stormie

Sounds funny, but what about making him a little pouch for his scrotum to protect it from chafing?

Kavik - ignore what your vet says about antihistamines and give them a try. They've really helped Orbit - took a while to find one that did, but it was worth it. He's on phenergan and gets about 1mg/kg twice a day. We didn't have much luck with the newer non-drowsy ones, but phenergan has helped limit the amount of cortisone he needs. Here's a link of dose rates for you. Would horse meat be an option for you? I got mine from burns pet foods at rouse hill. They will deliver too. You could feed it with sweet potato or normal potato to bulk it up a bit? Agree with what persephone said about washing too. Many of the allergens are also absorbed through the skin as well as inhaled, so a daily rinse can help wash off any pollens etc that might also be causing a problem. The trouble with atopic dogs is that its quite common for them to be allergic to multiple things. Some are lucky and just have food issues, but often there's food and environmental things causing the problem. It makes it hard to diagnose, because while you're doing the elimination diet, they are still reacting to other things so it can be difficult to know whether you're having much success. Another thing to look at trying (which can be hard) is to keep him outside for 2-3 weeks with no access to inside, then do the opposite and keep him inside as much as physically possible, and see whether you notice any difference in him. It might help you to work out whether his problems are primarily pollens, or whether its something inside, like dust mites. Another thing they can react to is storage mites which are commonly found in dry dog food!

Kavik - As a very general rule, food allergies are often the least responsive to cortisone. My derm doesn't recommend using Z/D as an elimination diet as she has had a poor response with it due to the ingredients in it, even though they claim the body can't recognise the meat protein. Maybe pm Zayder_asher - she's gone down a very extensive path with her two and is VERY knowledgeable on the subject. Tomas - the yeast found on dogs skin is not the same type of yeast found in breads etc. It's called malessezia and is simply a species of yeast. Malessezia is present on the skin of healthy dogs, as is staph, but gets out of control when the skin becomes inflamed and irritated - often from scratching. And it is treated with antibiotics - its called ketoconazole. I'm interested to know how you'd test for yeast within the body. This might help:

HIccups are totally normal... enjoy them while they last! I miss puppy hiccups

Everyone is very keen to point out a yeast infection, which may very well be the case, but dogs get yeast infections for a reason - generally secondary to inflamed, itchy skin. Treating the yeast/staph infection might help for the period he's on antibiotics, but it's only going to come back while the skin is inflamed and the dog is still itching. Tomas, I'm sorry, but I disagree with you regarding systemic yeast infections etc. They are in fact VERY rare. To answer your question, I feed Orbit a raw diet based on prey model theory. I have done an elimination diet with him and worked out which foods he is allergic to. I have also had 2 seperate blood tests done testing for environmental factors and both came back with very similar results. Kavik before you go switching to a raw diet etc, I really recommend you do an elimination diet first. There's no point switching to raw if he's still allergic to the meat you are feeding. Do the elimination diet first, then when you know what is safe, you can start feeding that in raw form. I used horse meat for our elimination diet. I got it in Sydney and it's not all that expensive - maybe about $4.00/kg for both the meat and the brisket? Orbit can't have chicken, duck, pork, fish, corn, oatmeal or soy. Lamb is a bit suspect too. Now I feed beef, roo and rabbit when I can. I also know he is allergic to most of the plants/trees in my yard - which makes sense as that's what he is most subjected to. Dust mites are also on the list. But having these results has helped me to manage him much better. I vacuum almost every day, limit him outside, especially on windy days, rinse him after he's rolled in the grass, dry his bedding in the dryer so pollens don't land on them etc etc. I avoid supplements because most have some sort of filler in them that he's allergic to, eg soy, fish oil etc. I do give him a multi vitamin here and there as well as pro biotics, but I'm careful to make sure I know exactly what is in them. He gets antihistamines twice daily too. He's by no means cured and still needs medication, but we're on the right track now. Just be careful - there are tonnes of 'miracle cures' out there on the internet and for about 95% of people, they'll do nothing but send you broke. IMO, you're better of spending your money finding out exactly what he is allergic to and starting on a treatment plan. I also recommend doing it under care of a dermatologist to ensure you are getting the correct information to ensure your chances of success are as high as possible. We are going to start a course of desensitising injections this winter, when pollens are at their lowest and he is at his best - it's not guaranteed but the success rate is high enough for me to want to try.

The 'arthritis' shots are most likely cartrophen. Cartrophen is not a pain killer. Carprofen, ie Rimadyl, is the non steroidal (pain relief).

Kavik I'd probably go see a dermatologist. The flaky smelly skin will most likely be secondary to the inflammation from the allergy. Staph infections can make the skin flaky and smelly too. If your vet is sure its allergies, then the derm should be able to give you answers as to what he's allergic to. Or look at having your vet run one or both of the blood tests - SPOT test and Heska Allercept are most commonly done I believe. Orbit has shocking allergies and when his are really bad, he gets covered in pustules within a day, which then leave the area bald and his skin goes flaky all over. A course of AB's generally helps. I feel your pain. Orbit can't have fish, so fish oil is out. Aloveen is also out as he reacts to that too, as well as the malaseb and pyohex. One medicated shampoo that I have personally found ok is the Rufus and Coco one. He doesn't get itchy with that and it does help to control the infections. His skin is never perfect though and there isn't a whole lot I can do about it really!

I give my old golden retriever (16yo) a cartrophen shot every 6-8weeks now and will do for life. It's quite safe - not all that dissimilar to giving glucosamine.

Do you mean the annual injection when you say 'vaccinating'?

The Rufus & Coco is the only medicated shampoo I can use on orbit that doesn't set him off and make him worse. The malaseb and pyohex dry him out really bad. Aloveen is a no go for us because he has an allergy to oatmeal. Fish oil is out too because he is allergic to fish. I prefer shampoos that contain no plant extracts/oils/scents whatsoever.

I have a question regarding this... someone recently told me that it was a regulation of the companion animals act that boarding dogs be vaccinated with a c5. Is this correct? Because I don't believe they can titre for KC? Hopefully someone can clarify this for me...

Rish - get a referral to a dermatologist for better advice. If you're going to change the diet, do a proper food elimination diet. That is, feed something to the dogs they've never eaten before. ONE thing, ie turkey mince for breakfast and turkey necks for dinner. But it has to be something they've never eaten before. There's no use just switching brands, or feeding raw, if they are still allergic to the food you change them to. Will be pointless and a waste of money. Be careful with supplements too. Omega oils can be great - but what if they are allergic to fish? My dog is, so any oils that use fish oil (and many do) made him worse. Check your yard thoroughly for plants like wandering jew. If you're not sure what some plants are, take a cutting to your local nursery and they'll identify it for you. I'd possibly look into a second opinion. Your vet has told you the dog has eczema, but have they started you on a process to find out WHY? There are many different antihistamines out there and some work better than others for different dogs. You should be trialling all of them to find one that works for you. Your vet should give you information about the antihistamine trial. Cortisone doesn't always shorten the life span. If its managed correctly, they can live out a normal life. We have had a number of dogs who have lived complete full lives on cortisone. It's not ideal, but for those who can't afford to go down the desensitizing injection path, or have poor success with it, its the only option to keep the dog comfortable. The process of finding out the causes of allergies is long. Get professional advice from a skin specialist and start the process now. It will be much easier and less costly if you do it right. I spent a lot of money on all different types of foods, supplements, shampoos etc when Orbit first started showing signs of allergies. It wasn't until I followed specialist advice that I actually saw results. Orbit's an extremely allergic dog and many dogs with allergies are allergic to more than one thing, eg pollens, food etc, so its important to cover all bases to get the best results.

I wouldn't go changing around with food too much just yet, especially not whilst he is still growing. The more foods you feed now, the harder an elimination diet is going to be later on. First things first - check your yard for wandering jew - makes dogs itchy! Next, rule out parasites. A 6 week course of Revolution used every 2 weeks is generally enough to cover fleas and scabies mites. Then if possible, do a 2 week trial of him purely inside, then a 2 week trial of him being outside. This is really hard but it can help you to determine whether the itching is coming from something outside, like pollens, or inside, like dust mites. When you wash his bedding, don't hang it outside to dry cause if it is pollens, they'll get all over the bedding and make him itchy. When he's older and finished most of his growing, you can then do a food elimination diet. So for 12 weeks you can only feed him one novel protein source - something he's never eaten before. Vets often tell you to add a carbohydrate source too - it's not essential, but can help to make it a little cheaper if you feed something like potato or sweet potato into the mix, cutting down on how much meat you need to feed. But again, whatever you feed, it has to be something you've never fed before. Make sure you include muscle meat and rmb's. When you're doing your trials, try to make sure you keep everything else the same, so you know if what you are doing is making a difference or not. A daily rinse in water can help to wash pollens and other allergens off the skin and provide some relief. An antihistamine trial would be a good idea too - speak with your vet re dose rates etc. Generally you start on one and slowly work your way through them until you find one that helps. Unfortunately they don't work as well in dogs as they do in people, but you may still get some relief from them. I'd also recommend a referral to a dermatologist. The sooner you get everything sorted and know exactly what he's allergic to, the sooner you can get started on a treatment plan. Allergies are a pain in the butt and a life long problem, but in many cases, they can be managed and if done so correctly, they can often lead a normal life.

I'm finding it a little disturbing/odd a GSD pup was 900grams at 5-6wks old????

Glad to hear that Millie is doing ok! Bloat scares the bejeebies out of me - I had a gastropexy done on Orbit when he was desexed.

Do you know whether its pituitary dependant or adrenal based?

I haven't had first hand experience with yeast infections, but lots of dogs coming to the boarding kennel are on ear drops due to yeast infections, and a few pups I've sold got nasty ear infections. Plus a former neighbour had a dog whose ears got so infected that it got into the inner ear and she ended out having to do surgery and a long course of followup treatment. 1. You don't say what antibiotics. Are they ear drops? I find that lots of dogs don't respond to ear drops because people don't put them far enough into the ear and don't put enough in. I've sent a few dogs home from kennels with clear ears whose owners put them through many courses of treatment without success. When I showed them how the vet told me to apply drops they were amazed. 2. If you're unsure of your vet, use your nose. Yeast is smelly. 3. Ear infections can be serious . . . do keep on top of it. Personally, I don't think diet greatly affects yeast infections. There may be cases where it does . . . . Is the yeast being treated as well as the antibiotics for the bacteria? The antibiotics are for the yeast. There are many forms of antibiotics - some of which yeast are sensitive to.

Go see a dermatologist to find out exactly what you dog is allergic to. There's no use getting dry food suggestions if your dog has developed an allergy to chicken for example, as chicken is pretty much in everything. You really should do a food elimination diet before you go switching foods. Raw might help, particularly if grains end up being the problem, but could just as easily be pointless if a meat source has become an issue. Generally allergies become worse in dogs as time goes by so it's possible your dog has developed allergies new things - some of which might be a year round issue. With shampoos, I'd avoid anything that is plant based or with plant oils as fragrances etc as you might just be using something the dog is actually allergic to.

It really depends on how the blood is sent and where it goes to, and also which tests you are doing. For example, we use a Sydney based Pathology company who we could send the blood to, and they were then send it over to WA. Our Sydney Lab would charge us more than the WA Labs to make their money, and we would put an increase on that for the blood taking/ handling etc. If we sent it directly to WA is would cost much less! Also another thing to look at is which tests they are doing. One of the titres (can't remember whether its Hepatitis or Distemper) is done overseas, which would bump up the pricing if you selected to have that done. I think most vets would also prefer you had a check-up done at the same time, like you would if you were having a vaccine, so the $200 might include a consult as well.

The only way to rate a dog food IMO, is by how your dog does on it. Just because a website rates something as high, doesn't mean it's going to be better for your dog.

Being overweight increases the risks, so wouldn't have helped the poor little JRT

What's wrong with it? :cool: It smells beautiful and I recently bought two lovely pots of it for my courtyard. I've not heard of this being a common problem for dogs?

The reflex motion would just be because he's so itchy. When Orbit's having a bad day you only need to touch him anywhere and his skin flinches and the leg starts going. Can't pat him on a bad day :cool: I'd be suss on the food and would switch back to Eagle Pack. Check the ingredients of them and see what new meat proteins are in the Artemis - could very well be that! Could also have a contact irritation that has become progressively worse - might just be that he needs a dose of anti-inflamms and anti bio's to get it under control.

There's a fair bit of information out there on skin issues and how they are strongly believed to be genetic. The first thing the dermatologists will tell you when you go there with skin issues it to tell your breeder. What does your breeder recommend? Your bitch has skin issues doesn't she? So there's a very good chance that her pups could have bad skin too. I'm not a breeder, but I would NEVER breed a dog with atopy/skin issues. There is currently some really interesting work being done at the University of Qld to hopefully one day develop a test to look for the gene:

If you're doing a food elimination diet for skin issues, you need to feed something the dog has previously never eaten. Many vets recommend feeding ONE novel meat with a novel carb, but all the carbs do is bulk the food out - not really all that necessary. I'm not sure what you've previously been feeding, but chicken is pretty much in everything, as is rice, so I would look at avoiding both of these with your diet. I did ours using horse meat and was lucky to be able to feed horse meat with horse brisket - providing a reasonable balance of meat and bones. Dermatologists recommend doing the elimination diet for 12 weeks.