Skin Allergy/Irritation in Dogs

[bjmstahl]

Try putting 1 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar in the water. This is for a large dog. Ours was about 65 lbs. Our dog had "itchy dog syndrome" and it cleared up within a couple of days. I also changed his feed to one with less grain. I continued the vinegar for about three months just for good measure.

His symptoms consisted of itchy red scaly patches of skin. He also smelled yeasty. I could hardly stand to have him in the house. He was so bad that he was bald except for 6 inches of hair running down his back. After two different vets looked him over and over $300 in vet bills with no cure, I researched the problem at the local library. I found my solution in a book about natural healing for pets. It didn't say what the problem was but it gave me the solution.

Good luck with your dog.

 

[Farmfresh]

I got curious and found this Pet Food recalls. The Diamond recall was on: Low Fat, Performance, High Energy, Maintenance and Premium. The Naturals line was not included in the recall - that is why I thought it was safe.

There are over 100 different brands of dog food alone in this list that were recalled. INCLUDING Premium brands like Nutro, Eukenuba and Iams. Scary. I did not really do any research on this before. So now how are you suppose figure out if you dog is allergic to the ingredients in a food or the contaminates?

Guess I shouldn't be surprised. In this day of irradiated baby food and ammonia laced meat for people to consume. :/

 

[tortoise]

It wasn't the dogfood that triggered it, not the Diamond brand anyway. She was on Purina at the time and had been her whole life (corn based) and the Senior Diamond is wheat based. I did read the ingredients label and while it is a step up from the Purina, right now it is about the best I can afford. I wish I could get her something better but dog food is already ridiculously expensive as it is. The vet said she shouldn't have so much protein at her age anyway, that it is hard on aging kidneys.

It is something in her environment that is causing the itching. Right now my biggest suspect is the dry heat from the woodstove....but I can't do anything about that either. The wood is most affordable (and preferred). :/

I will try the baths and the fish oil is very affordable. Thanks for the suggestions!

I'd question your vet on the high protein thing. My fiance is a vet and we've gone round-and-round on this one. We could find any evidence that high protein CAUSES kidney problems, however, if kidney problems are already there, high protein will make it worse.

You don't need a senior formula, which reduces calories and protein by adding grain.

I'd go back to the food that was working for her all along and feed LESS of it.

Yes, high qulity/grain free food can have a huge impacto n the health of a dog. But... sometimes it doesn't.

Food allergies are much less common in dogs than environmental. But we blame the food first. 'Cause we can. I'm for any reason to feed ourselves and our pets better. But let's not all immediately jump to food allergies.

Diamond brand has been riddled recalls for years. And at SKR8PN, Diamond makes TOTW!

"Premium" brands usually are not better - just more expensive. To really get a better food you have to find one that isn't sold at the big-box-chain stores. They are also very expensive, but also more calorie-dense. Blue Buffalo, Fromm, Evo, etc.

 

[journey11]

I did like that the diamond senior had the glucosamine and chondroitin. I've been giving her that as a supplement for over a year and it very quickly eliminated all symptoms of arthritis that she was starting to show. I had a very limited selection of "senior" dog foods to pick from. Our Walmart didn't have ANY. TSC had 2 to pick from and the price was much better on the Diamond.

I am with you Tortoise, scratching my head about the lower protein thing. It does make sense just to feed her less. She's less active now anyway. I'm sure it's similar to my chickens and horse--different levels of protein at different life stages. But grains are a natural part of their diet...filling in with more grains for a dog doesn't make sense. Perhaps I can give her less of the bagged food and more fresh food to balance it out.

SKR8PN, how many bags of TOTW do you go through monthly per dog? My dog is 55 lbs.

She does get some cooked vegetables/meat (from the toddler) and a couple raw eggs throughout the week. I give her all the cracked ones that I can't sell. She also gets a little raw meat in her diet. I save the hearts, livers and scraps from our deer for her and some parts from butchering chickens as well. I wouldn't want to change her completely over to a raw diet at her age now, but I will consider that a possibility for future dogs I have (and research it more). A raw diet would be more affordable for me, given our lifestyle. Heck, I would take a couple extra deer just for the dog, or consider reserving the shoulders for them. We do our own butchering anyway.

I had a dog a long time ago with severe flea dermatitis that we gave a garlic and brewer's yeast supplement (made just for dogs). But now I hear that garlic is toxic to them? I wonder if there was something about the way it was processed that made it ok? It worked miracles for that poor dog, a flea-bitten stray we took in. I do have brewer's yeast on hand, maybe I could sprinkle a little in with her food. I'm not sure what it does that works though.

I do have lots of raw ACV, so I'll give her that in her water. Certainly couldn't hurt. I know it helps me.

I am just wondering if there is something she is missing nutritionally in her diet that would support healthier skin. Omega-3's or something like that? The fish oil sounds like it would help with the dryness. This wood heat dries me out too!

 

[Farmfresh]

The brewer's yeast contains lots of B complex vitamins.

I am on extra B vitamins myself as well for my nerve damage.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

This might sound crazy, but my brother has a dog( a husky) who is allergic to the wood heat. They either have to change their heat source or throw him outside,...

 

[journey11]

This might sound crazy, but my brother has a dog( a husky) who is allergic to the wood heat. They either have to change their heat source or throw him outside,...

Would something like that come on suddenly or was he always allergic?

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I did like that the diamond senior had the glucosamine and chondroitin. I've been giving her that as a supplement for over a year and it very quickly eliminated all symptoms of arthritis that she was starting to show. I had a very limited selection of "senior" dog foods to pick from. Our Walmart didn't have ANY. TSC had 2 to pick from and the price was much better on the Diamond.

I am with you Tortoise, scratching my head about the lower protein thing. It does make sense just to feed her less. She's less active now anyway. I'm sure it's similar to my chickens and horse--different levels of protein at different life stages. But grains are a natural part of their diet...filling in with more grains for a dog doesn't make sense. Perhaps I can give her less of the bagged food and more fresh food to balance it out.

SKR8PN, how many bags of TOTW do you go through monthly per dog? My dog is 55 lbs.

She does get some cooked vegetables/meat (from the toddler) and a couple raw eggs throughout the week. I give her all the cracked ones that I can't sell. She also gets a little raw meat in her diet. I save the hearts, livers and scraps from our deer for her and some parts from butchering chickens as well. I wouldn't want to change her completely over to a raw diet at her age now, but I will consider that a possibility for future dogs I have (and research it more). A raw diet would be more affordable for me, given our lifestyle. Heck, I would take a couple extra deer just for the dog, or consider reserving the shoulders for them. We do our own butchering anyway.

I had a dog a long time ago with severe flea dermatitis that we gave a garlic and brewer's yeast supplement (made just for dogs). But now I hear that garlic is toxic to them? I wonder if there was something about the way it was processed that made it ok? It worked miracles for that poor dog, a flea-bitten stray we took in. I do have brewer's yeast on hand, maybe I could sprinkle a little in with her food. I'm not sure what it does that works though.

I do have lots of raw ACV, so I'll give her that in her water. Certainly couldn't hurt. I know it helps me.

I am just wondering if there is something she is missing nutritionally in her diet that would support healthier skin. Omega-3's or something like that? The fish oil sounds like it would help with the dryness. This wood heat dries me out too!

In humans, lack of vitamin D is at the root of being dried out in winter.
The fish oil will help certainly. I give our cats and occasional dose (1/4 tsp) of raw clo, that has 250 IUs of D in it.
Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[journey11]

Well, I guess I have a plan now, a couple things to try. Her skin is not flared up as bad today (not anywhere near as bad as it got last time), but she is dry and itchy, so I'll address that first.

Oh, I could never put her outside if MY life depended on it. We'd both be heartbroken! She is my big lap dog!

 

[Up-the-Creek]

This might sound crazy, but my brother has a dog( a husky) who is allergic to the wood heat. They either have to change their heat source or throw him outside,...

Would something like that come on suddenly or was he always allergic?

Come on sudden.