Visit to Florida 2 - my daughter;s pets

TammyJamaica · #1 (**permalink**) 09-05-2010, 12:22 PM

The English Bulldog pup is called Smudge and he is adorable. Then there is Spaz, not sure what she is, Beetlejuice the cat and my friend;s old Cairn Terrier Captain.
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Ophiophilia · #2 (**permalink**) 09-06-2010, 07:01 PM

D'awww I LOVE Bulldogs! Cute pics

Keri · #3 (**permalink**) 09-06-2010, 07:03 PM

very cute

Why is the cairn wearing the "cone of shame"?

TammyJamaica · #4 (**permalink**) 09-06-2010, 10:15 PM

He is very old and has a TON of issues and is on loads of medication, special diet, yogurt, etc. He has to be stopped from biting at his skin because it itches, hence the "cone of shame". Poor little fellow. But he is very much loved and cared for.

Keri · #5 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 03:14 AM

Aww, yeah, I have a dog with food and environmental allergies as well, it's a constant batte with his skin.

TammyJamaica · #6 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 08:09 PM

put a picture of your dog right in this thread.

Keri · #7 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TammyJamaica

put a picture of your dog right in this thread.

Ok

This is Chaos... on a good day

On a bad day he is litterally pink and covered in rashes. He is "managed" with at least weekly bathings with special shampoos, a skin support diet, antibiotics and anitifungals in pulse-therapy, antihistamines and steroids as a last resort. I have also been using desensitization shots on him for a couple of years now, they have helped. I've had him allergy tested and he is allergic to things like cedar (I live in BC, there is a 70 food giant cedar in the middle of our yard and the perimeter is surrounded by them) several types of grass, dust, mold, (BC is so humid it's everywhere) several types of seasonal pollen and even a little bit to our cats. I think he would do a lot better in a place like Arizona but that's a little bit more of a move than I am prepared to do lol...

He is an American Bulldog, born in Louisianna.

Sliding Scales · #8 (**permalink**) 09-08-2010, 12:10 AM

I love the last picture! It reminds me of this picture of a dog I owned a long time ago.. She was a Jack Russel Terrier.

TammyJamaica · #9 (**permalink**) 09-10-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keri

Ok

This is Chaos... on a good day

On a bad day he is litterally pink and covered in rashes. He is "managed" with at least weekly bathings with special shampoos, a skin support diet, antibiotics and anitifungals in pulse-therapy, antihistamines and steroids as a last resort. I have also been using desensitization shots on him for a couple of years now, they have helped. I've had him allergy tested and he is allergic to things like cedar (I live in BC, there is a 70 food giant cedar in the middle of our yard and the perimeter is surrounded by them) several types of grass, dust, mold, (BC is so humid it's everywhere) several types of seasonal pollen and even a little bit to our cats. I think he would do a lot better in a place like Arizona but that's a little bit more of a move than I am prepared to do lol...

He is an American Bulldog, born in Louisianna.

He is lovely! Makes up for all the problems!!!

Ophiophilia · #10 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keri

Ok

This is Chaos... on a good day

On a bad day he is litterally pink and covered in rashes. He is "managed" with at least weekly bathings with special shampoos, a skin support diet, antibiotics and anitifungals in pulse-therapy, antihistamines and steroids as a last resort. I have also been using desensitization shots on him for a couple of years now, they have helped. I've had him allergy tested and he is allergic to things like cedar (I live in BC, there is a 70 food giant cedar in the middle of our yard and the perimeter is surrounded by them) several types of grass, dust, mold, (BC is so humid it's everywhere) several types of seasonal pollen and even a little bit to our cats. I think he would do a lot better in a place like Arizona but that's a little bit more of a move than I am prepared to do lol...
[IMG]cute doggie[/IMG]
He is an American Bulldog, born in Louisianna.

He's adorable. I love Am. Bulls.

What are his food allergies and what diet is he on?

Keri · #11 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ophiophilia

He's adorable. I love Am. Bulls.
What are his food allergies and what diet is he on?

He can't have chicken or there is a blow out. (Chicken meat he can't have, chicken fat he can) Beef is questionable as it seems to make him itch a lot worse. I've had luck with straight fish or duck, doesn't seem to affect him, which is nice, he can have it as a treat. He's on Royal Canin Skin Support. I know you feed raw and I politely decline to go that route, it's not for me. I've been to the plant where his food is made, it's very clean and the ingredients are ones I trust.
He was on a hydrolyzed protein diet for the last couple of years and that was working well but I wanted the added benefits of more omega 3's, vitamin c and aloe to help his skin heal when he does get a hotspot and this diet is fish and rice based, he can have those ingredients.
I really wish there was a simple fix for his skin but there isn't

There is a drug called Atopica (Cyclosporin A) that would probably help a lot with the environmental allergies but it is $3-400 a month, every month, at my cost as it goes by weight, I just can't afford that so we try other things. It really is too bad he wasn't little like my other dog, then his atopica would only cost about $350-$100 a month! lol

Ophiophilia · #12 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010, 10:13 PM

Though you don't want to go raw, I was going to suggest that there are some dogs that are allergic to cooked chicken and beef and not their raw counterpart.

But also I've heard of a lot of success on the Orijen "6 fish" dog food.

Orijen Website - "6 Fish"

I know how it feels to have a dog with allergies and constant itchies. We're caring for a sheltie at the moment who has ear itchies and he constantly chews his toes. The vets had him on a prescription diet which has almost the same ingredients (if not worse) as the Royal Canin skin support. This food has done nothing but make him worse and has not helped one bit. We put him on Orijen because darned prescription diet seemed to be doing a lot more harm than good. His itchy ears were A LOT less itchy on Orijen and I haven't seen him make his paws go red in a while.

I also wanted to add this from Dog Food Analysis.com:

It rates the Royal Canin as 2 stars out of 6 and explains why.

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet canine Skin Support SS 21 - REVIEW I'm only assuming this is the product you've been prescribed. I'm sorry if it's not. I just noticed it's lack of beef and/or chicken and the use of fish.

Champion Pet Foods Orijen Six Fish - REVIEW

I ho'd and hum'd for a long while before I decided to go against vet orders but it was honestly the best thing we did for the Sheltie.

I hope you're not offended by my questioning of your feeding, it's not my intention. I only speak from one dog owner to another and through my personal experience and research to help the animals we both love. I'm also definitely not implying that you're not taking good enough care of your dog either. I really hope I haven't offended you.

AND SORRY TAMMY! I hi-jacked your thread ): Please forgive me.

Keri · #13 (**permalink**) 09-14-2010, 08:16 PM

I'm not offended and I appreciate the time you took to type it out. While I don't wholeheartedly agree with some of the content on that website (namely some of the holistic blends containing mystery substances such as "life source bits" gaining even a 4 star rating) I have considered the Orijen 6-fish in the past and am teetering on the edge or ordering it now... it's just so frustrating trying new food with him as he so rarely does well. I'm going on holidays on thursday and when I come back I may pick some up and transition him over. I have never tried an entirely grain-free food on him.

I like the ingredients listed but am wary of how much long-term testing has gone into the product, just because something passes a 6-week trial without killing the dog doesn't necessarily mean it is a good product lol Orijen seems to be a trusted name with good ingredients but then again, around here so is Innova and I know of several dogs (and cats!) who have developed bladder stones on this food. I guess when you work in the vets and you see all the bad stuff that can happen you get a little paranoid!

Hmmm... sorry to hijack your thread Tammy

TammyJamaica · #14 (**permalink**) 09-14-2010, 08:31 PM

It is NOT hijacked at all, guys!!!

In fact it is coming along very nicely, because I have found some interesting and perhaps helpful stuff to pass on to my friend with poor little Captain and all his problems. He is always biting his paws too and that is why he has to wear the cone.

I am going to mention the Origen thing to her and see if she has heard of it.

Can food allergies in dogs cause mange???? I have a dog that's a shepherd rotty mix that has constant problems keeping mange at bay. We bathe him every week using aloe shampoo, and then Triatix as the vet recommended, but it keeps coming back and it's a constant battle. I am wondering if his food has anything to do with it as well. Any dry dog food gives him the squirts, he seems to do well on boiled chicken, beef and rice.

Keri · #15 (**permalink**) 09-14-2010, 08:50 PM

Food allergies cannot cause mange, but may cause mange-like symptoms.
Has the mange been diagnosed microscopically by a vet? Mange is caused by a microscopic mite (demodex or sarcoptes) living in the skin, and a vet usually does a skin scrape to diagnose. Mange is a tough one to treat if it becomes chronic and widespread, how long has it been going on for?
I am not fammiliar with "triatrix" (can you tell me the active ingredient?) as it may not be a product commonly used in Canada. Usually here we use ivomec (carefully as there can be side effects) and have recently started using mitaban washes following a follicle-opening shampoo (Dermabens). There are reports of Advantage Multi having some efficacy against localized demodex infections but I think your case may be beyond that now?

edit: My advice in no way should be taken over that of your vet as I am not a vet but I'm here to brainstorm new ideas

Ophiophilia · #16 (**permalink**) 09-14-2010, 09:41 PM

I've heard about kidney and bladder problems on high protein diets but I believe it has to do with the amount of fluid they're receiving with the food. Generally the high quality, high protein foods try to mimic a raw diet but the difference is that the raw is like... 70% (I think) water and many animals don't drink enough water. We feed our orijen with water mixed in to be on the safe side.

Anyway, good luck with the little guy. I hope you do find something that works for him

And Tammy, I unfortunately don't know much about mange (yet!) but I think Keri said it all.

TammyJamaica · #17 (**permalink**) 09-15-2010, 06:46 PM

Thanks guys.

Taihque (pronounced simply "Tike") was diagnosed by our vet as having sarcoptic mange several years ago. He is now ten years old. From we got him as a puppy, we began noticing the skin around his eyes losing hair. The vet said it is allergies. Then the continuous battle began.

We just have to keep trying with him. He is a happy (much as he can be with his condition, I guess) friendly dog with us, and nice to our friends, but is a fearsome watchdog indeed and will not tolerate anyone strange trying to come "over the fence" into our yard.

He is a mixture of: father - Belgian/German Shepherd mix; mother: Rottweiler. He is fully black, and lanky. Gains and/or loses weight spasmodically.

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