Posted: 3/6/2026 4:33:52 PM EDT
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I'm pretty sure we have some veterinary SMEs around here, and I could use a little help. I have a female GSD,, all-black, longish hair. Last year the groomer discovered a waxy buildup along her spine that wouldn't wash out. A local vet diagnosed it as a "skin infection" and prescribed a steroid and an antibiotic. He also gave us some kind of spray stuff to squirt on her coat, but all it did was glue the hair together like cement. It even dried up to a solid mass in the bottle, so it was of little help. Lately the condition seems to be returning. I can see the waxy/oily stuff on her coat as I brush her. She's been bathed in oatmeal shampoo only (per vet's orders!) and is brushed regularly, since she sheds worse than anything I've ever seen! Does anyone have any experience with this sort of problem? Is it going to be recurring forever, or is there a treatment that lasts? It's something I've never experienced before with any dog I've ever had. All advice welcomed, and TIA for any help! Vet bills seem to be worse than my doctor these days! |
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Quoted: Do you have a dermatology vet in your area? It may be worth a visit. We saw one for our pup (totally different condition) and it really helped her out. |
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Quoted: First thing would be put her on a better quality food. Second, GSD's often have allergies, it could be related to an allergen. Try bathing her with a dermatological pet shampoo. She gets a bath with oatmeal dog shampoo ONLY, as vet ordered. |
| Diet can have a huge affect on your shepherd’s health and well being and Purina food is bottom of the barrel. Give muensterpet.com a try. It’s what we order for our shepherds. Any ranching supply store, Big R, Murdoch’s, etc. will have a good selection of quality food. Do some research. For our dogs the dry is just a supplement. We also make 50 pounds of fresh food each month. |
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As mentioned you should look into the food ration you are providing. Formulations can and do change for the "same" food. Sensitivities can come and go. Often times you end up throwing "fixes" at the pet that may mask symptoms for awhile but the underlying issues always come back. We are firm believers in trying to rule out sensitivities via some simple noninvasive testing. Not cheap but think about all the money that ends up being thrown at the problem. Here's some food for thought and research if you are so inclined. Hemopet |
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I definitely second that this could be food related, or at least worth ruling out. Dogs are usually reacting to the protein side of things with Chicken being the most common. I usually recommend Purina Pro Plan (SIGNIFICANTLY higher quality than the Dog Chow line), and would go with a Lamb and Rice or Salmon and rice formulation. Diet trials have to be extremely strict including with treats for a period of 6-8 weeks. If that fails may consider an allergy med called Apoquel. Also ensure you are protecting against parasites with a high quality oral preventative such as Nexgard or Simparica Trio. Hope this helps. |
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I started giving my dogs a table spoon of whole, unflavored, all the fat Greek yogurt in their food once or twice a day, and it has done wonders. Almost immediately, my one dog stopped chewing her feet, and a large, years old growth/Hotspot on her leg went away COMPLETELY within a week. Give it a try, a lot of the skin conditions that plague dogs are diet related and many cause yeast infections. I don't think it can hurt your dog, and my vet was very impressed with the results. |
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Quoted: Steady diet of Purina Dog Chow, since that's what they feed rescues at the shelter, and was recommended by veterinarian on staff. I got her from the shelter 4 years ago. Most Vets don't know jack about food and recommend whatever they get kickbacks on. I don't trust the big brand kibbles. I raw feed my GSD. |
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Quoted: I started giving my dogs a table spoon of whole, unflavored, all the fat Greek yogurt in their food once or twice a day, and it has done wonders. Almost immediately, my one dog stopped chewing her feet, and a large, years old growth/Hotspot on her leg went away COMPLETELY within a week. Give it a try, a lot of the skin conditions that plague dogs are diet related and many cause yeast infections. I don't think it can hurt your dog, and my vet was very impressed with the results. My GSD puppy starts his day with goat kifer. |
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Quoted: I definitely second that this could be food related, or at least worth ruling out. Dogs are usually reacting to the protein side of things with Chicken being the most common. I usually recommend Purina Pro Plan (SIGNIFICANTLY higher quality than the Dog Chow line), and would go with a Lamb and Rice or Salmon and rice formulation. Diet trials have to be extremely strict including with treats for a period of 6-8 weeks. If that fails may consider an allergy med called Apoquel. Also ensure you are protecting against parasites with a high quality oral preventative such as Nexgard or Simparica Trio. Hope this helps. I sincerely appreciate your professional advice. I did buy some Douxo S3 mousse yesterday, and I'm considering that as a first step. As far as food goes, I still have most of a 45-lb bag of PDC to finish before I can change diets! This problem manifested itself rather suddenly at over 4 years of age. Do you think diet could be a significant cause after that long a period of time? As far as allergies go, I'm not sure what that could be. I haven't introduced any new substances into the household, and my dog rarely leaves the property. She's a house pet with a doggie door and a fenced yard. Most of our excursions away from home are just quick trips to the grocery store (she loves to ride in the truck!). Are there any particular steps to take as far as identifying what could be a possible allergen? Once again, thank you for the advice. |
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Quoted: Most Vets don't know jack about food and recommend whatever they get kickbacks on. 
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Quoted: @DogmomDVM I sincerely appreciate your professional advice. I did buy some Douxo S3 mousse yesterday, and I'm considering that as a first step. As far as food goes, I still have most of a 45-lb bag of PDC to finish before I can change diets! This problem manifested itself rather suddenly at over 4 years of age. Do you think diet could be a significant cause after that long a period of time? As far as allergies go, I'm not sure what that could be. I haven't introduced any new substances into the household, and my dog rarely leaves the property. She's a house pet with a doggie door and a fenced yard. Most of our excursions away from home are just quick trips to the grocery store (she loves to ride in the truck!). Are there any particular steps to take as far as identifying what could be a possible allergen? Once again, thank you for the advice. Bite the bullet, do your dog a favor and throw that bag of food out to the coyotes. Absolutely, that food can be a problem after four years. A dog’s health and physiology change much more rapidly than humans. Think about eating nuclear volcano wings when you’re 20 and then do it when you’re 50. Change food. Perhaps supplement with quality, plain yogurt and some hard boiled eggs. If you have the time and you care you can also make your own food but research how to make a quality, nutritionally balanced food. |
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Quoted: I'm not sure of quality, but PDC is what every vet I've ever been to recommended. They said it has everything a dog needs to stay healthy. I always trusted their judgment, but I'm open to suggestions! She gets a bath with oatmeal dog shampoo ONLY, as vet ordered. Quoted: Quoted: First thing would be put her on a better quality food. Second, GSD's often have allergies, it could be related to an allergen. Try bathing her with a dermatological pet shampoo. She gets a bath with oatmeal dog shampoo ONLY, as vet ordered. It’s a pretty terrible quality food. Like eating a steady diet of ramen, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. |
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Quoted: First thing would be put her on a better quality food. Second, GSD's often have allergies, it could be related to an allergen. Try bathing her with a dermatological pet shampoo. This ^ I have 2 dogs prone to skin allergies, for years multiple vet's offered only expensive remedies prescription's (go figure) then i ran across a couple youtube videos, about making home made dog food and my 2 long haired puppers dove into this new food. No more processed food. Their allergies cleaned up within 2 days, their coats are now beautiful, no more it hing and scratching, eyes cleaned up beautifully. Chicken, brocoly, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, rice, tumeric with pepper, black berries, chicken / turkey livers. They eagerly delve into it every night. Their health has drastically improved. I make in BIG batches. It's a bit of work, but so worth it. There is no wonder why vets dont want you to know this food choice. I'm so pissed I didn't learn about this method early in life. Think about it, what did dogs eat before man came along, they were foragers. [Edited to add] This dude...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gejC8CmeQA&pp=ygUQZG9nIGZvb2QgcmVjaXBlc9IHCQmuCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D |
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Quoted: @DogmomDVM I sincerely appreciate your professional advice. I did buy some Douxo S3 mousse yesterday, and I'm considering that as a first step. As far as food goes, I still have most of a 45-lb bag of PDC to finish before I can change diets! This problem manifested itself rather suddenly at over 4 years of age. Do you think diet could be a significant cause after that long a period of time? As far as allergies go, I'm not sure what that could be. I haven't introduced any new substances into the household, and my dog rarely leaves the property. She's a house pet with a doggie door and a fenced yard. Most of our excursions away from home are just quick trips to the grocery store (she loves to ride in the truck!). Are there any particular steps to take as far as identifying what could be a possible allergen? Once again, thank you for the advice. In my experience, dogs typically develop allergies between about 4 and 7 years of age. The food side is easier to figure out with diet trials, whereas environmental can be tricky. There are over priced blood tests, but I'm not a believer in their accuracy. If I suspect something environmental I usually recommend a trial of Apoquel and see if they respond. You can use Zyrtec or Benadryl safely in dogs, they just don't usually work well. |
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Quoted: Diet can have a huge affect on your shepherd’s health and well being and Purina food is bottom of the barrel. Give muensterpet.com a try. It’s what we order for our shepherds. Any ranching supply store, Big R, Murdoch’s, etc. will have a good selection of quality food. Do some research. For our dogs the dry is just a supplement. We also make 50 pounds of fresh food each month. Change your food. If nothing else, start fixing your dog brown rice with ground beef with peas and carrots for a while. Get off the Purina. |