Dilute Color Care
BLUES & ISABELLAS (FAWN) & SOLID BLACKS
I recommend fractionated Coconut Oil for many skin conditions. Rub it onto the skin. It soothes the skin and is anti-bacterial so helps with healing.
Dilute Color Alopecia
Affected Animals
Dogs with blue or fawn haircoats. Doberman Pinschers are often most severely affected, but it can occur in any breed. Color dilution alopecia does not occur in all dogs with blue or fawn coats, and the frequency varies within affected breeds.
Complications & Prognosis
Although the prognosis for normal hairgrowth is poor, this is only a cosmetic disorder which does not interfere with an affected pet’s quality of life.
Treatment
Many have found using oral melatonin, coconut oil and Omega 3,6 & 9 fatty acids were very helpful and caused complete regrowth of hair on their dog. There is no cure for color dilution alopecia but treatment can greatly help not just hair regrowth but also at controlling any secondary skin infections that might occur. Mild shampoos containing sulfur and salicylic acid may be helpful in reducing follicular plugging.
Puppy Pimples or Postules
As a dilute puppy's immune system is lowered or compromised during a growth spurt it will sometimes develop small bumps on the head and then lose hair at the bump site making the crown of the head seem moth eaten.
Normally this will go away completely in a few months time as your puppy becomes stronger and his immune system kicks into gear. The bumps do disappear and the hair normally grows back. This seems to be a puppy problem that does not affect the adult.
Sometimes patchy areas of hair loss will also appear on the pup's shoulders and spread to his back. This too should grow back as your puppy matures.
A MUST FOR DILUTE PUPPIES
Blues & Isabellas & Fawn color & Solid Blacks
Get your puppies on NuVet- this comes in pet treats which my puppies absolutely love or in granular form for those picky eaters.
I would ask / require that all dilute puppy buyers continue their new pups on the Nuvet Plus for at minimum through one bottle of this excellent nutritional product or you can do it for the rest of their lives. Here is the link for ordering: http://www.nuvet.com/96103
Treatments for Puppy Acne
Standard treatment is the use of a topical gel which contains 5% benzoyl peroxide which may be used daily on impacted areas. Benzoyl peroxide (found in OTC acne meds which you can use ) is antibacterial and also has follicular flushing properties. However, prolonged use may cause excessive drying of the skin and subsequent irritation so having puppy on MiraCoat 03 and spraying with Emu Oil will help skin condition (these products can be purchased online). Topical antibiotics (such as mupirocin) may be required to avoid or limit secondary infection but this is rare.
My vet prescribes Selson Blue dandruff shampoo. Shampoo puppy and let the shampoo stand / soak on skin for about 15 min then rinse thoroughly. Do this every 3 days until the condition gets better.
Also, a homeopathic solution is Apple Cider Vinegar.
For Puppy Acne: Clean puppy head with water and then dab with a cotton ball dipped in a 50/50 mix of 1 cap Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cap water. Let dry and then apply the OTC benzoly peroxide acne topical.
Fractionated coconut oil is also a good option.
In adult Blue / Isabella colored dogs a condition called ALOPECIA ( thinning of the coat ) may show up. This only happens on the colored portion of the dog. For example a blue piebald would only have the baldness on the blue colored portions of his coat. This is true of all breeds with this coloring.
A good dog food and the NuVet mentioned above will help but also - look into Melatonin for dog hair loss. Some dogs respond positively to being on Melatonin for hair loss.
Of course my vet noted to me that the thinning of the hair is most often more of a cosmetic problem.
Enzymes - put the "living component" back into cooked, processed, stored dog food. Enzymes in foods are heat sensitive and therefore lost in processing/cooking of commercial foods or even in making home cooked diets. As owners we must put dietary enzymes back into the diet in order to maintain proper wellness and not deplete the body of this important resource. This can be done by the addition of Enzymes (which is found in the NuVet supplement) to your dog's diet. This can be a chewable pet treat, or granular form which can be sprinkled on the food to replace what was lost.
In other words, Enzymes provide the body with the right nutrients to allow the body to make the chemicals necessary to detoxify (clean out) the body and repair itself.
It has been said that Enzymes helps with the following:
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Allergic reactions
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Natural anti-inflammatory ~ so you can avoid risky medicines like Rimadyl
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Arthritis
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Orthopedic problems ~ HOD, OCO, Pano, Wobblers, Hip Dysplasia, ACL
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Epilepsy and Seizures - due to vaccine reactions
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Vaccine reaction prevention
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Cleanses residual toxins from medicines, flea and parasite preparations.
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Boosting the immune system
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Reduces shedding
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Itchy ears
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Yeast infections
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Bladder infections
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Hot Spots
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Reduces healing time from injury, surgery (cropping/bloat/c-sections)
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Reduces recovery time from anesthesia.