Dog Allergic To Wandering Jew Weed

[GeckoTree]

Spot spraying with metsulfuron and glyphosate gets rid of it.

[stormie]

Why on earth would a vet give meloxicam injection for skin irritation It does nothing for skin inflammation!

Souff - I understand that cortisone is not always the nicest drugs, but there are times when there's nothing else that helps. So yes, I've spared that thought, but I've also spared a thought for my dog's quality of life, and in fact his life in general.

We've tried everything - natural remedies, herbs, homeopathics, done the desensitizing injections etc etc. The only thing that gives my dog relief from the constant scratching is cortisone and cyclosporin. Without it, he'd have been put to sleep long ago because of the severity of his itching. So yep, his life might not be shorter than other Danes, but in reality, cortisone has lengthened it.

And at about 30-60cents a tablet, they're hardly going to pay for the vets new car.

Anways, sounds weird to me. The OP said the dog gets itchy seasonally. Yet the vet prescribed what was likely a 10 day course of antibiotics for the skin, and gave the dog a NSAID which would have been of no benefit to the skin/allergy whatsoever. If this worked, then the allergy is likely to be mild and that secondary skin infections were what was making the dog itchy, rather than severe skin inflammation. So I would be using a medicated shampoo more regularly through the allergy season and see if that helps. Otherwise I'd be going to see a different vet who knows a bit more about skin/allergies.

[GSDowner]

I love the idea of chickens

and I looked at my dog's file and on various visits he was prescribed

Surolan ear drops, Rilexine (600mg twice daily), Dexafort injection, Macrolone,

Meloxicam injection 150mg.

I was told by two vets (on 2 different occasions) that my dog is allergic to wandering jew.

(yet if wandering jew exists all year round, how come he gets sick in summer).

Anyway took me 5 hours to rake the offending weed, now I have to go over the same areas again.

I have been giving my dog (who weighs 40kg) 40mg of Phenergan a day, for 2.5 days and have noticed a slight improvement. I will have to take him to the vet but hopefully the conditions won't require any cortisone.

Edited December 27, 2009 by GSDowner

[mutt lover]

I love the idea of chickens

and I looked at my dog's file and on various visits he was prescribed

Surolan ear drops, Rilexine (600mg twice daily), Dexafort injection, Macrolone,

Meloxicam injection 150mg.

I was told by two vets (on 2 different occasions) that my dog is allergic to wandering jew.

(yet if wandering jew exists all year round, how come he gets sick in summer).

Anyway took me 5 hours to rake the offending weed, now I have to go over the same areas again.

I have been giving my dog (who weighs 40kg) 40mg of Phenergan a day, for 2.5 days and have noticed a slight improvement. I will have to take him to the vet but hopefully the conditions won't require any cortisone.

Definately stay away from shampoo's with perfume in them my dog gets allergies and have found that washing her in alloveen which is oatmeal shampoo is great and also when she gets the summer itch I can dab a bit of diluted pinetarsol on belly and this will help also, have also found the baby powder called curash from safeway is good and checked with vet is safe to use on dogs. good luck hope your doggie is better soon would def stay away from cortizone if you can help it.

[GSDowner]

Big Thank you for every entry: I took note of everything and will try everything.

People here are so kind and helpful.

My sister suggested covering whatever I raked with pieces of old carpet as well as black plastic bags;

and tomorrow I am taking my dog to the vet.

[persephone]

Anways, sounds weird to me. The OP said the dog gets itchy seasonally. Yet the vet prescribed what was likely a 10 day course of antibiotics for the skin, and gave the dog a NSAID which would have been of no benefit to the skin/allergy whatsoever. If this worked, then the allergy is likely to be mild and that secondary skin infections were what was making the dog itchy, rather than severe skin inflammation. So I would be using a medicated shampoo more regularly through the allergy season and see if that helps. Otherwise I'd be going to see a different vet who knows a bit more about skin/allergies.

Agreed!!

[Souff]

I love the idea of chickens

and I looked at my dog's file and on various visits he was prescribed

Surolan ear drops, Rilexine (600mg twice daily), Dexafort injection, Macrolone,

Meloxicam injection 150mg.

I was told by two vets (on 2 different occasions) that my dog is allergic to wandering jew.

(yet if wandering jew exists all year round, how come he gets sick in summer).

Anyway took me 5 hours to rake the offending weed, now I have to go over the same areas again.

I have been giving my dog (who weighs 40kg) 40mg of Phenergan a day, for 2.5 days and have noticed a slight improvement. I will have to take him to the vet but hopefully the conditions won't require any cortisone.

Hey, I am serious! Those chooks totally demolished the wandering jew here and Souff didnt have to do a damned thing, well, except collect the eggs each day And I stopped spending money on all the bottles of pills and potions for dog rashes. The wandering jew never came back. Every other way we tried was nothing more than hard work and the stuff always came back. Guaranteed.

I agree that oatmeal shampoo is the best, and only shampoo your dog when you really have to. Put your dog on to fish oil capsules (or Evening Primrose oil) as well - that helps the immune system to fight back.

I wasn't totally serious about the vets new car, but when I see a dog that has organ damage, I see owners who have increased trips to the vet and to buy more medications and also buying the special foods is costly. And just think, the chooks can save you from all of this if the problem is originating from wandering jew!

The reason that wandering jew is not a problem to dogs in the cooler months is because the silly dogs don't lie in it then.

They just love the feeling of the cool waxy leaves on their tummies on the hotter days and they dont realise that it will be a problem for them.

Go natural and get rid of that green stuff! We know from experience here that going natural is cheaper and more effective in the long run.

Mr Rentachook knows that too - he has been renting chooks out since his uni days and it is a convenient option for many people.

Souff

[GSDowner]

Yes, Persephone I washed him today with Aloveen Oatmeal shampoo and he seems a bit better.

So looks like his allergy is not really being treated/targeted by my vet. His two other colleagues also prescribed the same for him; perhaps they just follow what the first vet did (?).

I will try another vet.

Souff, I raked the wandering jew and there are odd bits here and there and when the weed reappears again wth vengence I will definitely take up the offer with chickens

My dog not only scratches but shakes his head - exactly the same symptoms as every year.

[Red Fox]

OT, but do you think you could post a pic of the wandering jew plant GSDowner?

I've never seen it before (or if I have I haven't recognised it) and none of the pics I've found online give much clue as to the size of the plant/leaves etc as there's nothing to compare it to!

[PuddleDuck]

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!

I second that, Rentachook are brilliant, we had some join our extended family and now we are all a bit chook mad, as soon as we have a house rather than a unit we'll be renting some feathered gardeners

[scratchcat]

My dog also suffers from allergies. After a particularily bad episode last year, the vet also gave her an injenction and she was put on 'blue tablets.' The vet then recommended Claratyne for future breakouts.

I have since used Claratyne when her skin reacts to who knows what, and it works a treat. She has a reaction maybe once a month in warmer weather so it's not constant. Half to one tablet, depending on how bad her skin is, and you can see the change within an hour. (She weighs 42kg) No side effects that I have noticed. I also use Squirt shampoo and conditioner for sensitive skin.

Good Luck

[sas]

Big Thank you for every entry: I took note of everything and will try everything.

People here are so kind and helpful.

My sister suggested covering whatever I raked with pieces of old carpet as well as black plastic bags;

and tomorrow I am taking my dog to the vet.

Hit it with boiling water and then salt the earth.....kills everything

[sas]

I love the idea of chickens

and I looked at my dog's file and on various visits he was prescribed

Surolan ear drops, Rilexine (600mg twice daily), Dexafort injection, Macrolone,

Meloxicam injection 150mg.

I was told by two vets (on 2 different occasions) that my dog is allergic to wandering jew.

(yet if wandering jew exists all year round, how come he gets sick in summer).

Anyway took me 5 hours to rake the offending weed, now I have to go over the same areas again.

I have been giving my dog (who weighs 40kg) 40mg of Phenergan a day, for 2.5 days and have noticed a slight improvement. I will have to take him to the vet but hopefully the conditions won't require any cortisone.

Hey, I am serious! Those chooks totally demolished the wandering jew here and Souff didnt have to do a damned thing, well, except collect the eggs each day And I stopped spending money on all the bottles of pills and potions for dog rashes. The wandering jew never came back. Every other way we tried was nothing more than hard work and the stuff always came back. Guaranteed.

I agree that oatmeal shampoo is the best, and only shampoo your dog when you really have to. Put your dog on to fish oil capsules (or Evening Primrose oil) as well - that helps the immune system to fight back.

I wasn't totally serious about the vets new car, but when I see a dog that has organ damage, I see owners who have increased trips to the vet and to buy more medications and also buying the special foods is costly. And just think, the chooks can save you from all of this if the problem is originating from wandering jew!

The reason that wandering jew is not a problem to dogs in the cooler months is because the silly dogs don't lie in it then.

They just love the feeling of the cool waxy leaves on their tummies on the hotter days and they dont realise that it will be a problem for them.

Go natural and get rid of that green stuff! We know from experience here that going natural is cheaper and more effective in the long run.

Mr Rentachook knows that too - he has been renting chooks out since his uni days and it is a convenient option for many people.

Souff

Allergies are an over reactive immune system so you have to be careful boosting the immune system if that makes sense.

Although yes, Omega 3,6,8 combined help with inflamation.

Oatmeal is a great shampoo....watch for signs of allergic reaction, not uncommon for dogs to be allergic to Oatmeal.

At this stage we can only guess wandering dew is the issue....I guess the OP will know for sure real soon now they have cleared it up.

I'm also a Cortisone user (wellt he dog is)....long term as well....you do what you have to do what you don't want to put your dog to sleep after trying a list of everything else and 101 miracle cures.

[GSDowner]

My dog was also given last time Rimadyl injection 50mg.

Now I want to try everything:

- spray the weed with metsulfuron and glyphosate (hopefully it won't damage other plants?)

- and get some chooks - but it is a very big "BUT", how can I keep chickens and a big dog

together? I would be heartbroken if my chickens were hurt by the dog.

(I started giving him primrose oil)

Below I am posting two links of wandering jew (for the member who asked what it looked like). It can grow to about 20cm; this weed can cover big spaces or odd ones can grow in grass.

http://www.weeds.asn.au/weeds/txts/wand_jew.htm

http://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/environme...ering_jew_1.jpg

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

My dog was also given last time Rimadyl injection 50mg.

Now I want to try everything:

- spray the weed with metsulfuron and glyphosate (hopefully it won't damage other plants?)

- and get some chooks - but it is a very big "BUT", how can I keep chickens and a big dog

together? I would be heartbroken if my chickens were hurt by the dog.

(I started giving him primrose oil)

Below I am posting two links of wandering jew (for the member who asked what it looked like). It can grow to about 20cm; this weed can cover big spaces or odd ones can grow in grass.

http://www.weeds.asn.au/weeds/txts/wand_jew.htm

http://www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/environme...ering_jew_1.jpg

be careful using glyphosate if it gets on any plant it will die. if i am using near plants i dont want to die i use a paintbrush and dip it in the glyphosate and brush onto the offending plant. this makes sure the nonoffending plant lives as no glyphosate gets on it.

[Muttaburra]

Also be aware of where the glycosphate will run off to if it rains. The instructions are clear about avoiding rainy weather anyway. It can wash off and drain down and kill other things that way.

Regarding the question about the potash killing other plants, it shouldn't have too much effect (if you don't smother them with it), wandering jew is just very sensitive to it.

[GermanShepherdsRock]

Yes I have two German Shepherds and am facing the same problem now with the hotter months hitting us. My poor babies have developed the most unsightly red lips and noses with spots - all within a few hours (two days ago - see pics). Having done a little research, I wanted a more natural way of dealing with this (no chemicals etc), I have found that firstly gently washing and then dabbing the area with Chamomile tea (lukewarm to cool) is a great start. Once the area is dry, apply Paw Paw ointment (although this may be licked of in seconds ) or try fresh Aloe Vera juice (directly from the plant itself) which tends to dry quicker and the dogs don't seem to notice it as much as the ointment. I have had to distract them while the stuff dries though - my 50kg terrors can't help but lick it all off - so be warned, have toys, treats, hire a clown or a cat, you name it, but if your dog is anything like mine, then they will need some serious distracting! I have also tried 'sneaking' it on when they sleep...sometimes this has actually worked, because they're too tired to do anything about it, lol.

In relation to the Wandering Jew (or Wandering Evil, as I call it!), check out this post (www.dolforums.com.au/lofiversion/index.php/t209011.html) which has the above info and more on ways to get rid of it - I haven't tried any yet, but am going to give the newspapers covered in woodchips a good go.......and maybe a few chickens ! Good luck and I hope this helps.

[JulesP]

I also only have wandering jew issues in the spring. It is flowering now so maybe that is the problem.

I removed the plant. Used Quit Itch to wash the itchy areas and gave the dogs Zyrtec. I did get some neocort cream but that seemed to make them rub their faces more.

[ESCS]

Our tibbie is atopic and suffers from contact allergies with the main culprit being wandering jew. Very hard plant to get rid off. We ended up pulling out as many as we could and using Round Up ( on a hot day) for the rest and it seems to have worked. The vinegar treatment didn't work although was really good for other weeds!

We also use a combination of Atopica (cyclopsorin ?) and cortisone (when allergies flare up) as well as claratyne. During the winter months, the allergies are kept controlled with just Atopica and anti histamines but we have had to use cortisone as well in the summer months. I have noticed a big difference since we started using Atopica. We also wash him every 2 weeks at least with QV wash and fragrant free Alpha Keri oil as recommended by his vet. Neocort cream and paw paw ointment has worked for us in clearing up the red, raw spots from scratching. Along with keeping him on a diet suitable for his skin allergies, we have finally managed to keep his itching under control. Hope you find something that works for your dog.