Skin Issues, Allergies and Conditions

Dog's licking feet. Has been tested; no yeast and no bacteria. Have tried many holistic herbs and oils!

I suggest you give your dog bath with aquarium salt with methylene blue. Or it can be magnesium chloride.The skin needs balanced minerals. Also these baths will draw toxins out. I have tried this with my 2 dogs. I think the older dog can run much better after this bath.

Hi there,

Dogs & Cats with skin rashes or seasonal skin irritations apply luke warm Rooibos tea with a cotton swab to the affected area 2 to 3 times a day for approx 2 to 3 days. The rash will scab up and heal. Don't use Cortisone creams for rash treatment unless it is very nasty.

One teabag in a cup, pour boiling water into the cup and leave it till it is luke warm. Then apply it with a cotton swab to the affected are, you can also use it at room temperature. Just leave the tea bag in for a nice strong concentration.

Regards, Solveig

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 11/06/2013

Hey Meile!

The pimple/pus/bald spots sound like a staph infection. Staph infections may warrant a vet visit for a prescribed antibiotic if you cannot get it under control.

This is Ted's Anti-Fungal and Staph solution:

Ingredients:

• 1 - 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 1 bottle Milk of Magnesia
• 1 box Epsom salts
• 1 box Borax
• Filtered or distilled water

Method:

Dilute the 16 oz brown bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a 1% solution by dumping the bottle into a jug and adding 32 oz of filtered or distilled water; I just fill up the empty brown bottle with water and dump it in the jug twice. Now you have 48 ounces of a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide.

Add 4 table spoons EACH:

Borax, Epsom salts, and Milk of Magnesia.

Shake the dickens out of the solution. I usually run a tub full of hot water and set the jug in the tub, and then when the tub cools where I can bathe my dog the solution is by then an agreeable temperature for the dog. Bathe the dog in doggy shampoo or what have you, get all the crusty lesions gently scrubbed up and loose skin and scabs off and rinse well. [Caution: if your dog's skin is in a reactive state, rubbing and scrubbing may raise more hives - so again, gently work the scabs and crusts off and watch the skin in the area to see if it calms or raises more bumbs the next day.] Now drain the tub and when empty plug it up again and now pour the jug of prepared solution over the dog. I use a plastic cup to scoop up the solution and keep pouring over the dog. I try to keep this up for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I pull the plug and let the dog drip a bit in the tub, and then I take the wet dog with bare hands and put her in a crate with no bedding. Do not towel the dog off - you want as much of the solution to stay on the dog as possible, so it can 'work'. I allow the dog to drip dry in the crate with no bedding. It helps to have the house heat ON, and a nice tasty bone or high value chewy in the crate to distract the dog for a bit. After half an hour I let the dog out and towel dry as best I can and then let them work themselves dry by running all about the house. You do NOT rinse the solution off - you let it dry completely and that is it, until the next bath.

If you have a tiny dog, if you do not wish to make up such a large quantity of solution, the single batch is as follows:

• 1-1/2 cups of 1% hydrogen peroxide
• 1 tbsp MOM
• 1 tbsp Epsom salts
• 1 tbsp Borax

You may be able to put this into a spritzer bottle and spritz problem areas on your dog, but I find it best to tackle the entire dog with a full body treatment first, before using the spritz bottle for a spot treatment approach.

You may find with your dog that you will have to bathe him every other day, or every three days; find what works so that the skin is able to start healing.

And what diet are you feeding? Careful consideration should be made for the diet of your dog - no grocery store brands, no grain based diets, no diets with dyes and colors. Probiotcs are generally indicated with skin issues; consider DDS w/FOS for a full bottle and then switching to PB8 for another full bottle to start.

My dog has had a skin infection and just got done with her steroids and now she has the same thing again. I want o know if there is anyting I can do to be able to fix it myself. she has bumps that look like pimples and when you squeeze them puss comes out then blood and then the next day she has a blad spot from the scab that forms. I have tried hydrogen peroxidie sprayed directly on her skin. I haven't seen any changes with that. I give her a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with her food a day. She is a 14 lb. chihuahua mix dog. She is a rescue dog that I got 5 weeks again. So I don't know much about her history.

Hi. I wouldn't use the ACV around the eye area at all. Put some in their drinking water. I would give fresh raw garlic daily in case the ferral cats have fleas.. (Most likely). That could be what started off the sore near the eye. A flea bite. Just bathe it with some cool, boiled water to keep clean and dab on a little coconut oil. And allow to heal, don't pick the scab off. As for diet. Stop commercial dog food all together and give as much raw meat, raw bones as you can and your scraps.

He may have had a reaction to the antibiotics. That's a very long time to be on them!! He would have been better with raw meat. And nothing canned at all. I would have given raw fresh garlic. Bathed him in an anti fungal shampoo and rinsed well and then poured a half water/half white vinegar solution on and allowed to dry and dabbed on coconut oil on the scabs, twice a day. Commercial pet food is responsible for many things!!

I have border collie mix that rubbed his eye for short while and had brownish hair just down from tear gland but I didn't notice any draining.

I also have miniature american eskimo with weeping eyes. Boots quite frequently lickes her eyes like a mother dog might. Lately he's been licking her head. I;ve noticed her rubbing her head on hardwood floor. Yesterday he licked her head and all she had was wet hair. Today I noticed he had a crust in corner of his eye and I scratched it off with my fingernai and it was actually a scab and it looks like a crater and red but not bloody. He started licking my Lala's head and kept at till I made him stop. Now she has a red spot with no hair and a scabby looking spot thats dark gray off to one side. This red spot with no hair and dark grey thing is all about the size of a nickle, which is pretty big on her small head. It's hard to believe this came about in 24 hours.

We have ferrel cats in the alley and some spend time under rv parked in back and my dogs make a B-line for that rv and run under it to chase the cats away. Who knows what those might have.

I don't know quite what to do. I have dog vits I give them occasionally. Boots likes them but Lala sometimes refuses them. I'm retired and don't have money for a vet. Their dog food isn't the best but I give some of my veggies, fresh fruit, meat and fish and my brown rice.. I've looked up recipes for dogs and they're pretty much what we eat. Frankly they'd rather eat my food than theirs. I eat organic as much as I can.

Except for an occasional itch they don't scratch a lot. Lala sheds too much in summer so I give her fish oil capsules and that stops. The reddish part of patch on Lala's head looks like ringworm in humans but not dogs.

I have organic apple cider vinegar but not sure how to use it, expecially around the eye. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi, reading about the allergies. Start with a grain & gluten free diet. So, no kibble!!! Raw or home-cooked with lots of meat and veggies, pureed (1 of our dogs spits out the peas and corn!). I do not give pork- just in case that causes the allergy. I also give our 3 dogs a teaspoon of minced garlic- flea & tick deterrent-, sunflower oil- the best for Vitamin E - and ACV

1 of our dogs is very itchy. Had to put him on prednisone till I received my homeopatic remedy Psorinum. I have to wait now for a few weeks before I can start this remedy. This remedy is apperently very useful for most skin issues and also treating mange!

Hope this is helpfull.

Please allow the lady trying to help people who have sick dogs like hers tell the name of the dry dog food product containing millet she used that healed her dog. She's not a business with commercial interests and just giving her opinion. What happened to free speech? Help our pets!!! How is this any different than "liking" things on Facebook Etc?

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

Could you please share with me the name of the no grain food made with millet that your dog loved? Also, the name of the shampoo? I have a miserable yeasty beagle, and can use all of the help I can get. This forum is made to help people... so you should be able to name Names! :)

I did not have any trouble with my West Highland White Terrier's skin until she was about 6 years old and then it started in with hot spots, bleeding from an ear, excess thirst, excess itching and scratching and excess urinating, all I found were symptoms of fungus/yeast infection in dogs.

Searching the internet, most articles for treating skin problems are to use apple cider vinegar, which works but it is treating a symptom and not getting to the reason for the skin problems. If vinegar is showing signs of improvement, odds are the skin problem is a yeast/fungus infection.

With respect to treating dog yeast/fungus infections, I found a very good article online that I thought I had saved but cannot now find it. It said do NOT feed the dog grains, including oats, no potatoes or sweet potatoes, no peas and no honey because they turn into sugar in the dog and feed yeast/fungus. It said to use anti-fungus shampoos and conditioners with a certain anti-fungus ingredient that I did find at a pet store chain. It said to rinse the dog with a hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar mix watered down and to soak the dog's feet in that.

All vet pet doctors wanted to do was to throw steroids at it and to blame her breed. The results showed that that the majority of dog pet food manufacturers and many vets do not have a clue about yeast/fungus infections in dogs and actually contribute to the dog's health problems by putting the poor dog on dangerous steroids, which shorten any dog's life and gives them other health problems. I spent over $3000 in vet bills on my dog's skin problems. I had to ask the vet to do an allergy test, which showed she is allergic to nothing. The vet showed no interest in anything other than throwing steroids at the symptoms and not finding out the cause like a real vet should/would do. Another vet said they did not treat chronic skin conditions - blah! The problem is that many vets do not have a clue about effectively treating dog yeast/fungus infections when this should be basic knowledge to them.

The results of the no grain, no potato, etc. diet are my dog now has hair where she had none, no flaky, itchy skin exists on her any longer, she rarely scratches or itches at herself. She drinks far less water and urinates far less. She seems much happier.

I initially found a dog food with none of the yeast/fungus feeding ingredients in it that I had to rehydrate but the dog food smelled and I wanted a dry dog food that I could just put out and not have to mess with. I found a dry dog food held together with millet, which does not turn into sugar in the dog. This dry dog food is the only dog food that my dog was ever absolutely nuts about and eats with enthusiasm. Earth Clinic said to share the names of such foods in one place and in another place says not to put the names in the article so I will not share the name of the dog food that my dog is absolutely crazy about and which helped her finally have a healthy coat after two terrible years of skin problems.

Do not use those oat shampoos on a dog with skin problems because the oats in it are a source of food to the yeast/fungus. Find a good anti-fungus shampoo/conditioner to use.

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.

Apparently, this is a common but little known problem. I heard about someone locally with the same problem. The vet told them to stop feeding them in a plastic bowl and it cleared right up!

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.

For dry flakey skin on my german shepard I used 2 tbl spoon of olive oil once a week on his dry dog food till gone. I mean when I got him it looked like bad dandruff on a black sweater. He also had a 1" & 1/4 long, about 1/2 tall tumor looking spot on his butt he was nalling at- and it cleared it up also. Also his coat became so shinny it looked like I had wipped him down with the olive oil.

I would like to know the ratio on this too. Please let me know so I can help my puppy thank you.

Hi Kdlund, I think it's an internal issue, not an external one. I know a number of people who thought they had flea problems when the issue was in fact food allergies and overgrowth of yeast. I would use a flea comb to see if you see any flea droppings. If not, it's got to be an internal issue.

1. When a dog smells bad, it's frequently from poor quality dog food. You can also tell if its bad dog food if their fur is very oily. There are some interesting articles on the internet about what goes into some cheap brands of dog food from rendering plants (road kill, flea collars, etc) and so it's no surprise that dogs don't do well on food like this.

2. Because of some ingredients in dog food, you will have a lot of yeast overgrowth issues, which can cause a dog to scratch and chew incessantly.

3. Your dog also might have food allergies. This can lower a dog's immune system.

To help your issue, I suggest you change your dog food to a very good quality holistic brand of dog food that is grain-free and good for allergies. Mix the new brand in 50/50 with the old brand at first... give it a few days before you switch over 100%.

You should do your research on this and you may have to test a few brands. For a year I had my dog on a grain-free formula (Blue Wilderness), but after about 6 months, he started to get yeast issues, non-stop ear infections and scratching and biting. So these high end foods don't always work! I found another brand at Petco... very expensive... which was also grain free and supposed to help or eliminate allergies. I put him on this and within a week the incessant scratching and smelly ears went away. I had tried strong probiotics by the way, but this did not help the yeast issues at all. You may pay more for a higher quality dog food, but save on expensive vet bills in the long run,

I hope this helps you. Best of luck to you and your fur baby!!

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I have a beautiful dog. He is a mix of akita and white shephard. The problem I have is that he chews all the time, and his coat is sparse on his back side, and he has very dry skin back there. I have treated him with everything the vet gave and nothing, the problem still exists. I have treated him for fleas, bugs, whatever. He was dipped for mange and all. He really smells bad too. Even after treating for fleas I read that you could use dawn dish soap to get rid of fleas too, because he keeps chewing I decided to do this and guess what more fleas.

I heard to put peroixide on his irritated areas to stop the itching, did that and it worked for about a day and he is back at it.

I am going to try the wormer thing and see if that works but in the mean time I have dog hair all over the house and really feel bad that he chews all the time. I know he must be going crazy.

The vet wanted to put him on steroids, I am a nurse and know what they do to humans, I don't want my dog on them. Any help or ideas?

First thanks to Earth Clinic and contributors. This if for dogs with skin issues and their people who it's driving crazy! I discovered these items because I have dealt with yeast issues.

Our dog is aprox. 8 years old and a rescue that is probably a Flat Coat Retriever or a Black Lab mix - he has long wavy hair. He developed skin issues a few years ago - especially in winter. He was going nuts chewing and causing hotspots. He also had flaky oily skin year round and this is much better now too. The vet prescribed steroid pills, creams, etc. That helped only slightly and we didn't want him on the rest of his life. We tried cutting out all the likely allergens from his diet w/o luck. He is still on a quality food with no likely allergens.

Finally he is having a better winter if I consistently give him this "treat" he loves every day.

I mix 3 large soup spoons of quality yogurt with a couple tablespoons of ACV and a couple tbsp of Fish Oil and 8 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract.

I also add 3 drops of the Grapefruit Seed Extract to his water once or twice a day.

There was the start of a spot this year when I wasn't consistent which I applied Coconut oil to a couple of times and it went away.

I told the vet about this mixture and she said it was safe and that she knew some of it would be helpful/healthful.

I hope this helps lots of pets and their people! It is such a relief for us!

Our cat had this and we changed to a bowl that was not plastic and washed the bowl frequently as well as using peroxide and it healed.

I have come acrross a remedy that may help others concerning redness and scratchiness on my beagle mix. Every day I give salmon oil squirts over his food - no more itching and redness. A miracle!

WOW is all I can say. I have an American Bulldog puppy who is currently 5mnths old. He has suffered from skin allergies since we got him, we have been told it's in the breed. He's been on anti itch meds for three months now, with some help, but it just doesnt work. I read the reviews on the ACV and all I can say is it's amazing!! He's on a gluten/grain free diet and we also put fish oil on his food for his coat. I mixed in some of the ACV in his food (think the fish oil hides the taste) and he just munched it down. I have also sprayed him down with a diluted solution and it worked just as well as liquid benadryl. Six hours and it's made an amazing difference.

I've been reading the threads and many have asked how to get them to eat it, try some Omega3 Fish oil capsuls over their food and mix in the vinegar. The smell of the fish oil (oooohhh it's bad, bad) can cover anything I think. Good luck!!

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

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.

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.

Please tell me the amount of each to use daily. I have a chihuahua. Medium size approx 15lbs. Thank you so much.

Yes please what is the racial! My dog is having the same problems!

After this hot spring and summer in the Midwest, our Belgian Sheepdog, pure black, was having terrible itchy, blotchy skin. A round of anti-biotics and benadryl helped but not enough to really notice. Next step was diet and went gluten free and raw with added Omega3 and eggs. Didn't notice huge difference, but there was a change. And her stools and urine were better. (hate to say it but healthier looking). Then started rinsing after bath with ACV. After more research decided to put the ACV IN her food and found the ____ Organic ACV at the health food store. Started putting it in her breakfast as well as the cats (smaller dose) and her itching has literally stopped. The dry flakey skin has disappeared after only 2 weeks. Husband and I started taking a Tbsp in the morning also and we notice changes in ourselves as well. I would recommend that if your pooch has skin trouble, try the ACV!

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.

What's the ratio of borax to peroxide? And how often do I apply this treatment?

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!

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

I have a 18 lb Dachshund with sensitive stomach and coat. Can I use Organic (raw, unfiltered)ACV mixed 50/50 with water to spray on him for the rash and flaky skin? I just bathed him and rinsed him with plain water then sprayed the 50/50 solution on him and let him drip dry outdoors...... Is this correct? Also, with this help to deter ticks? He has seizures that seem to occur after treatment with "Frontline" or "Advantix". I need a cure for ticks. We live in a wooded area very bad for ticks!!!

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.

My 9 y/o yellowlab was recently diagnosed with Pseudopelade. It's a skin condition and basically the hair follicle is damaged and no longer able to grow hair. My poor little guy is getting bald spots all over his head. I was wondering if anyone has dealt with this and had any info to share. Thanks very much.

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

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!