zayda_asher

Hiya! Just thought I'd check back in and see if there is an update on the little fella Hope things are going well for you all! Dan

Ok, what I'm gonna get you to do is search on my name "zayda_asher" and allergy in this health forum and you should get reams of old postings from me on allergies. I have two dogs with chroninc allergies so I've put a lot of info out there. Can't write it all again atm as I have some RSI problems. Ok at that age it could just be "Puppy Staph" dogs do sometimes get staph over growths when they are young and they are treated and go away. However, she could be developing allergies. There are different types of allergy, from most to least common: Atopic (air born) insect (flea, bee etc) food contact Mine have all of the above between them - yipee!! She could well be developing allergies to anything you have or are using with her or anything around. You don't have to have changed anything: allergies develop to what we are exposed to, not just majically appear when we use a new product. Do a search of the forum for my other posts, google "dog allergy symptoms" and have a read. Then if you have any questions feel free to ask, via the board or PM if you wish Also if it is allergies we need to remember that there is a genetic component to this as it is a form of immune system disease. This should mean that a dog with true allergies is not used within a breeding program. Cheers, Dan PS: Just to add, you should find my info if you do a search on having your dogs tested for allergies. But it is important to note that this sort of illness is the realm of specialists, i.e.: dermatologists. A lot of GP vets misdiagnose allergic reaction so if you think your dog does fit the symptoms, or continues to develop a symptom pattern that fits (as she is young and may not be displaying a full symptom pattern yet) then ask for a referral to a Derm if one is not forth coming. You can test and find out exactly what you dog is allergic to this way, much easier to deal with. And, as others have pointed out, our bullies are rather prone to allergies Good luck.

Remember we are all thinking of you... take care and treasure your memories. Lots of love and hugs DanXXOO

Ok - lol! That's actually a big question... I have two dogs with severe allergies... I've been going through the whole allergy deal for the last 4.5 years! What I actually meant is that my girl's reactions to bees and wasps got worse this year and we went through the whole "do we get an epi pen? etc." Ok here's a list of my dogs allergies just so you can see: Zayda: Food: Beef Lamb Corn Tuna Sardines and an intolerance for eggs Atopic: Alternaria mould Insect: Wasps Bees Asher: Atopic: 1) Dandelion 2) Melaleuca 3) Fleas 4) cocksfoot grass 5) Johnson grass 6) Yellow dock weed 7) Deer Flys 8) Dust mites 9) Fodder mites Contact: Proplyene glycol (used in shampoos, ear cleaners, spot ons, vaccinations, semi-moist foods) Sensitivities: Many chemicals and preservatives There are different ways to test for each thing: food allergies are done through elimination diet, atopic (air born) and insect through intradermal testing and contact through a patch test (applying the stuff to the skin and seeing if it causes reaction). There is also a new blood test that is much more effective than the old blood test, currently you have to send the blood to the states for testing... If any of these things are needed / appropriate a referal to a dermatologist should be arranged Depending what the dog is allergic to there are a whole range of complimentary and standard medical therapies that are available. Dan

They certainly are an option for dogs if they are really allergic and the reactions are or become more serious. They can test the dog to see if it is a true allergy to Bees / wasps etc. I went through all this earlier this year.... Dan

LOL - my reputation keeps catching up with me! I made it here eventually How did your guys go with the Keri oil?? Dan

Being a Staffy I'd say there's a high chance she has allergies.... Find a vet that will give you a referal to a dermatologist to get her tested... Also google "Allergies, dogs, symptoms" and see if any of it sounds like her... I'm so lucky I have two bloody allergic dogs Unfortunately its common with the Bull breeds... There's a lot you can do, but unless you know what they are allergic too you will always just be trying to play catch up! Good luck! Dan

Big hugs guys... we're still keeping you in our thoughts here.... Dan XXOO

If you are worried about it then I am sure you will be fine... How do I figure that? Its the people that worry about things like this that go out and keep learning for themselves, continue to keep up with education and don't think they already know everything straight out of uni! Good attitude to have! Good luck! Dan

No problems... As Noisy said it takes a bit to get used to written "conversation" and its something we are all passionate about! Dan

I think you will find all of us on here share those concerns and that is why all of us who said it could be something said exactly that: "It could be", "It sounds like"... no one said "Oh its definitely this!" There's a big difference Noisy, I'm glad that things seem to be going well with the new vet... Good vets are like gold! Dan

Cool... its good for our skin too... I love the smell!! That's good too.. now you can start adding some other meats and stuff... you could even make your own veg glop! :rolleyes: Dan

yeah... its a bit like that isn't it?! Here, try this one.. it has a pic: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_histiocytoma.html Have to say though, my girl has one, but its never done all the ulceration or loosing fur business that is "normal"... but, hey, my girl ain't that normal... Dan

wouldn't surprise me at all!! Corn is evil stuff... If the "Allergy Fairy" showed up on my door step tomorrow and said I could get rid of one of Zayda's allergies and one only then it would be the corn. It just rips through her system, totally destroys her digestive system and her immune system just falls apart... Hate the stuff Dan

Well that is a pretty definite answer going there!! Yuck!! The food allergies just kill their system :cool: Nope there isn't a lot of difference and a lot of the breeders I know don't feed puppy kibble anyway... He should be fine! Good luck... you will probably find it is a combo... but you may get lucky! I will cross fingers for you that its only one thing! Remember to test him for any other things he has had as treats (e.g.: beef if he's had beef liver treats etc.) The Z/D sucks.... We thought Zayda was never going to fill and develop until we got her off that! I get a *little* annoyed when advice is offered without understanding of an issue Yep, I know a few dogs that have very chronic reactions to oatmeal... "Hypoallergenic" is a marketing ploy and / or a sign that they really don't understand what they are talking about. Its hard Maybe if you guys find it too hard then you can get your vet nurse to do it for you? Good luck... Dan

Sounds like it could be a histiocytoma (NOT to be confused with a histiosarcoma!!). Needle Aspiration would tell you for sure... Dan

LOL - bug away... its been nice talking Dan

Yep! The original is great for dogs / people with problems as it has nothing else in it! Really good... If you put it on your hands it leaves a coat for a little while and then sinks right in! Doesn't leave you gunky at all... Good stuff! ETA: Forgot to say most good chemists will sell Keri oil Good stuff!!! Dan

If you rinse them when they've been swimming you could rub the Keri oil through their coats then... Dan

That's the other thing I was going to suggest! Keri oil is really good for their skin too... I rub it straight into the patches, but you can put it in their bath water too... Dan

Glad it helped... Good luck with them Dan

good luck Ern.... Dan

Yep, Whole chicken carcases! We cut them up and freeze them in portions with the meat. I feed all RMB frozen, my guys love it as it gives them something to really chew... If you do this though, watch them and make sure they don't still try to gulp the whole thing if that is what they're used to! Should slow them down though... Mine get meat (including tinned fish), veg glop, liver paste and yoghurt for brekkie and then RMB (the frame with extra meat) for dinner. On training days they get no brekkie before training and a large piece of frozen roo tail when we get home. Then they get their normal brekkie for dinner... I find it easier to give them a blend of everything daily. A lot of dogs don't particularly like raw offal either, so blending it as a paste and mixing it with the other stuff helps that... Also feeding a large amount of offal in one go can give the runs! And offal should be about 5-10% of the diet too, so once a fortnight might not be enough either... Well we tend to go with what we are told until we start learning more You certainly need to give them more varety in meat if that is all they are getting though... they wont be getting all the vits, minerals and other things they need from just beef and chicken! Oh, I forgot mine get turkey and duck too. Oh and rabbit. There is so much out there that is confusing and conflicting!! I really recommend Carina's book when people are confused as its very simple and straight forward and you can build on more complicated stuff from the good ground work there as you learn more! Glad it helped / made sense (not something I always do I think )! Cheers, Dan

oh and try for a variety of meat sources... If they can eat beef and lamb then that's good. My girl can't so mine get: horse, donkey, roo, chicken, pork, goat and sometimes camel. And mackeral and salmon (tinned). And offal... are they getting some sort of offal? Dan

Nope, that was me... and it was another forum This one is a yahoo group and is very chatty and laid back... no nazis The actual bone portion of their RMB should be about 10%. Here's how I do mine: Raw Meaty Bones 35% (I get frames and cut them to 10% size portions and add meat to them and feed daily. Except after training on Sundays when they get a huge frozen chunk of Roo tail to munch on) Meat 45% Offal 5% Veggie 10% Treats 5% I work it out on how much each dog needs to eat on a percentage of their body weight. They probably are getting enough bone given how many you are giving them and how boney chicken necks are... But personally I'd rather give them a bit of bone each day... like I said what works for you... The Marrow bones are not a good idea... they are big, hard bones and will take a lot to digest and will cause constipation which is what happened with Eddie. Try things like ribs and chicken pieces. If you find they gulp then freezing them can help slow them down. Try not to feed weight baring bones to dogs like staffies cos the buggers will chew them and get themselves constipated, and they are really hard on their teeth! Sometimes when they're getting used to the bone they will hork a bit... a digestive enzyme and probitotic can help the gut learn to cope and digest the bone. Cool, lucky for you as the blended ones are cheaper!! :p Could be... good luck with the limited slips. These are the ones I use: Handcraft collars They're good as they only need a very light correction and the little buggers can't back out of them! No problems!! Glad to help Dan