Well I am such a sucker. I saw in the paper last night a sharpei mix for free. We had one of these before and likeed it but someone stold her. So I went and looked. They were giving him away because they said he is allerigic to there cats. Someone had given him to them. They said that this is what the vet told them is probably the problem. Well I was a sucker and I took him. Dh did not go with me and when I brought him home he was not to happy with me. He and my mil thinks it looks like mange or something and I should have known better. They are big patches of open sores. She said the vet said he should heal once he was out of there house. I am going to call that vet today. But meanwile I was wondering what some of you dog experts think? He seems like a good dog, calm, quiet and had no accidents all night. But he does smell. Dh gave him a bath and he still has a funny odor? I am hoping it is just from the allergies. He does have really short, kind of bristly fur that makes you itch a little when you pet him. Any advice would be appreciated. I am hoping I don't have to take him to the vet yet. I really don't have the money.

By Jackie on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 08:37 am:

Ok, Im not an expert on Sharpei's, but we have a sharpei as one of our customers(I do petsitting in my home), and he "Always" smells...Im wondering if its just the breed?
I would suggest if he has open sores, to get him checked out by the vet, as you dont want it leading to infection.

By Kellyj on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 09:10 am:

From what I saw as a vet assistant Sharpeis can have a lot of skin problems. We had one that would come in who had horrible skin problems and smelled terrible. I'll never forget him because I have a scar on my arm from him. Their hair and skin are very different from other dogs. They are the only breed that I have contact allergy to. Like Jackie said, I'd get him to a vet so that you can avoid infection in the sores

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 09:19 am:

Info on Mange, if that is what it is.

Poor doggie!

By Melana on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 09:45 am:

sharpeis require quite a bit of matinence, because of all the wrinkles. You have to bathe them once a week, and when you do you have to make sure that you dry fully between all the wrinkles or it will mold and smell really bad. They do tend to have skin problems because most people don't know how to take proper care of it. I've never owned one, but I just know a LOT about most breeds of dogs, and at one point I was looking into breeding sharpeis because I just love their look so much, and they are great family dogs, as well as guard dogs. Anyway, a visit to the vet would probably be best just to be safe. HTH
Melana

By Cat on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 09:54 am:

Shar-Pei info

All I can say is check with your vet. I have a friend in Maryland that has a Shar-Pei named Pooh. She's a great dog. She's great with the kids (their kids are 9 and 6) and she's very friendly. I do remember she had a distinct smell to her. Not a bad smell, but not the typical dog smell either. Good luck with your new pooch.

By Beth on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 05:22 pm:

Thanks for all the info. I always get myself into these things. I think I should have read up on him a little more before I jumped in. He does seem like a really good dog. I think he is not feeling very well right now though. All he does is lie around. We did take him to the vet today. That lady who gave him to me should be ashamed of herself. They looked up the chart. She never brought that dog to the vet. She brought the other family dog in complaing that the other dog at home (my dog) had mites. The chart said that the family was complaing about getting rashes from his also. She had no concern for the fact that I had two small children at home. She just wanted to pawn him off on the first sap that came buy. Dh and I said maybe it was for the best anyway since obviously they were taking terrible care of him We got him a bath and dip today. He still could be contagious to us. I am crossing my fingers that does not happen since we had him treated. He has to go back again in two weeks. Now just hopefully dh is not allergic. He says his sinuses have been terrible all day. He has never been allergic to a dog but from what someone posted that somepeople can be allergic to sharpeis. Thanks for all the replys ladies. Lets just hope is smell goes away with his rash.