed him with oatmeal shampoo. His diet is Calf. Nature, (Lamb) and we give him rice with chicken. Twice a day. I am going to take him to the Vets. It appears to me this all started when he was licking at his left front leg. Not sure if related. Any feedback? These sores remine me of alsores.
My wife thinks I give him too many treats.