Skin Issues, Allergies and Conditions

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.

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?

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!!

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!

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!

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

Also check the food you give your Jack. If it has rosemary (oil, extract, anything). Jack's are allergic and it causes itching between the toes & ear infections.

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!!!

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

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!

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

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.

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

Would like some feedback for my dog's inflammation. My dog was diagnosed with bone cancer in his front leg over 3 years ago and I treated him naturally and he is still here. My problem is his leg where the cancer was is inflamed. I was using Rymadal and it worked well except for the fact that it blocks the Cox-2 that cause the inflammation but along with that it blocks the Cox-1 factor and this cause the stomach lining to bleed and also it is hard on the liver and kidneys. I have tried all kinds of natural remedys: omega's, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, Bromaline to Tumeric, quercerin you name it, but can't get the same results as Rymadal. Anybody have any suggestions?

Have you tried COCONUT OIL? Both as feeding and application. Feed him 4-5 BIG tablespoons of CO each meal. For application - try massaging the leg with mix of CO and castor oil. Certified organic and cold pressed is best. NOT refined one. This should help.

Hello, I've read so much great things on this site about apple cider vinegar and how it pretty much saved a lot of animal's lives. We are a big believer in natural cures in everyway and are very weary when it comes to going to the vet. Not only because they cost so much just to get a check up, but also because most of the time they give you useless antibiotics.

I have a wonderful calico cat that, unfortunetly, has strange small red spots on her lower belly and spreading to her legs. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know it's not ring worm and I'm hoping ACV will help. I am just not sure how to apply it on her neck or paw, whether or not just to apply it to her belly at the area and how properly to dilute it. Beause when it come to our furry family, we don't want to take a chance. Thank you so much and thank ACV.

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.

The fur under my dog's chin was chronically damp, and she developed a persistent yeast infection. After a lot of research I purchased a tube of Monistat, the stuff they sell OTC for vaginal yeast infections. I rubbed it on the infected area once a day for 3 days, and voila! Yeast infection gone, never to return. It may not be natural or holistic, but it is cheap, easily available, quick, and it works.

I have an 82# rescued, senior female Rottie who started "scooting" and had rectal bleeding. I took her to the vet, who found no blood in her intestines, but did find hookworms, which I treated her for with medication he gave me. Her anal sacs are fine, and the vet pronounced her otherwise healthy.

She tested positive for heartworms awhile back, and I've had her on the Bandit's Buddies program (google it online for complete info) for three months now. I'm concerned that the Nature's Sunshine HSII formula (hawthorn berry, capsicum and garlic) might be part of causing this tenderness and bleeding from her rectal tissues because of the capsicum being a nightshade, which dogs don't eat in the wild or digest well, so I stopped that part of the program (for now). I've been cleaning the area with 1/2 Epsom Salts & peroxide, then putting Vitamen E oil on the tissues, as they seem dry and almost cracked. There's no indication of infection or pus, just bleeding. To treat her internally, I've given her 1 TBS drinkable aloe (with a syringe) at night. And after reading these posts, I also just gave her about 1 1/2 TBS of melted coconut oil, which she gobbled up. Her diet is a high-quality dry food (first ingredient Salmon/no corn or wheat) that she's been on for about seven months w/no problems. She also gets a TBS or so of wet food 2x per day mixed with Nature's Sunshine Artemesia blend (a really thorough mix of vermifuge herbs).

My question is: does anyone here have any other suggestions for natural remedies to speed the healing of those rectal tissues? My first instincts are poultice, but I don't think she would hold still for that! Any other herbs I can add? I have shelves of capsulated herbs and tinctures, as well as quite a few homeopathic remedies. Thanks!

My Shih Tzus are suffering from skin allergies. Have tried the vet route which hasn't worked. I have switched their food from Taste of the Wild to Natural Blance L.I.D. (duck & potato). I put 2t ACV in their water daily. I can't seem to heal my male's right front paw (in between his toes). The back one was a challenge, but is doing fine to date. I have tried sprays for the licking and now have resorted to the e-collar (soft) and back to the ozonator daily treatment. Shall I add the ACV to their food as well as the water and if so, how much? Or, eliminate the ACV at the moment? We are in the midst of the elimination diet.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks.

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!

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.

Any recommendations on what I can use to clear impetigo on my dogs lower chin? Doctor not sure what it is red bumps and I can squeeze and a little pus comes out.. Getting better one day and then the next doesn't look too good. Now my male pup has a few which leads me to believe it is impetigo. Is Demasil good? I have been treating with peroxide. Getting very frustrated. Please help.

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.

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 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?

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.

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.

Got dog from cat and dog home about 7 months ago so far £500 in vets fees, Pet Plan refuse to pay out as underlying condition. Has been on steroids, numerous creams etc to treat his skin, ear, chin and tail problems. Has been fed on a dry food diet. Mites etc ruled out

The thing that I have found that has helped the most is yogurt, Natural plain organic probiotic and should contain Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus acidophilus ( Yeo Valley ) is one,

For a medium sized dog collie etc, one tablespoon in food morning and night, will take a week or so to see real improvement and may suffer from loose stools to start with.

Medicated shampoo did help the first time used but as it strips the oils out of the skin dandruff etc returned for a few days then slowly cleared up, do not overwash the dog unless advised by the vet also for his chin used 1 pint boiled water with 1tsp salt (cooled)to wipe his chin with cotton balls after eating so no bacteria can build up,

For the yeast and allergies to build up there must be an underlying cause so am going to switch his food and try something with a higher protien content, this will take some time as can take a while to show results but at least it seems to be under control and a big improvement on what he was like before, will also be starting omega 3 tablets once the food is sorted out as this also helps skin conditions and a lot of dog foods do not contain enough.

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!

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!

Have found turmeric to be helpful--some have grown smaller will try virgin coconut oil my dog has many problems and this site saves me from many trips to the vet thank you so much!

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

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

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

My cairn terrier was boarded when I was in hospital and rehab for six weeks. She was scratching a little when I took her home. Now her back has no hair and it is bleeding. She has also the same problem on her launches. She gets under chairs and rubs her back constantly. I am housebound for at least several weeks and can't get to my vet. Please help. She is miserable