The first week after I got Cassie I could quickly tell she wasn’t quite as she should have been. She was skinny, had very thin fur and kept biting herself all over her body. She was also missing areas of fur, most likely after biting it off, and there was a lot of dandruff on her.
I went to the veterinarian for a health check. They said she was fine and that in the worst case scenario she had an allergy and that the food she had been given previously might be the reason. I even showed them her red paws and asked if it was normal, and the veterinarian said it was nothing. They got me to buy a shampoo and wash her with that every week and that was it. All good.
Except it was not. Not good at all. I gave her good quality food, cleaned her up and hoped for the best. But she kept biting, biting and biting. Her fur did not improve at all.
I went to another veterinarian a few months later. They did a thorough examination and found several places with yeast infection. For instance the red stuff on the paws was from yeast, and she had the same thing on her claws and even mouth. I was recommended a new shampoo to kill off the yeast, and was told to clean her paws and mouth a few times a week. After that it got better, and I thought nothing more of it. That was my biggest mistake, and I’m ashamed for not taking it more seriously.
Her fur was still thin. I got comments on it from other husky owners and it made me feel like I was neglecting it. And maybe I was, in a way, simply because I lacked the knowledge.
I had tried several types of food. All of them are high quality. I also tried to give her extra to try to make her gain some weight. But overfeeding a husky on normal dog food is very hard since they are very picky eaters. I also started giving her salmon oil, which she seemed to love, so maybe her fur could improve.
I started cleaning her paws every single day, and gave her a shower once a week. I also used dry shampoo a few times a week between showers. All of the products were of course intended for killing the yeast.
I recently swapped her food again and started giving her mostly raw food (a food type made for dogs), and have continued giving her fish oils and a bit of dry food on top. I also feed her eggs and cheese to try to make her “bulk up”. I have already seen some changes. And even her fur has been improving (she has started to grow an undercoat, which she has been lacking till now). We still have a long way to go, but it’s starting to look like I am making progress towards making her healthier. I will continue treating the yeast as well as I can, and maybe in a month or two it will be gone. Her fur will probably take longer, but as long as it keeps improving, I will be happy.
