And by ‘ruff I mean dandruff.  For years Piggy has gotten compliments on his shiny black coat, but ever since last summer he’s been battling flaky dandruff that becomes even more noticeable when someone starts to pet him and scratch his back.  It seemed to get better for a while in the winter, not fully gone, but definitely less.  You can scratch thick flaky chunks off in spots and though he doesn’t seem to scratch a lot, I’m sure it must be at least somewhat uncomfortable and itchy.

I first noticed he was getting some spots on his belly last summer and assumed it was irritation from being in the water.  The pug loves to run along the water’s edge, digging at rocks and chasing after other dogs until they swim out further than his little legs will allow.  I take him to an off-leash park at a small lake that’s quite pretty, but not big enough to really do anything but let dogs swim in it.  It’s not the kind of lake where you’d see boats or people fishing.  He also likes to splash around at the beach, so the ocean salt water could also be the culprit.

As a test, I kept him out of the water for an entire month, but his skin seems to be getting worse, not better.  I brush him, try to flake off as much as I can with my fingernails, then give him a bath and shampoo his coat with a medicated dog shampoo that has 5% coal tar solution, but that doesn’t seem to give much relief (though he does smell good!).  There are a couple of spots now that are pink and tender where I’ve scratched off a flaky patch, so those I’ve been coating with Bactroban, an antibiotic ointment.  I’m so frustrated and really want to find a solution to heal my poor pug.

We’ve been to the vet a couple of times, but unfortunately he hasn’t been much help.  Could it be from the water?  Maybe.  Or it could be an allergic reaction to something at the park.  Or in his food.  Process of elimination seems to be the only way to tell!  And what a long process that would be.

His one advice was to get Piggy on some Omega3 fatty acids and really, I think we should all be taking those kind of supplements.  Hopefully that will help otherwise I may just dip the whole pug in a vat of fish oil to try to soothe that skin!  And you thought wet dog was a bad smell!

The Pug and I have recently moved out to the west coast and have been spending a lot of time up in Vancouver, BC.  There are so many incredible trails up there with huge moss covered trees, ferns and that deliciously damp forest smell that makes me feel like I’m stepping into Jurassic Park.  These pics are from the more city trails, but I will bring my camera next time we make it out to Fern Gully.  A lot of these trails have been designated as leash optional, which the Pug and I both adore.  He gets to go at his own pace (which means sniffing EVERYTHING) and mom doesn’t have to stop walking every time he wants to stop and sniff.  The little sprints to catch up to mom couldn’t come at a better time either with bathing suit season just around the corner. 

I’m not sure why pugs need goggles, but Mimi is adorable!

I spotted this sweetie over at Dogs In Duds >

We still have a few more months of cold weather, but the sales are starting & I want to track down a good pair of dog boots while I can get a good deal. How cute are these ones from Dog.com?

I know I’m supposed to be shopping for functional & stay put-edness, but these are so darling that I can’t resist!

I think they’ll work better than the last ones I ended up returning because they come up so much higher. That velcro strap has a much better chance of securing the boot to my dog’s paw than the other boots I had which had the velcro right at the top. Too much wiggle room mean the pug kicked those suckers off with much hilarity.

Click here to see more booties from Dog.com >

My poor pug.  I got a new camera & since he’s the cheapest working model I know, there will be many dog pictures taken.  So far he’s proven to be an excellent sport & hasn’t complained one bit, though he does refuse to give the super cute faces when I’ve got my camera pointed at his mug.  I don’t know if he’s bracing for a flash or if he’s putting on a bed rendition of Blue Steel, but the result is a pug face permanently stuck in Old Man Scrunch Face.  Behold: