Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I need to vent And ask questions, please? I don't know what to do with my poor boy Ruff. He is a rescue x breed, looks like a shepherd x ridgeback (?) He has had really bad allergies since about six months old, he is now 16 months. It has been getting worse. He has had skin scapings and blood tests and the vets have no idea what is causing it. Everytime I think I'm on to something it just comes back worse. He has lost a lot of hair on his back and his skin is starting to go black in some places and is red in others. I have tried ACV internal and external, different food diets, malaseb, aloveen, calendula tea, advocate, frontline and many other treatments that have been recommended. Some work for a while but then stop. With nothing working I decided to go all natural. In the last six weeks he has not had any flea treatments (there are no fleas anyway), I concreted the dog run so he has no access to grass (we even walk only on the road), for dinner he has chicken frames and chicken maryland legs and ACV, once a week he has fresh salmon and two raw eggs (from my chickens). Also, just this last week I have been giving him a polarimine tablet once a day (vets suggestion). So very basic as I wanted to get him stable so I could start introducing things into his diet. Problem is he isn't getting stable, he is actually getting worse! He is so bad now that he is really cranky all the time and has started getting aggressive to my other dogs for no reason. An example: I was hanging the clothes on the line (which is in the dog run off the laundry) and all three dogs were asleep near by. Out of nowhere Ruff wakes up and lunges at Daisy, my sleeping Shih Tzu, and just grabs her around the neck growling. I yelled at him and he let go and ran to the other end of the run and sat down with his head down not looking at me. I don't think he meant to hurt her I don't know if he just woke up itchy and took his frustration out on her. He really scared me, he is a big 29kg boy I would hate to know what happened if I couldn't get him off her or I wasn't with them. I suffer from allergies so I totally sympathise with him, but this is not the first time he has lashed out for no apparent reason, it is getting more frequent. I have three kids under 6 and they aren't allowed anywhere near him at the moment as I can't take the risk that they pat him and set him off. Do I just keep going with his basic diet? Is six weeks not enough time to see a difference? I have thought about giving him a fish oil tablet to help with his skin. Anyone know what dose rate to give him? (I have a huge jar of it in the cupboard) I just don't know what else to do? Edited March 23, 2010 by Crazy Daisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Has your vet run any blood tests? I'd suggest thyroid for a start. Have you considered seeing a veterinary specialist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have a very allergic boy who gets pretty un-tolerant when his skin is bad and you can understand why. I would get a referral from your Vet to a Derm and follow their advice which will probably start with a super strict elimination diet and then onto intra-dermal testing if the dog is not on Cortisone. Has the dog had a short-term course of Cortisone to give some relief? If you can afford it Atopica is an alternative to Cortisone. Fish Oil is given at the rate of 1 capsual per 10kgs of body weight. Fish oil isn't going to fix this problem though. You may like to make up some Calendula tea, let it sit for 15 minutes, strain it and put it in a spray bottle then pop it in the fridge and then spray the dog, it can help. If you're not getting anywhere with your current Vet sometimes it pays to get a second opinion. You'll probably want to ask for a Thyroid blood test to be run too just to rule that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 Yes, the vet did run blood tests and tested his thyroid and it came back fine. I've tried the calendula tea sas, internally (he doesn't mind drinking it) and putting it in a spray bottle. I have taken him to two different vets and had the bloods and scrapes down twice and both said they don't know what it is. Should I just go back and ask for a referral to a specialist? What sort of specialist would it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Yep, you wanna get a referral to a Dermatologist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 Excellent, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16Paws Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 If it has been an ongoing battle for such a long time with constant changes to his regime, you could consider just stopping everything for a short term to give his system a rest (while getting the above mentioned tests/referrals). Have you ruled out everything in his environment (grasses, pollens, someone wearing or spraying fragrances or insecticides near him, ants, flies, plastic, shampoo, the kind of brush, towels, bedding, toys, etc)? Start keeping a diary of his daily activities and food and severity of his condition if you haven't already - if other medical problems are ruled out and allergy tests are not providing the answer, close observation and elimination of food and environmental causes will probably be the next step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 That's what I've done 16paws. Like I said I stopped everything including baths and flea treatments. I stopped all access to grass, there are no trees or plants around. He is on a bland chicken diet. He has no bedding as he has always eaten anything I've given him. He sleeps in the laundry and I even moped the floor with white vinegar and water. I can't have any perfumes or sprays in the house because I have allergies too. We have floor boards through the house and when he comes inside after the kids are asleep or at school he sits on a rug that is only washed in white vinegar and water. It's a good idea about the diary. He is with the two other dogs, can sleeping with them have an effect on him? Like if I wash Daisy in a shampoo and he sleeps curled up with her would that have an effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Sorry I dont have any advice for you, but just a precaution when you do go to the dermatologist, if he wants to order a blood test for any specific allergens (e.g for a grass) then he must have had contact with the allergen the vet is testing for, they are looking for antibodies and if he has had no access to the allergen then it might come back with a false neg If I had a dollar for every person who came to me for a blood test for coeliac disease just to find out they had been on a gluten free diet for X amount of weeks...they dont understand when I tell them they need to have gluten in their system to have any chance of possibly diagnosing coeliacs lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16Paws Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 It could have an affect. I'm not allergic but I'm very sensitive to fragrance and sometimes I can't be within 1m of my OH after he puts on deodarant, etc because it makes my face burn. Have you done any test to check if he has an allergy to the other dogs (ie, their fur, dander, saliva)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 If I had a dollar for every person who came to me for a blood test for coeliac disease just to find out they had been on a gluten free diet for X amount of weeks...they dont understand when I tell them they need to have gluten in their system to have any chance of possibly diagnosing coeliacs lol That's what I did I was on a waiting list for an endoscope to test for coeliacs disease and ulcers and while I was waiting I went gluten free (after advice from a natropath) and after six weeks I got my appointment only to be told after the op that I actually needed to be eating gluten to be diagnosed. Boy, did I feel foolish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Daisy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 Have you done any test to check if he has an allergy to the other dogs (ie, their fur, dander, saliva)? How do I check that? Keep him separated from the other two? I think that would break his heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16Paws Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I imagine if he's allergic to a shampoo or grass and the other dogs were transferring it to him the only way to check would be to consider putting all dogs on the same diet and routine as mr allergic. I'm sure a dermatologist will point you in the right direction Edited March 23, 2010 by 16Paws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I've never heard of dogs being allergic to other dogs hair or saliva, so I wouldn't worry about separating him unless the specialist suggests it. You do need a full workup by a Derm specialist to find out what's going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 You do need a full workup by a Derm specialist to find out what's going on. +1 I wish you all the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16Paws Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Yes I guess that would be pretty strange for a dog to be allergic to the actual dog. OT, I have a friend who is allergic to animal saliva. She comes up in terrible hives if she comes into contact with cat or dog spit. I thought she was joking the first time she mentioned it. I guess that's got to be better than being allergic to their fur when you're an animal lover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Daisy- have you considered it may NOT be allergy related ? Could it be (and I have no knowledge) some sort of endocrine problem? Things on the skin often will start internally ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 That's what I did I was on a waiting list for an endoscope to test for coeliacs disease and ulcers and while I was waiting I went gluten free (after advice from a natropath) and after six weeks I got my appointment only to be told after the op that I actually needed to be eating gluten to be diagnosed. Boy, did I feel foolish. like I said, if I had a dollar for every time, at least you were following advice of a professional though...so many people are self diagnosing themselves with coeliac these days and putting themselves on a gluten free diet and because they miraculously get better they decide it must be coeliac, go to any old quack and insist on the test, which will of course come back as negative, if the doctor was decent they would realise there could be any number of reasons why a gluten free diet would 'cure' them...lmao, sorry, end of my rant I promise Hope you find out why that boy of yours is suffering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 It could have an affect. I'm not allergic but I'm very sensitive to fragrance and sometimes I can't be within 1m of my OH after he puts on deodarant, etc because it makes my face burn. Have you done any test to check if he has an allergy to the other dogs (ie, their fur, dander, saliva)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyra20007 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have helped a couple of dogs with massive food allergies with a balanced BARF diet. One of the dogs had thick black skin on it's back with no fur at all and within 3 months there was no sign of any of the thickened skin and the fur grew back well. The other was constantly itchy and couldn't stop rubbing and scratching. I add supplements to their diet as well like a good omega 3 oil blend and adding Pet Pep Up which is like a probiotic for the gut. If you would like me to send you an outline of the diet, PM me with an email address and I can send it through. I hope all goes well with everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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