hi all, i have a great pyrenees male about 2 years old. i never aclimated him to the barn because he is here to protect me. he is quite a baby and i love him dearly. last year during the summer, he had a terrible time with hot spots. his whole back was sores and raw. i shampooed him alot with flea shampoo thinking maybe fleas were causing the sores. he really didn't have alot of them at any time, but after the bathes he would do better for a day or so and then it would get worse.with his heavy coat he really hated the hot weather. was wondering if anyone ever shaves a pyre. although he would probably look pretty funny shaved, i really don't want him to suffer again this year, any suggestions? laura

-- laura cavallari (ladygoat13@aol.com), April 30, 2000

Answers

i have 3 pyr. i would say stop bathing him. the breed is one of the only dogs with 3 layers of hair and to much water will dry out their skin. what ever you do ,do NOT shave him , he will get sun burn like nothing you have ever seen. i would talk to your vet about the problem, it might be solved by adding a little bacon grease to the food to rebuild the oil in the coat,they do not have alot to start with because they are not water dogs. i found a brush that is made for dogs with 2 or more fur layers {local pet shop ordered it for me] and brush them every day while they are shedding. i also provid them with a cool slightly damp place in the summer,behind an old spring house,if you have ac. be careful of not leaving him in the house to much the fake temp. will not allow him to shed right.we have not had a problem with fleas[i am knocking on wood] iwould try maybe a bedding of cedar or maybe a cedar oil spray,never used it just a thought. good luck ,they are the best dogs i,ve ever had!!

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), April 30, 2000.

I agree with Renee. I spend a lot of time brushing my 3 Pyrs when they are shedding to strip out the under coat and leave the long guard hairs. That takes away the most insulating downy fibers which I then spin (makes just gorgeous yarn and doesn't smell doggy once it's washed) but the guard hairs protect the skin from sunburn and protection from heat. That great ruff they have protects the neck from bites of other animals in a fight too.

My first Pyr had a skin allergy that the first vet said required shaving and expensive baths. The dog looked so funny and I think he was embarrassed, if possible. I later found out from another vet that I could have bathed him myself with lime/sulfur shampoo and the vet could have given him shots of Ivermectin to combat the problem. Live and learn but it sure undermined the confidence I had in the first vet because he had prescribed a more expensive and less effective treatment for my dog.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), April 30, 2000.

Have you tried adding olive oil to your dogs food. I use it when I have it and I have also used a little lard from a rendered pig. I have one Pyr with a beautiful coat and one that gets quite itchy. The olive oil works for her. Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), April 30, 2000.

Sounds like allergys to me .First switch him to a chicken or lamb and rice diet .Be care lots of these still have corn .Give him brewers yeast and garlic and vit.e .You can also add some linatone oil .If this doesn't work in several weeks the vet can give him shots because he may be allergic to bug bites .Good luck

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 30, 2000.

We don't have Pyrs but I noticed last year or so that the coats on our 2 dogs were getting dull and they were shedding a LOT when they shouldn't have been. Their skin was also dandruffy (if that's a word). We have always fed Purina dog chow. We tried oil, and vitamins. Both helped some but were expensive. Now we have been feeding Pedigree and without any extras their coats are once again shiny, clean, and not shedding. I'm convinced that Purina changed the formula sometime last year- and not to the benefit of the dogs. You might check his food.

Also, I once had a dog that had hot spots. The remedy was a simple one but I can't remember what it was, it's been so long! I'll try to find what I did about them. It also had to do with what he was eating...

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), April 30, 2000.

Have you heard of a dog feeding program called bones and raw food (barf)? I was just reading about it at http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm -- also, some folks at C & C Farms on the web (I think it was them) said they feed lots of goats milk to all their animals, including their Pyrs, and think it is really good for them. (It might have been CircleZ Farm). The healthiest dog we ever had was one that had spent the whole summer catching mice in our pasture -- she wasn't eating the dog food we were giving her, and I asked the neighbors if she was getting into anything at their houses, and they all said no, so I think all she was eating was mice! And she had the softest, shiniest coat!! That's why I think there may be something to the barf diet. When we get a dog again I'm going to try it.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 30, 2000.

I would worry about worms "TAPE" with ant animals eating mice and even birds. Worms can cause coat problems also , so check a stool sample it wouldn't hurt and should not run to much$

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 30, 2000.

There is a good website: www.altvetmed.com. It is alternative vet medicine. It said fish oil will help allergies and hot spots. That made me remember that it was cod liver oil that I gave my dog many years ago to relieve hot spots- it worked. Best of luck.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), May 01, 2000.

Here in California we have problems with the dogs getting goathead stickers under their skin. The stickers work their way under and fester. That could be happening to your dog. I did actually shave my GP because of this. But the sunburn warning is serious. I solved the problem by shaving her legs, belly, sides and under her neck. I left all the hair on her back and about 4" down her sides. True, I had a very "Punk Rock Pyrr" for awhile but she was comfortable, and I was much releived from worry. We had just lost another dog because the sticker worked its' way into his heart! Anyway, she didn't sunburn and the hair was short enough I could brush out all the stickers every couple of days. I gave her a damp spot to sleep in too...she loves it!

-- Monica Flood (monicaf@colorspot.com), September 18, 2000.