Six month old pup has scaly spots, almost like callouses, not itchy at all, just dry and thickened skin in small areas. When puppy was about seven weeks it had some scaly spots that could be combed out, added fish oil to diet and situation resolved. Now seeing this again, it doesn't seem like an allergy, no itching or other such symptoms. Tonight parts of the belly are red,though she doesn't seem bothered by it. No other dogs in the household are having issues. I am making an appointment with a specialist, but was hoping for feedback as I have a feeling this is an unusual condition. If anyone has dealt with anything like this I would love to hear about it.
We get this sometimes in rescues, particularly chocolates. What are you feeding? Usually the ones with that need a better diet during the growth phase and sometimes ever after. One reference indicates that chocolates need more zinc and fatty acids, but I haven't seen that across the board, just in some individual dogs on grain heavy diets with not enough meat in first ingredients and no fish in it. The old Pedigree formulas, old Science Diets, and Kibbles and Bits were big offenders. Even a couple years ago, Pedigree was still a problem food. Prozyme or other digestive enzymes help them get the most out of their food, and so do foods with chelated minerals, such as Annamaet. Eggs and fish oil also help.
Of course, you also have to keep an eye on it and make sure it is not a form of mange showing up. We scraped the dogs first and also treated with Frontline, putting some on and around the spots, just in case. The red belly sounds almost like allergies or fleas, just enough in the yard to make pup itch.
There was also that post about research on some scaly condition in retriever breeds.
