Stormy Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Took Skye to the vets around a week ago as she has bald patches again and is scratching all the time. the vet thinks it's allergies.... What to is the question!! 108 pounds later with some anti hystermines and allergy shampoo! The shampoo did stop her scratching for around a day or so. she has a tablet twice a day but she is still the same Any advise anyone had a dog with allergies? Anything I can do as wanna try before I go back to the vets as its going to become very expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have a lot of things that you can do if you are interested? You will need to get some things from the health food store and it will help. I post about things like this all the time here but if you are interested I will offer some advice? Please let me know. FWIW, Ronin had itches and potential allergies when he was younger, now he has none. Even my vet asked me what I do so he can tell some patients. I have helped numerous people at the dog park too with my simple remedies. But as we all know, I am not a vet or specialist, I can offer suggestions but I would need to find out more about the issues. There is no problem if you don't want the path of natural remedies, so I'll leave it up to you to ask before I type out heaps of info and questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have a lot of things that you can do if you are interested? You will need to get some things from the health food store and it will help. I post about things like this all the time here but if you are interested I will offer some advice? Please let me know. FWIW, Ronin had itches and potential allergies when he was younger, now he has none. Even my vet asked me what I do so he can tell some patients. I have helped numerous people at the dog park too with my simple remedies. But as we all know, I am not a vet or specialist, I can offer suggestions but I would need to find out more about the issues. There is no problem if you don't want the path of natural remedies, so I'll leave it up to you to ask before I type out heaps of info and questions Ohh yes please Jase i would be very interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Okay cool I just want to ask a few questions first so I can try and get a better understanding of the situation with Skye. It may seem like a lot of typical questions but it will help greatly in putting a plan together. 1. I think I remember you saying that you feed a raw diet, are you able to give me an idea of the typical foods you feed and ratios? 2. Do you currently use any supplements ? 3. Does she have any medical conditions or take any medications? 4. Has she had any recent blood panels done? 5. With the shampoo prescribed, can you tell me a little about it? Can you check the ingredients to see if there are any Sulphides or Sulphates in it? 6. Has there been any changes in the house like a different floor cleaner or washing powder etc? Is there anything new that you can think of that has happened recently? 7. Anything you can remember from the vet consult will be good too. Was there anything he ruled out? 8. I probably should know this, but how old is Skye? Thats all I can think of for now. Allergies are really hard to diagnose, but there are things that can be done for sure. When you get some time, try and get me some of the info requested above and anything else you can think of that might help work out causes . And of course as I always say, I am not a vet or specialist, I just have a great interest in these type of conditions. They seem to be very common these days and itching and fur loss is certainly something that causes the dog discomfort and us a lot of stress. Keep up with the antihistamines while we work through this. I'm not sure about the shampoo but if you can let me know what it is, I will look at it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelibrian Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 hello, leeli is allergic to house dust mites and storage dust mites? so theres always that they could be allergic to? we dry her mouth after every time shes eaten and hoover all the time and we have allergy pillows and duvets... also if you have a sofa it should be vacuum packed in a plastic sheet (aargh) but as we have a leather sofa we dont have to worry about that. obviously it might not even be that that they are allergic too? but you never know and if its not that then its an expensive thing to change all your duvets and stuff. but maybe try and hoover alllllll the time and wash around the mouth and face after eating?! i dont know thats what i do with leeli... we also dont have any carpets anywhere... hopefully you find out what it is and hopefully its not dust mites because its a lot of things to change which can be quite expensive :/!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormchaser09 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 one of mine seems allergic to food with potatoes and the other flares up to various things including carpet cleaner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 1. I think I remember you saying that you feed a raw diet, are you able to give me an idea of the typical foods you feed and ratios? She is on MVM ready made RAW though this i am currently reviewing after speaking to someone who knows a hell of alot about raw! Been advised to change chicken to turkey as alot of dogs can be allergic to chicken so worth a shot. Ratio is 80 percent meat, 10 percent bone and 10 percent offal per week. 2. Do you currently use any supplements ? Currently only apple cider vinegar but due to add to this soon. 3. Does she have any medical conditions or take any medications? No shes not on any medication apart from the anti histamines for this problem now. 4. Has she had any recent blood panels done? No 5. With the shampoo prescribed, can you tell me a little about it? Can you check the ingredients to see if there are any Sulphides or Sulphates in it? The shampoo is called Coatex. Ingredients include Sodium Thiosulphate,Chloroxylenol, Salicylic acid. 6. Has there been any changes in the house like a different floor cleaner or washing powder etc? Is there anything new that you can think of that has happened recently? No no changes. 7. Anything you can remember from the vet consult will be good too. Was there anything he ruled out? She checked when she last had the problem to see if it was seasonal but it isnt. She just said to try the tablets and shampoo and if she doesn't improve to bring her back in 2 weeks time. 8. I probably should know this, but how old is Skye? She is 3 years old next month Hope that helps hello, leeli is allergic to house dust mites and storage dust mites? so theres always that they could be allergic to? we dry her mouth after every time shes eaten and hoover all the time and we have allergy pillows and duvets... also if you have a sofa it should be vacuum packed in a plastic sheet (aargh) but as we have a leather sofa we dont have to worry about that. obviously it might not even be that that they are allergic too? but you never know and if its not that then its an expensive thing to change all your duvets and stuff. but maybe try and hoover alllllll the time and wash around the mouth and face after eating?! i dont know thats what i do with leeli... we also dont have any carpets anywhere... hopefully you find out what it is and hopefully its not dust mites because its a lot of things to change which can be quite expensive :/!!! Interesting, i hoover alot anyway, will bear all this in mind incase it could be that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Alrighty then... Chicken can certainly be an allergen, so yes that would be the first thing I would eliminate from the diet. Turkey will be good and lamb is quite low on the proteins that cause reactions. The way I like to approach these things is from an immunity perspective. Good immunity means the dog can fight most conditions of the skin. Around 85% of the immunity stems from a healthy gut function. The central piece to what I am going to advise is building up immunity and increasing circulation to clean the blood. 1. Probiotics This will be the best way to build a healthy gut flora and a healthy gut will mean that most problems will be overcome internally. I have up until recently been of the opinion that most refrigerated human ones are very good. I was also of the opinion that yoghurt was okay and that raw green tripe was excellent. Recent studies seem to indicate that the common good bacteria in these products are not very suitable to a dog. It seems that these common strains don't survive long enough in the gastrointestinal tract to be of much use. The probiotics found in raw green tripe are from herbivores and again may not survive the dogs GI tract. Now how absolute this debate on the various strains remains a debate, but my feeling now is to go for a specific dog one. So, best to get a good quality probiotic made for dogs. I am not sure what is available in the UK, but there will be good ones for sure. Vets should carry them if you can't find them in good pet stores, but you will just need to ring around or google to find your choices. This is the key, in my opinion and will be the foundation for moving forward More to follow, as Ronin is being a little baby crying for his dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 2. Shampoo My feeling is that this may dry the skin and become a vicious cycle. Once the Shampoo robs the skin of it's protective oils it is very vulnerable to get itches from all manner of nasties. My recommendation is to ditch the shampoo and only use Calendula Tea as a soak and rinse. It can be used frequently and will not strip the oils. It is anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and most importantly anti inflammatory. It will also wash away any contact allergens. Stick with the antihistamines for now. This is a very common herb that consists of marigold flowers. It is brilliant and also great for an eye wash. Heaps of dogs at our local park got conjunctivitis the other day and I just swabbed Ronins eyes and he was all good. I know this is available in the UK and should be available in any health food shops. It is very easy to use, basically you just brew like normal tea, around a heaped teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, steep until cool, strain and squirt onto the skin using an old clean sauce bottle or drink bottle. Keep some of the spent leaves as you will add them to the food. You will need around 1.5 litres to completely soak Skye. You don't need to be exact with the measurements. I will give you more assistance with this if and when you get some, ... and now it is time for my shower and dinner More to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 This is great Jase thankyou so much! I wont be able to buy anything until the 20th as i have abs 0 money until then due to the vets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelibrian Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Oh yes leeli is also allergic to chicken! Only feed her beef now (also allergic to lamb) and most other foods make her tummy go funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) 3. Turmeric and oil Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti oxidant. Try and buy organic as it will have much more curcumin which is the active medicinal ingredient. You will want to feed around a teaspoon a day. There are a couple of ways to feed this, most dogs will readily eat it just sprinkled on the food, but there are a couple of better ways. Make in a turmeric paste 1/4 cup of turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) waterMix all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the mix thickens to a paste - about the consistency of tomato pasteCool mix and store in a glass jar in the fridge.or; You can mix either the paste or the turmeric powder and a very small pinch of finely ground black pepper to some coconut or fish oil. Around 1 teaspoon of turmeric to around 1 dessert spoon of oil. Adding the black pepper and the oil allows for a greater bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric for the dog to utilise. The beauty of the coconut oil is the Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) these aid in digestions, boosts metabolism and supports the immune system. It also has anti fungal antibacterial and antiviral properties. Fish oils are great but work differently as they have long chain omega 3 fatty acids which is great for the heart, joints and coat etc. So out of the two, I would recommend using Coconut oil instead of Fish, but you could alternate or you could add a fresh frozen sardine in addition to the coconut oil to the meals. It won't be as high in the omegas, but we are trying to get the broadest amount of benefits with the least amount of oils just incase of runny stools. So this is basically my three pronged approach. I have been typing while responses have come in so I haven't read any further comments since my part one posted earlier on. We can probably discuss food in a bit more detail soon. There are a few more things, but all of the above are really easy and if we can control the problems in a simple way then we don't have to look at elimination diets or other drastic measures. My personal feeling is that we all jump to the dreaded "allergy" diagnosis for any itching or fur loss. It is very very difficult to make a definitive diagnosis for allergies - unless they are rapid and extreme. My view is to give the dog the best nutrition and supplements to support their natural ability to fight off such conditions. But it should be noted that skin conditions can quickly get out of hand so, people need to act fast when they notice that something is wrong. And not to sound like a broken record but for anyone reading this who doesn't know me... I am not a vet or a specialist. I would encourage people to see a vet for anything that causes concern. But by the same token we should be aware that repeated use of antibiotics, anti inflammatories, cortisone and harsh chemicals to treat minor ailments will all reduce the dogs natural ability to self regulate and prevent reoccurrence. So work with the vet and ask if certain meds are really needed for a condition that can be treated naturally. Unfortunately dogs can't tell us what is wrong, so a vet will often have little choice other than to prescribe these meds. I have to say, that my vet amazed me when he asked me what I did to fix Ronin's itches etc. He actually wrote some down to mention to some of his patients that are on the vicious cycle of meds - stops - comes back - meds and on and on. Edited February 7, 2015 by Jase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemba Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Following! My dog has awful skin at the moment also, thanks for posting all this Jase. Just a question about the coconut oil.... would it be a good idea to rub some into the skin after the Calendula tea rinse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Following! My dog has awful skin at the moment also, thanks for posting all this Jase. Just a question about the coconut oil.... would it be a good idea to rub some into the skin after the Calendula tea rinse? Hi David Regarding applying the coconut oil topically, it really depends on what the actual skin condition is. Coconut oil is really good for dry and flakey skin, but the problem arises if the dog can get to it and lick it off which will often make things worse. If it is fungal or moisture related then the I wouldn't be using coconut oil topically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 David, after replying to your PM I have been thinking and I am a little more concerned about your dog's skin condition especially with the puppy arriving soon. What worries me is whether it could be Demodectic Mange or Sarcoptic Mange. There is a risk of transfer to your puppy. I think you need to go to the vet to have a skin scrape and check this out for these mites asap. Perhaps start a thread so we can all try and assist you with your particular problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Mange is very contagious is the first thing I had Skye tested for she had akin scrapes though I was 90 percent sure it wasn't due to shadow having abs no issues I wanted to rule it out Poor girl is scratching alot still I've eliminated chicken from her diet now but I can't physically do anymore till I get paid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loudlucky Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 The turmeric works great with the allergy itchiness! Used it when Jase recommended it for Smokey when she had he reaction to the nettle bush! Also, I couldn't get the calendula tea so the health shop recommended Buchu instead and I washed the affected areas with that and it worked great!!! So it might be worth looking into what is available and what can be used to help ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks I am gonna get stuff when I get paid I have zero money until then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 The turmeric works great with the allergy itchiness! Used it when Jase recommended it for Smokey when she had he reaction to the nettle bush! Also, I couldn't get the calendula tea so the health shop recommended Buchu instead and I washed the affected areas with that and it worked great!!! So it might be worth looking into what is available and what can be used to help ;-) I am really pleased that you found turmeric to be helpful I am going to have to look up Buchu for my own interest BTW, Camomile tea can be used as a substitute for Calendula but I don't think it is as effective, but better than nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemba Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I've had Kodah at the vets and it's not mange, and I did have her checked for it about 3 months ago also. Well I went and got the Calendula tea and Coconut oil, did 5 tea treatments and it definitely soothed it from the first go! She was a little itchy still, anyway I gave her coconut oil topically and for 2 days now next to no scratching! Plus she smells great She doesn't try to lick it off either which is surprising as she loves her spoon full she gets. I have truckloads of fresh Tumeric which I'm lucky enough to source from a friend.... Might give her some of that also It of course is early days but her skin looks amazing already... Her neck which looked horrendous only a few days ago has calmed right down. Must say I'm surprised vets do not recommend this kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 course your vet does not make any money recommending this...simple as 1 2 3 boat payments... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 That is wonderful David. I am so pleased that things are improving. Well done to you for trying these things that are quite different to the norm. Fresh turmeric - top stuff! BTW, all of these things are really good for us too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemba Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yep I've been having the tea and oil myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormy Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I can't wait to get supplys and start Skye on it all :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maz51 Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Jase I gather dogs don't have an enzyme to break down/digest lactose. I do give mine a tbspn only of Kefir which I know is one of the best (and so cheap from my Polish delicatessen). Is this OK? Otherwise what probiotic can you recommend? I feed mine 2.5 small mugs of dry food with half a small dog carton of wet food twice daily. I chuck on the yoghurt once every week and they also get on different days either cut carrot, broccoli, cooked beans, spuds or sweet potato. Occasionally raw meat - beef or chicken and fish (deboned) and tuna in oil, and egg. Also cooked rice. Not huge amounts but as additional variant to make food interesting. They also love apple, pear, and some banana! Again not a whole one but maybe half each and I tend now to mostly avoid giving them the core. I brush their teeth twice a week too. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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