Skin, Skin, Skin

Skin is an important part of life.  The largest organ of the body, whether it is a dog's body or a person's body.  I am slowly discovering that Power's skin has more than just dryness.  His skin is rough and raised in a few places.  He is very skittish about being touched.  I think he must have never had to learn trust before.  Today I was putting some cream and he jumped each time my hand touched him.  When he saw my hand approaching, he tried to shy away. When I got the cream on him, he decided he liked it.  I've tried to use a hound glove on him to remove some of the loose flakes and dust after he lies on the sand.  He doesn't seem to know that sensation either.

After lunch yesterday I found a 2 inch diameter raw area on Power's right rib area.  It was moist and red and not present 1 hour earlier.  I decided to take him to the Vet this morning.  Quartzsite has a nice vet, John Hadlock, who has an old mobile home as his office.  He is conveniently located right on the main street, and both he and his office lady are friendly and good to the pets.

Dr Hadlock looked at the skin lesion, and checked the area nearby which still had hair in place and no rawness, just a raised area.  He said Power needed antibiotics, and gave him two injections, and a prescription of antibiotics for 10 days, and a spray of antibiotics to use for ten days.  He also looked at some of the other skin flakiness and said that it looks like dermatitis, and that I need to wash Power with dial soap twice a week.  I am supposed to take Power back in 10 days to be checked.  

I've never had a dog with skin disease before so it's learning experience for me. 

Thank God Power is willing to be medicated.  Today I bought a package of hot dogs and cut them into 1 inch lengths.  One antibiotic capsule will fit into a one inch length of hot dog.  Power eats this readily. Of course, Fleur likes the hot dogs and wants a treat so I have to be careful that she doesn't steal the hot dog with the antibiotic capsule inside!

This was also the day for the first dial soap bath.  I am camped in the BLM desert south of Quartzsite Az and have very limited dog bathing choices.  I decided to try filling a 2 liter soda bottle and put a squirt top on it.  I then squirted water on a microfiber wash rag and added dial soap.  I then kept adding water and dial soap and washed Power all over while he was standing on the patio rug outside my motorhome.  When I got through scrubbing him all over, I used the rest of the water to rinse him thoroughly.  Then I kept him outside standing in the sunshine to dry and we were done.  Guess what?  His black color is a different black now.  It is not a dusty black!  It's a shiny black black! 

Buttocks growing fur

After 10 days on antibiotic capsules and antibiotic spray and dial soap baths the sore on his ribs is healing nicely.  The second area (raised no rawness) is still not raw and still has not lost hair.  The general skin flakiness is much reduced as well.  He's really growing hair back on his buttocks, and new hair is even coming in on his tail.  

Tail still needs fur.

Power is a hard working dog!