# supplement side effects



## Justen Haynes (Dec 1, 2010)

One of my dogs came down with some sort of an allergic reaction on his skin. I noticed it around his ears mostly. My vet said it has been a really bad year for this being that it hasn't gotten cold at all this winter. I also had recently started giving him natural fish oil and vitiman e. I was wondering if either of supplements could have this kind of side effect, or if it was just something he got while outside? Thanks...


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Did he call it a hot spot?

Terrasita


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Mites or mange possibly?


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

take a pic of it buddy ...


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## Keith Jenkins (Jun 6, 2007)

Justen how many times I gotta tell you to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom *before* you pet your dog? :-o


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Justen Haynes said:


> One of my dogs came down with some sort of an allergic reaction on his skin. I noticed it around his ears mostly. My vet said it has been a really bad year for this being that it hasn't gotten cold at all this winter. I also had recently started giving him natural fish oil and vitiman e. I was wondering if either of supplements could have this kind of side effect, or if it was just something he got while outside? Thanks...


Oh, and the easy way of telling is to eliminate the fish oil and E and after it clears up, add one at a time and see what happens. 

T


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## Justen Haynes (Dec 1, 2010)

I knew that was it Keith!!! No mange or anything. Had scrapes done and nothing. I am thinking it is the vitamins.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

The biggest supplement side effect is your wallet. It's like playing the lottery, save the $$ man, it does the dog no good.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Justen Haynes said:


> I knew that was it Keith!!! No mange or anything. Had scrapes done and nothing. I am thinking it is the vitamins.




Got any pics of this?

When you say "vitamins," what vitamins do you mean? The E you mentioned?

What makes you say "allergy" (original post)?

Is this ear-leather-edge raggedness, or red or bumpy rash, or what? Is it inflammation inside the ear, or something just on the outside of the ear-flaps, and if it's the flaps, is it all over or the edges only?


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## Gina Pasieka (Apr 25, 2010)

Are you just dealing with crusty ear tip? Ear tip dermatatits is actually quite common. Unfortunately, there are quite a number of causes. It was easier for me to cut and paste this list of causes than try to come up with them all myself. 



Dermatitis involving the ear is an inflammation of the pinna (external part of the ear lying outside of the head). There are a variety of causes of ear dermatitis, ranging from infections to parasites to trauma.

*Infectious Causes*

Bacterial
Parasitic – Mange (demodectic, otodectic, sarcoptic and notoedric) and ringworm

*Immune Causes*

Allergy (food, contact)
Drug reaction
Cold Agglutinin Disease
Pemphigus

*Trauma*

Lacerations, burns, chemical injury
Secondary to disorders within the ear (foreign body, tumor, etc...)

*Systemic Causes*

Hypothyroidism
Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease)
Cancer

*Miscellaneous Causes*

Solar (sun-related) dermatitis
Frostbite
Fly strike
Seborrhea (dry, scaly skin)

Since there are so many different causes of ear dermatitis, diagnosis, treatment and affect on the animal will vary. 

*What to Watch For* 

Head shaking
Scratching and rubbing of ears
Pain around the ears
Hair loss on the pinna
Malodorous ears
Bleeding

*Diagnosis*

Baseline tests, including a complete blood count (CBC), biochemical profile and urinalysis, are usually within normal limits. Additional tests may be necessary to determine the underlying cause of the ear dermatitis.

Skin scrapings
Allergy testing
Fungal culture
Bacterial culture
Endocrine testing
Cytology
Biopsy 

*Treatment*

The treatment depends on the underlying disorder.

Antibiotics/antifungal medicine
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Antihistamines
Hormone replacement therapy
Antiparasitic drugs
Food trials


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Nice post. 


I'd like to hear more detail than "allergic reaction," too.

I have dealt with several ear-leather-margin challenges with new-to-my-house dogs, including superficial folliculitis (bacterial) that was relatively simply resolved and that can be in other areas as well (the OP mentioned "mostly" on the ears), such as armpits. Of course it can be secondary to scabies and lots of other conditions, but can also be a minor infection that was dealt with quickly and easily.

Do you see pustules with a hair shaft coming through each? When the vet said "a bad year" --- a bad year for what? What did s/he call it? Surely it wasn't just "negative scraping; nothing else needed."

Is the inside of the ear clear and uninflamed, or bumpy and red, or maybe with dark or plentiful debris or pale gray? 

Is it just the edges of the flaps?


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