Itchy, Itchy..what to do.... - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

fairydogmother · 11-12-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viviansnickers

Hello!! Has anything changed with itchies?? I would definitely recommend you try a new food. Nutro is an iffy food to begin with, I have attached a link to claims of Nutro causing deaths!!

Consumer complaints about Nutro Pet Foods

California Natural is a great LOVE ingredient food and made by a superb company called Natura.

I hope you find a cure soon. As for bathing....I bathe once about every 2-3 weeks. More often in the summer.

Good Luck

-Snick & Viv

what do you feed your Yorkie? I use to us Royal Cannin (prob spelled wrong) The vet had me change to this to see if it would help. but No!
They don't break out or anything , just constant itching. I am going to go read the info you sent. I hadn't heard any of that yet. makes me just want to cook for them myself! thanks for the info

viviansnickers · 11-12-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairydogmother

what do you feed your Yorkie? I use to us Royal Cannin (prob spelled wrong) The vet had me change to this to see if it would help. but No!
They don't break out or anything , just constant itching. I am going to go read the info you sent. I hadn't heard any of that yet. makes me just want to cook for them myself! thanks for the info

Hello!!! Welcome to YT

I feed my Snickers a raw diet actually. This consists or premade raw meat which I defrost and feed him. It's a whole nother concept of canine diet. Snickers is thriving from it but I started out feeding just kibble as well. Snickers would not take to a kibble and eat it regularly and it scared me that he would have malnutrition. I read up on the raw diet and it works best for us. Snickers LOVES his raw and loves to eat everyday. I also keep kibble out 24/7. The kibble I use is called Acana and have gone through many before finding one that Snick would snack on.

Royal Canine contains corn, many dogs (Yorkies in particular) are affected by corn and get the itchies. This website can help you find a great quality kibble. Try to choose one that is 4 stars or higher. Many dog owners also feed a grainfree diet. The 6 star kibbles are all grainfree but in general higher in protein which does not suit all Yorkies. Snickers was on Innova Evo for ages (supplemented with his raw) but then go tired of it and now we are using the Acana which he adores for the time being. Here is the website:

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Some excellent quality kibbles I like include:
-Orijen
-Acana
-Innova
-Nature's Logic
-Fromm
-Wellness
-Nature's Variety

Good Luck

-Snick & Viv

Poochieheaven · 11-12-2009, 05:21 PM

It could be the flea dogs. I have heard of dogs that are allergic.

Also depending on where she is itching, she may be allergic to grains.

If taking her off the flea meds doesn't help try switching to a grain free food.

Also if possible try adding a fish oil or coconut oil- both are made for dogs.

Hope that helps!

dwerten · 11-13-2009, 10:38 PM

I have been dealing with allergies for 5 years it runs in this breed. They tend to have poor immune systems from inbreeding. I have spent thousands of dollars going to dermatologist, holistic vets, chinese herbs, raw diets, specialist in blood work, two allergy blood tests and yes I am in about 6-7k on all this so here it goes. I also am on an allergy group on yahoogroups.com called allerdog and read constantly on this topic. Also have bought every animal dermatology book on ebay and read them. So I consider myself to know alot on this topic.

First you need to rule out mites like scabies and demodex so has vet done mite scraping?

Second does your dog bite at back half off dog as that is flea allergy and one flea bite can last up to 3 weeks. I personally do not use flea meds and i live in southern california and btw you live in cali and cali is the worst place to live for allergies as we bloom all year round

Next you need to have a full thyroid panel done to make sure not hypothyroid as that can cause skin issues in dogs and this breed is prone to hypothyroid and yes my dee dee is also hypothyroid and on soloxine. Hypothyroid is all a immune mediated disease - the thyroid panel is t4, t4free, t3, t3free, t4aa,
t3aa- it is a 6 panel test and it should be done by dr jean dodds who we see for all our blood work or michigan state panel as they are the most accurate- Hemopet/Hemolife, HEMOPET a full animal blood bank, Diagnostic Laboratory, Adoption and Consultation has instructions on how your vet can send her the blood to be tested.

Next a food elimination diet and i recommend natural balance fish and sweet potato or venison and sweet potato. This needs to be done for 12 weeks nothing else no treats NOTHING. it has to be a novel protein and carb

dwerten · 11-13-2009, 10:45 PM

90% of allegies are environmental and 10% food so if it is food you are really lucky. So once food allergy has been completed next is it is most likely environmental so here is what you are left with

Next step is a antihistamine trial for 3 weeks with each antihistamine - benedryl,etc. The most successful i have heard of is zyrtec so ask vet about it. Also antihistamines respond better when used with omega 3 and i prefer nordic naturals omega fish oil as it is distilled and no mercury and mercury can make dogs itch and some dogs are allergic to fish oil-- Welcome to Nordic Naturals - fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and allergy dogs get inflamed, red and itchy.

Coconut oil is a natural antibacterial and antifungal to keep yeast and bacteria infections down in the body so this helps allergy dogs

you have to be careful with this breed though as they are prone to pancreatitis and i have dealt with that with my other yorkie and he almost died of it so any fatty acid supplement can while rare trigger the pancreas.

antihistamines many times do not work in dogs so do not be surprised in severe cases where these do not work and benedryl can either amp a dog up or sedate them as it amps my allergy dog so she is bouncing from bed to bed. It has the same affect in humans

Allergy dogs must be bathed weekly and NO OATMEAL SHAMPOOS. Oatmeal is a grain and most allergy dogs are allergic to grains so no grains in food or anything else and your dog is on a grain food with rice. The oatmeal is a grain and it is very drying and many allergy dogs are allergic to it - Mine is. If they get red spots after bath and get red after bath they are allergic to shampoo. I only use hypoallergenic natural shampoos and i really like BLUE hypoallergenic shampoo you get from petco in a blue bottle

dwerten · 11-13-2009, 11:03 PM

I am not a fan of flea meds and here is why

the flea med does not prevent the flea from biting the dog so the allergy dog can still get bit and it only prevents the population of fleas so if you brush your dog daily you should see if there is a flea and you are bathing weekly as well. So putting a chemical on their skin that is already irritated did not sit well with me so i would not use them. If you want to and you have a bad flea area the dermatologist recommends frontline plus

ok so you ruled out thyroid, food, flea and you still have a problem then it is environmental which is 90% of the time anyway BUT even if environmental a allergy dog should be on a limited ingredient diet as to not over tax the system.

Allergents are PROTEINS -flea saliva, pollen, and protein in food

So what can you do with Environmental here are your options

Local raw honey from a farmers market on finger build up tiny amounts on finger daily to build up immunity to the local pollens

Hyposensitization shots from dermatologist by using a blood test and VARL lab is most accurate but blood CANNOT determine food allergy only environmental - skin testing is the most accurate with a dermatologist and you should only pay for these things blood and/or skin if going to do shots. The shots take one year to start working and it works only in 85% of dogs and the reason is your dog could be allergic to 100 things but only 15 things can go in the vile to desensitize your dog so if they do not get those top 15 things right it will not work so it has to be one of the things your dog is most allergic too as well as in the area you live. Some claim it has made their dogs worse but it is the one thing I did not try and sorry i did not as it is the most natural and you should go more natural if you can.

Ok next is Atopica an immune suppressant drug that is safer than steroids but still a drug. It can cause GI upset and may make the dog vomit which it did mine so ideally given on empty stomach but usually have to give with food. It is not cheap will cost about $100 a month depending on how severe your dog is. The bile acids need to be done on yorkies since they have liver issues prior to any drugs i strongly recommend.

If this does not work all you are left with is steroids. The best is temarilp as it has prednisolone and tavist and prednisolone is broken down so less stressful on the liver than prednisone and less side effects than prednisone as i have used both and prednisone my dog looked like a cushings dog and it was horrible but no real symptoms on temarilp and best if doing steroids long term to use steroids every other day NOT every day and it can affect joints and ligaments so dogs with luxating patella on steroids are more prone to acl tears as steroids can deteriorate the joints and tendons.

dwerten · 11-13-2009, 11:08 PM

ok so now I wash everything in perfume and dye free soap - no air fresheners we have laminate floors now and oreck air purification system and hypoallgergenic a/c filters.

Dee Dee also wears turtleneck shirts daily to keep pollens, dust and dander off her and it helps tremendously to keep from getting hot spots, bloody elbows and belly. It protects her. The derm calls it tshirt therapy and it works. I buy them from a lady on ebay -I will post a pic of them.

dwerten · 03-01-2010, 07:06 PM

bumping this info

amaryl1ia · 03-17-2010, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwerten

Dee Dee also wears turtleneck shirts daily to keep pollens, dust and dander off her and it helps tremendously to keep from getting hot spots, bloody elbows and belly. It protects her. The derm calls it tshirt therapy and it works. I buy them from a lady on ebay -I will post a pic of them.

Great idea! Can you share the eBay seller's name or a link?

dwerten · 03-19-2010, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amaryl1ia

Great idea! Can you share the eBay seller's name or a link?

here is her link she can custom make them

eBay Seller: frantzavoca: Pet Supplies items on eBay.com

dwerten · 04-18-2010, 11:13 AM

bumping

Zeus08 · 04-18-2010, 12:11 PM

Wow dwerten! You really posted some great stuff. I always thought the oatmeal shampoos were good for itchy dogs. Thanks for taking the time to post all the info for us who are still learning.

dwerten · 04-18-2010, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeus08

Wow dwerten! You really posted some great stuff. I always thought the oatmeal shampoos were good for itchy dogs. Thanks for taking the time to post all the info for us who are still learning.

yeah i did to

it is so hard to know and each dog is so unique but at least you can see what is and is not working and understand may why it is or why it is not

dwerten · 05-27-2010, 08:07 PM

Bumping for another allergy dog

chestermama · 05-28-2010, 05:28 PM

grizzly salmon oil has helped chester

11-12-2009, 05:21 PM	#18
Poochieheaven Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: River Falls, WI Posts: 677	It could be the flea dogs. I have heard of dogs that are allergic. Also depending on where she is itching, she may be allergic to grains. If taking her off the flea meds doesn't help try switching to a grain free food. Also if possible try adding a fish oil or coconut oil- both are made for dogs. Hope that helps!

11-13-2009, 10:38 PM	#19
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	I have been dealing with allergies for 5 years it runs in this breed. They tend to have poor immune systems from inbreeding. I have spent thousands of dollars going to dermatologist, holistic vets, chinese herbs, raw diets, specialist in blood work, two allergy blood tests and yes I am in about 6-7k on all this so here it goes. I also am on an allergy group on yahoogroups.com called allerdog and read constantly on this topic. Also have bought every animal dermatology book on ebay and read them. So I consider myself to know alot on this topic. First you need to rule out mites like scabies and demodex so has vet done mite scraping? Second does your dog bite at back half off dog as that is flea allergy and one flea bite can last up to 3 weeks. I personally do not use flea meds and i live in southern california and btw you live in cali and cali is the worst place to live for allergies as we bloom all year round Next you need to have a full thyroid panel done to make sure not hypothyroid as that can cause skin issues in dogs and this breed is prone to hypothyroid and yes my dee dee is also hypothyroid and on soloxine. Hypothyroid is all a immune mediated disease - the thyroid panel is t4, t4free, t3, t3free, t4aa, t3aa- it is a 6 panel test and it should be done by dr jean dodds who we see for all our blood work or michigan state panel as they are the most accurate- Hemopet/Hemolife, HEMOPET a full animal blood bank, Diagnostic Laboratory, Adoption and Consultation has instructions on how your vet can send her the blood to be tested. Next a food elimination diet and i recommend natural balance fish and sweet potato or venison and sweet potato. This needs to be done for 12 weeks nothing else no treats NOTHING. it has to be a novel protein and carb

11-13-2009, 10:45 PM	#20
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	90% of allegies are environmental and 10% food so if it is food you are really lucky. So once food allergy has been completed next is it is most likely environmental so here is what you are left with Next step is a antihistamine trial for 3 weeks with each antihistamine - benedryl,etc. The most successful i have heard of is zyrtec so ask vet about it. Also antihistamines respond better when used with omega 3 and i prefer nordic naturals omega fish oil as it is distilled and no mercury and mercury can make dogs itch and some dogs are allergic to fish oil-- Welcome to Nordic Naturals - fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and allergy dogs get inflamed, red and itchy. Coconut oil is a natural antibacterial and antifungal to keep yeast and bacteria infections down in the body so this helps allergy dogs you have to be careful with this breed though as they are prone to pancreatitis and i have dealt with that with my other yorkie and he almost died of it so any fatty acid supplement can while rare trigger the pancreas. antihistamines many times do not work in dogs so do not be surprised in severe cases where these do not work and benedryl can either amp a dog up or sedate them as it amps my allergy dog so she is bouncing from bed to bed. It has the same affect in humans Allergy dogs must be bathed weekly and NO OATMEAL SHAMPOOS. Oatmeal is a grain and most allergy dogs are allergic to grains so no grains in food or anything else and your dog is on a grain food with rice. The oatmeal is a grain and it is very drying and many allergy dogs are allergic to it - Mine is. If they get red spots after bath and get red after bath they are allergic to shampoo. I only use hypoallergenic natural shampoos and i really like BLUE hypoallergenic shampoo you get from petco in a blue bottle

11-13-2009, 11:03 PM	#21
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	I am not a fan of flea meds and here is why the flea med does not prevent the flea from biting the dog so the allergy dog can still get bit and it only prevents the population of fleas so if you brush your dog daily you should see if there is a flea and you are bathing weekly as well. So putting a chemical on their skin that is already irritated did not sit well with me so i would not use them. If you want to and you have a bad flea area the dermatologist recommends frontline plus ok so you ruled out thyroid, food, flea and you still have a problem then it is environmental which is 90% of the time anyway BUT even if environmental a allergy dog should be on a limited ingredient diet as to not over tax the system. Allergents are PROTEINS -flea saliva, pollen, and protein in food So what can you do with Environmental here are your options Local raw honey from a farmers market on finger build up tiny amounts on finger daily to build up immunity to the local pollens Hyposensitization shots from dermatologist by using a blood test and VARL lab is most accurate but blood CANNOT determine food allergy only environmental - skin testing is the most accurate with a dermatologist and you should only pay for these things blood and/or skin if going to do shots. The shots take one year to start working and it works only in 85% of dogs and the reason is your dog could be allergic to 100 things but only 15 things can go in the vile to desensitize your dog so if they do not get those top 15 things right it will not work so it has to be one of the things your dog is most allergic too as well as in the area you live. Some claim it has made their dogs worse but it is the one thing I did not try and sorry i did not as it is the most natural and you should go more natural if you can. Ok next is Atopica an immune suppressant drug that is safer than steroids but still a drug. It can cause GI upset and may make the dog vomit which it did mine so ideally given on empty stomach but usually have to give with food. It is not cheap will cost about $100 a month depending on how severe your dog is. The bile acids need to be done on yorkies since they have liver issues prior to any drugs i strongly recommend. If this does not work all you are left with is steroids. The best is temarilp as it has prednisolone and tavist and prednisolone is broken down so less stressful on the liver than prednisone and less side effects than prednisone as i have used both and prednisone my dog looked like a cushings dog and it was horrible but no real symptoms on temarilp and best if doing steroids long term to use steroids every other day NOT every day and it can affect joints and ligaments so dogs with luxating patella on steroids are more prone to acl tears as steroids can deteriorate the joints and tendons.

03-01-2010, 07:06 PM	#23
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	bumping this info

04-18-2010, 11:13 AM	#26
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	bumping

04-18-2010, 12:11 PM	#27
Zeus08 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Sahuarita, Arizona Posts: 992	Wow dwerten! You really posted some great stuff. I always thought the oatmeal shampoos were good for itchy dogs. Thanks for taking the time to post all the info for us who are still learning.

05-27-2010, 08:07 PM	#29
dwerten BANNED! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 11,073	Bumping for another allergy dog

05-28-2010, 05:28 PM	#30
chestermama YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: washington Posts: 3,383 Blog Entries: 1	grizzly salmon oil has helped chester