03/16/2013: Nicole from Pottsville, Australia: "hi I have a two year old pug x jack russell, Izzy. She has been itchy and scratchy for it seems like forever. She has a rash at the moment that looks like pimples in her groin area and she is continually chewing /licking her feet and scratching her chin ears and eyes. Where her tail joins to her body she gets dry scabs. She also has an odour. I have taken her to the vet several times about this and they give her prednisolone and antibiotics. This seems to help for a little while but her coondition comes back as soon as she has has finished prednisolone and antibiotics. I am currently feeding her a BARF diet. Thank you for the info on ACV I will try it and see if this helps her."

05/07/2012: Laura from Vancouver, Bc, Canada replies: "Hi Nettie, What is your progress now? Has it been resolved since you last posted? AVC cures alot of ailments, so it's rarely a bad thing.

Our dilemma is we desperately need Advantage Multi but cannot get any for reasons that are too complicated to explain. Would you have any, or know a friend or family member who's a Vet? We're at our wit's end over this dilemma. Please email us at: lovehealing3 (at) gmail
Laura"

03/20/2012: Yarnaholic1963 from Galveston, Texas replies: "My 8 month old German Shepherd has the black spots on her belly. Do you know what causes this? She also has the odor. Thanks!"

03/20/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany replies: "Dear Yarnaholic1963: It could be Demodex (or demodectic mange which is the same). Our dog had it very bad and the vets treated it with Ivermectin. Check it out on the internet, really bad stuff. I read a lot of books and other information. First thing - after nothing from the vet helped and matters got worse - we changed her diet. First to fresh cooked food with veggies, than to a strictly raw meat diat with steamed veggies and sometimes fresh fruit. Check out the internet there is plenty of info to find. That already started the healing process but it still took more and it takes a long time. Also - and that is the most important thing - don't let her be vaccinated again. These vaccinations really screw up the immune system. I don't want to elaborate since I have written a lot about it in this blog and get a little tired of not getting any feedback. There is also a vaccination side effect page on this earth clinic web site. One of the best articles about Demodex I found here:

www.alternativepets.com/demodex/html

On vaccinations go to to:
Http://mythicaldanes.com/healthtraing/vaccsCO.html

That is just a first step. You will find plenty of information on the internet about vaccination critique. Good luck,
Marianne"

09/16/2012: Brooke from West Salem, Wi, USA replies: "Marianne, having problems with my phone so please forgive improper capitalization. thank you for posting the link about vaccines for animals. I worked at a very busy vet clinic for 3 yrs and know that some of the vaccines only need to be administered once in a dogs lifetime. I am cautious about vaccines for my child but hadnt thought of the dangers for my furry children.

doing internet research, several years ago, I discovered that wheat allergies can cause my dogs ear troubles. The vet hadnt heard of it but said it made sense and he would research it further. I have a prescription for my dog for when her ears flame up, stink and itch horribly... its usually because someone has slipped her something with wheat in it or she has stolen it.

i am excited to have found this forum and look forward to spending lots more time on here. Again, thank you for the links. I will follow up with them soon."

09/18/2012: Debbie from Brighton, Uk replies: "I would not use ACV in this instance. apples=sugar.

white vinegar is a much, much better option. Make a solution of half white vinegar/half water. Use as an ear wash. And on skin. Change diet to raw meat. Filtered water. Half a clove of garlic a day. Probiotic yogurt. 1 raw egg a week. 1 tin of tuna in oil, drained, once a week to replace a meat meal."

09/27/2012: Diamond from Salisbury, Ma. replies: "Debbie; Egg yolks is not good for pets, it's best to give them only egg whites once a month.... Also ACV is all natural, no sugar... Good luck"

02/28/2012: Sharon from New Orleans, La, Us replies: "Hi Kate, do a 50/50 solution of the ACV and either spring or filtered water. Dip it in a cotton ball and you can apply directly to the affected area as well as to the back of the neck in between the shoulder blades. Make sure to massage the solution down into the skin in both areas. I would also add some to the food in a ratio mix of 1/4 teaspoon to 8 oz of water or 3 to 4 drops in the water bowl. Some cats drink up the water but some cats, like mine, will not drink it therefore the option of putting it in the food. You should begin to notice a difference within 48 hours."

08/26/2011: Peg from Katy, Tx, Us replies: "You don't want to give them too much ACV. Try putting raw honey on his paw twice daily to help clear it up. Also, be sure to feed your pups plain, unflavored yogurt daily (about a teaspoon) because dogs with allergies are also prone to getting yeast infections. Good luck!"

04/30/2012: Tammy from San Antonio, Texas replies: "I know this is late, but this is what can help with lick granules or interdigital cysts/funcules. If there is something stuck in the dog's skin, then you'll probably have to take it to the vet to get it taken out. If there's not, dip the dog's paw in hydrogen peroxide. Only do this once. Then, soak the dog's paw in an Epsom Salt solution for several minutes everyday until the swelling goes away. Also, apply Neosporin to the dog's cyst everyday after the soak and wrap up the paw with something so that the dog won't lick it."

[YEA]  05/11/2012: Reine\'s Mom from Cambridge, Ohio, Usa: "My 4 year old black pomeranian has suffered with allergies for years and would dig and itch until she had large bald patches. It seemed like nothing would work until I found this site. She was already on a gluten free, by-product free food; but we saw no improvement until I started adding ACV, yogurt and coconut oil into her diet. In just 7 weeks she has no bald spots and her black hair that had been turning reddish is now going back to the beautiful blueish it should be. I am imagining she will be in full glory by the end of the summer and all because of these little changes that cost next to nothing. Thank you so much for all your advice, for her it has truly been life changing!"

09/14/2012: Janice from Toms River, New Jersey replies: "Please tell me the amount of each to use daily. I have a chihuahua. Medium size approx 15lbs. Thank you so much."

[YEA]  03/19/2011: Madonna B from Cypress, Texas: "My female cat started developing the lesions on her belly that were slimy and feverish to the touch. She licked them constantly and they began to spread all over her belly and lower legs. We took her to the vet and he immediately diagnosed her with Eosinophilic Granuloma. What that means is that her white blood cells think there is a foreign object in her body that needs to be attacked. However, there is no actual foreign object and her body is essentially attacking itself. We were told there is no cure and that the most they could do was give steroid shots periodically to relieve it, but that the steroid shots would eventually kill her because they suppress the immune system.

I researched everything I could find and everything I read said what the doctors did. I tried ACV from the mother diluted 50-50 and used a spray bottle to spray her tummy. It helped a little. (NOTE: diluting ACV with tap water has to be refrigerated because the tap water makes it go bad.)

Then my husband had an inspiration to put straight ACV with a dropper full of Oil of Oregano (food grade). Oil of Oregano is a natural anti-fungal, anti-biotic, anti-germ. I've used it on myself. We researched it first to make sure it wouldn't hurt the cat, but every traditional site said not to use it. We reasoned that the steroid shots would kill her and therefore really had nothing to lose either way.

The ACV with Oil of Oregano WORKED!!! We started seeing immediate results! The lessions started diminishing, the cat herself became energetic again.... She is once again the sweet, social cat she was before. It took several months to get rid of all it. We sprayed her once a day in the evening every day. We always made sure we petted and loved on her afterwards so that she wasn't too stressed. She would always lick it off some, but never had a bad reaction to it. She was miffed at being wet though, that's for certain.

Interesting thing I would like to note - we had her fixed 8 yrs ago and the area on her belly which they had shaved for the surgery had never grown back the fur. Since treating her with the ACV/Oil of Oregano combo, all of that fur has grown back! "

01/09/2012: Shasta from Portland, Or replies: "What your vet was telling you, without telling you, is the sores and black skin and constant itching is from allergies. They show allergies through their skin, not in their lungs like humans. We spent hundreds of dollars at a skin specialist. Eventually we figured out that he also has hypothyroid and once his thyroid was medicated to normal the allergies have cleared up. This is good because he is highly allergic to all plants that live in the pacific northwest!"

[YEA]  02/26/2011: Suzanne from Los Angeles, Calif/usa: "You may call it mange, or any other name that describes the itching, biting, redness that your pet may be going thru. This really bothered me.... To see my pet suffering, each day seemed to be worse for her, then reading about mange, I tried the borax(20 mule team and hydrogen peroxide this mixture saved my dogs skin, and my mind. You dont rinse this off, and when mixed well doesnt create a mess. Just use small towels to do this. It may take 2 separate applications, but it was well worth it. my pets hair returned, &she healed nicely."

06/03/2012: Fiestahula@aol.com from Honolulu, Hawaii replies: "What's the ratio of borax to peroxide? And how often do I apply this treatment?"

09/07/2012: Charlotte from Bolivar, Mo replies: "Yes please what is the racial! My dog is having the same problems!"

03/03/2013: Windy from Clinton, Mt, Usa replies: "I would like to know the ratio on this too. Please let me know so I can help my puppy thank you."

06/16/2011: Linda from Queen Creek, Az: "My dog has bumps on her upper lip, vet gave us a topical spray which seem to be working; plus we purchase ceramic bowls and dumped the plastic but she is getting them back any ideas?"

07/19/2012: Shannon from Edmonton, Canada replies: "My dog gets these as well and my vet told me that they are cold sores. Aparantly more commen then you would think. They told me to just wait it out. the heat can bring them out."

03/05/2013: Kathryn4 from Lanham, Maryland, USA replies: "My cat gets bumps on the lip and I give her lysine treats. The only ones she will eat are the enisyl. Something similar might help your dog."

[YEA]  01/27/2012: Beth from Charlotte, Nc: "We have an 8 year old schnauzer who has developed scaly skin (yuck! ) I found your site, it was suggested to put some coconut oil in her food and rub it on her spots.... IT WORKS! In just 4 days we see a major change! The only draw back is... Our one year old puppy likes to lick it off her back and she isn't a fan of being licked! :)
Perfect! No medication... A natural fix!"

[YEA]  01/28/2012: Sparky from Odessa, Texas: "My large mixed breed dog developed open sores all over her body, her hair around the sores came out in clumps. The vet(s) prescribed Pregnazone, Tipol, and antibotics. Over a year's time and almost $3,000.00 later, the sores were multiplying. After the second round of Pregnazone, she would lose bladder control when she went to sleep. It embarassed her greatly. When the vet wanted to "try" more Pregnazone I refused and changed vets. The new vet wanted to start the whole routine over. My poor baby itched and whimpered most of the time. I was at a terrible decision. I couldn't seem to get her any help and she was miserable. I considered having her put down to get her some relief from the continual sting and itching over most of her body for the past year.

I decided if women can use iodine douche for yeast infections, then I'd try a tiny bit on my sweet girl. I put Povidone-Iodine Solution, 10% (Equate brand from Walmart) into a spray bottle and lightly squirted each sore, allowed the place to dry and applied Monistat Vaginal Cream. She was immediately relieved and for the first time in a year, did not whimper and scratch all night. I applied this treatment morning and night, after a week there was noticable improvement to the affected places.

I changed from Monistat cream to Coconut Oil. The results were even quicker. After another week of the 2x day treatment (using Coconut Oil) she was so improved we only did the treatments in the evening. The sores were healed over in about two months and completely gone in 3 months. I continued to apply Coconut Oil to the spots where the hair was trying to grow back in for another month.

When I told the vet what I had done he said what he prescribed was more potent than the "mess" I was using. All I can say is that for over a year now she has not had any signs of sores, and the "mess" I used worked whereas all the prescriptions the vets used did nothing but make her lose bladder control. My sweet girl is back to being herself, happy and healthy."

04/29/2013: Anxietydoc11 from Elkins Park , Pa, Usa: "I have a wonderful 12 year old American Bulldog who had a bleeding tongue problem a little over a year ago. He had to be stitched twice and placed on soft food. We stopped feeding him Iams Lamb and Rice Kibble and switched to boiled ground beef, rice and a can of beef and vegetables (twice a day). Ever since the change in diet he began to develop lumps on his back and sides. They turned into large scabs that bled when they fell off.

Our vet thought he had Staph infection and placed him on antibiotics for 9 weeks. Some healed but others remained and now more large scabs on his sides. I just realized that the problem began when we switched him to the boiled ground beef. It might be coincidental but I'm not sure.

I have slowly but surely weaned him off the beef and back on the Iams lamb and rice with a can of lamb as he had eaten for 11 years with no problem. I hope this works and maybe this was only an allergic reaction to the beef.

He is acting fine, eating well and not even itching with these scabs. Has anyone ever heard of this? We are hoping this reconciles itself because no one is sure what this is and how to cure it.

Thank you for any feedback. It's greatly appreciated.

Best to all of you,
Jack's Mom"

[QUESTION]  05/16/2010: Addy from Flowery Branch, Ga: "We have a shepherd mix dog (female, 10 years old, 65 /- lbs). She developed a calous looking spot on the outside of her elbow some time ago but we've noticed lately she's been licking at it a lot. We found it bleeding a couple weeks ago and treated it topically and she continues to lick at it.

I've seen it over and over on older dogs and just assumed its an age thing. I've checked out her entire body and it is only on her elbow.

Any feedback of what it is and a way to give our pup some relief would be appreciated..Thank you!"

06/03/2011: Sal from Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa replies: "Our dog also has them all all his elbows in fact and he is only 2 years old. The vet said that there is basically nothing that they can do and we just have to treat it periodically with antibiotics everytime it starts weeping. I somehow can't believe that and am hoping that we can treat it another way? Perhaps the ACV? Please help!"

08/29/2011: Sharon from Albuquerque, Nm replies: "Garlic liquid capsules are well worth trying. Break and rub into dry patches use generously. If too time consuming use really hot water and melt then apply the outer layer won't hurt anything.

it's just kinda of stiff. Antibacterial, antiparacitic, antiviral. I've used it on parasite larva, cuts everything. Use like ointment even killed a worm in ear. Worms appear to be dry skin. AGRISEPT-L is an excellent product order on internet or ADVANTAGE by wisdom of the ages is cheaper same type not as consentrated they are citrus seed exrtacts about 4 seeds. Both anti varioous ailments as garlic is. Hope these help!"