Need help with my itchy dog
 

Hi Everybody
My wife and I adopted a 1 year old yorkipoo in June of last year. She was not very well taken care of. She wan't house trained, she had a yeast infection in her ears and in her skin, had an umbillical hernia, and was so dirty that we didn't even realize she had white hair on her feet. Anyway she was vomiting, licking her feet, itching terrible, had diariah, and would somtimes be constipated. I did some reading and it appeared to me she had food allergies. So we put her on California Naturals Lamb and Rice food. After 3 months of being on this food there was no difference in her behavior. Durring this period we had been giving her drops on her ears to take care of the infection, but as soon as we stopped using the drops the yeast infection would come back, and the vet said we were going to have to use this continually. I took her back to the vet and he gave me Tamaril. This took care of the ear infection, the yeast infection in her skin, and the majority of her itching. I also switched her over to Prescription Diet Z/D Ultra Non-Allergen food at the same time. Her health improved greatly although the diariah has never completely gone away, the vomiting has. Now within the last couple of months the itching is coming back and she is getting hot spots. I notice her coat isn't shiny, and it seems dry. I took her off the Tamaril last week per the vet, and I don't really like giving her the steroids. So far no ear problems. I started giving her "Missing Link" on Friday so I guess we'll see how that goes. Any other suggestions would be helpfull.
Thanks
Bob

Hi Bob, welcome to yt. Sounds like your little baby has really been thru a lot. I don't really have any suggestions because we have never had very good luck at getting relief from itchy skin problems. Thankfully Murfee doesn't have the problems but my last dog did...his whole life. My son's dogs have severe allergies. He has spent thousands on dog allergists and medications and has never had anything that completely cured it. Good luck, I hope you find something that works.

Welcome to YT , I'm glad your little girl found a loving and careering home .One of my babies was itching a lot but sense I feed them Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul it stopped. And all of my 7 furkid's are doing great on it.:D

Welcome to YT:)

Missing Link will probably make the allergies worse.
I wonder if she has a systemic yeast infection making her itchy (not just her ears)?
You could try fish oil and vitamin E for her coat.
You could also go to a homecooked diet with fish for a couple weeks to see if any of this lets up.
Out of curiosity, has her liver been checked?

No

I've suggested to the vet to have an allergy test done, but he said it may come back inconclusive. I have tried putting yogurt on her food in the past but she won't touch it. I think I'm going to buy a couple cans of Z/D and mix the yogurt with that to see if I an get her to eat it. Will any plain yogurt work?

I don't think yogurt will do enough of what you are needing it to do but certain products would (not sure of which ones). It is fine to give plain yogurt though but make sure it is a high-end kind with active cultures like Stonyfield Organics.

How about Wellness fish kibble or Natural Balance if the Cal. Natural isn't working? Z/D might work for some dogs but I'm not so sure I'd want to keep my dog on it.

By the way, my dog has allergies also but I homecook for her, so we are able to eliminate things and see what works.

When we first go her she had what the groomer called "elephant skin" on the upper part of her front leg. After we started giving her the ear drops the skin started to clear up and grow hair back. The vet said it was also a yeast infection and the medicince being absored in her ear was helping to clear it up. I also notice that sometimes her stomach is really red. She has terrible breath.

How about "Nutro Ultra" this has been sugested to me. I really don't want to keep her on the Z/D either. The first ingredient is starch, so that can't be good. Plus it is terribly expensive, which wouldn't be a factor if it was helping the problem. What do you think about "Dynovite"?

Could you get something from the vet to eliminate the yeast infection and then maybe the food problem would be solved?

Extremely bad breath is a concern if there is no tartar on the teeth causing it.

She doesn't ever get shaky after she eats or gets depressed, does she?

I don't like Nutro products at all really. A couple of their kinds of food have also been making some animals very sick, so I wouldn't feed it.

I've heard of Dynovite but haven't read up on it.
Wylie'sMom might have some ideas for you about probiotics and yeast infections if she sees this.

We had her on Tamaril since October for her allergies which also took care of the yest infections up until last week. The vet told me he doens't like to give the dogs steriods especially young ones for extended periods of time. After we started the med's and Z/D the itching really dropped off. The only time she would itch or lick her feet was at night. There was a little itching throuhout the day but not much. The vomiting also stopped. The diariah has never completly gone away, but it is usually with a solid stool. About a month ago the itching started back up,she started getting hot spots on her back, and her coat is dull. Nothing had changed in her diet. I've never noticed her being depressed, but there are times when she is shaky. What I have noticed is that when she gets shaky it usually means she is going to vomit. I recall two instances. But the one was in middle of the night and she hadn't ate for several hours.

This might get long...sorry... welcome to YT and I'm so sorry you're baby is suffering like this, I hope you can find a solution!

Okay...first, keep in mind that skin is an elimination organ - so it is showing that something is *really* going on here, from the inside - from a toxicity standpoint (meaning, the body is really out of alignment - understatement, I know :rolleyes:). Also, it is highly, highly likely that your baby has yeast overgrowth throughout the digestive tract (like what happens in humans w/ chronic yeast symptoms), so treating topical issues (ears/skin) won't do anything in the long run. You have to treat her entire system, at this point, for yeast infection (candida).

There's so much I want to type, I have to pull myself in here - bc I've been similarly in your shoes. Are you willing to make real food for her or are you firm on giving kibble/dog food? It would be the best to get her on a homecooked white-fish based diet immediately - it can bring miracles to dogs who are in *real* trouble, as yours is - it is truly the most hypoallergenic diet you can provide (white fish, mashed white potatoes, steamed/pureed green beans).

If kibble is a must - I would get her off the science diet asap and instead get her on something entirely grain free and simple like Wellness' allergy kibbles, here is a whitefish kibble meant for allergies: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_w...h_sweet_potato.

I would hold off on Missing Link for now. Once allergies subside, you could try fish oil (more on that some other time) - but no oil during diarrhea, obviously. If you are willing to homecook, let me know - as there are more details involved.

While she is stabilizing/healing, you'll want to give some quality supplements to help her system heal, normalize, repair - so that she doesn't revert back to her previous state. So, this is where stuff like quality probiotics come in - and digestive enzymes, and a good vita-mineral (and some others).

I cannot recommend highly enough the animal nutritionist I worked w/ (via phone consult) when Marcel had all of his problems last year (I'm a nurse, was at the end of my rope, spent $100's at the vet, was out of ideas). Her name is Susan Blake Davis (www.askariel.com) - and she had Marcel's poos firm after 1.5 days. I think I cried, lol! She is so wonderful. She also can recommend the right supplements to help Zoey heal properly too. I only wish I had called her earlier rather than spending more junk money at the vet. She does, btw, work at a holistic vet practice and consults nationally.

I've probably overwhelmed you - but I could write even more! :) Anyway, I'll check in - so if you have more questions, let me know!
Ann

Wylie's Mom

Thank You for chiming in on this thread. Is the homecooking signigicantly better then a quality kibble like the one you mentioned? It's just my wife and I for now so we don't cook much, and we have very busy schedules. So I usually cook up all of my meals for the week on Sunday night and just nuke them at work or at home. Is this somthing I could do with Zoey's food? Also when you say get her off of the Science Diet ASAP, should I stop it immediatley or ween her off it?

Thanks For Your Help

Homecooking would definitely (by far) be better - you could very possibly see drastic changes rather quickly (hopefully). It wouldn't surprise me. I hear you on the busy schedules - so you really have to figure out what would work for you. When we were homecooking (we now feed raw frozen by Nature's Variety, which btw, is another option to consider), I'd cook about 1-2x per week, put it in tupperware in the fridge and dole out about 3x per day to the dogs. So, you could try that option if you are willing to homecook.

If it sounds like too much, you could try the other kibble first and see if she improves. Since she is still having diarrhea, I wouldn't worry too much about doing a "careful" switch - I'd do a hard/quick switch if it were me.

What concerns me the most though is this protracted diarrhea on the dog food - and that's why I'd recommend homecooking the most - bc it would really give her system a true rest so you can find out what is going on (by then adding things back in later). But you have to do what's right for you, too.

You can also get Benefiber from the store and give her a pinch (not metamucil or anything, just regular plain Benefiber).

The bottom line is, at this point, you will get the best results from putting her on the simplest, cleanest, easiest-to-digest diet with the least ingredients (least possible allergens). :)

Heck, you could even try the cooked fish diet for a week and see what happens....:rolleyes:

We to have a yorkipoo and he to had infection in his ear and was licking his feet and look like hot spots on his body. We took him to vet, the 1st said to give him steroids. (not for my dog) Went to a new vet and she give him some antibiotic it was food allergies.How we feed him Pinnacle dog food it is trout and sweet potato formula and I add some chicken brest. He is fine now. It took about 2 weeks for the antibiotic to work. He is my best friend

The ear infection is coming back and her hair is starting to fall out of her front leg again. Last night we gave her a bath with oatmeal shampoo and sprayed some topical on her hot spots, but she just wouldn't leave them alone. I'm willing to cook. What recipies would you recomend?

It's a big step, but you could even tell yourself to just try it for 2 weeks - see what happens with her. Stick with JUST this diet for at least 6 weeks, nothing else.

**White fish (pollock, sole, cod, trout, tilapia, whiting); I can buy a big, frozen bag of pollock at the regular grocery store for 5.99. Sprinkle lightly w/ all-season, bake 4-5 filets for 13-15 mins, put in tupperware, flake w/ fork, keep in fridge.

**Get canned, sliced, white potatoes (or, fresh, whole); I micro about 3 cans at a time in a big bowl w/ some butter and salt - mash up, keep in fridge.

**Steam then puree canned (or fresh, frozen) green beans - I do a bunch at a time - so I end w/ about 1.5 cups at the end.

Now, how much does she weigh?

My Alyssa is 5 years old. She has had skin allergies off and on all of her life. I have switched foods several times. Canidae was the best I found before changing to Life's Abundance. That is what I use now. My Alyssa would itch when she ate anything with corn or wheat in it. I was changing her foods but failed to pay attention to the treats I was giving. This was her problem. If you look at most treats they have corn or wheat flour. That was her source of itching. So let me just suggest that you check the ingredients in her treats. I think you'll be surprised at what they have in them.

When I put Zoey on the Z/D I stopped giving her any treats at all. Actually the only thing she eats is the Z/D. The Dr.s thinking was that she was allergic to either the protein source or the cornmeal. Z/D is supposed to be formulated so that threre is nothing in the food that she could have a allergic reaction to. So much for that theory.

She weighs 6 lbs
By "all-season" you mean just any season salt. Correct? Can I keep the salt out of the potatos?

Funny thing; I eat alot of fish, potatos and greens.

*for an all-season, I use Mrs. Dash's Table Blend (it is salt free) - it's Marcel's fave :rolleyes:

*I do add a bit of regular salt to the potatoes (along w/ some butter spray or butter) - I think the salt just adds some *oomph* - just give them a taste and make just a bit "blander" than you would like them

*for her weight, I broke it down into Tablespoon measurements to make it easy, these are measurements for the WHOLE day, so you can divide by 2 if feeding 2x per day:
6T of fish
4T of potato
2T of green beans (actually, I do recommend frozen over canned here)
then, adjust per weight; keep in mind fish is very lean (hence, the volume)

*When homecooking, you MUST supplement with calcium - I used to make mine from egg shells (I used to use a shells from a dozen, put them on baking sheet, bake for 10 mins at 350, grind in my coffee grinder to a powder and give about 2/3rds of 1/8th of a teaspoon, a "pinch"); you can also purchase calcium easily at Pet stores (comes in powder) by Solid Gold and other brands (also called "bone meal")

Does this all sound doable? This is really the best for her right now - having these few ingredients, clean/easy protein could really get her straightened out.

A few more things (sorry if this is too much), as far as the candida - it really does have to be addressed, or it will just continue to grow and infect. Yeast infections don't just go away on their own, unfortunately. So, you could ask the vet to prescribe something INTERNAL for the treatment of a systemic candida (yeast) infection.

I've just been searching everywhere online and am coming up frustrated in terms of what the gold standard is for chronic yeast meds for canines. For example, in humans, a chronic yeast situation would result in prescribing a once weekly dose of Diflucan for 4-6 weeks -or- 15 days of ORAL Nystatin 3x per day. I see vets giving topical Nystatin but am not seeing clinical evidence of oral. SO, you could ask your vet about what is available to treat the yeast internally. Giving more prednisone, in my mind, is just a red carpet to more yeast in the long run.

Or that nutritionist does sell a "yeast package" (http://www.askariel.com/product_deta...ans_parasites), I've never tried it, but knowing Susan, it works. Whichever way you go, she needs the probiotics desperately - and since you are feeding potatoes (a simple carb, which is good for the diarrhea, but not so good for the yeast) - it really needs to be addressed somehow.

I know how all of this can get incredibly overwhelming too...so I really hope this is sounding okay...and I know costs can be concerning too...

We feel your pain, The vet gave us some shampoo it is called RELIEF by IVX
it work great for us and we still us it. We tried oatmeal shampoo and it did not do a thing for us.

This sounds very doable, honestly at this point I'm willing to do anything to get her healthy. As for the probiotics and the yeast I think I will purchase the "yeast package" from the website, rather then take her to the vet. Also concerning the yeast, I've heard alot about "Dinovite" being a probiotic. I belive this is what they claim on thier website. do you have an opinion on it?

Thanks for all of your help.
Bob

Here are Dinovite's ingredients:

Ground flax seed, dried kelp, yeast culture, ground grain sorghum, fructooligosaccharide, zinc methionine complex, diatomaceous earth, montmorillonite clay, yucca schidigera extract, dehydrated alfalfa meal, Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product dehydrated, Aspergillus niger fermentation product dehydrated, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product dehydrated, Lactobacillus casei fermentation product dehydrated, Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product dehydrated, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product dehydrated.

The ones that are bolded are the ones that, if it were me, I'd stay away from for now. The bolded ones are either grain derivatives, grassy, or just plain yeast. For probiotics, you'll be covered if you get that "yeast package" above. So, what you'd get there (we used some of those for Marcel too) is:

**Mycozyme: anti-fungal; also contains digestive enzymes (anytime something ends in "-ase", it is generally a digestive enzyme)
**Probiotic: I know she uses one that guarantees live cultures too, which is essential (many you buy at the store are totally dead, unless refrigerated)
**Omegas: this will give you what you were trying to get w/ the Missing Link (essential fatty acids), which will help w/ skin/fur etc.
**Notatum: an anti-inflamm. - GREAT for both digestive and allergies (food and skin) - it helps heal - this was a key one for Marcel

So, if you get that package - you will be set! And, for a good while too. Are you okay on the calcium then? I'm so excited for you....and I'm just so hopeful that you see good things! Hopefully others will chime in w/ advice too - everyone has so many ideas on here.

I'll make sure she gets her calcium. Now is there anything I can give her as treats? Carrots? She also likes to chew. We used to give her "Dingo" rawhide chews and just plain rawhide chews, but took them away when she went on the Z/D, but recently I started giving her the "Dingo" again. Seems like they take her attention away from constantly itching.

Great on the calcium, very important - essential actually (to life/heart/musle). Does she eat carrots now? If so, carry on :D! If no, introduce baby carrots slowly (try one, see how she does); carrots, initally can cause a bit of loose stool ('course, she already has that, so it almost is a moot point) - so go a bit easy. But they can be a great chew!

You probably know all the choking controversy w/ rawhide, so I won't bore you w/ that. If they ease her itching and you can always watch her - then who can argue in taking them away from the little gal, ya know? But, does the "meat" portion of the dingo have any chicken etcetera? If so, you may want to find something kind of plain for her. If it has any corn whatsoever, don't give at all. :)

Hi Zoeysdad, I have 3 fur babies and a fur kitty. I am a human and pet massage therapist and aromatherapist. I used to take my guys to the vet for everything. I have a little guy that seems to have allergies, he licks his feet and will lick his tail and gets hot spots. My Yorkie had ringworm when we adopted her. One baby had cysts on his legs, and the cat had feline acne on his chin. The vet always prescribes antibiotics and ointments that always make my babies sicker. They would lick the ointment and get even sicker too. So I now I only use aromatherapy on my guys and they are all very happy and healthy. When they get a boo boo, I use my pet skin rejuvenator on them and they are better in days not weeks. It is safe to lick off too. Dogs can be allergic to so many things, corn, beef, pork, lamb, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat, chocolate, mold, feathers, dander, plastic food bowls and even bacterial allergies. Dog's skin normally has Staph bacteria. Usually, Staph bacteria doesn't have any type of affect on your dog though some dogs may develop a sensitivity to it causing an allergic reaction. They may get crusts on their skin and patches of hair loss because of scratching, similar to ring worm. If you would like more info on my pet skin care feel free to visit my website at www.doggygoneit.com go to the doggy spa products. I only sell products that I use on myself, my family, friends and fur babies. Yes all products are human tested first, NOT animal tested first. Any questions also feel free to e-mail me. I am not here trying to promote my website, I just saw your message and I know what your going through and how you and your baby feels. I hope your baby gets to feeling better soon.

Yea we always keep a close eye on her when she has a rawhide chew. I belive I will just give her the plain rawhide instead of the dingo.

okay, I am going to chime in now!!! When we first got Turbo (westie) he had major problems too. We put him on some products called Nzymes (www.nzymes.com) used to clear up yeast. They also suggest foods that are good for yeast prone dogs and foods to avoid. Potatoes are a food to avoid if your dog is yeast prone. Turbo got better, but not cured with these products. I ended up putting him on Atopica a non streroid perscription and he is pretty much itch free. Atopica is not cheap, but him not having itching fits and losing his hair is a big improvement. I know it is hard having dogs with problems, but they so need our help. They can't help themselves.

Also, I would try a grain free food. That might help. That website suggests some really good foods. good luck and hope this little bit helped.

Oh yeah, you can try local raw natural honey. It helps with allergies, as does organic apple cider vinegar in their water. good luck!!