I have never really given much thought to the skin health of our dogs...not with our Holly dog, who we got to love for 14 1/2 years, and not with our boy Geno either.  All of that changed this year.  I actually thought that maybe he had the "winter blues" since it was January and we were definitely having a more severe winter here this year in Asheville than we normally do, mixed with earlier sunsets.  I kept Googling to see if that was even a thing in dogs.  Some sites stated yes, that dogs could possibly have seasonal depression, but there is actually no scientific evidence to prove it.  

But then, I noticed that he was getting pretty stinky too!  In his 4 years of life, he has never had so many baths as he did this winter.  He is normally pretty cooperative at bath time, but after about the 4th one this winter, he was not impressed.

His skin started to become very dry and black on his belly and in his arm pits too, but I attributed it to the many baths he was getting.  I tried to "doctor" him myself with probiotic chews and "superfoods."  His "sadness" and lack of energy continued and nothing I was doing seemed to be working so, I gave up trying to figure it out on my own and made an appointment with the vet (I was trying to avoid the high costs that I knew I was going to incur.)

It didn't take long for them to diagnose him.  Skin allergies...that needed to be treated with either a daily medication, Apoquel, or a monthly shot, Cytopoint. I listened to the pros and cons of both drugs, both very expensive, but I just felt that the injection would be the most efficient and effective path for us.  I trust our veterinarian office, so I did not do any research on my own before making any decisions.  Within a few days of receiving the Cytopoint injection, his skin was already doing better. 

I learned a valuable lesson that day; when you suspect there may be something unusually "off" with your pet, don't wait to take them to the vet, just go!  Because I waited, he also needed an antibiotic for his skin, as well as a topical ointment which needed to be applied twice daily.

While his treatment will be expensive, he is worth it.  We have him on a better diet and are striving to get him more exercise.  He seems to have more energy and is happier too.

He gives us his unconditional love every day and never ceases to fill our lives with pure joy and companionship!

Just look at that Gold Retriever smile! Melts your heart doesn't it?!

Thanks for reading this blog about our Geno's skin health. We appreciate you!

Jenny K.