Posted By Jb (Atlanta, Ga Usa) on 11/02/2010
"One of my German Shepherds has an immune deficiency. I have tried everything natural under the sun but, will not resort to pharmaceuticals. I feed raw, organic, no grains. ACV in water. Still biting, itchy & scabby. One day I was desperate to find a solution for her raw skin. I mixed up about a 1/4 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil & about 6 drops of ingestable Four Thieves oil blend. I rubbed it in lightly on all the areas affected. The Four Thieves I use is a well known brand, easily found on the Internet that can be ingested. Some are only for topical use, so be careful. I would not use on cats. It calmed the areas immediately. Redness disappeared. By the next day scabs were falling off. I now do this twice a day. She actually nudges me to the kitchen for her coconut rub. Though I alternate omega 3 fish oil, coconut oil, ground flax or oil, EVOO, chia, something in her system seems to resist utilizing the ingested oils. I have started adding digestive enzymes to her food to add in breaking down fats. If someone has experienced this same problem I would appreciate feedback."Posted By Joypcs (Fort Worth, Tx) on 08/11/2013
"4 year old Aussie/Border female went through bouts of excessive itching, chewing feet, hind skin raw, etc. She wasn't in an episode of itchiness when she started to get horrid ear odor. We got Liquid-Filled Ear Swabs which did a great job of cleaning out ears, and also started giving her 1 drop of (diluted) oil of oregano daily to stop excessive candida growth. Well, after 2 weeks, we saw zero excessive itching, clean ears, loss of excess weight and a happier, more peaceful dog! We dilute the OoO with 3 parts exta virgin oliveoil to 1 part OoO. I take a drop/day now!"Posted By Carol (Glendale, Ca) on 02/01/2017
"My German shepherd also with auto immune problems has just developed these same skin syndromes recently. Has been on prednisone for her low red blood cell count since 10.16. Her blood levels have stabilized however her skin condition is out of control. Have changed her diet with seems to improve the situation.
And do you give her hydrosine for the itch. However now I will try both the ACV remedy recommended on this site and absolutely the coconut four thieves and oregano tincture.
I also have started her on propolis and this seems to help a lot .
Thank you will keep u posted!
Do not recommend apoquel --
She had a horrible reaction to this which may have started the entire skin mess. This as well as prednisone lowers the immune system."Posted By Amanda (Atlanta, GA) on 08/05/2021
"I know this post is old, but to ride on the back of this comment, I wanted to add that Apoquel is a most horrible drug to give your dog. My sister's dog had severe skin allergy and resorted to giving this Apoquel out of desperation to help her dog stop suffering. It was extremely detrimental to her dog's health. It was taxing on all vital organs and overwhelmed them, which eventually broke them down over time. So, I will say again, do not give your dog Apoquel unless you want your dog to have a slow death sentence. Do your research on it if you're even considering it. Try everything alternative. Yes, it stops the itching, but you don't have any idea what it's doing to your dog internally."Posted By Julz (PAWriffic Health) (St. George, Utah ) on 07/08/2022
"Just wanted to say ~ you are absolutely correct Amanda.
Here is what I share with those I help and work with ~
Our standard medical system uses medications to try to take away as many signs and symptoms as possible rather than to fix what is actually causing the problem in the first place. However, when you use medications, you are basically making a deal with the devil because medications impair very necessary life functions in your dog’s body.
All medications (including topical ones) S T O P or S L O W or BREAK down the body’s natural metabolic processes. Medications change how the body communicates with itself. When the body is unable to communicate effectively the body begins to breakdown.
Drugs create a more dangerous situation in the body so the initial negative symptoms go away as the body attempts to take care of the new problems created by the drugs. For example, taking Tylenol for pain creates havoc on the liver so the body's attention to the inflammation that is causing the pain is diverted to the liver and the pain temporarily disappears. However, the main cause of the inflammation was never addressed and the drug(s) continue to poison and weaken the kidneys, liver and other organs. As a result, the body’s immune (lymphatic) system becomes weaker and weaker. Working with a healthy diet and super food supplements address the causes of the negative symptoms and not just mask the symptoms.
The use of multiple medications is also very problematic because nobody has any idea how these cocktail concoctions are going to interact not only with the body but also with one another. Basically, it’s a cocktail of horror that will wreak havoc on the body.
The thing to always focus on his the cause rather than the symptoms.
Steroid drugs (like Apoquel) are extremely detrimental to the body. "
