Old man elbows

Myabee09

So, I have looked around and can't seem to find anything on the site about this. Shelby is getting those old man elbows. You know, where the hair slowly breaks off and then the get all tough and scabby looking. There's still some hair there, but the skin under it is all flaky. She doesn't lay around on concrete or anything, she just hangs out on the carpet or in her kennel. The kennel has a tray... I have bought her beds and blankets and mats, but she just tears them up and makes a wad to sleep on in the corner of the kennel. Can I keep her from getting the gross elbows somehow? Mya and Sophie have the same sleeping arrangements, except that they don't tear up the bedding, and they have normal hairy elbows. I'm just at a loss. Maybe fish oil for her skin? Doggie rogaine? Elbow weave? I'm sorry if I sound crazy, but this is one of those things that freaks me out for no reason, like my irrational fear of fish.

PoetikDragon

Good thing fish don't have elbows, heh heh.

shibamistress

I worry about Leo getting them too....he looks like he's likely to develop it, and also, it's not about laying on the concrete (we don't have any). He had dry skin too. I give him a fair amount of fish oil, though, to no avail. And he's got a good quality diet. So I just don't know. I try to keep the hair there combed, and unmatted, as well, just in case.

I'll be interested in hearing if anyone has thoughts...

kimputai

Calendula. I use it for the elbows of my dogs. Those spots on the elbows can burst open, when they get to dry and it will take a long time to heal.. :I also use it for the foot sole of the dogs, especially when they have to train and run a few miles.........
or udder ointment, that is cheaper......

ayk

I heard of bag balm being used.

Myabee09

I will be heading to the store, then. I'll try anything to keep her from getting those elbows. They look gross and the dogs with them look slightly miserable.

Side note: does anyone else notice their dogs smell like fish when they eat the fish oil? Not their breath, but their skin... Sophie smells life a wharf!

shibamistress

I will be heading to the store, then. I'll try anything to keep her from getting those elbows. They look gross and the dogs with them look slightly miserable.

Side note: does anyone else notice their dogs smell like fish when they eat the fish oil? Not their breath, but their skin... Sophie smells life a wharf!

hmmmm....mine don't, unless they get it on themselves sometimes, which does happen. But if they just eat it (and we give them capsules) then they usually don't. I wonder if that means she's having problems with it, or something? Kind of odd.

Myabee09

I dunno, maybe she's a messy eater and I never noticed. She just smells all over and her little shirts stink of it too. I give mine the liquid stuff squirted over their kibble. I uses little less than the recommended dose, and Sophie doesn't get very much because she is so little.

lwroth

I used Vit E caps on several rescues who had those awful elbows, but that was years ago. They got better with that and combing out mats over the elbows. However, the Vit E oil is messy if the dog's an indoor dog.

I give my dog fish oil caps, which she swallows, and she doesn't smell fishy.

Keiko12

Thank you for adding this thread, I just noticed tonight while brushing my boy he has old man elbows. I just started him on Fish Oil capsules, guess I'll be out getting some bag balm tomorrow as well...

Myabee09

Is it ok to give caps to my 5 pounder? I don't want her to get upset tummy from an overdose on fish oil. (That created a funny mental image of her standing on the corner looking for a fish oil "fix").

@keiko12 no problem . I was at a loss and everyone I know just seems to think it's ok for their dogs to have old man elbows. I figured the infinite wisdom of the forum would be the best place to ask .

lwroth

I said above I used Vit E caps but maybe wasn't clear that I opened the caps and massaged the oil into the dog's elbows. And I put fish oil caps in their food.

Myabee09

Oh! Ok, I'll have to try that. They just eat the fish oil caps, no problem? I haven't tried them yet, and I know Mya hates capsules. She thinks they're medicine.

mdokic

@Myabee09, I give Kona fish oil (i have to give it to her now in a spoon though for some reason...she won't eat it with her food anymore! -_-) and her food is "Coastal Catch," which is also fishy...she doesnt get any of it on herself, and I don't think Shelby does either, and I definitely notice sometimes just her skin smells a little like fish too! :P

shibamistress

Or if fish oil doesn't work, try coconut oil. We ran out of fish oil and switched Leo over to coconut oil temporarily and he is already remarkably less itchy, so we're going to stick with the coconut oil. The dogs all like the taste of it, too, so I just put a 1-2 teaspoons on his food. (I have massaged into itchy spots, too, but the other dogs lick it off).

toshi

@kimputai which calendula ointment do you use brand wise? Can it be bought at drug stores?

tjbart17

I use aquaphor. Both mine have it from the concrete at my parents house. :-/

toshi

Thanks:-)

shibamistress

@kimputai which calendula ointment do you use brand wise? Can it be bought at drug stores?

Any calendula ointment/cream will work. Just look for one that has as few ingredients as possible. I have one that is basically olive and joboba with a bit of beeswax and calendula which is good. You'd be better off looking for it at a natural foods store, or Whole Foods, or something like that.

And btw, Leo's coat and ears and elbows have improved drastically since we stopped giving him fish oil and started with coconut oil. I've never heard of a dog having an intolerance to fish oil, but obviously, it just wasn't working well for him.

Myabee09

I'll add that Shelby has fabulous elbows now that we have been using bag balm.
I tried fish oil capsules, but the dogs bit them and spit them out. Well, Sophie didn't... She spit it out and stomped on it. We all smelled like a wharf after that little adventure! Oh well, back to the liquid...

kimputai

@toshi.............I will look it up this week, I have some serious health problems with one of my dogs that need my attention.

toshi

@kimputai im sorry to hear that. no worries on the ointment- i was able to find something. i hope the best for your dog.