Home Remedies for Dogs with Mange

My chocolate lab was a rescue dog. I took her to the vet for spaying and various shots and pills.A week later she lost all her hair. I mean she was a mexican hairless, and scratching all the time. She was tested for both manges..negative. put on special shampoo and diet nothing. I forgot to give her her second dose of heartworm medicine and her hair started to grow back i have not given her her heart medicine and $4,000 later she's fine.Will garlic work for heart worms, I now have a black lab puppy i am giving garlic to for worms.

Aug 07 I had a boxer born here in roatan with her 3rd time with demodec mange. she is one of 5 in her litter and at 8 months old she was the only one alive. She would go to a vet for 3 weeks, come back with no hair. the hair grew back 6weeks later and then the mange came back. after 2 times I was desperate. I researched out a holistic vet I found in N Miami beach (Dr. Bernstein). he and worked very closely with remedies and baths of coconut oil. he now tells me that she was hours from death. I thought of putting her down but I just could not give up on her. I got my remedy kit from him and fed her one kind of meat and nothing else. her ears were so swollen they didn't bend, her eyes were so swollen she could not see out of them and the puss oozing was terrible. her skin was bleeding and scabby and she was all bones. We used hepar, sulphur, other remedies. A year later she is happy playing, her hair has grown back, she looks great and I am so happy i didnt have to put her down. DONT GIVE UP ON YOUR DOG WITH MANGE. PLEASE.

A number of years ago, we acquired a German Shepherd with a severe case of mange, covering about 1/3 of his body. The vet's expensive prescription products hardly touched it. After a lot of study, I found a product generally used for horses to heal wounds and rashes. It's called Nu-Stock. It cleared the mange up after only 2 applications and it has never returned. His hair grew back very quickly, and although he wasn't too thrilled with the first application, he WANTED the second one very much. The itching stopped immediately.

A couple years later, my daughter had a rash that no doctor seemed able to get rid of. We tried the Nu-Stock and it cleared right up and hasn't returned.

I've had a problem with athlete's foot for years. I tried all the other remedies and it got rid of "most" of it, but there was a spot on the ball of one foot, including two toes where it just wouldn't go away. One day it occurred to me to try Nu-Stock. After just a couple of applications, the skin was back to normal, all itching gone, and it appears to be healing permanently. I think this is going to finally kill it!!!

Doing a little studying, I've found that Nu-Stock is 73% sulphur, 25% mineral oil, and 2% pine oil.

I've also discovered that there are other health products made for pets that aren't available for people. For instance, in the local Farm & Fleet, you can buy a cheap package of electrolytes for your pet's water. 16 oz. of DMSO was only $5. And there were other things as well, most of them in the section for horses! Isn't it amazing that you can buy products for your pets, cheaply, and you can't get prescription products that work for yourself???

Mange/Hair Loss/Cuts: I have tried Teds method, but I have found something that is wonderful - it's not organic, but it sure does work. Jack loves to wonder off and play w/other dogs, he kept getting the mange. My sister had tried this on her dog and no more mange...it's not expensive and your dogs skin will get color within days and hair within a week...it's called nu-stock. Just get some gloves and smear it on. You can order this off the internet or your local co-op. Jack has no complaints and is itch free these days!!!

Jean and Julia ...NU-STOCK Sounds interesting. I ordered some and I am going to try it on my husband. He has a rash that is spreading on his forehead, face and neck. We have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it and nothing seems to help. We have tried a mixture of coconut oil with some GSE, oregano oil and black walnut tincture. He even tried the prescription cream that the Dr. gave him for it last year. It did not help. The Nu-Stock should arrive Monday or Tuesday. I'll keep you posted.

NU- Stock is a wonderful product . I had six dogs with mange, I had tried EVERYTHING one DOG GOT SO WEEK AND SKINNY WE HAD TO HAVE HER PUT DOWN. Then i found this page on nu stock My 13 yr old Aussie was almost bald. After only two treatments, they all started growing new hair. They are all playing and eating again. If i had found this earlier i feel my 10 yr old malamute would still be alive

wwwwwtsod hi my name is mandy. My puppy's mange is 90 percent healed. I went to the feed store bought ivermectin pour on. Went home bathed dog really good. Poured 1 tsp between shoulder blades. After dog was dry from bath. Left on two days. Chained dog outside. Cleaned house from top to bottom. Day _3 bought daily dog vitamins and benadryl. Which from ther on gave him one a day. Day 3 I also started bathing him daily. After which I would pour a lil ivermectin on the corner of a wet rag and dab on to affected areas. Rewashed any towel he was sleeping on outside everyday. Squeeze lemons on the wounds every couple days. and somedays I would cake vaseline over affected aread because mites cant breathe thru vaseline and cant stick to greasy skin.

Used this and gone in three days !!!

you mean regular clearasil like teenagers use on acne? I'm trying to treat a neighbors old dog .. They don't do much vetting

Hi just wondering do you dilute it with water? What is the ratio..? Have a staffy puppy who won't stop itching and scratching, she was diagnosed with mange and is 4 months old.. been on antibiotics but her rash has no come back again. So frustrating 🐶😫

That is what I am using right now, hydrogen peroxide shampoo left on for 10 mins, with no effect. I am gonna try something stronger this time.

Use Virgin Coconut Oil along with H2O2 and Borax solution and it works wonders.

how often did you use the viniger on the dogs mange an did it work thanks jim from Georgia at [email protected]

Yes how often do you have to use the Apple Cider Vinger....My poor doggie is just scratching himself all the time. I don't have much money and for how times are now I can't aford to take him to the vet. So does this really work and how often do you use the ACV on him and for how long?

I tried many times the borax and hydrogen peroxide on my very large german shephard. I found it helped but never cured and also was very difficult to apply to a large dog. Also i believe if I heal him from within it would be a long term solution. From what i read mange is due to w eakened system allowing the mites that are there anyway, but in very small numbers, to multiply into an infectious state.

By giving him all raw meat and bones and occasionally putting in shredded carrot and egg in his food, it helped. But what has finally done it is putting MSM powder in his food an drinking water. It is such a relief after struggling with this problem for around a year. i had seen two vets and got products sent from overseas. But the diet and the MSM is definitely the answer. It overall creates a healthier dog anyway. It is to me the only way, as washes and chemicals dont change the enviroment internally that let it happen initially

What is MSM? I've been dealing with dermodectic mange on my jack russell, Buster, for 2 months. my primary vet didn't detect the mange in the skin scrapings. We did 3 rounds of antiobotics & prednisolone, which only created 2 additional secondary infections. We then went to a dermo vet. Buster is on Invermictin and is slowly responding. So far he doesn't have any of the side effects. Ted's peroxide/borax rinse seems to be helping too. He appears to feel immediate relief and the red areas don't appear so bad. And he smells much better. Anything I apply topically he licks off and then throws up...even the very bitter tasting stuff. I have him wearing a "shirt" which keeps him from licking that area. All the infected areas are places he can lick! Any ideas?

I was reading that you can help with the mange with MSM-that comes in milk -can you give a dog milk -my vet said no

I thought I might add on to my own message's. I have a very strong feeling that this mange/mites suck's all the nutrients as well as the blood from animals(?) that might be why my kitten is so thin and loses weight as fast and as soon as she eats. I have been giving her probiotics called L-Lysine 500 it's good for maintenance of nitetrogen balance, I give her one every day for the first ten to fifteen days, then every other day only because she is small for a kitten an thin. I also hope to wash her down again with Apple Cider Vinegar to get the vit. E off of her, right now she looks like a porcupine, she is supposed to be a real fluffy kitty but because of bald spots, thankfully it's getting to be summer & warmer.

Right now my kitty is sleeping peacefully right on top of my printer next to me, I am so happy to see she isn't itching every few minutes. I just found a small bug with black an red body? it was next to my kitten on my herbal bottle. Would any one have any idea what this is? it just happened to be in the area of my kitten right after I washed her? Ewwww thats some scary.

Thank you so much for this wonderful site.

Can some one tell me an easier way of cleaning mites out of my kittens ears please? I know I cannot use Q-tips and I did use cotton swabs but I can't reach all the way inside and she starts getting feisty. Her fur is full of scabs, I hope this means the mites are dead? I continue to clean every thing in the house, from bed linnen, and every where she sits or lays down to nap. My dogs are going to a groomer the first of next week, I also put Apple Cider Vinegar on their backs, I also gave them a bath in ammonia and they loved it, no reactions from the ammonia either. Thank you.

Fosters & Grant has ear wipes that are moisturized exactly for cleaning out ears. My pot belly pig got mange. The wipes are actually for dogs/cats but work well on all animals. So I clean out my pig's ears with the wipes, then put ear mite medicine in her ears. Then I wash her with a tea tree based shampoo which has oatmeal in it. She gets coconut oil treats I make in a mold. Its in the refrigerator so they keep their shape. She gobbles them down. I also now have a dog that got mange because she was laying on the bags of cloth that the pigs laid on. Or she got it outside. I don't know. I wash her every week and also spray a dip on her. I only use Ivermectin with the pot belly pig. I do not use with dogs or cats. I live in an area filled with mites, fleas, and ticks. It's a nightmare.

I have been fostering a yorkie terrirer he is about a yr old and when I picked him up they said he had dermodex. I had no clue what it was, but the poor little guy was a mess! he was completely bald and scabby.... I took him home with meds from vet and thought what the heck am I getting myself into. Well 4 months later.... I researched it and its a immune desease more then anything....I started bathing him regularly in oatmeal shampoo, giving hime lots of salmon and garlic and then I statrted giving him atratylodes rhizome 5gms daily also asian ginseng root, licorice root, and ginger root.... I took him for a check-up a month after I started all this with him and the vet couldn't believe the difference!He has hair again ....he has gained 12oz's and is doing much better I have also heard acne meds work it's a long road with this stuff but definitely working to boost the immune system is the key.

Sulfur We always used powder sulfur for dog mange. Mix with any oil and apply. Will stop the itching at once and a cure in a few days. Never once did it fail to work. Powder sulfur costs about 2 bucks and will last awhile. Simple and affective.

My dog has got mange bad. His constant licking is driving me crazy! I feel so bad for him, it has got to hurt. Anyway, I keep seeing a lot of posts about sulphur powder. Can someone tell me what kind of sulphur powder? Seems to be quite a few different kinds. My pharmacy has Sulphur Precipit Powder, anyone know if that is safe to use?

Hi Our dog was on ivermectin and had become what I can only say as very depressed. He was also killing any plants in the garden he urinated on! I stopped the treatment as I believed ivermectin was worse than the mange. I found a remedy on this site Benzoyl Peroxide 5% gel, which you can get over the counter for Acne. I read some scientific study of this product for Mange and it has two affects. It opens the pours that the mites are living in and the product then kills the mites. After the first application we saw an immediate affect. My dog stopped biting and licking his paws. We carried on treating him for about a week, rubbing a small amount of the gel in to the affect areas. It all went ! It is amazing. The amount of time and money we have spent trying to treat him. I can't believe that an appalling product such as ivermectin is being used, when a small local application of benzoyl peroxide does the trick. If the mange ever comes back we just apply the gel and it goes. We have had the same tube for 6 months now, it is so economical (maybe another reason why vets don't recommend it!)

We have a 11-week-old puppy with demodedic mange around her eyes. We found a 3.5% Benzoyl Peroxide cream at a local pharmacy. The directions on this product say to apply and then remove (rinse with water). Is rinsing necessary or are you supposed to leave the gel on? Would there be some other ingredient to watch out for that would require rinsing of this particular product?

Thank you!

I have battled a serious skin issue for over a year now, just a few monthes ago while washing my dog I noticed she had ear mites, I am assuming that they are anyway because of all the black yuk in the, ear, We'll now that I have started my venture into mange reading I am sure I have caught mange from my dog and am wondering if they were ear mites at all or mange mite?? I notice I break out everytime I clean her ears, and have lost most of my hair in process..my question is... I notice these almost clear whitish a most a flatworm shape type thing all over...is this demodex mange? I see the pics online but most are drawings so I am not sure about what my female boxer and I have, I am single mom and not a lot of extra money for vet,, dermatologist was no help as usual..Steriods and diagnoses of rash,, of course no skin scraping and barely time to listen to me, I am in hell please Can u tell me ur symptoms and what is this smell?? Like burnt oil in clothes coming out of dryer,,, reddish orange gel like substance appears on skin and randomly around home in little less pieces, Bathed my dog in ACV and spraying peppermint soap diluted has helped alot..I just cant seem to get rid of it..Please help.

Posted by Theresa

×

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and  fueled  her quest for the knowledge held in lore,  and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.

-----------------------------

How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.  

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

Close

(Mpls., Mn) on 01/09/2017

Hello Tammy, Dogs can have black, yucky ears due to a yeast infection - so you might be dealing with yeasty ears and not necessarily ear mites. Both are itchy, and both can cause a dog to scratch their ears raw. And you can certainly 'catch' sarcoptic mange mites from your dog - they can bite you and cause you to get red bumps/rash but they cannot reproduce on you as their host is the dog. Sarcoptic mange is very itchy to your dog, and she would be scratching herself raw, have sores all over and lose all her hair with a bad case of sarcoptic mange. The whitish flatworm things - what do you mean my 'all over'? All over the house? All over your dog's skin? All over the house = your dog may have a tapeworm infestation. All over the skin - it could be fly larvae hatching out on your dog's skin. I am unfamiliar with the odor you describe, nor am I familiar with the reddish orange gel that appears on the skin and around your home, but if I had to hazard a guess it could be fluids seeping from your dog's skin. In your shoes I would: clean everything. Clean and sanitize everywhere in your house. If you have a sarcoptic mange mite infestation you have to clean the whole house and clean the dog's bedding daily and your bedding daily - into hot wash water and hot dryer daily. Ted's Mange Remedy will help with sarcoptic mange on your dog - use as directed. You can also use in your dog's ears - excellent ear cleaner, to see if it helps with the ear gunk. Wendy from OH has posted the Arcane Ear solution - I would not hesitate to make up a batch and use it on your dog's ears after you rinse/clean during the Mange remedy bath. One thing you have not mentioned is your dog's diet. Check out the ingredient list and if you see corn or grain in the first 10 ingredients you should strongly consider upgrading to a better diet as grains in the food can cause ear infections, skin problems and UTI's in dogs. This is actually the first place I would start, a diet up grade. As for you breaking out - are you allergic to dogs? I am, and I live with quite a few. I notice when I bathe them or groom them that I will get hives or a rash on my arms from touching certain ones. I wash with soap and the rash goes no farther than being a slight irritant. Please report back! ~

I have a 5 month pitbull i founf out he had mange around may 27 i took him to the vet and he gave me ivermectin. I started giving him medicine since but to me its not working so i bought clean and clear cream which has 10% benzoyl peroxide is that bad for him? And also would it affect him if i stop giving him that medicine and buy him the yeast pills that you spoke about please let me know I'm going crazy here. And by the way the only thing that i notice is that he stop scratching well he does but not as crazy maybe once in a day.

Thanks for yor time!!! :)

i have been giving my 9 year old german shepherd yeast tablets for just under two weeks and it is working his fur is returning n not scratching as much now this realy works thanks

I just cured two half feral (wild) cats with horrible mange/mite infestation on their faces with brewer's yeast powder. First dose on food was extremely generous and next day their faces were almost normal. I think it's important to use good brewer's yeast, but that may just be my opionion. I believe this brand I get were the beets are grown in Europe to be a very good one. Never store in hot or humid place, goes bad.

Sherry, this is very interesting. My dog has had cracked lips (in the corners) for over four years. The vets don't know why she has it but of course want me to give her prednisone. I've been working with a homeopathic vet but still we haven't been able to kick this lip thing. She also has sore hips, sore vulva and her coat looks dingy. I'm going to give her some Brewer's yeast and see what happens because she has also lost the hair under her nose. I have a 100 lb lab mix. So between 12-20 tablets a day for how long? Thanks so much for the great information. I've tried everything else so I'm hoping this will work.

Thanks for the input, I'm going to try it.

What did you all do with the sulphur powder? I am going crazy as my two dogs myself and daughter all have it. Did you have to treat the whole house as well? Thanks for your help.

How in the world did u find sulfur in drug store? I finally found some at pharmacy when I told situation and it was behind counter, but I've had dog to vets until the zapped my bank. I got her on revolution and give bath 3 times aweek

I have always wondered if petroleum jelly (Vaseline) alone could eventuallykill the mites that burrow under the skin - I know it smothers the ones that come to the top but RITA from ROLLA, MO said in a post that it cured her dog with, I think, the type of mite that is below the skin ??? WHERE ARE YOU RITA ? Earth Clinic ::: Is there some way that You can contact her and ask if I can contact her ??? I am in really bad shape and could really benefit by this. Thank you.

The only thing that has worked for me through many years with dogs, is Lytar. It has sulfer and tar in it and it kills the mites. It only takes two or three washings. I wash them every other day for a week then one more for good measure about two weeks later. The tar kills the mites and the sulfer stops the scabbing and flaking. In really bad cases, it may take longer.

I would like to know two things. Is the liquid you're using a natural?And if so where can it be gotten, as I really do not like the idea of my little 3 lb 41/2 month old Chihuahua being dipped!

Sorry but you are wrong, demodex mange are present in humans and animals as part of our biota! They can be reinfected if the immune system is compromised. They live in the sebum glands and hair follicles

5% Benzoyl peroxide gel, as in acne creams: Clearasil, Forstex, Cuticura, Pen Ocyl AQ 5. Rub in, starts to work immediately. Using on two month old puppy. Once a day. In two days the area around his eyes had cleared and the strip on his nose is fading. No hair loss. Early diagnosis helped.

This saved my dog's life. Mitaban was literally killing him. Neem oil smells like garlic, but when he's dry, its not too bad. Give the dog a haircut so his fur is 1/2 inch. Mix 8 ounce bottle of 10% benzoyl peroxide (People) facial cleanser with 16-20 ounce bottle of dog shampoo. This will do for several baths. BENZOYL PEROXIDE BLEACHES JUST LIKE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.

Use 'dog' towels and blankets and remove the nice bathroom rug. Wear old clothes. Wet dog completely. Drain bathtub. Lather dog with a generous amount of benzoyl peroxide shampoo mix for 10 minutes. Give dog a shower for 10 minutes to rinse very carefully. Benzoyl peroxide opens the pores-- mites live in the pores. Keep dog in tub. Add 1/4 cup neem oil to gallon of warm water in a bucket. If the dog is small and you can find a container that he fits in, do that inside of bathtub. Soak him for 5 minutes, massage well several times and he's done. For medium to large dog, put each foot in bucket and massage solution into dog's leg. Use a cup to pour over dog repeatedly trying to save as much as possible in bucket to reuse. Massage into the entire dog. Be careful of eyes. Use a sponge for the belly and face. Wash 5-10 minutes, depending on how big the dog is. Do not rinse off. Do not towel off. When he stops dripping, wrap him in a blanket and stick him in his kennel or a small warm spot. Keep dog warm until dry. All his pores are open; he could take a terrible chill. Bathe every week. He can have baths twice a week instead if it is really bad. Every 2-3 days, rub neem oil on afflicted areas, more often if he won't stop chewing. It doesn't matter if he licks it off after a few minutes. They make neem oil pills. My dog also gets the skin yeast infections dogs can get with demodex so we had to soak him in vinegar. No soap, no scrubbing, just soak good. He has a wading pool. We always add a gallon of vinegar to it. He soaks himself in it and that cures his yeast.

WARNING!

I have found this on the internet. So I feel like I need to let your readers know about using Ivermectin.

This is from "Mar Vista Animal Medical Center." THIS MEDICATION IS NOT SAFE FOR USE IN COLLIES, SHETLAND SHEEPDOGS, AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS, OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOGS, AND SOME WOULD SAY, ANY HERDING BREED.

Sensitivity to ivermectin may not be predictably limited to "collie breeds" and thus it is often prudent to use a lower test dose before initiating the relatively high doses of ivermectin needed to treat demodicosis. Not all individuals of collie heritage are sensitive to ivermectin and a test is in development to determine whether an individual should be able to safely take ivermectin or not. There is a range of ivermectin doses used in the treatment of demodicosis and it seems that higher doses do clear infection faster than lower doses. This means that if a lower dose has been ineffective, a higher dose may still work. This does not mean that a pet owner should experiment with ivermectin doses on their own as there is some potential for lethal toxicity if this drug is not used appropriately.

WARNING!

just letting every one know that I started using ivermectin on my aged dog who developed Demodectic Mange, results were not good, it done more bad then good I would say.

first of all I was told by my vet to give him 1. 2ml of ivermectin daily... The result of it was that I ended up with a very sick dog, he could not stand up and keep falling over... Conserned for my dog I took him to a different vet. They told me that it was the ivermectin causing the problem. We took him off it for four days. He became is happy self again. The vet recommended to lower the dosage to less then half the first recommended dosage, and give him, . 5ml (POINT FIVE ) , slowly but surly even the low dosage started to knock him around and he begain falling over once again. I have now taken my dog off it, and he has his full strength back. I wouldnt recommend it to anyone. Ivermectin is used as a cattle drench.

thought I would share my feedback with everyone so you dont have to go through what I went through. I am on this site to try find a better way and I believe there is a better way to get rid of this mite, I just need to find it... at the end of the day our dogs life is more important.

hope this helps for some people. I would like to hear more stories on how the ivermectin worked for you.

Hi, Ivermectin, Avermectin should not be given to Collie or Shepherd dogs or their crosses it can KILL them. I have written an article on the reason for this and have submitted it twice to earthclinic but as yet it has not appeared. Look up MDR1 gene.

topical -red vinegar (acedic acid 5%) & lime juice(citric acid) full strength (lesser w/ open sores) w/ internal supplements garlic,digestive enzimes,caprylic acid(aminos acids from coconut !) cured skin fungus that mimics mange, swollen cracked paws, yellow crusts w/ flaking, that resemble cold sores on face, ears, tail and rabies shot location.. ' It's been 6 wks and went from sulfodine, to vicks, to sulfur w/ turpentine, and it helped a while, but didn't really help, until i started using the garlic supplements internally (about 125 mg. per 4-5 lb. of body wt. 2 X a day., (some dogs are sensitive w/ the runs) along w/ human grade enzymes from mason natural brand, i think i got from pathmark or walmart, hartz brand vitamins,about a 1/4 tab per 4-5 lb body wt. ( i do want to mention that i read niacinamide is lacking when there are skin ailments), which i noticed that none of the dry foods have it ! nor do the vitamins.. i did have some nekton-"s" bird vitamins that had it, so i started that ,just a pinch on the tongue daily, oh, and a 1/8 tsp of kelp in the food.watch for iodine allergy though !& crypilic acid called caprylin from synergy plus brand, because it is the yeast overgrowth that can show itself with skin ailments such as these, but until we get rid of the yeast overgrowth, the skin ailments will be sure to reappear.. it is the underlying culprit, that causes such misery for us and our pets !! that can cause all kinds of external ailments & allergies ! its important to know the ph though ,through morning urine & ph paper. it should be around neutral or just below (so i've read) w/ 7 being neutral ..i did start giving chicken w/ skin (roticery cooked not fried, because my snoop dog lost weight (bony) and wasn't absorbing nutrition)..along w/ a little canned food & dry- the wellness brand,& natures variety raw instinct i use, but i hear alot of benefit from raw foods.. natures variety has it.. i haven't tried yet, but it states that it takes 6 hrs for our dogs to digest dry and cooked canned foods, but just about half that w/ raw foods.. but my breeder said purina pro plan( more oils to protect the skin she said) but i think less grain is better..(cause they turn into sugar in the gut ,and that feeds the yeast.. no good ! boy oh boy what a trip its been !! the cracks finally started to heal, i didn't think it would ever get better, i do want to mention i used externally- np.27 for atheletes foot 2X wk.also, no liking, and that did seem to ease the cracks & sore spots between & on his paw pads! also miconozole creme for yeast infects. it keeps skin soft & is very soothing! i'm sure you girls know, for down below..!! i think i would have died w/ out it !!making sure they don't lick it.. sooooo good luck to all of you who are trying your darndest to help your pet get well w/ out alot of expense.i think i've covered it all .. good luck ... !! sincerely , jan b. there is one think i want to mention ( ha ha,) phytoplankton the newest green food, kind of like kelp,but kind of expensive.. i do want to try that myself...tcfn.