What am I doing wrong?? Help! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

vainchick5 · 06-06-2005, 01:49 PM

Hi all, my poor little Coco bear is having issues. I've noticed her sneezing several times a day (is that normal?). I've noticed her excessive scratching too. Lately she's been really itchy, her paws, ears, head. Is that allergies? She was on royal canin but for the last 3-4 days I've been slowly taking more and more of her RC away and intergrating more and more Innova. Do you think maybe her RC is having it's full effect now? I can't think of what else it would be. She doesn't go outside unless in my arms, she doesn't hang with other dogs either (I'm worried because she's too young). Could it be the plastic bowls in her crate?? I just use those during the day when I'm gone, otherwise it's glass bowls. I don't know, any suggestions would be great.
Thanks
Nobella

red98vett · 06-06-2005, 02:04 PM

I think Stainless steel bowls are the best - I've heard of plastic and porcelain causing allergies...PLUS...they can chew plastic ....so to be safe I would try changing out the dishes....Sorry she's going thru all this...I'd check for fleas too...even if she doesn't go outside they can still get them ..and if she keeps scratching and itching - call the vet.

vainchick5 · 06-06-2005, 02:10 PM

What do ticks/fleas looks like? I've never seen one. I assume little black dots?? I will change her bowls today..Do you think the glass/ceramic bowls are ok though?

rachelfraim · 06-06-2005, 02:10 PM

Not to worry you but I will tell you of my experience with Kodah who will be 20 weeks this weekend. We had her about two weeks & I noticed that she would scratch, but not excessively. After her first vet check, he looked for ear mites & she was clear. Her skin was also okay. Then when she was about 13 weeks (we had had her for about three weeks at this point), she just went nuts scratching. She would be asleep in her bed & wake up & shoot across the floor scratching herself. She would even start scratching her little face & start crying. I was going nuts & like you switching her off of Royal Canin over to Innova Evo thinking it might be her food. I even called the vet (as it was a weekend) & they said to give her Benadryl & bring her in on Monday. He did a skin scraping test & found that she had demodex mites -a mite that ALL dogs carry but their immune system is able to fight it. Kodah's immune system was not able to fight these mites (which is genetic). He said that most dogs will outgrow this (a few are chronic) and that the only cure was to dip her every two weeks for 4 to six applications

. So that is what we had to do. Right after her dipping, her scratching was even worse & then finally on the third day - RELIEF! She has now received three dips & will go in for another skin scraping in a week to see if anymore dippings are needed. I hope this is not what your Coco was, but the vet said that it was good that we could diagnosis her condition & give her relief as many puppies have allergies that are hard to diagnosis. I was just grossed out that she had mites, but he assured me that it had nothing to do with cleanliness & that it COULD NOT be passed on to another animal - it has everything to do with a deficient immune system. (And she could pass this on if she were ever to have puppies - but she is too small & we never had any intention of breeding her.) But she became a different little girl after we started having her dipped. She eats good & has quite a little attitude. It scared me when he said we were going to have to dip her, because she weighed only a pound. But she just hit two pounds last week

& is just as fiesty as ever. I'm praying that her skin scraping test shows that she needs no more dippings. Again, I don't want to worry you, & I haven't heard anyone else having this problem on YT, but wanted to share my story just in case it could be of help. It's WONDERFUL to not have her itching anymore!!!!!!!

vainchick5 · 06-06-2005, 02:13 PM

I will call her vet today and ask for SURE! I haven't started her on advantage flea meds because I thought she's too young. Is there anyway I can check for the mites on her skin or are they microscopic? Thanks for the advice

Stitches29 · 06-06-2005, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vainchick5

What do ticks/fleas looks like? I've never seen one. I assume little black dots?? I will change her bowls today..Do you think the glass/ceramic bowls are ok though?

Was she having any trouble on the RC? Sounds like she started sneezing when you switched her food. What was wrong with the RC. Pottery bowls are also a No No. A lot of the paint contains lead. Stainless steel is the best. Non absorbant, won't chip, crack or peel. Very sanitary.

vainchick5 · 06-06-2005, 02:44 PM

Well she was itchy while on RC, and a lot of people of this forum said it causes itching because of the excessive corn. So I began switching it a couple of days ago, and it seems like her scratching has gotten worse. I don't know if it's from that or the bowls though.

Marie · 06-06-2005, 05:55 PM

Nobella,
I hope the vet can figure out why little Coco is itching so bad. Have you change shampoos? Good luck with Little Coco.

Rachel,
What kind of dip thay do for Little Kodah? Gucci has being itching also , and I have change food, added suplement to her food etc. I guess my next step is to go back to the vet adn i wanted to ask him to do this mites test. Can you give me the info? Thank you.

Jo-Jo · 06-06-2005, 06:45 PM

Do you put her in a kennel while you're gone? If so you might want to look in the bird section of a pet store for stainless steel bowls...they have some with hangers that you can hang on the side of the kennel. Also, be careful with the stainless steel bowls that sit in a stand. Boog somehow got his tag stuck in the stand and when he walked away the whole setup came with him...it scared him half to death! We use stainless steel for Jo but they're the kind with the rubber non-slip strip around the edge and for his kennel I use a water bottle and a small stainless steel bowl. The Innova food is great...I've seen some improvement in Jo since I switched him to it.

Stitches29 · 06-06-2005, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vainchick5

Well she was itchy while on RC, and a lot of people of this forum said it causes itching because of the excessive corn. So I began switching it a couple of days ago, and it seems like her scratching has gotten worse. I don't know if it's from that or the bowls though.

Thank you for such a quick response. I was just curious because Maggie eats RC33. She scratches too, but then on the other hand she would scratch if she was on T-Bone Steak food. She doesn't scratch very often, but when she does, I think she will wear that spot bald.

rachelfraim · 06-07-2005, 06:33 AM

Marie - The dip they are doing for Kodah is called Mitoban & contains amitraz. Kodah had no signs on her body of mites except for her excessive itching - no hair loss patches or red spots. In fact when vet came back with diagnosis, he was a little surprised to discover it was demodex mites. When they sponge her (they don't actually dip them which is what I had thought), they then have to let her air dry - no fans, dryers, etc. & you cannot bathe her for at least a week - preferably two until they get their next dipping.

Vainchick5 - Mites are definitely microscopic - they are deep in the hair follicle. Vet said they embed deep like a chigger on a human. Like I mentioned earlier, Kodah had no signs at all, except for non-stop scratching.

vainchick5 · 06-07-2005, 10:26 AM

I went and bought her stainless steel yesterday. Little bowls. After growling at them for 5 minutes she went for the food. I called her vet and he said the new addition may also be adding to the itching. He said to monitor her for a few days after switching her food completely to see if it's still the same. To bring her in then. Thanks for all of your helpful comments. I hope I get more, so I can discuss them with the vet.

06-06-2005, 01:49 PM	#1
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,485	What am I doing wrong?? Help! Hi all, my poor little Coco bear is having issues. I've noticed her sneezing several times a day (is that normal?). I've noticed her excessive scratching too. Lately she's been really itchy, her paws, ears, head. Is that allergies? She was on royal canin but for the last 3-4 days I've been slowly taking more and more of her RC away and intergrating more and more Innova. Do you think maybe her RC is having it's full effect now? I can't think of what else it would be. She doesn't go outside unless in my arms, she doesn't hang with other dogs either (I'm worried because she's too young). Could it be the plastic bowls in her crate?? I just use those during the day when I'm gone, otherwise it's glass bowls. I don't know, any suggestions would be great. Thanks Nobella __________________ Mommy to Coco and Rocco

06-06-2005, 02:04 PM	#2
red98vett Yorkie Kisses are the Best! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Houston TX Posts: 30,387	I think Stainless steel bowls are the best - I've heard of plastic and porcelain causing allergies...PLUS...they can chew plastic ....so to be safe I would try changing out the dishes....Sorry she's going thru all this...I'd check for fleas too...even if she doesn't go outside they can still get them ..and if she keeps scratching and itching - call the vet. __________________ Villette, Chanel & Cheri.. AKA Spy-Girls (photos here) Click for LABELS Click for CARDS * SAY NO to PET STORES ! www.designsbyvillette.com USING YOUR PHOTOS !

06-06-2005, 02:10 PM	#3
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,485	What do ticks/fleas looks like? I've never seen one. I assume little black dots?? I will change her bowls today..Do you think the glass/ceramic bowls are ok though? __________________ Mommy to Coco and Rocco

06-06-2005, 02:10 PM	#4
rachelfraim Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma Posts: 472	Not to worry you but I will tell you of my experience with Kodah who will be 20 weeks this weekend. We had her about two weeks & I noticed that she would scratch, but not excessively. After her first vet check, he looked for ear mites & she was clear. Her skin was also okay. Then when she was about 13 weeks (we had had her for about three weeks at this point), she just went nuts scratching. She would be asleep in her bed & wake up & shoot across the floor scratching herself. She would even start scratching her little face & start crying. I was going nuts & like you switching her off of Royal Canin over to Innova Evo thinking it might be her food. I even called the vet (as it was a weekend) & they said to give her Benadryl & bring her in on Monday. He did a skin scraping test & found that she had demodex mites -a mite that ALL dogs carry but their immune system is able to fight it. Kodah's immune system was not able to fight these mites (which is genetic). He said that most dogs will outgrow this (a few are chronic) and that the only cure was to dip her every two weeks for 4 to six applications . So that is what we had to do. Right after her dipping, her scratching was even worse & then finally on the third day - RELIEF! She has now received three dips & will go in for another skin scraping in a week to see if anymore dippings are needed. I hope this is not what your Coco was, but the vet said that it was good that we could diagnosis her condition & give her relief as many puppies have allergies that are hard to diagnosis. I was just grossed out that she had mites, but he assured me that it had nothing to do with cleanliness & that it COULD NOT be passed on to another animal - it has everything to do with a deficient immune system. (And she could pass this on if she were ever to have puppies - but she is too small & we never had any intention of breeding her.) But she became a different little girl after we started having her dipped. She eats good & has quite a little attitude. It scared me when he said we were going to have to dip her, because she weighed only a pound. But she just hit two pounds last week & is just as fiesty as ever. I'm praying that her skin scraping test shows that she needs no more dippings. Again, I don't want to worry you, & I haven't heard anyone else having this problem on YT, but wanted to share my story just in case it could be of help. It's WONDERFUL to not have her itching anymore!!!!!!! __________________ Kodah, Stormy & Rachel Kodah pics!

06-06-2005, 02:13 PM	#5
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,485	I will call her vet today and ask for SURE! I haven't started her on advantage flea meds because I thought she's too young. Is there anyway I can check for the mites on her skin or are they microscopic? Thanks for the advice __________________ Mommy to Coco and Rocco

06-06-2005, 02:44 PM	#7
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,485	Well she was itchy while on RC, and a lot of people of this forum said it causes itching because of the excessive corn. So I began switching it a couple of days ago, and it seems like her scratching has gotten worse. I don't know if it's from that or the bowls though. __________________ Mommy to Coco and Rocco

06-06-2005, 05:55 PM	#8
Marie Mom loves Gucci Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 6,419	Nobella, I hope the vet can figure out why little Coco is itching so bad. Have you change shampoos? Good luck with Little Coco. Rachel, What kind of dip thay do for Little Kodah? Gucci has being itching also , and I have change food, added suplement to her food etc. I guess my next step is to go back to the vet adn i wanted to ask him to do this mites test. Can you give me the info? Thank you. __________________ Huggies, Gucci and Marie http://www.dogster.com/?132187 "I have been egged"

06-06-2005, 06:45 PM	#9
Jo-Jo YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 397	Do you put her in a kennel while you're gone? If so you might want to look in the bird section of a pet store for stainless steel bowls...they have some with hangers that you can hang on the side of the kennel. Also, be careful with the stainless steel bowls that sit in a stand. Boog somehow got his tag stuck in the stand and when he walked away the whole setup came with him...it scared him half to death! We use stainless steel for Jo but they're the kind with the rubber non-slip strip around the edge and for his kennel I use a water bottle and a small stainless steel bowl. The Innova food is great...I've seen some improvement in Jo since I switched him to it.

06-07-2005, 06:33 AM	#11
rachelfraim Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma Posts: 472	Marie - The dip they are doing for Kodah is called Mitoban & contains amitraz. Kodah had no signs on her body of mites except for her excessive itching - no hair loss patches or red spots. In fact when vet came back with diagnosis, he was a little surprised to discover it was demodex mites. When they sponge her (they don't actually dip them which is what I had thought), they then have to let her air dry - no fans, dryers, etc. & you cannot bathe her for at least a week - preferably two until they get their next dipping. Vainchick5 - Mites are definitely microscopic - they are deep in the hair follicle. Vet said they embed deep like a chigger on a human. Like I mentioned earlier, Kodah had no signs at all, except for non-stop scratching. __________________ Kodah, Stormy & Rachel Kodah pics!

06-07-2005, 10:26 AM	#12
vainchick5 YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CA Posts: 6,485	I went and bought her stainless steel yesterday. Little bowls. After growling at them for 5 minutes she went for the food. I called her vet and he said the new addition may also be adding to the itching. He said to monitor her for a few days after switching her food completely to see if it's still the same. To bring her in then. Thanks for all of your helpful comments. I hope I get more, so I can discuss them with the vet. __________________ Mommy to Coco and Rocco