Dog Allergic To Wandering Jew Weed

[GSDowner]

Dear Forum Members

In my absence my garden became overgrown with wandering jew weed. it is everywhere , it covers my garden like one big carpet; My holidays will be spent getting rid of it by raking. Up todate nothing has been discovered to completely eradicate this pest.

My dog, however is my biggest worry (and GSD are known to have sensitive skin). Every year he gets a severe allergic reaction (although every year I reigiously get rid of this weed). I take my dog to his vet, he gets some tablets and a cortisone injection. I have spent fortune but this is not as important as my dog's health. I am really worried about the injection, which has side effects like thinning of bones. I have googled like mad and found chickens and ducks would eat it all quick smart, but is there somewhere "hire a chicken/duck service?" :D

I am hoping that

1. perhaps something new has been discovered to get rid of the weed and

2. most of all is there anything else that could help my dog apart from cortisone injections.

I would be so grateful for help.

Edited December 26, 2009 by GSDowner

[Guest Ams]

:D Sure how many chickens and ducks would you like delivered?

I used to use Zero weedkill with detergent added. The detergent apparently helps it stick to the leaves (??????). It is a crap weed cause at every joint it can start a new plant.

[stormie]

I was always under the impression the only true way to rid your garden of this plant was to rip it all out and dispose of it quickly.

With Wandering Jew, its more of an irritant to the dogs rather than an allergy - similar to how plants like stinging nettle hurt us. There's something in the chemical make up of the plant which irritates dogs skin for some reason.

If your dog is getting yearly seasonal flare ups, I would be considering that your dog is actually Atopic - that is, suffers allergies from pollens in the environment. Wandering Jew is around all year, and obviously wouldn't be helping with the itchies, but if the itchies subsides over winter, I would say there are other causes. I would be getting this investigated with your vet a bit more. Once you have a proper diagnosis, then you can look at different treatment options.

eta: is the cortisone injection your dog is getting the long lasting one (about a month)? If so, I'd be asking for cortisone tablets to get you through the allergy season if that's the case - much better for them and you can control the dose a lot better. My dog is on regular cortisone for his allergies and has been for 2 years - he has minor side effects on the days he has his pills, but other than that it's managed very well to keep him on the lowest dose possible, every second day.

Edited December 26, 2009 by stormie

[GSDowner]

Thanks

My dog get sick when it starts warming up so I have been thinking that wandering jew is the cause

as I was under the impression that wandering jew starts growing in spring/summer. If this is not the case as I would certainly need to look at other causes.

[Muttaburra]

There appears to be a homeopathic remedy that might help

http://www.zillion.co.nz/listing/10926731/

Also if you have ashes or can buy potash, you can kill it with that.

Otherwise rake and roll it up into a ball and put in a black plastic bag then solarise it by leaving it out in the sun to kill it.

Perhaps fence off an area that you can keep clear of wandering jew.

[GSDowner]

yes, his cortisone injection is a long lasting one he also gets blue tablets which make him really drowsy, disinterested in anything plus his coat becomes really bad.

[stormie]

Google 'Atopy' and have a read up about it. You're lucky if it's mostly seasonal - my boy is allergic 24/7/365 as not only is his pollens, but it's also dust mites and many other things. He also has contact allergies to many different plants and grasses, but he is worse over the spring/summer 'allergy season'.

The wandering jew wouldn't be helping, and might help to reduce the itching, but I'd still be looking at atopy...

I'd be looking at an antihistamine trial to see if you can find one that helps, as well as incorporating some omega oil supplements to assist with the inflammation. A good medicated shampoo wouldn't go astray either, to help keep the secondary skin infections, which increase the itchies, under control during the itchy period.

Edited December 26, 2009 by stormie

[GSDowner]

Thank you Muttaburra, i certainly will try the natural remedy.

With potash or ashes I heard this may prevents other plants (the desirable ones) from growin(?)

[GSDowner]

Thanks Stormie.

I will look at Atopy, someone also recommended trying phenergan (human antihistamine medication but apparently good for dogs too); I am reluctant to try it though

[Muttaburra]

Thanks Stormie.

I will look at Atopy, someone also recommended trying phenergan (human antihistamine medication but apparently good for dogs too); I am reluctant to try it though

Is well tested and widely use by Vets as "off label" medication for dogs and cats with allergies. The vet should be able to advise on the dosage (according to wieght).

[Christina]

If this is a life long problem for your dog I would get a bobcat in, have the whole garden ripped out & the surface removed down to a few inches. Weedkiller & start the whole garden again.

Costly & drastic but so is your dog being on treatment & injections all its life.

I had this done with 600 square metres at the back of my block that is fenced off. It had those giant cactus that are like lethal weapons, heaps of them. Cost $1,700 but was worth it. Not done garden there yet but the chickens love it.

[stormie]

I use Phenergan with Orbit at a rate of 1mg/kg twice a day - so he gets 2 25mg tablets in the morning and then 2 again at night. I also give him Megaderm oil once a day - it actually improves the efficacy of the antihistamines, which then means you can lessen the amount of cortisone needed. It makes me sleep for days if I take just 1, but it doesn't really make a lot of difference to him even with taking 4! He is a little sleepier maybe, but I don't really notice it.

The older generation antihistamines seem to work a little better, that is, the ones that make people drowsy such as Phenergan and Polarimine, though there are people who have had success with the newer, non drowsy variety like Zyrtec and Claratyne etc...

I'd really stay away from the long acting injection. It stays around in their system too long and doesn't let you adjust the dose. Not sure what the blue pills would be though, most of the blue pills I know are cortisone, which generally don't make dogs sleepy, and I don't know why the vet would be giving them to you to use at the same time as a long acting injection?

[Sue & Waldo]

Found this advice:

Wandering Jew or Creeping Jesus is a weed of moist, shaded places. It produces extra roots at the stem joints where they touch the ground. The stems snap easily when pulled, allowing small pieces of stem to remain in soil and produce new plants, making it difficult to completely eleiminate in one go.

You can tackle this weed by whipper-snipping or cutting off as much above ground growth as possible. Rake it up and dispose of it in a sealed plastic bag. Then cover the area with black plastic or weed mat anchored around the edges. It likes damp soil, so the black plastic is best – it will prevent rain getting to the soil. Excluding light also prevents the plants from manufacturing food for future growth. Then, the most important part is to go around the outer edges of the plastic with a sharp spade and cut through any underground runners that may be extending beyond the plastic, otherwise these parts will keep supplying the runners under the plastic with food and moisture to grow. It can take up to a couple of months to kill off this weed.

[TYLER23]

Wandering dew has a waxy skin so Round Up doesn't easily penetrate it... so firstly, run over the wandering dew with a lawn mower (with catcher) so that it cuts up the plant and exposes the inside of the plant, then immediately give it a good drenching with a heavy dose of round up. It will take about a week before the plant starts to die, then rake it all up.

We had a similar problem with about 100m2 of it. I still walk around the yard most days and pick out any new growth i spot. I am 95% on top of the problem now, but it takes time.

[sas]

Thanks Stormie.

I will look at Atopy, someone also recommended trying phenergan (human antihistamine medication but apparently good for dogs too); I am reluctant to try it though

My dog is on phenergan, lovely drug that one for allergic dogs.

[GSDowner]

Thanks so much for so many helpful tips.

Last year my dog was on Blue tablets Rilexing 600mg (he weighs about 40kg)

he also got Rilexine injection 150mg and meloxicam Injection

[stormie]

Thanks so much for so many helpful tips.

Last year my dog was on Blue tablets Rilexing 600mg (he weighs about 40kg)

he also got Rilexine injection 150mg and meloxicam Injection

Ah yep - Rilexine is the generic name for Cephalexin which is an antibiotic used commonly for skin infections

[GSDowner]

sorry I wrote i saw my vet last year - it was this year

So the medications he got were not cortisone?

[Souff]

Spare a thought for the potential damage to your dog's liver and neurological system if you are planning on giving them long term.

You might also like to contact my friend at Rentachook www.rentachook.com.au

2 or 3 of his hens will clean up that Wandering Jew for you and you dont need to have the chooks there long term, you just rent them from him for a while.

They come with the coop and the chook feed. Beautiful!

You can watch the horrible wandering jew disappear into their tummies, and you get to keep the fresh eggs. They are just magic little gardeners!

All the drugs in the world wont make the wandering jew go away, but they will help to pay for your vet's next new car and shorten your dog's life.

Natural methods far better

Souff

[persephone]

So the medications he got were not cortisone?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

neither of those two are cortisone...

one antibiotic,and one anti- inflammatory/analgesic.