zayda_asher

Sulphur dioxide is used in human foods too, its a common preservative... Check out things like hams next time you buy one. Dan

Definitely check first, I'm not sure if they have any info on allergies and EPO. Hopefully you can work something out Well I am glad you are not having to do the up the nose thing!! Hmmm, interesting, from memory Z/D doesn't actually have much in it either (we had Zayda on it young too)... very hard for most dogs to put weight on with it. Zayda maxed out at 18 kilos until we could get her off the z/d, then she filled to her adult weight of 24 kilos - big difference! In the long term raw feeding or home cooked does make it easier with allergies, and once you have learnt nutrition is quite easy to manage. Check out Carina McDonald's Raw Dog Food. I can Also send you the link to her Yahoo group if you want. I know there is also a good home cooked yahoo group, which I could find out the name of for you. Yup, it can do! Tricky for us that have dogs that manifest allergies so young... Zayda was about 4-5 months when we started the elimination diet and we waited until after 6 months and gave her the time to get over her spey surgery before we did the intradermal skin testing. That would be A & D Pet Foods out at midvale? I've got to go and get some camel again! Oxford Pet Supplies (414 Oxford St, Mt Hawthorn 9444 1220) sells goat and horse, I think you are North so that should be easier. Check with Sharon, but maybe you could use the horse or goat for treats and save the roo for the elimination diet. Here's Zayda when she was on the Z/D (bottom thumbnail photos)... See how skinny she was Zayda also had generalised Demodex, and that combined with the allergies meant she lost a lot of fur, which grew back in white... The other two photos show the yeast infection on her chin and the patch on her head where she constantly scratched. It was winter, and she would get very cold as she was missing so much fur... Good luck Dan Here's Zayda Now for comparison (you can still see the white regrowth on her tail and thighs):

Yep, Sharon is great!! The craisins work well and I am sure you could chop up dried apple as well... Another alternative is to get whatever meat you will be feeding as the novel protien: if its mince roll it into little balls and cook in the microwave, they go like meat balls and you just pull apart as you use. If it is in a steak form just boil it lightly til just cooked through and chop up... these are excellent treats, they love them! Well Evening primrose is good for all the omega oils, and it is meant to be good for some skin itchies (my dogs don't seem to respond, but I know people who have had success with it) so I'd check with Sharon first, but that may be an option. Olive oil will keep the coat shiny, but wont help with the omegas. Avoid flax, many dogs get the itchies from it. The throwing up sucks! It could quite possibly be the same for Rex. Ah, we are on Bactroban atm too! Are you using the one you put in the mucus cavities (nose / mouth)? You could also try Pau D'Arco, its a "herbal antibiotic". I do first day 2 tabs morning and evening and then second day one tab morning. That has really worked for Asher with his Staph infections (until we had a really bad run recently...)... Feel free to PM me if you want too... We are around the same area by the sounds of it, so if you are looking for treats etc. I might know some places that are good... Balcatta city farmers are normally good at ordering stuff too... Dan

Ah, probably because he hasn't had them then, we fed veg so we had to test all of them and legumes are common allergens if exposed... The corn is a killer though.... My girl is allergic to it ;) Try getting a pack of crainsins they are not to expensive and the dogs love them... look in the section where they have the dried fruits for cakes and stuff... Dan I forgot to say: May girl has throwing up episodes that seem to be related to her allergies. The corn allergy and her mould spore allergy make her hediously motion sick in the car and there are times where she just seems to digest badly and get the hurls when she is having a bad reaction....

You have to be very careful with vegetables!!! Corn, legumes (peas / beans), potato and grains are all tops on the allergies list for suspects... Any veg they have eaten in the past they cannot eat as they will need to be tested on it. Run veg ideas past your dermatologist for clearance. Dan

I am so glad you got to see the Derms! Sharon is our derm too, she's wonderful isn't she? A lot of dogs like apple, anything nice and sweet... some like dried fruit like apricots. Mine love crainsins (dried cranberries). Becareful of grapes / sultanas /raisins as some dogs have a toxic reaction to these. I'm not surprised he has the infection from the scratching... The Epi Soothe is really good and I'd say the lotion is the resichlor which I find bloody brilliant!! What is the infection? Yeast or Staph I would imagine... let me know which as I have some other herbal treatments for them too They are expensive, but it is worth it totally!! I empathise with the expense... my two keep me nice and broke with their allergy treatments!!! Take care and good luck Dan

That's a bummer Rozzie If it is actually an allergic condition then it will be on going treatment for the rest of the dog's life... it is expensive, but necessary... If they aren't even willing to pay for this then maybe they are not the right people for this dog? There could be any number of reasons why she is reacting now and wasn't then: change in food if she is allergic to a protien, change in weather, increase in the level of a particular pollen, more exposure to dust mites, change in grass, change in shampoo or other products etc. etc. Good luck with it, and sorry I'm not getting back to posts straight away... for some reason I am not reciving topic notifications Dan

Roz humidity makes a HUGE difference to my pups' condition with their allergies... it really effects them!! Are they claiming that she was lik this when she got to them?? Could be stress related as that can effect llergies / immune issues... Yes, I would've expected a call too They really need to see a dermatologist, but I don't think they are going to want to spend the money on this Good luck Dan

Has he been to a dermatologist yet or is this all from a GP vet? There is often a very poor understanding of Allergies and cortisone is often used as a first instead of last line of defence when only working with a GP. Barb: The issue with the Roo may have been an intolerance, or also just the low fat nature of roo effecting his coat condition... I feed roo, but in combination with many other meats. Dan

Yup, will need a referral.... I'm not in Sydney so I can't help with that bit... Good luck!! Dan

You could also try supplementing with a B vit complex as this is makes you taste bad to fleas, ticks, mossies etc. One high in B6 as this is the main one, but a B complex is needed. Good for you too if you are getting bitten. Also cut up a couple of lemons, steep them in hot water, let it cool and use it as a rinse. Lavender and neem oil is also good to repell insects. Good luck! Dan

I hope they do!! If it is to be determined that the dog really has allergies then yes. True allergies are not that common (intollerances can be) and generally come in multiples. You cannot successfully treat chronic allergy without knowing what the dog is allergic to. Most GP Vets have a very limited understanding of the allergic process unless they havea special interest. In fact I know people that have struggled fo years to get a correct diagnosis on allergic dogs, going to several vets before someone suggests a dermatologist to them. Fungal and bacterial infections are common secondary infections with allergic response. Staph and yeast are the most common and will recurr over and over unless the underlying allergy is dealt with. My girl used to get chronic yeast infections and still gets fungal infections in her feet if they are not dried and treated properly in the wet due to her mould allergy. My boy gets chronic staph infection from his. Dan

That's ridiculous! There's so many ways to manage allergy... but they have to be willing to spend the money and go see a dermatologist to find out exactly what the dog is allergic to. Minimizing or eradicating allergens is the first thing to do, and you need to know specifically what they are to do this. Depending on the allergies different things will help the dog in its environment: keeping it clean, dehumidifiers, keeping them warm in winter, abstaining from certain foods, not using certain products, chemicals or preservatives, eradicating certain plants from the immediate environment, not going to certain environments, etc. etc. There's a myriad of things you can use to treat symptoms: Resichlor, Pau D'Arco, Fish Oil, Vit E, Vit C, shampoos, Grapefruit Seed extract, Bach Flower, Allergen Specific Immunotherapy, Antibiotics, Homeopathics, Raw food diet, digestive enzymes, probiotics, kelp, evening Primrose oil... the list goes on. Different things will be useful for different dogs and different allergies, you need to find out what exactly the dog is allergic to and then what treatments work for them... Allergies are certainly no reason to kill the dog. Both my dogs have extensive allergies and lead relatively normal lives. The are involved in obedience, agility and tracking and most of the time people are unaware that they have any issues. I hope this dog gets appropriate treatment and another go at a good life Dan

Its not actually. Atopy refers to a specific group of allergies, i.e. inhallant allergies. Food allergy, contact allergy, flea and other insect allergy are all separate forms of allergy to atopy Dan

Glad to hear he is back home, hope he keeps getting better!! Dan

Wow! Sorry to hear you are still having problems... what a rough time! Hope things improve from here... Balcatta is a bit of a funny place isn't it? But I think most emergency vets are... Let us know how you go... Dan

Gee, that is awful, hope you find out what is wrong with him... Hmmmm, my girl gets really bad hurling with a couple of her allergies so if you don't find anything else it could be related to that (although I am told she is pretty unusual in this).... Let us know how you go! Dan

Geez Pampa, you guys just aren't getting a break are you? Hope you get some answers soon and things pick up!! DanXO

You will probablly need to have a consult with one of the Derms first, he is quite young for intradermal skin testing atm, often they wont do it when they are so young as its not difinitive... I'd ring up and see if you can make an appointment for an intitial consult and discussion first... Feel free to PM me if you want any further info about Murdoch etc. Dan

Contact allergies are extremely rare, it is far more likely to be atopy, esp. with the symptoms you describe. Which of the Derms are you seeing at Murdoch? They are both wonderful... this is where my dogs go... Dan

Food doesn't have to be "bad" to cause an allergy... My girl is alergic to beef, lamb, sardines, tuna, corn and has an intollerance for eggs. All fine for other dogs, but BAD for her! Thing with atopic allergies is they can travel from miles away to get to you, our back yard has very little in it, but my boy has severe atopic allergies to several plants. Good luck with the vet / dermatologist. Dan

hi, Sorry you are going through this again! I have two allergy dogs so I know what it is like!!! Phenergan or any other antihistamine (or drug for that matter) should not be given without consultation with a vet, esp. to puppies. Sometimes they are not suitable for young animals or need a different dosage. If your local vet is no help try another to get a referral to a dermatologist (certainly sounds like they need one!). Please also bare in mind if this dog was to be a breeding dog that there is a genetic component to allergies that can be passed on to progeny. You certainly need to find out what exactly is wrong with them! good luck. Dan

Well it wouldn't be hard to feed him some extra veg, green beans are good, and see if this fills the little blighter up and leave no room for poopies!! Good luck with him! Dan

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Please don't do this!!! Westies are prone to allergies and you could hurt him badly and damage your relationship if you put chili on his feet!!! You will need to be able to bath, and apply other medications to him with out fuss. allergies are hard work. Please consult your vet and talk about getting a referral to a dermatologist. Dan

What do you feed him on puggles? You could try adding a glop of non-starchy / suggary veg to bulk up his food without adding weight. And, as has already been said, some meds stop their digestive system from working properly so enzymes can help too... Digestion often goes pretty quick when we are under stress with any illness! Dan