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06-19-2008, 08:47 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Long Island,
Posts: 55
| Help Wanted for my poor girl Oh I really don't know where to begin but here we go. My little girl became itchy the last week in March. She would bite, lick and scratch herself until she bled. I took her to the vet, they gave her an antibiotic and a shampoo along with some predisone and changed her for to prescription science diet for allergies. She was on medicine for ten days... we went back and she was still raw and now losing her coat on her legs. The vet put her now on a very pricey yeast medicine, More predisone and a different shampoo. Still no luck she was even worse then before, now she was losing hair on her body as well.. We went back.. The vet wanted to put her on Atopica for the rest of her life she didn't want to run allergy test she said it really would mean anything.. We switched vets.. Now the new vet said she would like to rule out Mange. She felt she looked like a classic case even though the skin test came up negative( which is very common) She gave Trixie a shot, told me to bath her with the antibiotic shampoo and wanted to see her in two weeks. We went back and although she seemed to look not as inflamed she was still scratching..She was given another shot to treat the mange.. Two weeks later which is today we went back she doesn't seem any better but the vet wanted to issue one more round of treatment and if it does't clear up then we can rule out Mange.. As you can see I have spent a lot of time and money and my poor baby is such a mess.. You would never know she came from show quality. I need any ones in put I trust loving owners over any professional at this point. If you had this happen to you pup could you please share your story.. I have read many threads and think maybe food allergy but who knows and the next step would to be to run an allergy test. I'm desperate for help but I'm going broke in the process... Thanks for any fee back.... Trixie's mommy |
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06-19-2008, 08:58 AM | #2 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| I'm sorry. I would have been very hesitant to treat for mange without a positive diagnosis because if the vet used Ivermectin, it is an off-label dose. That doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do but proceed cautiously. It could be food allergies especially if she is scratching her ears and her paws itch. The ONLY way to see if this is the case is to do an elimination diet. Allergy tests for food are considered unreliable by some vets. Personally, I wouldn't do it for food allergies. What are you feeding besides Science Diet? Any treats? What did you feed before Science Diet? If it were me, I'd go to a homecooked diet of only 3 or 4 ingredients with no treats whatsoever unless they are an ingredient in the food. This diet should have ingredients that she has never had before and I would lean toward giving something like sweet potato for carbs instead of grains. You might need to talk to a nutritionist about balancing this with vitamins and minerals. This should be fed for at least 60-90 days. If there is no improvement, it probably isn't food allergies. If there is improvement then you slowly add other ingredients until she starts scratching again and you have found the allergen. Sometimes you can feed a veterinary diet for this but it doesn't work for all dogs. Some dogs are still itchy on veterinary diets. Testing for environmental allergies might be worth it. What blood work has been done? Has her thyroid been checked? How about her liver?
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 Last edited by Ellie May; 06-19-2008 at 08:59 AM. |
06-19-2008, 01:07 PM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Long Island,
Posts: 55
| Yes it was Ivermectin that they gave her... I wasn't comfortable with giving it to at all but after searching for answers on the web I found that they would generally say to rule out mange before you proceed aggressively with allergies.. So needless to say when she suggested this I thought oohh we must be on the right track being the other Vet wanted to give Atopica without testing her.. Trixie is a year and half old and the vet( the new one) said that she is to young to have such severe allergies.. IDK it seems with Yorkies this is more than common.. Thank you so much responding I appreciate it more than you know.. I have spent hours trying to educate myself so I can help her. As for treats the poor thing doesn't get any.. only the hypo allergenic diet by science diet and before that she was on Canine caviar.. It was a holistic diet with no wheat, corn or soy.. It had all the omegas it.. I thought this would be good since when I got her at 12 weeks she was very flaky.. Now her coat is so greasy that she is greasy 24 hrs later. Both are chicken flavor. So maybe it's the chicken?? They didn't run any blood work what so ever... She eats well and her weight has maintained. She just looks umm not at nice as she did. Im keeping her coat very short (she is spotty with hair loss) and she wears a shirt to keep her from ripping her body raw.. Well thanks for letting me vent too. I tend to ramble sorry.....Mel |
06-19-2008, 04:29 PM | #4 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| With food made for allergies, the protein is broken down in a way that even if the dog is allergic, it shouldn't affect them. This doesn't always work though, so it's hard to say if she could be reacting to the Science Diet. She is young for food allergies but I don't think it is impossible. Because her skin is oily and she is flaky, I think it might be something else. If your regular vet can't get it under control, I'd ask to be sent to a dermatologist. Since it has been so long, I would not be happy that the vets haven't done blood work to at least look at the thyroid and maybe the liver. The results will probably be normal but I think it needs to be done.
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 |
06-20-2008, 06:04 AM | #5 |
Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
| Hi - I am on Long Island too! Not to far from you, but on the south shore. I feel your pain, I really do. My girl Roxy has allergies and she has and can scratch herself raw. Now, Roxy has MVD (tiny little shunts in her liver). Have you had a Bile Acid Test done? This is really inexpensive and it shows how the liver is functioning. Honestly if you haven't had one, I'd get one Next, you say you are not found of your Vet....I don't know how far you are willing to travel, but my Vet is Dr. Duffy with the Eastport Animal Hospital - Montauk Highway in Eastport (631) 878-PETS I LOVE HIM!!!! He is so kind and gentle and really, really tries to get things solved properly. Since Roxy has liver issues, we are limited to 'what' she can have and can not have medically to treat her problems. Roxy itches her armpits and ears and sometimes her neck, she'll get little pimples on her belly and private areas. I have been battling this since she was 2 y/o (now she is 3.5 y/o) - It started with dry flakes, and then the intense scratching making her skin raw, and then I would get it better and it would all happen again, over and over. I home cook for her and she gets Vit E and Fish Oil everyday. I have been forced to give her 1/2 of a Children's Benedryl in the AM and PM. And I did this b/c I needed her to stop the scratching so her skin can heal. For a month straight I tried to aide that healing (which I do think worked) - I feed her 1/4 teaspoon Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar in her AM food and 1/4 teaspoon of Aloe Vera Gel (from the Vitamin Shoppe) in her PM food. I am also now feeding her 1/4 teaspoon of Organic Coconut Oil - All of these things you can do a Google Search and you can read the benefits it has for both humans and dogs - inside and outside. She can not have any steroids so all I can do is keep her food and supplements at the very best level. I also have a shampoo from the Vet that is microbacterial. I use a product called Skin Works by the Coat Handler, these heals her spots too. I don't use Conditioner, I rinse her sooooooooooooooo well during bath time. I use dye free and fragrance free detergents. No fabric softener. I vacuum every week. If you want to talk - PM and I'd be happy to speak with you |
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