My Sheltie has itching, hair loss, and scabs. Vet tests negative. Why?

Question

I have a ten year old male Sheltie. For the past 3 months, he has a lot of itching and hair loss, scabs, and some of his hair has turned black. Vet did a mite and thyroid test that were negative. I changed his food to a grain free salmon/sweet potato dry food, and I stopped giving him glucosamine pills thinking he might be allergic to shellfish. His condition has not changed. Do you have any idea what could be causing this? Thank you for your time. Pet's info: Dog | Shetland Sheepdog | Male | unneutered | 10 years and 5 months old | 32 lbs

Stacey Anstaett, DVM · Accepted Answer

Has your vet mentioned anything about environmental allergies? It may be that Rusty is allergic and this is leading to his current issues. While I understand he's 10 and this hasn't been an issue in the past it doesn't sound like, it is still possible that its contributing. If your vet thinks allergies may be playing a role, he or she may recommend trying some prednisone which is a steroid, or a medication called apoquel. You can try using a shampoo designed for itchy skin, that may help as well if you do it once a week or so. This is one of my favorite ones: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-shampoo-with-vitamin-d3 I hope that is helpful to you, thank you for asking PetCoach!

My Sheltie has itching, hair loss, and scabs. Vet tests negative. Why?

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