zayda_asher

Just to add too, Zayda came home scratching at 7weeks and also had to go through treatment for demodex. She is an a class affection hussy, always has been and always will.. to the point that she is a separation anxiety dog. Both my guys, when they are unwell with the allergies, also prefer to be near us, maybe not touching if they are uncomfortable (although sometimes they will want to be right on top of you), but close and take comfort from us being there.

Thanks for responding Trust wasn't something I had thought of when I was initially posting, more of the affection bond humans have with dogs. Yeah, that's the distinction exactly! The bond was always there for us, it's just that we had to develop the trust that the things we needed to do would not be painful experiences.

I'd be happy to discuss it with you further if you need people, so feel free to drop me a line... Short answer is no, I actually think I bonded more with my dogs because of the extra care and attention that I had to put into them. With Asher, he actually has very bad contact allergies which burnt his skin, so he became very wary of being approached, particularly when you were holding things like bottles or other medication type applicators... We had to put in a lot of very hard work on behaviour mod so that he was happy to be approached, touched, examined, bathed, ears cleaned etc. Maybe because I had already been through allergies once this development didn't effect how I felt about him. Don't get me wrong, it was traumatic and my heart broke for this poor dog who was so terrified, but we worked through it together and had a fabulous bond develop. Now he is happy, loving and easy to examine etc. and we are really proud of his achievements. Both my dogs have ADD type reactions to some of their allergens and this certainly meant we had BAD training days, but over all it was not an issue. Despite this training with Asher was fun and relatively easy, he's a brainy one, so the "training spats" I had with him were more about him figuring out things I would've rather he didn't! Zayda is my heart dog, so Asher I now call my soul dog, I just can't imagine that the bond I have with these guys would be as strong if we hadn't been through all we've been through together.

Hey... I actually asked about this when we had Zayda re-tested.... What you need to do is get the dog under control and then test to see if they have a contact reaction. Just because they react to the pollens (inhalant) or proteins (orally) doesn't mean they will react through contact. Zayda came up atopic to oats, but we use Episoothe no problems... However, Asher responds both atopically and contact to tea tree, as does another friend's Staffy to oats. So you have to test and see! ETA: you want to look for immediate reaction after contact; so discomfort, redness, itching etc. With the contact reactions my guys have had they have normally been a very quick response. Asher also finds the things he contact reacts to quite distressing smell wise as well, but he could just have a sensitive nose.

Ha! What are weekends? Not sure they happen here... Let us know how you go with the injections when they start... are you going to do them at home? Make sure you find little things to reward yourself with whilst you are quitting... positive reinforcement will help you get through

The hives were the new symptom that signaled the need to retest for us... so Zayda had never had them up until that point either... It was bloody frightening the first time she had them, and they progressively got worse and more uncomfortable for her... really awful! The scratching / chewing / infections were bad enough So glad to have them under control for now... Yesssss, Our Derm jokes that I have a honorary Derm nursing qual... She was shocked when I ID'ed a case of Pemphigus that went out as we came in... you just learn stuff... info I never wanted to know and wish I didn't need to!! Ah right, well at least you have a smaller list for the "biggies", I hope it stays that way for you... Good luck with quitting... and happy birthday! Has he started the injections yet? Are you only desensitising for the list you posted, or are you doing the moderate ones too?

Thanks FTPO... since diagnosis of new allergies and getting Zayda up to full strength on her new ASIT we've had no move painful hives (which you'll read about in the other thread)... so it's all going well... now we just have to get through this new elimination diet! So keep fingers and paws crossed that we find nothing new there Stats may have changed in recent years, but I know when we were first researching it with Zayda a few years ago, they showed that 75% of dogs see some level of improvement... so that's not bad really... obviously that still leaves 25% that see little or no improvement, but definitely worth the shot! Good luck with it.. when do you start? Good to see that you aren't dealing with a whole host of allergies either... no food or insect ones? lucky!

One of my dogs sensitised to his injections and started reacting to them, so he is no longer on them. They worked well for him though, until he started reacting to them. My other dog, her ASIT is what holds her together... She was recently retested and has developed a bunch more allergies... and we are using ASIT for them, with the same success as her previous one (she has three vials - now that's expensive!). We don't use any steriods or atopica with her, just the ASIT and antihistamines (and a routine of topical treatments, baths, resichlor if she has issues, etc.). Both Asher and Zayda's allergy lists are in this thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...ayda+asher+here And you can see Zayda's old compared to her new, because we were doing her retesting at the time of this thread... Fortunately so far on the elimination diet there are no new allergies, I think it's all the atopy - fingers crossed. We'll be doing the elimination diet for a while though, to assess everything. As Sas said, works well for some, not so well for others... you have to try it and see... ETA: It's worth giving it an extended trial too... I know our Derms say a year and then you can assess if it is making a difference...

I remember them saying on list a while ago that dry foods often have a higher calcium content than the recommendations... there was a reason, but I can't remember it... so you should be able to get such info ETA: if you can't get your hands on those Monica Segal books and want to have a look, drop me a PM as I have them both...

Yep, MS book Optimal Nutrition would probably be your best bet: http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DN246 It's the newer one... K9 Kitchen also has some analysis of bones in it, it doesn't seem to be on dogwise any more though. She had the analysis of the bones done so that she knew the nutrient break down for formulating diets...

I popped and old tank top on Zayda and tied a knot in the back when we had her done years ago.. she got a bad yeast infection and was very itchy and we couldn't bath her because of the stitches... Works well if your dog freaks with the collar :rolleyes:

Thanks Zayda is a bit of a scaredy dog and doesn't like the Elizabethan collars... She's been good with her stitches, and I'll just dress it when I'm not here, in case it bugs her (I work from home, so am only out to see clients). Weird your vet didn't mention the collars with the op :rolleyes:

Yeah, I'm not too worried about her mouth, but she also has stitches in her side where she had a lump removed... She tuckered out by the end of the day and got a bit woosy in the evening again, so maybe still getting rid of the drugs, or a bit of pain (or both)... she's back up again today so nothing to worry about... I just have too keep her side in good condition now... stop her licking, as she gets itchy with the shaved fur and this aggravates her allergies... so she's been a bit licky, but easy to stop.

Just thought I would post this info on "systemic yeast" from Monica Segal (it's from her news letter, link at bottom)... it's well worth reading: http://www.monicasegal.com/newsletters/200...?products_id=72

Went for a walk round the block last night to get her to toilet... and she wanted to keep going! This morning she is all back to bouncy normal... wanted to play with Asher (which we had to be careful of for her stitches in her side) and had a game of fetch with Glen... Yay!

Hey, you asked to see them! They aren't pretty pics though hey, not her normal glamour self! lol Yeah, deep holes... no wonder it hurts hey?

These show the gum flap and bone / space where the tooth was removed: These are the tooth / roots: And this is the gum stitched up: A big to my wonderful vet and his team for taking such good care of Zayda!

Yeah, I'm pretty tired... I'm a light sleeper any way, but am in full "mum awake at the slightest noise" mode when the kids are sick: she retched the first time and I literally sat bolt upright in bed, swinging my legs over to get up and look at her as I woke up! Amazing how quick you can move when you aren't even conscious yet! They did warn us that she may cough: So it could've been that, or she does get a funny tummy with her allergies, and nausea when coming out of an anesthetic isn't uncommon either. So, I would say it is a big coincidence with Asher, as you would've seen it much sooner if it was related No cough or retch since eating this morning and getting her meds though, so hopefully that's it. Oh, well that is good to know Yeah, and she's just come up another level of alertness: outside on her bed now with enough energy to scare off any flies that come near Still a bit wobbly on feet though, which is at the "cute" stage now Good to hear! Yeah, we were told 7 days, but I wasn't sure about bones, as they are harder than the kibble most dogs eat, so I'll ask when we are back for our check up. If I did that, she'd be back on normal food already! I woke up from having all 4 out and was so hungry (hey, you wouldn't let me eat people!) I ate two rounds of sandwiches on my front teeth like a rabbit! I was eating curried peanuts in the week following Mind you, I did have my stitches start to fall out early, so I wouldn't recommend that Cool... I'll put them up in another post, so anyone who is squeamish: DON'T LOOK!! I have to do all the gory stuff here - Glen takes after his dad and other people's blood makes him ill. No Drs or Vets there, that's for sure!

Oh and I have pics of the op too, that they took to show me what they had to do... so if you are interested I can post them, but they're a bit gruesome if you have a weak tummy for things like that... My OH was grossed out! Oh and I got her tooth too!

Thanks! How's Asher going now? How long has it been? Is he back on his normal diet now?

Here's an update on the rest of the night / morning (this is cut and paste from e-mail to my vet, with some extra explanation): At about 3:00am she woke me up retching and gagging, but she didn't actually throw up. She had another episode about an half hour to hour later and then slept through until about 7:30am. She did have a little retching / coughing this morning, but ate well (another small meal) and took all her meds without issue. Since then we have not had any retching. We didn't give her the tramadol [but she is on rymadil & antibiotics, tramadol was in case she was really bad still today and only give as needed] as, apart from the retching, she was quite sprightly this morning, no crying [she was last night], moving well and ate without appearing to be in pain. She still seems fine without, so I don't think we will have to use it. She even had a big roll around on her back this morning, and I'm sure she wouldn't have done so if it was painful or uncomfortable. The dressing [on the lump she also had removed] had crunched up on itself by this morning, so I removed the last bit that was stuck on. I'll use the other dressing so we can wash her today [water proof dressing] and relieve some of the itching [allergies have been bad this week]. She has investigated the area, and had a small lick, but was very easy to stop her. I think it may be itchy where she has been shaved. We have some normal sterile, gauze dressings, so I can use those on the wound if I need to cover it. If we need to bath her again before the stitches come out, I'll grab some water proof dressings. She hasn't gone to toilet yet, so I'm keeping an eye on that. She's taken in fluids though, as part of her meals has been venison broth [she's on venison / donkey / potato elimination diet]. I haven't seen her drink, but I'm not worried as she's been eating the broth and isn't normally a big drinker anyway. On the whole, she's still sleepy, but much more like her normal self.

haha! Thanks, I am enjoying a glass of red now! Quick update... She just made a monumental effort and staggered down to the kitchen to eat. It was like her appetite all of a sudden caught up with her. She snapped awake, staggered down, ate (and ate well, no hassles at all), and then she stood there and cried a bit like she didn't know what to do, so I guided her back down and she flopped down and went back to sleep. Good that she's eaten. I'm sure we'll all be better in the morning, will let you know.

Well Zayda is back home now... tooth came out fine. Pre-op blood screen was perfect, so that's great too. She also had a small cyst removed, and that all went fine too. Poor thing didn't come out of the anesthetic well though, and she's doped up on pain killers... she's such a bright, bouncy dog normally, so it's sad to see her so yuck. Poor little mite is crashed out in her beanie at the moment, didn't want to eat or slurp some broth yet, so hopefully in the morning.

Blood tests should NOT be used for food allergies, not reliable at all. Elimination diet is the only way to test for adverse food reactions. Bloods only pick up certain responses, if used it should be done in conjunction with intradermal testing. As everyone else has said, get to the Dermatologists. Mandy and Sharon down at Murdoch are wonderful, very helpful, caring and knowledgeable. Nice thing about seeing Derms is that they are in the know and can tell you if it looks like you need to even do elimination diet. Asher we never did elimination with, as his symptoms and intradermal test results strongly suggested that her was totally atopic / contact and not food related. Where as Zayda we are now doing her second elimination diet with to see if she has developed any new adverse food reactions. We've had great success with one dog here with the immunotherapy, our other dog became sensitised to them and we had to stop, fortunately he does well without them. Zayda, for whom they have worked, is terrible without them. Lots of info in this thread here: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...ayda+asher+here ETA: Insects can be reaction to bite, contact or inhaled particles. Bees are not tested for, excepting through a specific test and aren't normally tested for unless really needed to.

Aw, thanks! Watching them come out of sedation is always crap... at least she copes well... my Asher is not very good with sedation drugs at all, and it's always a stress. Not sure what I will be feeding her as we are having to redo her elimination diet for allergies at the moment, so she is on a limited diet... I think we will leave her on her "safe" diet (which is venison and donkey) rather than test something else and risk her being itchy as well as sore!!