Dog_Horse_Girl

She's gone back to just fish and sweet potato this week and she's still scratching - a bit - but I'm starting canola oil tomorrow. She has to get something more into her diet as she's beginning to look skinny. I hope she has no reaction to canola oil...and next on the list will be offal - maybe lamb heart as it's both an organ and a muscle meat (and she needs both!).

When I'm at home, my dogs are usually curled up asleep. I've generally got Molly (chi x) on my lap, Ruby (stafford x) on her floor blankie and Lilly (greyhound) on the sofa. When I'm out, I reckon they do the same except Molly is on her bed in her room! Yes the dogs have their own room where we keep their beds, toys, grooming supplies etc and where they are supposed to sleep at night (except Molly who has always been in our room). It sounds as if you can't really decide whether a dog is a good choice for your family. You seem overly concerned with dirt, hair, smell, etc. I think most mammals would be out of the equation in that case. Perhaps a dog is just the wrong choice for your family at this time? Why not consider a different species, and while I don't like caged birds perhaps a bird would be a good choice for now? You could try a budgie - we bred budgies when I was a kid and they're fabulous pets. They can be taught all sorts of tricks and they can learn to speak! You can leave them outside in good weather but our caged birds came in at night. We obviously didn't relocate the aviary birds of a night time but we had a solid door to their aviary which kept the worst of the weather out (it was our old outdoor dunny building that my dad converted to an aviary). I can only wish you and your future companion good luck! :D

There is timber decking outside the door which leads straight onto 'brand new' carpet. So when did you decide to get the dog: before or after you decided to get 'brand new' carpet? Talk about priorities! :D

Don't have any exposed dirt...that's one solution. Have towels at the door for the purpose of wiping the dog's paws...that's MY solution. Not worrying about the dirt and just keeping the house clean...that's MY solution. Having no carpets...that's MY solution. In a house with carpets...buy a carpet shampooer and use it...that's MY solution. I've read the first 107 posts before replying. But I have to say that to set out to purchase a dog, ANY dog, with the sole intention of having it so your kids grow up with a dog, and yet leaving said dog outside for the bulk of its existence, is just wrong. Dogs are pack animals, dogs are social animals, dogs do not do well without company. Hence the term "companion" which fits a large majority of dog breeds which are popular today. If you plan to get a SBT and you plan to get one from a registered breeder, please also be prepared to explain exactly why this breed is so suited to your intentions because any decent breeder will more than likely refuse to sell you one of their dogs. As someone else said, if you don't plan to go to a registered breeder but someone advertising in the Trading Post etc, then they sure as hell won't care WHAT you do with the dog, because their motivation is money, not the welfare of the breed. I've got three dogs. They're all rescues, they're all short coated, and they're all 99% indoor dogs. Why bother having a dog if it will spend its life outside when we all know that most families don't live outside with the dog but inside where it's comfortable? If you are so insistent on having an outdoor dog, then you must research other breeds. A SBT will not thrive outdoors and as others have said, the pounds are full of SBTs that have been left to languish in the yard. Their boredom and distress at being separated from their pack leads them to do some things which we generally don't like: digging, chewing, destroying fences, pulling washing off the line, escaping, roaming the streets unaccompanied and at risk of being run over, attacked by other dogs, or being picked up by some unscrupulous person for who-knows-what purpose? Even if you choose another breed, IMO to have a dog purely as an outside animal is not acceptable in this day and age. We have come a long way (haven't we?) since the times when all dogs were "outside only" and surely that's a good thing.

Poor Ruby - and poor you working through this time consuming process! But so lovely to hear how much you love your dog to make sure she gets what she needs. Hope you find something that suits her on the next 6 week run, fingers crossed for you! Thanks! It's now a weekly process - introduce one new food on a set day (I've gone with Saturday) and see if there's a reaction. So far both eggs and yoghurt have resulted in reactions but I'm hoping that canola oil (next on the list) will be okay. She's a beautiful dog...and worth every single moment of effort (just not so sure about the expense, that's all! ).

Hi Lillysmum - just curious so hope you don't mind me asking, how did you work out Ruby was allergic to chicken, and what does she get instead? Our pup is quite an itchy scratchy little one, I'm thinking I'll need to eliminate one food at a time and see how he goes as convinced it's food that's causing it... but wondering what chicken allergy "looks like" (if that's not too generic?!) I'm going to risk chicken wings again this weekend, he does the necks with ease now!! What bigger bones do people use to leave them chewing? We make up BARF-ish food for his dinner, gotta say I love making his food, smells ace and he loves it! It's been a very long and slow process for us and Ruby. She's always been an itchy dog but we always assumed it was a contact allergy until recently. I fed her some processed food (which they don't get very often) and she reacted strongly - hives all over her body and she threw up repeatedly within about an hour or two of being fed. Because of the severe reaction she was off to the vet...we started an elimination diet about 10 weeks ago. We started with fish and sweet potato (only two ingredients, either raw or cooked). She had to be on just the two foods for six weeks, nothing else at all. Unfortunately my husband fed her some chicken while I was away, so she reacted to that - strong reaction - she threw up repeatedly within an hour of being fed the chicken. After the six weeks was up, we could add one ingredient per week and wait for a reaction (or not, hopefully). She's had eggs (reaction, within 24 hours), yoghurt (reaction, mild, within 5 days)...and we were supposed to start canola oil on Saturday but she's still recovering from the yoghurt reaction (still itchy but she's also got contact allergies to add to the confusion). I feed the other two an almost completely raw diet and would like to get Ruby back to raw once we know what foods are safe. This process could take months or years...but as we trial each food we learn more about how best to help her manage the reactions. By the way, she's 9 yrs old...and a staffy cross rescued from the RSPCA years ago. She's got to be one of the most expensive dogs we've had but we love her dearly! I've started a thread in Health for her allergies/food trial so DOLers can see how it works and keep up with Ruby's progress.

Kennel cough is just like the human cold or mild flu - sure there is a vaccine to cover it but it won't cover all strains all the time and no matter what we do, if a dog contacts an infected dog, there is a strong possibility that the virus will be picked up by the well dog. My three got a dose of KC last time they were boarded. They get over it fine. The only problems you may have are in already sick or aged animals or when a secondary infection strikes. I use benadryl dry cough mixture for the cough and give them plain ordinary honey with their meals. Keep them warm (not a problem here in Darwin!) and dry. If they don't improve within a week or two, or if they display any further symptoms, see the vet...otherwise it's self-curing just like a cold. I'm surprised that a vet would firstly tell anyone that a vaccinated dog won't get KC and secondly that you would be charged for two consults if the dogs were brought in together. But I guess every vet is different.

If people are worried about obstructions caused by bones, mostly this is due to cooked bones being fed or found. Sharp edges? Again, if the bone is cooked this can cause all sorts of problems but again, raw bones don't shatter/splinter in the same way so are generally fine. Poultry bones are very soft and usually BEND rather than shatter or splinter. I've had one dog with an obstruction and that was because he ate cooked bones and left-overs. I've never had a problem in feeding raw meaty bones ever, and my dogs have been getting raw bones for about 30 yrs now. If a dog is swallowing whole bones, upsize! Dogs have to exercise their jaws and chewing/gnawing raw bones is PERFECT for this purpose. I've got three dogs of very different sizes - toy, medium and large. They don't get the same bones; Molly gets a chicken neck or wing tip, whereas Ruby gets no chicken (due to allergies) and Lilly will get large wings or frames or turkey wings. When Ruby gets a fish head, Lilly will too and Molly will get a couple of sardines. Pups grown on bones generally do very well - you can initially smash them up a bit so the pup gets the idea of what to do, but in a short time, the pup learns that it has to chew the food to get the result. Small breed pups are fed smaller bones, medium breed pups are fed medium bones, and large breed pups are fed large bones.

I don't understand what you're afraid of? Dogs have evolved to eat raw meaty bones as a good proportion of their food intake. As long as you feed the RAW, and as long as it's from a reputable source, what's the problem? Some dogs will throw up bits of bone, others won't. It doesn't mean anything except perhaps the dog which throws up *may* have a slight allergy to that particular animal or animal part. Ruby is allergic to chicken. She threw up her chicken dinner more than once so we then went back to the start with the food trial - she's on an elimination diet for food allergies. It's a slow and painful process but we will get there. Can I suggest you buy one of Ian Billinghurst's books on the BARF diet? He explains everything really clearly.

Only you know your dog best. I know that as much as it's hard for us to do, sometimes the only decision we can make is the one to let them go. It breaks our hearts and we feel so much pain for the loss we are facing, but it's the only thing to do when a dog is suffering in some profound way. Your dog would prefer quality over quantity. He won't know it's his time. He won't feel anything, other than the love you have for him to do this last act for him. It's very difficult to say goodbye and you will be very emotional. I've had to put a few of my dogs to sleep and it doesn't get any easier. But do what's right for HIM not you. Focus on his needs and the decision will be sitting there in front of you. Be strong for him. He needs you to make the right decision. You then need to make peace with it and yourself.

I can hardly believe this. Before I had the chance to trial the Canola oil tonight, Ruby started to scratch really badly - her face bled. So I guess yoghurt is off the menu. This also means I have to delay introducing the Canola oil...until next week. *Sigh* I guess I'll be making some sweet potato "chips" for her tomorrow! For anyone interested in this, slice sweet potato into thin rounds. Lay on baking paper on a biscuit tray, put into slow oven for three hours or so, checking every hour. When dried, leave in oven to cool for another hour or two, then put into snap-lock bags. Use the same as any other dried treat. She loves them - I do too! :p

Well, the results of adding yoghurt are "inconclusive" to me. Ruby scratches but not as badly as before starting the food trials. I am concerned that yoghurt isn't very well tolerated but I won't remove it altogether just yet. I've got a list which reads: Safe Foods: fish, fish heads, sweet potato Unsafe Foods: chicken, eggs Unsure Foods: yoghurt Tonight we try Canola oil! Let's hope she doesn't react to it. *crosses fingers*

He needs more food. Increase the quantity of all ingredients you feed and see how that improves his weight. You should see a change in 6 to 8 wks. Don't be overly tempted to increase the fat content but do increase the overall amount you feed.

Erny, thanks for the info on calendula tea - I hadn't thought of using it topically... Ruby also has contact allergies as far as we can tell. But if we can eliminate the dietary causes that will keep her stable for longer and managing a small period of intense reaction is much easier than a constant reaction. The next food I'm trialling is yoghurt - plain, full fat yoghurt. It's a good source of both fat and protein so that has been the basis of my choice. If she tolerates that, then we can try a plant food next - I'm thinking either broccoli or zucchini. Then an oil, and so on. Will keep updating this with what happens because I'm sure it will help someone else going through the same thing. While it's frustrating and upsetting when she has a reaction, at least I'm building a list of what she can and can't eat and it's very systematic so hard to go too far wrong. :p

Bumping back up because this is a frustrating thing to go through...I'm hoping our experiences will help others with allergy dogs.

So eggs look to be off the menu. I'm so disappointed for her as she has always loved eggs AND they're really good for dogs either raw or cooked as a treat or part of a natural diet. Her skin is red, inflamed and itchy again. And it only took 24 hours for it to happen. At least I can add another food to the list of no-no's. But nothing to the 'safe' foods. Back to fish and sweet potato. I also made her some sweet potato chips today - she loves them! Hardly surprising as I like them too.

Ruby has finished stage one of the elimination diet - her skin settled down really well on the fish/sweet potato combo. She also had her last mange injection last week and may only need one every month or two if the mites build in numbers again. Our vet is thrilled with her progress (as am I)! So tonight, she got to have a third food for the first time in ages! My vet suggested I try either eggs or canola oil this week, so I went for eggs as Ruby loves them. On his advice, I cooked them (poached) and also put some grated sweet potato in her bowl. I've never seen food disappear so fast as this bowl's contents went! On top of that, she got a raw fish head - which she loves! Now she's happily sleeping on the sofa but I'm sure the farts will start in a few hours. Her lameness has subsided but she still limps from time to time. The cruciate is still likely to be injured (it showed on the X-ray as a rupture so that doesn't usually heal itself). So no immediate need for surgery either. ETA - unfortunately, the eggs have caused a severe reaction. Ruby's skin took nearly 24 hours to show symptoms but she's now covered in small welts and has been scratching since late Sunday. So we're back to fish and sweet potato and if her skin settles by Saturday, we'll try another ingredient. I was going for an oil, and in light of her reaction to eggs, I think it will be a fish oil.

No good about the kibble - as we'll need the option of kibble when we board Ruby...and yes they should offer a trial sized bag for a neglible amount - say $2.00. Sorry to hear the kibble isn't working already.

PRS, you got the gist of the elimination diet exactly right! We trial a novel protein and carb source (one of each) for the initial six-week phase. No response = no problem with the novel foods. Response = either reaction to the foods OR to something else, OR a combination of both. In Ruby's case, she's definitely got contact allergies as her paws are still slightly inflamed and she's still scratching her body. But remembering that she's also suffering with mange again, and that we're surrounded by weeds which seem to set her off as well, and I think the fish and sweet potato is not causing a real allergic response. Sweet potato (or yam) is safe for dogs. It's one of the best carb sources (raw or cooked) and many dogs love it. We are bathing her weekly with Malaseb; we used to use Aloveen which is great for soothing the skin, but I also now use a Fuzzyard Organics shampoo and conditioner which she loves (and it smells pretty good!). ATM while she's on phase 1 of the diet, we're using just Malaseb, no conditioners or any other topical products (including no frontline). No medications at all either as she could react to one of them without us connecting the dots. Once the initial phase of the elimination diet is complete, we then introduce ONE food at a time (including previously-fed foods). Response = stop feeing, no response = keep going. Once that next food is either ruled safe or out, then introduce the next and so on. It's going to be tedious but I think it's the better way of deciding what's safe for her to eat - and this could take six months or more but the results will be worth it. Our vet is lovely. It's a pleasure to consult with him because he shares our philosophy when it comes to natural foods (he fully supports feeding a raw diet as long as it's well-researched), he doesn't like to over-medicate and he believes that dogs are TRULY part of the family and not "just a pet". Will keep everyone posted as I'm sure many other dogs display these symptoms and it can be difficult to know if you're on the right track or not.

Hard to get decent quality (pet grade) roo here unless you buy the frozen blocks - $15 per kg that way. She did okay on roo tail portions years ago, but then she's always been itchy so hard to know what has caused it over the years. She's been on a raw diet for most of the time we've had her and the food response really only became noticeable in the past three months. We always assumed it was contact allergies before she started puking and having a massive hive outbreak. We'll see what happens in three weeks...hopefully we can try a new protein source which she doesn't react on.

Not in Darwin...I have found it on special for between $2.00 and $2.50 for 4 small potatoes. I would feed it raw but Ruby prefers it cooked unless it's mixed with other raw veg (which she can't have ATM). Everything here is so much more expensive than Down South. It's because of FREIGHT because we're so far away from civilisation! You know they truck most of our produce up from Adelaide, so that accounts for doubled or tripled prices...of course! :D Chicken is definitely one of the culprits in Ruby's case. So that rules out a lot of foods and treats and makes boarding her that much more difficult. We also don't have access to the more exotic processed foods as nobody stocks them in Darwin. It's hard enough to find BARF patties although they were recently introduced by Pet Barn. Yay. Finding alternate protein sources here is very hard - I've never seen rabbit or roo here of a "pet food quality" but have asked at butchers...once they finish laughing, they tell me that it's too expensive for pet food and they'd sell me some if I'm willing to pay $25 for a whole rabbit or the going rate per kg for roo steaks...Camel would produce a similar result I think. Thanks for your replies so far, gives me more info to work with...I don't think we have a veterinary dermatologist here though. :D

Ruby (our staffy cross) has severe allergies and we suspect both contact/airborne and food. For the past three weeks, we've only given her fish and sweet potato - no other foods at all. No treats, no yoghurt, nothing. Her itching has subsided a little but she's by no means "better". We started the elim diet well over 6 wks ago but my OH fed her some chicken while I was away, so we had to start again. Her reaction on the chicken wasn't positive: vomiting, hives, chronic itch. So chicken is a strong possible culprit but I'm sure there are others. This rules out most processed foods (for boarding kennel stays) as most have chicken content. In three weeks, we'll see the vet again for advice as to which food to introduce next. Plus Ruby will have another skin scrape (for mange). She's doing quite OK now on the fish/sweet potato but it's not cheap. We feed the dogs on raw usually, so Ruby gets a combination of cooked white fish fillets and raw fish heads. Sweet potato is boiled then mashed and she loves it! This is costing around $25 per week (fish fillets fresh $13 per kg, frozen $14 per kg, fish heads $5 per kg, sweet potato about $1 each), so it's not cheap by any means. Does anyone have a dog with severe food-related allergies? If so, what do you feed? How successful has it been for your dog? What advice do you have for us? Thanks!

I'm so sorry for your loss. There is nothing anyone can say to make this easier. A sudden death is never an easy thing to manage. Hugs to your family at this sad time.

Yep, I've got everything crossed that the injections are working. How's the Boofer Boy, Moops? Haven't seen you posting much lately...but I'm not on much myself ATM.

Ruby has had a rough time lately. She's currently part-way through an elimination diet due to severe allergic response. The worst reactions she had were hives and vomiting. She's been on fish and sweet potato and only those two foods for three weeks so we're half-way there. Her skin is nowhere near as red as before but she's still itchy, scratching and biting herself. So limiting her food is helping. Her mange - we'll do another scrape in three week's time to see if there are still active mites. Hair loss seems to have slowed but she's patchy on her head and mid-section. She's been having the injections for about five/six weeks now. Limp - vet has diagnosed ruptured cruciate ligament but no surgery until the other problems have resolved themselves or at least diminished significantly. The elimination diet is no fun for her but she's now stopped losing weight...she's gone from over 15 kgs to 13.1 today which is steady from last week. I hope she continues to improve...she deserves a break. Every week the vet nurses love to see her - she 'talks' to them in ways only a dog with staffy heritage can. Even other patients' families are fond of her...she cons them into at least patting her every visit!