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I have a 2 1/2 yr old shar-pei with a skin cindiction. he is...

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Answer by Steve
Submitted on 3/23/2004
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We have a 1 year old shar pei. She too has just developed some major skin problems. Saw a special dermatologist vet and our dog has a bacterial infection on her coat---causing her to always scratch herself b/c her skin seems to be itchy and has small black blotchy spots. Anyway, she is currently on cephalaxin taken twice a day for a month. Her condition has not improved and it is now 2 weeks into her treatment. I shampoo her every weekend and am thinking about changing to a tea tree shampoo as I have read elsewhere and taking her off her oatmeal shampoo. She is also eating only Hills Z/D Ultra--- non allergic dog food. Was giving her treats and bones and now only the dog food.

Answer by Terri
Submitted on 4/30/2004
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Skin problems on your 2 1/2 yr old Pei. Our Chelsee (Horse Coat Pei)now 9 yrs old had the same problems. She has been doing great with little or no skin problems for the last 6+ yrs. Put her on Natural Choice lamb & rice first then switched to the Natural Choice glucosamine formula for dogs 5 yrs and older. And found a product that is spectacular for yeast, bacteria and parasites+... We use it on her skin at first sign of anything!!! Doctor her ears with it regularly especially in the summer mos. At least 2 times a wk in the summer and at least 2 time a mo in the winter If the ear is not presently infected. You have to use it more often if the ear is infected. Believe me I have cleared up some really nasty stuff. It can also be given internally for over all health and parasites. The only method I use on a regular basis is the ear formula. GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)is inexpensive and you should keep both forms of the concentrate on hand. One concentrate is very concentrated. They have an 800 # and are very helpful. www.nutriteam.com Hope you find this helpful. PS ear formula is mixed alcohol and the skin formula is mixed with purified water. You will see all the different ways to mix and use it at their web site.

Answer by Avi
Submitted on 5/5/2004
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I have a one year old Shar Pei and he has a huge problem with his skin he scratch, licking, and chew himself all day long. he has been on Z/D none allergy food for few months. my floor is all dusty from his skin and hair due to his scratching it all the long. I am loosing hope with him and about to give him up. does anyone know what I can do to improve his condition? he has a horse like fur. he has bold spots, his back pows are half black from hair lose, his neck his black from hair lose his head as well. I am not what it is. I live in Jersey City NJ. I hope someone can help me here I love this dog but life is getting really hard with my apartment being so dusty from his skin. thanks

Answer by Avi
Submitted on 5/5/2004
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I have a one year old Shar Pei and he has a huge problem with his skin he scratch, licking, and chew himself all day long. he has been on Z/D none allergy food for few months. my floor is all dusty from his skin and hair due to his scratching it all the long. I am loosing hope with him and about to give him up. does anyone know what I can do to improve his condition? he has a horse like fur. he has bold spots, his back pows are half black from hair lose, his neck his black from hair lose his head as well. I am not what it is. I live in Jersey City NJ. I hope someone can help me here I love this dog but life is getting really hard with my apartment being so dusty from his skin. thanks

Answer by dawn
Submitted on 6/9/2004
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I have a five and a half year old shar-pei with the same skin problems as mentioned here. I have had him on so many different types of food I can't remember them all Eukanuba KO for a few years with not great results. I now have him on Eukanuba FP and he doesn't seem to be doing any better. He is also on prednisone 1 every second day. His little legs get so swollen and his skin red and inflamed, he is almost comletely bald now. He is always itchy and scratching and chewing his skin and is also very smelly. We've been bathing him at least once a week due to the odor, but that doesn't seem to help either.. If anyone out there has any advice for me I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer by Kimberly in Phoenix, Az
Submitted on 6/17/2004
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I have 2 Shar Peis. My male "Junior" is in great health, good skin, and eyes. w/ the Horse coat. My female "Delilah" has the short course iritating hair, she has had 2 "face lifts" over the past few years for entropian. She also had major leg surgery on her knee. Leg is great now. She has to take her prednisone everyday for her severe discomfort with non-stop itching. Ive read that prednisone over long periods of time is not good for the liver. Im going to have her blood work done to check her thyroid, Ive been told this could be the overall cause of the itching. She has had a yeast infection on the skin, but that is now not the problem. Ive had a total of 3 Shar Peis, and every one of them so different with health conditions. My male "Junior" has been so blessed, an occaisional ear problem, but otherwise great! My first male "Sampson" (who was taken from us by a drunk driver along with our female Australian Heeler "Pretty" while out on there walk, they and my husband where all run over- My Hubby was only 26 when this happened and is forever disabled.- he basically was killed that night too, he is not the same person now- anyway becuase of the media coverage we were offered Shar Peis by several kind people. That is how we ended up with "Junior and Delilah". They were babies when we got them.) "Sampson" had a wonderful stinky smell, and was so darn cute, he was the stalky runt of the litter(with short little legs), I have never seen one quite as adorable as he was. He snorted and grunted, I called him "Piggy!" He loved "Pretty" our Australian Heeler. I found her in the Walmart parking lot very pregnant one night. We were worried from what we had heard about the males that maybe "Sampson" might hurt the babies, Ha! he loved them too, I think he was happy when they were all gone, but while he was "their adoptive Daddy" he loved them. They would hang by all his wrinkles and drive him crazy!! "Sampson" has alot of ear infections, and had 2 different surgeries on his foot, he kept getting a horrible abcess in between his toe. At the time of the accident the Vet was waiting to see how the most recent surgery healed up, to possible remove the one problem toe. "Delilah" is the Queen of the house, she is sometimes down right mean to "Junior" territorial issues! He cant greet me first or she bites and growls at him. She wont let him in the doggie door if she has a bone in her mouth, crazy little things. I love them though!! Well back to the initial health question, all Shar Peis are so different! Im going to take "Delilah" to a Shar Pei guru Vet. A neighbor who got into Shar Peis after falling in love with Sampson has devoted his life to his, researching, and an occaisionl rescue. He has become my advisor on Shar Peis. Im hoping that like his Shar Pei, once "Delilah" gets on some synthroid (if the thyroid is the problem) She will start being comfortable in her own skin. It is so sad to see her scratching away non stop, red and irritated, and balding most the time. If anyone else has some ideas on the releif for her itching, Id love to hear it. It was nice to talk about my previous Doggies too!! Kim :)

Answer by Dawn
Submitted on 6/22/2004
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Thanks for sharing your story Kim. So sorry to hear of all the problems you've had with the breed and otherwise. I have had all of the tests done on our Mojo and his skin problems are from none of the known causes out there. They do say that is is likely skin allergies, but we would have to take him on a 6 hour trip to see the specialist for this and there is no guarantee that they can pinpoint the problem. So we're still trying various other forms to help with his itching. His seems to flare up in the spring and by winter he has a full coat once again, but none the less he is always on prednisone every second day to releive the itching somewhat. I'm thinking of trying the natural choice glucosamine that was mentioned in an earlier posting and maybe some of the evening primrose oil tablets also mentioned. We also have lost a pei, he was 2 and 1/2 years old and had torsion bloat or stomach flipping which is common in deep chested dogs such as great danes. His little brother that we still have is not built like he was and has the short legs and chubbiness, so I don't think we have to worry about that with him. But they say never let your dogs run immediatetly after eating as this is the cause of the stomach flip. Hope this helps and I'll keep coming back for more ideas on the skin probs. Dawn

Answer by Michael (Funmaster7@aol.com)
Submitted on 7/5/2004
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Hi i have a 2 1/2 year old Black Male Shar pei. I love this dog to death but, i am getting really frustrated from the allergies he has. He chews his tail and scratches from the ribs downward. I have taken him numerous times to the vet and all they can say is that he has an allegry. He is currently on Atarax 50mg twice a day and that doesn't seem like it helping at all. I have read some other people stories of success overcoming these problems and i wish that i can too. If any1 can please contact me i will greatly appreciate it because i am losing hope. I like to take him out the south beach but with his patches i am embarrassed to take him out. I also read Bob's story above and if you read this please email me because i would like to know what antihistamines your dog is on.. PLEASE HELP Funmaster7@aol.com

Answer by Sebastion
Submitted on 11/13/2004
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I have had my Sharpei for 10 years. Healthy as a Horse? You Bet. He has had all the traditional skin problems but we got lucky, as when we got him at age 10 weeks, we were staying with friends, a Homeopathy practioner. She immediately gave us CHinese homeopatic remedys for our Sharpei and his skin problems and to this day he is in great health. Yes he gets problems from time to time, we have moved him from New Mexico to Florida, to New York CIty and now Los Angeles. Always manages to come down with some skin malady, but our homeopathic treatments do the trick. He and we are so happy..... my reccomendation look up a local homeopathic practioneer in your area (many are on the internet) and get your Pei healthy today.... You do not need all these medications that cause all the other side effects.... Treating the Chinese with Chinese medicine is fantastic!! Good Luck.

Answer by kim
Submitted on 1/3/2005
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It started with an ear infection for my dog, that triggered scratching, red bumps, blackening skin and a horrible smell. I have gone several times to the vet with many types of antibotics but the symptoms always came back. This is what is currently working for me: I use a tea tree and oatmeal based shampoo, massage into skin and leave on as long as possible before shampooing off. Do this 2-3 times a week. Only feed them natural dog food, you can't by the cheap store bought food, I started with Nutra, natural choice allergy formula. I also mix in with it a liquid solution of fatty acids and vitamins formulated for a healthy coat (petsmart). I have even purchased anti-itch cortisone cream and rubbed it all over her which helps releive the itch and calm the red, lastely, over the holidays when the vet's where closed, I gave her 1 benedrille and that helped alot. You have to keep the ears cleaned with a solution or that causes major problems. I purchase a huge bottle of ear cleaner from my vet and rarely ever have ear problems anymore, you must do this weekely, pour into ear and massage, wipe with a cotton ball, they shake the rest out of the ear. Keep the dog inside is also a must, that helps with the skin and smell. My dog is doing fabulous since I started her on all of the above things and it's cheaper than constanlty going to the vet. Lastly, don't feed them anything but their dog food.

Answer by dardo
Submitted on 1/4/2005
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I have read all of these stories and of course I can relate I have a 8 year old Shar pei and she has been out in a 20x20 room on the back of our house with ac/heater for the last year. I can't afford all the doctor bill and we have 4 children to feed and take care of. We have tried many times to give her away but no one wants the problems. She has this smell that will take over the house she scraches so much it hurts. She has swelled in her legs so bad we had to take her to the vet because her nails were growing into her skin. I also have given her the shots of prednisone but heard it takes their life eventually. We have had yeast on the skin and have been on different medications but ran us allot of many and very little results. We have done the special soaps from the vet for her skin but it dosen't help much. We did have her on Solid Gold lamb and rice and it seems to help alot but because of money issues we had to move her to Iams lamb and rice. Solid Gold is the best used it for 5 years. I am going to try the GSE mixture but I have really given up and I am getting to a point that we may have to put her down. She is a good dog and seems to be happy and doesn't act old at all but the smell and money is getting to be to much. If anyone can help I would appreciate it. Thank you

Answer by dardo
Submitted on 1/4/2005
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I have read all of these stories and of course I can relate I have a 8 year old Shar pei and she has been out in a 20x20 room on the back of our house with ac/heater for the last year. I can't afford all the doctor bill and we have 4 children to feed and take care of. We have tried many times to give her away but no one wants the problems. She has this smell that will take over the house she scraches so much it hurts. She has swelled in her legs so bad we had to take her to the vet because her nails were growing into her skin. I also have given her the shots of prednisone but heard it takes their life eventually. We have had yeast on the skin and have been on different medications but ran us allot of many and very little results. We have done the special soaps from the vet for her skin but it dosen'thelp allot. We did have her on Solid Gold lamb and rice and it seems to help alot but because of money issues we had to move her to Iams lamb and rice. Solid Gold is the best used it for 5 years. I am going to try the GSE mixture but I have really given up and I am getting to a point that we may have to put her down. She is a good dog and seems to be happy and doesn't ask old at all but the smell and money is getting to be to much. If anyone can help I would appreciate it. Thank you

Answer by emily
Submitted on 1/26/2005
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All Shar Pei owners.I found the answer to the balding and itchness. Use this diet. You will be amazed!!! Materials- Tahitian Noni Juice- order from health shop Cod Liver Oil-health shop Brewers Yeast- supermarket Garlic- supermarket Canned sardines- supermarket Sulphur- health shop Tea Tree Oil- get from ebay or health shop Pure Lavender Oil- health shop Brisket bones- local butcher Dog biscuits (any kind will do)- supermarket Mix 2 (mens) handfulls of dog biscuits with 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tablespoons cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon Tahitian Noni, 1 sardine with some of the juice that it is preserved in, 1 tablespoon brewers yeast. Do this every morning and give him/her a brisket bone for lunch then give the same mixture to your dog at night but halve the mixture. With the sulphur, powder your dog with it. The sulphur will stop the skin from itching and heal the bald spots.If your dog has dry skin, mix the sulphur with Vaseline. And also try lemon juice mixed with calamine lotion and wipe this over the skin. If your dog gets small blisters on his skin, put Tea Tree Oil on them. PURE LAVENDER OIL WILL SOOTHE THE SKIN!!! You will notice that your dog will be alot healthier and feel so much better in within the first week.BUT YOU HAVE TO WAIT AT LEAST 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE DIET STARTS TO HEAL HIS SKIN. Also if your dog has some kind of cancer Noni has the best properties to reduce it. Read about the fruit and you will be amazed about the little miracle. If you need any information on the Noni fruit or the other things please feel free to email me and I will help you out as much as possible. It worked for my sharpei and it will work on yours!!! My email is poisonbutterfly16@hotmail.com or my mothers (who is an expert at natural remedies) alimpus@optusnet.com.au ALSO, YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME TROUBLE GETTING THE NONI JUICE.IF YOU CAN'T, EMAIL ME AND I WILL TRY AND SORT SOMETHING OUT. It comes from Tahiti!

Answer by Nick&Ann
Submitted on 2/10/2005
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Hi! Our black Bella is one and half years old now and we have been dealing with the same problems with little or no success fo a larger half of her short life. We have also been taking prednisolone and different diet petfoods. She also has dandruff looking stuff all over her back. Itching stopps and then, after a short while begins again. At the moment we are feeding her natural food: lamb and rice boiled. No additives whatsoever. This helps well along with prednisolone. We have stopped giving it to her a week ago and she already has developed this dandruff. But whilst on the pills she was lookin and feeling fine. We hope to eventually get her off the pills, and find the proper food source. Yet we are wondering about the breeding question: to breed on not to breed? Our dog's mom had no problems, or so we were told... Thank you! Nikita and Anna from Riga, Latvia

Answer by Cindy (dream1@smartchat.net.au)
Submitted on 10/2/2005
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I have a 12 month old Sharpei that was given to us at 5 months old and with him came many problems. We love this dog to bits and have been constantly trying to diagnose his ailments. He constantly scratches and chews himself. I have been to several vets and have finally found out, after having a blood test, that he suffers from an 'inactive thyroid'. He is on medication, a tablet he takes twice a day, but I am not convinced it is working for him. One of the things we found worked quite effectively was taking him to the beach and playing in the surf. The salt water seemed to take the redness out of his skin. We also use a neem soap followed by an iodine based rinse which we tip over him and leave on. This seems to kill any infection on the skin and keep him from scratching for a couple of days. I have been rubbing aloe vera onto his neck and legs which are bald and hair is starting to grow back in these areas, it also takes the redness away. I have also found that what he eats seems to play a major part in the condition of his skin. I have resorted to making a stew of organic chicken mince, vegetables, pasta, rice and dried soup mix with olive oil and garlic. Its been a constant battle but I'm determined to get on top of this. We found with our last Sharpei who also had skin problems although nothing like this one, that when he reached adult, he was very easy to maintain. I really don't think a lot of vets understand Sharpeis as they are a fairly new breed. They seem quick to offer all kinds of tablets for a quick fix but aren't really getting to the cause. The natural and simple solutions seem to be working best for us. They are such a special breed, I couldn't imagine my life without one. This is our 4th Sharpei. I

Answer by Bella
Submitted on 10/7/2005
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This is such a sad site to read. You hear about the Shar-Pei's out there who never have a single problem. It would seem that we, (the people who post here) would be on the flip-side of the coin, our pei'shave skin problems. My Shar-pei (she is now 2.5 years old) first started showing symptoms of an 'allergy' around 3 months of age, not long after her first vaccination with me. She lost a single, round patch of hair. From there things just escalated. She started loosing hair from everywhere on her body and especially would not stop scratching her hocks. The Vets that I took her to couldn't diagnose anything more than 'multiple skin allergies' she didn't have a mite on the skin, she didn't have any infections that could be treated, she just kept scratching. FORTUNATELY THIS STORY DOES HAVE A GOOD ENDING. As an individual I am dissalusioned by chemical drugs and understand the terrible affects they can have on a body. My Shar-pei was taking a 30mg tablet of Prednisone every day, (she wasn't even 1) and she was STILL itching. I did some very indepth research and wrote to breeders I had never met and also rang them to try and get them to help me. A wonderful Shar-pei breeder put me on the track of alternate therapies for my dog. I researched my local area and found a HOMEOPATHIC VET for my baby. She is fantastic and has really helped. My beautiful girl now has a full coat of shiny, thick hair,(well, as thick as a horse-coat can be) I rarely see her scratch any more, her eyes are clear and her skin is no longer flaky and dull. I have also managed to be able to reduce my baby's Prednisone intake down to a quarter of a 30mg tablet every second day. I believe Shima'sdiet of nothing but raw chicken mince made from chicken carcasses and specified raw veg, all chopped and mixed in a food processor is the key. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you can, DON'T feed your Shar-pei with anything that can be bought off a shelf. It needs to be preservative free and as fresh as you can get it. If anyone needs to know more, I am more than willing to help in anyway I can with information. Shar-pei'sare special and need to be treated that way :-)

Answer by Shirley
Submitted on 4/21/2006
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I have an eleven month old, 40 pd. female Shar-Pei, named Emma. We love Emma very much and feel we have done a great job of raising her. She can be sweet and playful one minute and major attitude the next. We brought her home from the breeders when she was two months old and noticed that she was different from other dogs that we've had. My husband said she growled at him, but I was so busy with my new baby I just couldn't believe it! We had a coulple of rounds with "who was the boss," she always felt she was. I rolled her onto her back to hold her down a minute and she became crazy and mean! She had to learn who was in charge and what was acceptable behavior. She came to us immediatly with eye,ear and skin problems. The skin and ear problems have disappeared with her age. She had eye tacking and then eye surgery later. We can tell that she has hip Displacia and not sure if we should do something about it yet. When we took her to two veterinarians when she was small, Emma went off like a ferosous puppy, standing on her hind legs, ready to fight! They warned us that we should get the problem under controle or we will end up with problems. We took it personal and found a new vet who is great with her. We thought with a lot of love, guidance and attention, she would get better. The problem that we have with her know is that she growls at us when we try to pick her up or pretend that we're going to pick he up. She also growls when we simply roll her onto her back or try to examine her. We should be able to check her over. Eventhough she looks and sounds ferocious, she's never tried to bite us. We feel it is an attitude that she was born with and would like to know if we could brake this bad habit? She is not as lovable as we would like. When we are all watching T.V. as a happy family, were is Emma? She never wants to snuggle with us. Is this the breed, or just Emma? All my dogs have turned out very lovable. We are a little disappointed, but love her just the same.

Answer by Shane
Submitted on 8/8/2006
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I have had an interesing time with my shar pei. She is about a year and a half now. I also own a younger female shar pei not yet mature. When I first got my oldest pup I was concerned about her goopy eyes. She has a sleek black coat but about six months ago she started chewing herself bloody. She also developed scabby patches that looked to me like bacterial infections. She was a mess. My little shar pei started doing the same thing. I kept the big one in something called a SofTcollar I found online. Everytime she chewed or scratched herself raw I would spray her with livestock remedy. I commited myself to being her master even if she spent her life looking like the owner of an ugly dog contest. I think a commited owner is the first step to healing these beautiful but delicate (healthwise) Shar Peis. Now my dog has her beautiful coat back and my little one looks good too. I liken some of these skin problems to severe acne on a teenager. Never give up on your Shar Pei! Peace.

Answer by Vanessa
Submitted on 10/7/2006
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I have a male lilac dilute Shar pei that is only 3 1/2 months old. Can't go anywhere without getting stopped by people. They even pull out their cameras!! He's been great, potty trained, minimal chewing on furniture (as long as he has 3 or 4 toys around him), loves walking, meeting people and other dogs and loves to watch view of the Miami's Biscayne bay. Noticing splotches of skin now...I bathed him with my girlfriend's shampoo and immediatly noticed this and it's spreading on his leg, back of head add body. (This is not due to excess wrinkles as he doesn't have many) I notice many owners think the skin problems are due to diet. I think it's the shampoo, will keep you posted. Will use the suggestion of the primrose oil tablets.

Answer by Tweezerpupp
Submitted on 10/14/2006
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I have my 4th pei which is my first horse coat pei and am having more problems than I ever imagined. My first and 3rd which were brush coated black pei'shad their share of skin problems as well as ear problems but with my first, i learned the hard way by lack of knowledge of the breed as well as my vet did. He only guessed at diagnosis as I was helpless in relieving my dogs agony. I did however find a pei breeder by accident at a horse auction and as my dog stayed in vet hospital I told her of the many false answers my vet gave me from jaundice to immune deficiencies. Of course after learning it was food allergy and this person saved my pet, prednisone was always the answer in last 3 pei's They all passed away at an early age of kidney failure or cancer of the kidney which I blame on meds. My problem now is my horse coat pei that's almost a yr old and never stopped biting and scratching and the smell is like nothing i'veever experienced. He has puss and infection all over his body. I feed him Pro-plan for sensitive skin with salmon and only adds to the aroma of his sweaty skin. He has sooooo much skin and wrinkles where all my other pei'slost theirs as they grew older. He had a total of 7 inches of skin removed from his forehead after 4 eye tacks but that's not my issue. Many suggestions from vets online as well as my present vet and I still can't help him. I'm a dog groomer and have done everything from scrub him with betedine and have used Maleseb shampoo and antibiotics. Vet says he can't build an immunity to the bacteria on him. Powder doesn't help either. Can anyone tell me where to find an answer? This puppy is going to be a year old next week and I don't think he's ever had a playful, happy puppyhood. Sincerely, Lori

Answer by Chloesmum
Submitted on 11/4/2006
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We do shar pei rescue and recently cured a young dog who had mange and yeast. She was underweight and had not a spec of fur on her whole body. We DID NOT use any dips, and we stopped using the antibiotics. We put her on the raw food diet, meat and veg only, NO GRAIN, NO CRAPPY BAGGED DOG FOOD, its all garbage. We gave her vitamins, lots of C, garlic, eggs, and Tradition Chinese herbs. She has since scraped negative for mange about 6 months and the yeast is gone. She still tends to be itchy, she is very wrinkly and has a horse coat, but we control that with MALASEB shampoo. My advice is stop all the chemical interference from the vet and go natural. Stop the food with rice, wheat, corn, soy, not junk, no rawhide. Read the ingredients!! NO DIPS, no antibiotics, they are stripping the natural healthy bacteria from your dog. Yes, prednisone is bad for your dog, use steroids externally only as a last resort. DONT VACCINATE if your dog had its puppy shots, the dog can be titre tested if you want, but the shots most likely will last a lifetime. Also, stop using sprays, detergents all that smelly stuff, fabreeze, around your dog. Use Ivory snow or something like that , no bounce sheets. Go easy on the chemicals. And IF YOU GIVE UP ON YOUR DOG, please dont dump the dog at a shelter or put it down. Call your local shar pei rescue. But first, look at a raw food website. If you cant do raw, do cooked meat and veg. Get some salmon oil, omega oils help. Give the dog apple cider vinegar.

Answer by Sue
Submitted on 11/9/2006
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Your dog may have demodectic mange - a non-contagious type common in Shar Pei dogs. My 1 year old female Shar Pei had itchy, red, inflamed skin with the hair beginning to fall out in large patches. You could literally pull clumps of hair out. I found a posting at another website that gave a recipe which really helped with my dog. Here is the recipe... You must use these specific ingredients - no substitutes! 1 1/2 cups warm water 1/2 cup Twenty Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster (can be bought at WalMart) 1/4 to 1/3 cup Bragg's Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (Health Food Store - Whole Foods, etc..) Mix these 3 ingredients in a plastic bowl and take your dog to the bath. The Borax will not dissolve fully and that's OK. After lathering your dog with cheap human shampoo (Suave, VO5, etc) apply the vinegar, borax mixture all over his/her body. The shampoo helps to keep the solution on your dog. Let it stay on your dog for at least 3 minutes - as long as he can stand it. Do this every 3 days until the condition improves and then once or twice a month for maintenance. Good luck - I hope this helps your Shar Pei as it has helped mine!

Answer by GNWtransplant
Submitted on 12/22/2006
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I have gone and am going through many of the same health issues as other shar pei owners. I have had three total shar pei over the last 8 years and each has had her own unique health issues. I see many people mentioning using Hills z/d non-allergenic food. I found the following information in an article on http://www.peteducation.com... Several studies have shown that some ingredients are more likely to cause food allergies than others. In order of the most common offenders in dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. Now look at the ingredients contained in the Hills z/d food many of you are feeding your pei... Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Beta-Carotene. The first four ingredients listed are Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil and Hydrolyzed Chicken. The starch is likely made from corn or wheat. ALL of these are known common allergens. Essentially, you're paying a lot of money for food at your vet's office that is likely exacerbating the food allergy problem in your shar pei. Thus causing you to spend even more money at your vet. Instead of Hills food, try going to an independent pet store and purchasing premium dog food. It doesn't really cost any more than the Hills you're buying at the vet. I also have a Great Pyrenees (in addition to my two shar-pei) who has an ultra sensitive stomach and food allregies. I've had him on Solid Gold Wolf King or Timberwolf Organics Blue Ocean for the last 7 years. My Pyr, Goliath, will turn 13 on Jan. 9th. The vet says he's not even geriatric yet. A pyr'saverage lifespan is 10-12 years. Spend the money upfront on a good premium dog food. I can tell you from experience that I spend far less in vet bills because I spend my money on good dog food. Dogs are no different than humans, if you put garbage in, you'll get garbage out. If we sat around and ate McDonalds all our lives, we'd end up with health issues too.

Answer by annie
Submitted on 1/24/2007
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I also have an itchy sharpei, skin red raw and lesions. Shes even had depression. Steriods worked fantastically but unfortunately you cannot put the dog on those long term so I am now in the insurance/vet trap with immunology injections which will take approx 7 mths to even see a difference? I have just changed her diet to low protein and puriphy herbs as this was also recommended to me. It has been diagnosed as a dust mite allergy? so Im stuffed, but I would like to make her life easier and get some relief for her! also sudocreme and aloe vera with a t shirt to assist in trying to heal some of the cuts and grazes from the contstant itching and licking and biting. good luck to you all... If anything works other than the steroids Ill be back to let you know.

Answer by Nancy
Submitted on 4/5/2007
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I have a year old sharpei mix with chow. She is beautiful. 2 years ago I had her sister who was so sick at 3 months that I took her to the SPCA looking for help and they told me that they will take her but will put her down. I was devastated, so when I got her sister a years later I was afraid but felt in love as soon as a saw her. Now she is over a year old and is begining to scratch, lose her hair and bite her self. I began putting A & D oiment on her and it seems to work, the irritation is going away and she is not scracthing so as soon as we see her scraching we clean the area and put the oiment. I have an appoinment with the Vet but I feel that just like with children vets try to take care of the symptom but not the disease. I only give her bottle water, when is too hot I turn the AC on for, I give her baths with warm water and use the hair drier to dry her. But I feel so bad this is my daughter's dog and she is not with me right now and I am afraid that something will happen to my dog before my daughter is return home. So I am really looking for hollistic medication any ideas will ne apreciated. You can write with hollistic ideas at Bringmykidshome@yahoo.com Thank You

Answer by Danielle from Maryland
Submitted on 4/23/2007
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Solution to Shar-Pei's skin problems! Hi I was reading your comments about Shar Pei�s skin problems. After much research and 3 years of meds for my Shar Pei, I found that Shar-Pei is very sensitive to meat proteins, wheat, and corn. I have other friends who have Shar-Peis and we have all switched our dog�s food to Nature�s Recipe (which was not on the recall list by the way). Nature�s Recipe has no beef protein, no corn, no wheat, no preservatives. Within one month of feeding her Nature�s Recipe Venison and Rice hard dog food and mixing in Nature�s recipe rabbit and rice wet dog food she has had no skin problems what so ever! And much less ear irritation. No more itching at all! ! Just wanted to pass this on in case anyone else you know has a Shar-Pei with skin problems.

Answer by emp6776
Submitted on 5/3/2007
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I took in a stray pei mix who was pregnant. When the babies were born they had the same skin conditions mentioned above scratching, licking biting, itching, redness. Thanks to the wonderful people at the San Antonio ASPCA/ Human Society who took the puppies in and put then up for adoption. However, when they went in for their initial examination and shots the vet noticed this issue and asked if the mother had the same issues I responded that she did in fact have the same issue. They immediately put them on clavamox and cefadroxil twice a day, they also gave me a medicated anti microbial shampoo to be administered once a week, and an antimicrobial skin cleanser by smith and nephew which according to he bottle cleanses, soothes,moisturizes and conditions and reduces odor. This combination did work and it took about a 6 weeks. The hardest part was getting them to leave the spry cleanser on long enough for it to dry. Now unfortunately, the mother is having a little more difficult a time getting rid of this, however it is at bay using the same three things. She only occasionally has itching on her paws and tail. I hope this can help.

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Question by Nita
Submitted on 1/12/2004
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Chinese Shar-Peis Breed-FAQ
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I have a 2 1/2 yr old shar-pei with a skin cindiction. he is itchy and losing hair the vet has been treating him with shots every 3 mos. pills every 12 hrs. shammpoo weekly and my dog still looks and feels bad. the skin is so sentitive that petting him makes him crenge. If anyone has experinced this problem and has found help or a cure please let me know thank you.

Answer by kareneast2003@yahoo.com
Submitted on 1/21/2004
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Is the skin red and irritated, sometimes seeping, or scally looking? We found the irritation was often related to ear infection, but not always.In any case we had the best luck washing the area(s) with mild soap, drying and then applying Desinex Powder. If the irritation is not too bad, any kind of powder will work. We had our Shar Pei for 15 years, and this always worked on her. We are looking for another female (horse coat) pup or adult. If anyone has one please let me know before mid-April 2004. kareneast2003@yahoo.com

Answer by Leisa
Submitted on 2/15/2004
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Please e-mail me. I'm not sure where you live but I know 2 wonderful vets that will be able to help you. I have a 7? year old male Shar Pei, who is a rescue. He is severely allergic and has the skin problems that go with it. We work with the Shar Pei rescue and have seen this in many Pei's. Our Best! Leisa

Answer by bob
Submitted on 2/22/2004
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To the person with the 2 1/2 year old shar pei with skin condision. Our shar pei was the same as yours with itchy skin and fur falling out and now at nine months old and a lot of money spent on her at the vets her skin and fur is beautiful. She is on 3 antihystamines a day, 2 primrose oil capsuls no meat, see your vet for eukanuba [dermatosis](it's fish based) most important no treats or other food ever. it took 4 weeks to see a improvement and thats it

Answer by Mechelle
Submitted on 9/1/2004
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I have a mini shar pei for sale. Hubby won't let me keep her. email for details mechellejohnson@juno.com

Answer by cat
Submitted on 10/3/2004
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Help....I too have a balding itchy pei. The vets cant seem to tell me what is wrong with her. Except it is not a fungal infection or mites. I have read where some owners have tried Hills z/d. What food is this, I have looked up Hills dog food and there is nothing about z/d. I thought I could try switching her food to see if that would help. I am giving her primrose oil and omega 3 every day...no relief yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer by kelika7
Submitted on 1/21/2005
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I have a 1 year old blue sharpei and only recently she started itching underneath her armpit area and by her tail. I have had quite a bit of success with using over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone cream for people on her in those spots. She was itching until she bled on her armpit area and that has completely cleared up and helped her alot with the itching there. Also, I put the hydrocortisone cream by her tail area where she was itching and the hair is coming out in 2 patches back there and while it has basically stopped the itching and redness it hasn't made the hair stop coming out so I haven't figured that out yet. I hope this helps! Laverne

Answer by sueboardmanai 1708@aol.com
Submitted on 2/5/2005
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have not got an answer guys.. just the same problems, my 3 year old male nobby scratches his belly till he bleeds and has had diarroeh (is that spelt right)? since october i am sick of hosing the garden down.we have been ubder the vet for 2 years with these problems andhave tried lots of herbal rememdies but so far no luck... have just started him on Iams Dermatosis

Answer by sharpe lovers
Submitted on 3/7/2005
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Skin problems and Shar-pei's..go hand and hand. I am not sure if what we did to solve our problem was a coincidence or we found the solution. Anyway here was our solution for two of our Sharpe's. We feed them Tuna in oil. Bath them with Head and Shoulders Shampoo and avoid other foods. We mix the tuna in Purina One Rice and Lamb. Previously we had a 5 year old die and that was after years and years of specialist and steroids. We don't suggest doing that but we are certaintly not vets. I do know that the multiple steroids caused his mutli system shut down. Thought I would share. COmments welcome.

Answer by Audrey De La Rosa
Submitted on 4/9/2005
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okay, i'm curious about how long the shar-pei's pregnancy is and what do you expect during labor,and if assisting during labor what do you do? if you do have any information it would be very helpful. thank you

Answer by ericaj
Submitted on 4/28/2005
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I have a 2 year old Sharpei who suffers from severe seasonal allergies in the spring when he loses his winter coat. I give him benedryl tablets, which make him too drowsy to scratch...however, this season he is on cephalexin and benedryl and nothing is working...he won't let me near him because his skin is too painful to be touched....i am so sad, he hated water and gets very vicious if i try and give him a bath, in the past i have tried medicated shampoo but it didn't help at all...please send some suggestions!!!!!

Answer by Ellen
Submitted on 9/11/2005
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I have a 1 y/o shar-pei mix and she is having a heck of a time w/allergies as well (I think it's allergies, I'm also thinking of the possibility of thyroid), and now is missing huge patches of hair on her flanks and base of her tail, plus raw hot spots on her chest. I've given her benadryl to get her thru the weekend, I switched her diet to a non-wheat/grain diet and even then she's still having problems. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say. Wish I had some answers. We do have a few vets who specialize in allergies in this area, so I'll probably be making my way there very shortly.

Answer by beanie
Submitted on 11/4/2005
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we have a char pei and a shih tzu. we have had odor problems with the shar pei which i have found tea tree oil to work very good on her skin it is in the shampoo it is very good on their skin also. I would not put powder on them as that is so drying to their already dry skin. for allergies on our shih tzu I give him fish oil which is very effective on the itching salmon is the best I just give him a couple capsules a day

Answer by jimmy choo's mom
Submitted on 1/30/2006
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I have the odor problem, but without skin problems. At first vet thought was ear wax build up and yeast infections, but Jimmy starts to "stink" just a day after being treated. It get soo bad, that I have to wash his bed/blankets daily. HELP

Answer by becky
Submitted on 2/16/2006
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neonqua

Answer by Yvonna
Submitted on 3/14/2006
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I have two shar pei'sand the mother miracle well she is a very healthy dog she gets in depessing stages but looks healthy as can be and i have her daughter wiggles and she has very bad skin problems i just dont know what to do, every them i take her a bath her skin makes me itch and i get bumps all over me. i really need help to see if i can do anything for her skin she is a really big dog and she has alot of wrinkles also that make her coat heavy.

Answer by darlene
Submitted on 4/10/2006
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My husband and I had Shar pei dogs for years and we never had skin problems or allergies. Our veterinarian had done a lot of research with these kind of dogs and suggested to us that they not have soy products and give them low protein because of the kidney problems these dogs can get. We never had any problems with our dogs. They led full and happy lives. The dog food of our choice was Pedigree

Answer by Jen
Submitted on 5/15/2006
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Has anyone heard of giving dogs one Bendryl pill a day for scratching/allergies? My shar-pei is 2 1/2 and has just started scratching his armpits constantly and chews his tail. I would like to start this treatment but want to make sure it's safe first. Can't remember where I heard this before.

Answer by pam
Submitted on 5/18/2006
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I have a shar pei named misty that has this skin condition and do not know what to do. She chews on herself till she bleeds. She is a stray dog that was put out on the side of the road and has been in our family for about four years. She is an inside dog and seems to get worse in summer months when it is hot.She gets benadryl each day and is bathed every week. Seems like when I get it under control a few weeks later it starts again. Is there anyway to cure this forever or is it an on going thing. She didn't have a lot of problems until she had a liter of puppies two years ago. Once I had her spayed it has been an on going problem.

Answer by SUPER JUPITER!
Submitted on 5/19/2006
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My dog has been itchy and her skin boils up at first I thought it was ring worm because it forms a circular like shape, then i realized that it wasnt when I didnt get it. However, the itch for her is due to scabbing. HER vet said this was caused by the formation of wrinkles...I say yeah right and the breed is prone to problems with skin...just have to keep the maintenence up as high as possible! I also find when she runs she gets sweaty and smells! Bathing her after hot outdoor adventures or just wetting her down often helps!

Answer by Lori
Submitted on 7/27/2006
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Hello, please email me so i can find out exactly what is going on with your shar pei, our sharpei's have had problems and we had to do alot of research, so if you want i can try to assist in your situation... legal_nut2003@yahoo.com We have had Shar pei's for about 15 years, so I may have some info that might help you... Thanks.

Answer by mindy
Submitted on 8/18/2006
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prednisone worked the best for me. and anti bacterial shampoo ( you can get it at target or any where it is really a body wash0

Answer by sherri
Submitted on 9/4/2006
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I have had 2 shar-pei's and we found out fast with both that their skin is very sensitive. With Shar-pei'sit is VERY importnat to bathe them with a hypo-allergenic shampoo....and you should NOT be bathing them more that every 4-6 weeks. If they're stinky....tough it out....too many baths is not a good thing for this bread. Also, if they are out in the rain, or it is really hot (they sweat in between their wrinkles), get a dry towel and really dry them down. Baby powder works well in the under arms and other areas where they seem more itchy. Hope that helps!

Answer by Juliet
Submitted on 11/10/2006
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I have a 6 year old shar pei, we ran into the same problem in her teen years (1 year), bald spots on her skin from scratching it too much, usually around the ears. I didnt have much money to take her to the vet, so i bought some coat spray at Petmart and washed her with the oatmeal shampoo twice a week, and sprayed her with coat spray everyday. Worried it wouldnt go away thinking i would have to end up giving her away to someone who can afford vet bills. the coat spray and washing her with oatmeal shampoo worked. I havent had a problem with her skin since.

Answer by Gum
Submitted on 1/1/2007
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Hi, I just wanted to warn perspective shar pei owners about the deadly illness called "familial shar pei fever" which took the life of my puppy, Honey Bee (2yrs). It is sadly genetic and should be stopped. Please make sure ur puppy is tested before buying. It was absolutely heartbreaking watching my puppy deteriorate from a beautiful little girl to a sick swollen baby. I miss her more every day and I wouldnt want any other shar pei lover to experience this. Gum

Answer by Kaismum
Submitted on 1/8/2007
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we have a 13 month old black brush coat male called Kai we love him to bits as well. We have skin allergies with him as well we are taking him for testing in two weeks but at the moment I have have him on steroids from our vet fish oil tablets from the health shop and a herb called herb robert. His fur had fallen out and he had bad skin irritations but now looks a million dollars. We are hoping to find out what he is allergic to then we can fix the problem. Good luck to everyone out there with Shar Peis I have a strong feeling that our boy is allergic to the flowering grasses or a grass in our yard.

Answer by chad
Submitted on 1/23/2007
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My pei Woo is a brush w/some nagging problems. Just 1 1/2 years she has yeast problems if I get lazy with her. Her nickname is Stinky and all of us know why. I wasn't aware that the stink is caused usually from yeast build-up on the hair-less part of her underside. She also is getting the red-pussie things on her skin. Someone said this could be caused by ear infections-how?. And how do you treat it. I am damn near poor but I would go hungry before I ever could ponder giving her up. She is on lamb&rice and hollistic food for vitamins. vender@aol.com

Answer by RD
Submitted on 3/16/2007
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Hello i have 2 months old shar pei male and he is scratching himself a lot, And hair start caming of from his back, Should i just change food or is it possible to treat him. I really feel sorry for him. Please advise

Answer by arizdi
Submitted on 3/24/2007
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I have a rescue shar pei as well. I have had "Shrek" for 4 1/2 years. He was 6 months old when I adopted him. He had the itchy skin, hair falling out and his skin would get "hot" spots, redness and sore. He has does extremely well taking 5mg of prednisone each morning, if he is in a "flared-up" state (this has only happened twice, when I ran out of the prednisone), it only takes about a week to 10 days to clear up. He is a very happy & healthy dog. I highly recommend the prednisone and the top #1 cure for the shar pei's condition.

Answer by Vasco
Submitted on 4/23/2007
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We have a 5 year old black Shar-pei. We have had continous skin problems in her belly region. She'll break out in these little white pimples and then they turn to rash and then black spots. I think I have it pretty well under control now; however, from time to time she'll get a little red and itchy. I put her on a prednisone 1/12 hours and Benadryl. This cocktail seems to clear things up for her. She is then taken off of the prednisone and it is only used in dyer situations. She never gets food from the table and we put fish oil on her food. Seems to work for the occassional ocurrences. I've not find a cure-all.

Answer by Seller
Submitted on 5/18/2007
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Hallo, we get also a 10 month old shar pei. this little dog get�s the same problem as the email with answer of dawn. She is itching the whole day and night and lost all hair of the legs and beside. No doctor could help us. Please if anybody could found solution let me know. Thanks a lot. Reinhard

Answer by alfie
Submitted on 6/11/2007
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hi I have a one year shar pei male called alfie. He had to have two major opportions on both eyes within three month which knocked him for six, so he doesnt trust many people.He constenly has itchty skin it feels really greasey. i'mforever cleaning up as his dusty skin seems to get every where. He has lost some of his fur on his head but hasnt got any fur left on his neck as he scratches all the time. He's forever bitting his paws and always inflamed and bleeding.I've tried a so many different types of foods but none of them seem to be the right one. I love him to bits and I hate seeing him suffering PLEASE HELP!

Answer by jodie
Submitted on 7/11/2007
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hi we have a shar-pei and we have noticed sum bubbly patches on his cheeks that keep bleeding and as we put him in the bath we noticed he has accured some red bubbly skin on his chest he is always scratching and shaking alot as if this is irrating him could someone please tell me what this maybe and what i could use to prevent it getting worse thank you

Answer by jim
Submitted on 7/18/2007
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Same problems as everyone with my dog. Tried everything. Then I discovered evening primrose oil, my dogs life has changed for the better. No more itching! He now takes 1 500mg. evening primrose oil and 1 4mg. pill of chlorpheniramine maleate (allergy pill from the vet) every day. Works for us.

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