Hey EC....Guys....This site has always been there for me and so because of this, I am so happy to share my two cents which hopefully will help someone who has to watch their dog suffer through allergies. I own a cockapoo who is 7 years old. He has been suffering from allergies since he turned 3, however, as he is getting older, it's starting to get worse....his paws are almost black even though he is white so go figure...the worse was when recently I noticed that he had developed a hematoma in his left ear...he was in so much pain...the vet said that was because of the constant shaking of his head when he eats something that he is allergic to....now what bothered me is that I buy the best food for him....you name it I tried it...Blue, Orijen, Wellness etc....nothing worked...until finally, I found a food called Acana limited ingredients dog food. It's a food that is made in Canada with only the freshest ingredients and what amazed me is the ingredient list....I waited for at least six weeks to write this post just to be sure....update...my dog still scratches but....rarely and I am beyond happy...his paws are almost white again with only traces of black so go figure....The type of food I buy is pork with butternut squash. Try it guys and let me know if it works....Thanks for hearing me out....
Allergy Remedies
Ten years too late, but hope this may help for other pups. We give our two dogs something called HWF Clean Heart instead of the vaccination for heartworm disease. It is holistic, but I'd much give them something natural and preventative than stick them with the needle full of chemicals and toxins that we don't know about. My younger pup has neurological issues since getting her first set of vaccinations and I will never again.
Multiple Remedies
Hey there! A couple of things came to mind when I read your post. Chronic yeasty ears for sure indicate allergy, but vertebral subluxation is also a possibility. It may help to have your dog adjusted by a chiropractor. And, yeasty ears at 4 months: were any vaccinations given at that time? The puppy is teething and in the states here 4 months is when many get a rabies poke so double whammy to the immune system; it could be vaccinosis [lovely catch all term! ] Even if you have given excellent groceries all along, if the yeast overgrowth was never addressed you will now need to clear the yeast layer by layer; you may find using applied kinesiology helpful in choosing which probiotic to start with: after 2-3 weeks it likely will be necessary to switch probiotics. It may take 6-8 weeks or longer to get the yeast under control.
I have 'allergy' dogs also, utilize both holistic and western vets along with a doggy chiro, and while not perfect this is what works for me:
ZYMOX for funky ears. I have used home remedies for the ears and for normal dogs they work - but for allergy dogs they often just miss. Clean ears *frequently* during allergy season - you have to stay on top of them - Virbac ear cleaner from the vet works well for non-infected ears. Again, home remedies such as gentian violet or vinegar rinses sometimes just do not touch allergy ears and if that is the case then no shame in buying veterinary approved products.
Steroid shots/antibiotics - it can be a fact of life for allergy dogs; if your dog needs them, then your dog needs them. I've tried herbal nettle, herbal thuja, local honey to no avail and in my experience nothing halts a skin reaction quite like a steroid poke. Yes, its not ideal and they don't last forever and some seasons my dog may need 3-4 pokes. I have accepted that for my dog to be comfortable that occaisional steroids are needed.
That said, Ted's Mange dipping solution certainly can be used to help balance the PH of the skin:
- One 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide [from the supermarket]
- 32 oz of filtered water [fill up the perxoide bottle twice and dump into larger jug]
- You have now made a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Now add to that 1 cup Borax.
Shake it up, the solution SHOULD be grainy. Bathe and rinse the dog, and then plug up the tub and pour the solution over the dog. I use a small sponge to soak up the solution from the bottom of the tub and squeeze out over the dog - do this for 15 minutes, 30 minutes is better. The key is to not rinse, do not towel off, and to let the dog air dry. This should bring some relief to itchy skin. If you suspect an infection of the skin Ted's recipe for Yeast/staph may help:
- 1-1/2 cups 1% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tbsp borax
- 1 tbsp epsom salt
- 1 tbsp Milk of Magnesia
- mix it all up and then apply to a freshy bathed still damp dog and do not rinse -let air dry for however long it takes.
Licking and chewing feet sound like contact allergy to me - frequent bathing or a foot bath when she returns from out of doors may help. I don't trust the mixed up hydrogen peroxide solution to keep, but for frequent daily dipping a vinegar solution might work for rinsing the feet off when returning from outside and also help balance PH.
I mix up a big pitcher of baking soda water and fill all the bowls full and keep them full. Your dog may not drink much water, but I found mine tend to crave the baking soda water, so offer full bowls and your dog may gravitate to them.
I agree that fats are important in the diet - perhaps sunflower oil or other such cooking oils will suffice? I tend to cook for my dogs, meaning I cook with doggie left overs in mind, so I limit use of certain ingredients so I can turn any left overs into dog food. So if I roast a chicken, I don't use any onion - and the fat that is rendered from the chicken can then be fed to the dogs. Maybe you can see what you can use from your own meals to provide the needed fats?
You might also take a visit to this site from a canine nutritionist who has written extensively on how to nutritionally support dogs with myriad ailments: www.greatdanelady.com/index.html. Good luck, and keep us posted please!
Multiple Remedies
Hey Aimee! You said: "The yeast was certainly cleared (layer by layer) with the operation and conventional drugs that followed. " This is NOT how clearing yeast works. While you may have cleaned infected gunk out of the ears, it doesn't touch the systemic yeast infection - the yeast overgrowth that is occurring in the GI tract - that is causing the symptoms to manifest in the ears in the first place. The conventional drugs that ensued only served to further depress the immune system, further reduce the healthy flora in the gut, address only the surface symptoms and not the root, and cause additional symptoms to manifest. Please search the link I provided for the Great Dane Lady's site for 'systemic yeast infection' -she has some programs laid out to get a grip on this sort of problem. My preference is to simply dose acidophillus, primadophillus, DDS with FOS and the like but the Great Dane Lady's system works.
And - while the immune system can be built up and supported, 'genetics' happens. What I mean is, you have a dilute dog; she would normally be a black dog except she has the dilution gene which makes her coat a pretty blue. Not sure about your dog's breeding/pedigree/breeder, but there certainly has been a craze of late for blue in many of the bull breeds. Unethical breeders are breeding dilute to dilute to get 100% blue puppies placing color above all else, including health. So unless the breeder took pains to assemble a healthy pedigree your dog might be a genetic lemon. It doesn't sound as if she has CDA - color dilution alopecia - but the dilution gene has been suspect in animals with chronic skin issues - particularly during color fad crazes. Have you consulted your dog's breeder? Are they experiencing issues with littermates or the sire or dam or other related dogs? At the very least the breeder should be informed of your dog's health issues so they can choose to avoid breeding those two parents together again.
Another aspect to consider is the thyroid; if the thyroid is out of whack for whatever reason, then steroids help balance it. Steroid does not automatically = bad. Low dose long term use doesn't automatically = bad. And as you say, it does buy you time.
As for the vaccine schedule, I used to go with single poke vaccines, different labels and the like, but what really works well IMHO is AK - applied kinesiology. So regardless of whether its a combo or single vaccine, you use AK to see if that particular vaccine is OK for your dog. Works for food too, so you can check to see if a particular diet or food item is right for your dog based on compatibility with her energy fields. Use this to find the most effective probiotic too - and keep in mind that as you clear yeast layers you will need to switch around on the probiotic for the next layer.
As for the borax dip - Ted suggested once a week; dip Matilda and then crate her without bedding in a room with a space heater, right? And then mix up a tub of white vinegar and water [1:10 ratio is enough] and have her walk through on her way into the house after going potty outside but you can towel the feet off as this solution is only for washing any contact allergens off her feet.
Good luck!
Colostrum
★★★★★
My nine-year-old corgi has had terrible allergy problems since we moved to Texas. They seem to get worse as he gets older.
I have switched his diet from premium dog food to raw and cooked. I have tried Benedryl and a daily dose of Zyrtec. The antihistamines helped a bit.
While researching ways to increase immunity in dogs, I happened upon information about colostrum. I ordered a goat's milk colostrum for dogs from Amazon.
I noticed a difference the first day I added the colostrum to his food. Even with the other allergy medications, his eyes watered like crazy. It's been five days now, and his eyes are dry. He is only making little, dry eye boogies like normal dogs do. He is not licking his paws like he usually does.
Next week, I plan to ween him off his daily Zyrtec. I'm sure in the days and weeks to come I will notice other health benefits from the colostrum. I'm hoping they help his seizures also.
Lynn, go with your primrose oil but there are so many things to try: vit c echinacea, garlic, coconut oil, Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother internally and externally and definitely probiotics, I believe you have to look after the immune system to clear this up so therefore I would look at the diet so give the healthiest diet you can stay away from grain a lot of dry has this remember not a overnight cure try for a couple of weeks then try something else get back if none of these are working we can always look at something else .........good luck
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
Hello,
My dogs had horrible allergies with nasty ear infections that would not go away. My poor dogs suffered for so long. I switched to numerous "holistic dog foods" trying to help them. My research showed that all the preservatives in dog food was causing all these problems. I finally switched to a species appropriate diet which consists of feeding my dogs like wolves eat - whole prey. I found out that there are thousands of people feeding this way. We all feed our dogs a diet that is 80% raw meat, 10% edible raw bone and 10% raw organs. After just a few weeks, the ear infections that my dogs suffered with for 4 years disappeared!!! All the itching all over their bodies disappeared!! Their coats are shinier than they have ever been, they have more energy and all the tarter is gone from their teeth too! I have now been feeding this way for 3 years and my vets can't believe how healthy my dogs are. we also no longer vaccinate. We had titers done on my dogs and they have enough antibodies in their system, from the previous vaccinations they have had, to last them the rest of their lives. :-)
We bought a tiny toy poodle that from day one has cost us thousands of dollars. He had vomiting and diarrhea for 2 or 3 years. Switched him to ZD dog food, hypoallergenic. Was fine with occassional allergies. Then took him to TN for vacation. Allergies never went away. Plus we had BP oil spill and burning oil in air. He gets yeast in ears. Been cleaning with diluted apple cider vinegar. Coat is dry. Constantly scratches ears, and licks feet. No hair loss or wounds. Starting a raw diet and have started adding flaxseed oil to his food. See bark website. Natural vet gives list of supplements that can be added to their food to help allergies. Acidophillus is one. Don't want to continue to give him benadryl (taking twice a day) because it just knocks him out. Don't want to give him steroids because of the possibility of muscle necrosis, as well as long term use can cause cushings disease.
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
Our six year old mutt eats a raw meaty bone diet ("RMB", a combo of raw meat, raw bone and organs), and many health concerns other owners face have disappeared. She used to have eye infections and bad breath. We haven't seen an infection or cold in years, and her breath is absolutely neutral. Her teeth gleam. People mistake her for a younger dog. And never once has she had to have her glands expressed. I believe many of the skin problems people report here will disappear with this species-appropriate diet. Many allergies are due to grain found in kibble. Even grain-free kibble is highly processed. Feeding raw also provides our pup with the extreme satisfaction of ripping and gnawing. There are several books out there to learn about this diet, which can be frightening to many folks. It takes a little practice, and a freezer certainly helps. By getting familiar with cuts of meat I'd never heard of (tripe, turkey necks), we feed her for under $2/day. I was scared at first, but wouldn't dream of feeding any other way now. Best of luck to all!
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
One of my German Shepherds had an awful time with gooey ears, crusty lips & itching/scabs on her lower back & neck. Once I placed her on raw meat & bone diet all symptoms disappeared. It took about 3 months for her skin to heal. Suppose it took that long for the grains to get out of her system.
I have even tried grain-free food but, the crusty lips & ears start up again after one serving.
RMB diet works.
Also, food-grade DE is not harmful if mixed in food. I use it several times a year to clear intestinal parasites in my dogs. In fac, t I add it to my own smoothies. It's silica. Food-grade DE is used in the midwest to treat cows & hogs for parasites. It is perfectly safe. One has to take precaution not to allow the powder to enter the eyes or breath it in. Add to moist food or broadcast in the yard & lightly water into soil.
Use common sense when using DE.
★★★★★
My blue pit bull started to get really bad skin allergies when he turned 3 y/o. It would drive him nuts, he would itch so badly and try to lick/bite everywhere whining and in pain. It would keep him (and us) up at night. He would get "hot spots" and hives that would get as big as marbles under his skin and they would ooze. We took him to the vets who in turn gave him a steroid shot, perscribed antibiotics and charged us a ton of money to do so. It would last a few weeks, then it would come back. I decided to look into pet food. Before I would get Costco's Kirkland brand food. I went to a family owned pet store and spoke to one of the guys that worked there. He told me that vets only get 6 months of training in regards to pet nutrition and mostly get comission to sell brands like pedigree/etc. He introduced me to hypo-allergenic dog food which was hollistic. Also he told me I could give him a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to mix in the food every time I fed him. In addition we tried to keep him out of the sun and in our air conditioned house (in the summer). He was completely cured. I also made sure not to feed him any "treats" that were commercially made. His "treats" consisted of baby carrots, ice, pieces of fresh fruit and veggies. He was as healthy and happy as could be, and so was our lhasa apso who also had to go on a diet. I recommend this to anyone whose dogs have skin allergies!
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Mange
I am in rescue & with 8-9 dogs most of the time I run into all kinds of problems. I have had serious side effects from meds so- I have mostly gone natural.
My Benji got ringworm 4 years ago & then mange & bacteria infection. Got rid of the RW but for 4 years the mange & bacteria has come & gone every few month. Yes I tried the borax 7etc & it works but he kept getting it back. Finally I insisted on an allergy test.The vet said no way is that the problem but i INSISTED!!!!!!
Sure enough he had lots of allergies & mostly foods. I had him on a really good holistic dog food. BUT His allergies were beef-fish-barley oats- potatoes - sweet potatoes- lamb - grass- dust mites to name a few.
I immediately changed foods. He now gets chicken & rice only - no perservatives & no treats unless they are chicken. Guess what he has been great for 6 months - back to his old self. Yes he has scars & always will as he had it so bad he bleed all the time from the sores. But this was the culprit. So if you have skin problems check for allergies - ivemectin & antibotics for 4 years without stop. That's not good.
I also sprayed him with collidal silver & it also works.
★★★★★
Dogs chewing and biting skin:
Hi, I own two Sher Pai's, one which chewed her skin to such a degree that the vet wanted to put her down. I have discovered that the Sher Pai's, Husky, and the Chow need fish oils and vegies in thier diet. By cooking up a pot of carrots, pumpkin, green beans, garlic and fish, I was able to make enough for three to four meals, which they ate daily for about two months. Now they eat this concoction twice a week. The difference in thier coats is unbelievable.
Lemon Balm Ointment
★★★★★
Allergies: My French Bulldog, 26 lbs, was given Ketoconazole for a large sore on her muzzle several years ago, like a cold sore. I stopped using it as soon as she became sick. I then used lemon balm ointment from Whole Foods, which my daughter uses for cold sores. The lemon balm works wonderfully. I also wash my dog down weekly with a little vinegar in water (no soap) and wash her face daily in diluted hydrogen peroxide.
She is now 5 years old and extremely healthy, no more sores, no itching and scratching in the summer. Also, she no longer gets shots or vaccinations.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
My 14 month old Tibetan Terrier is finally doing great after months & months of digestive problems, diahrea, vomiting, etc. All the vets would give us were antibiotics which made him sicker. After trying EVERYTHING, we now feed him organic kibbles (no corn/no wheat) and mix it with an organic home cooked mixture I prepare mysefl of meat, mixed organic veggies & sweet potatoes & a tsp. of olive oil. Dessert is stalks of lettuce leaves and carrots to clean his teeth. He LOVES it and no more tummy problems! He is even bathed with natural shampoos and skin lotions. So after all this, it pains me to give him Heartguard and Frontline!! I started sprinkling dietomaceous earth around the house and on him for flea prevention, but my husband turned out to be allergic to it. I dont know of any other natural remedy. They are so, so toxic. I am about to try a tiny dose of garlic to prevents fleas, but I am very nervous about hurting him. Just dont know what to do. He's doing so well, but this awful Frontline.
Who would have ever thought dogs can be allergic to CHICKEN? Our Jack Russell had skin condition due to allergies and it took years to discover he could not tolerate chicken. He seemed better in the cooler months, can't explain, but true. Problems began in the spring with his feet, they began itching. It continued until his entire body was itching to the point, he chewed hair off huge portions of his body, one entire side was bald. It was suggested to remove chicken from his diet, he began improving. It worked! The poor dog has suffered enough. Finally, he is normal for the first time in his life. I regret it took me so long to find the answer. If you've tried everything, and I mean everything, remove chicken from the diet and hopefully it works for your pet.
Grain-Free Dog Food, Apple Cider Vinegar, Listerine
★★★★★
Dog with Hair Loss, Severe Skin Allergies:
I received a Great Pyrenees on Christmas Day 2008 and was shocked at the inflammation, loss of hair, itching and brittleness of her hair. I was told that she had severe food allergies (and I did immediately switch her to a premium grain-free dog food) but in addition, I started ading apple cider vinegar to her drinking water and bathed her in it several times. I have proof-positive pictures that within one month this situation took a 360 degree turn for the better. She is happier now, more energetic, has a zest for life and no more itching and inflammation. I recommend apple cider vinegar wholeheartedly.
On her ankles and her elbows she has dried crusted spots and for those I looked up home remedies for hot spots and saw several people had success with plain Listerine, mixed with baby oil and water and spritzed on these spots. Within 2 weeks, those dried spots clearedup and new skin grown and hair growth is happening there.
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
Yes I agree, raw diet does wonders. My dog also gets severe itching twice per year due to allergies. I have paid hundreds of dollars and the only solution they could offer after trying various other things were steroids?. I hate the way it affects her. Constant urinating, weird eyes, real hungry & thirsty. I was sick of seeing her like that. Then she was put on a raw meat diet (seventy percent ground chicken (neck, wing tips), turkey, also lamb, goat mixed with some beef heart and thirty percent ground veg.(not gassy variety). This is mixed with half human dose of antibiotic. We also started to give her half human does fish oil. She's a different dog. Allergies are completely, utterly no scratching, she's calm, has a beautiful coat and I am so relieved after all these years. The dehydrated dog food you see in pet food stores which says "raw" is not raw, its dehydrated. I mean raw organic. I was shocked that it was not nearly as expensive as I expected. My medium size dog only eats about a 1216oz per day. Oh also, no vaccinations or heart worn/flea meds. for at least 3 years. I wish you the peace of mind we have found from these diet changes.
Raw Egg in Food
★★★★★
My short hair dog had a terrible oder due to flaky skin. I tried giving her oatmeal baths, oils nothing seemed to work and only made it worse. Then I started giving her a raw egg with her food every other day. Not only did she think it was a treat her skin issues are a thing of the past and she smells great. Also I started using coconut oil on her tender and red belly, worked like a charm and if she licks it no worries because it helps her doggy breath.
Neem Seed Oil - Promising Remedy!
★★★★★
Neem Seed oil for itchy skin!
I just went out and purchased pure Neem Seed oil with dropper for my West Highland Terrier--who has been scratching relentlessly for the past five or six days. I don't think it's fleas, but we took him for a hike a few days ago and he seems to have been bitten by *some*thing that caused slight welts all around. I pretty much confirmed that those welts corresponded to the areas he has been scratching...it's actually been keeping him up nights (and me unfortunately!). I tried to give him one over-the-counter antihistimine caplet before bed, but that didn't seem to help. I've also wiped down the areas most affected with Apple Cider Vinegar, but he is unaffected by the taste/smell.
Well, I went thru his coat and applied a drop of Neem Seed Oil (rubbing it in with my fingers) to every single welt I could find. Some of the welts have already scabbed over, but I still applied the oil to those areas too because he seemed to still be bothered by them.
This was about an hour ago and I gave him a bone treat to distract him right after (so that he wouldn't be too interested in licking the oil). I've seen MARKED improvement already (and he's been done with the bone for about 15 minutes now). It's a miracle! I'll post here again if I see any adverse reactions or problems, but so far it works like a charm.
Thank you for all your comments!
Neem Seed Oil - Promising Remedy!
★★★★★
My dog had an itching problem and she was losing her fur. I took her to the vet they did a scraping for mites, ringworm and checked for fleas the test came back negative for all. They gave her medication for jock itch, I tried it. Well...sometimes the docs think they know, but they don't. The itching continued. I have tried Teds mange recipe and use it also. I have since found neem oil. I put a generous amount of neem oil on each crusted welt. I put neem oil in her shampoo and try to bath her once a week. All of this has helped. I will continue until its gone. This is a slow process.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hi,
Can I use a nebulizer with 3% hydrogen peroxide ( food grade) to treat my dog's cold/ allergy?
Licking and Chewing Paws
Our dog has red skin underneath on his paws and he is biting and licking them a lot. I think it could be Pododermatitis from what I read. But I want to find a natural remedy if possible. We have him on Merrick chicken with brown rice. He is a male 16 month old bullmastiff. He also has been shedding a lot. He does get steak and chicken mixed in with his food because he is very picky. He does not want to eat his kibble without something in it. But he also gets cheese from time to time. Anything that might help him?
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
When dogs chew their paws and paws are stained the Biggest Allergies are Chicken, Chicken fat, Chicken meal!! No corn Soy of wheat! So go with Grain Free dog food with none of these ingredients Salmon,Turkey, Duck and Lamb are fine! Watch your Treats too!! No Wheat!!!
