MadWoofter Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Poor Fleming has skin problems, and this awful rainy weather is not helping at all - there's lots of grass & weeds around which exacerbate the problem, and he is just soooo uncomfortable at the moment. I bathe him in Malaseb, and he's off to the vet this morning to get some antihistamines, but I was wondering what other people who have a dog with chronic skin problems do to help ease the problem. Are there any natural solutions out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Years ago when I had an itchy dog .. when I could, I would take him to (back then) one of those 'new fangled' holistic vets ... and he would get vit C injections - which did help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I find Malaseb far too drying and tends to add to the itch, unless you are treating some specific skin lesions etc I give it a miss. Vet strength EPO shampoo is an excellent shampoo and then QV oil in warm warm and rinse the dog in that. I do believe that a complete holistic approach to the itchy dog really does work in many cases, and looking at the diet and all other medications and products you use on your dog is a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I have a dog with severe allergies, tried everything i could that was natural, no improvement he sees a dermatologist which has helped heaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadWoofter Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 Thanks Pers - I'll mention Vit C when I see the vet later. Crosivar, Malaseb is what the vet recommended, but I'll see what he says about the EPO. He scratches himself so much he tears the skin and has lots of wounds & scabs which is why we're using it. We've done the whole itch investigation before, and ruled out diet. It appears that the poor boy is allergic to grasses and dust. Usually the rain is good as it dampens all the dust down, but it's been so wet that the grass (& weeds) have gone berserk, and it's not been dry enough for me to get into the garden & attack it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Wrap some porridge oats in a tea towel, run it under hot water until it is milky and use the milky water to sponge bathe the itchy areas.. Oats are very soothing... Also an oatmeal shampoo might me better than Malaseb as it can be very drying on some skins.. My sister uses dermaid from the chemist on her stafford... Choppy gets really itchy and she thinks this works as well as anything prescribed by the vet... Note if there is infection involved then a vet trip is necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Calendula tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Whilst you may have ruled out diet as the cause, it is the foundation of your dogs health, if their immune system is out of whack then it affects everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajtek Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I see you are in Sydney. CavsRcute recommended All Natural Vet Care to us. They are in Russel Lea and offer holistic treatment of animals. I visit them for other reasons (chiro) and find them very professional and knowledgeable. Might be worth a consult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 My dog has food allergies and atopic dermatitis ( dusts, pollens etc) he is on desensitization therapy, been on it for 20 months working very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I see you are in Sydney. CavsRcute recommended All Natural Vet Care to us. They are in Russel Lea and offer holistic treatment of animals. I visit them for other reasons (chiro) and find them very professional and knowledgeable. Might be worth a consult. Highly recommend All Natural Vet Care.. The lovely ladies there helped treat Ollie dog with Mast Cell Cancer. Aiding us to keep him as well as possible while undergoing chemo and then further care with supplements... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadWoofter Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 I hear you Crisovar, and know exactly what you mean, and thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Back from the vets, he has had a jab, and has lots of tablets (anthistimines & antiobiotics). I was absolutely gob-smacked to hear that FLEAS are the problem. Both dogs get advantaged religiously, but the vet said that with the awful weather Sydney has been having he's seeing a lot of cases now on dogs that are regularly flea treated. Fleming is allergic to them which is why he's been so itchy. Interesting to note too, he said that regular washing with Malaseb not only dries out the coat, but it also reduces the efficacy of a lot of flea treatments. At least the poor boy has stopped scratching. Now if only this humid rainy weather would disappear for a while.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinabean Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Calendula tea I'll second this. After reading Erny's advice in other threads on using Calendular Tea I gave it a try. I had to search a few health food shops before I found it. It's very soothing on itchy skin. I use it as a final rinse after washing my dog and keep a spray bottle of it on hand too. When my dog was chewing his feet until they bled he was prescribed 'Elocon' cream. In Bruno's case, I honestly think that changing his diet and using Calendula tea made more of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Calendula tea I'll second this. After reading Erny's advice in other threads on using Calendular Tea I gave it a try. I had to search a few health food shops before I found it. It's very soothing on itchy skin. I use it as a final rinse after washing my dog and keep a spray bottle of it on hand too. When my dog was chewing his feet until they bled he was prescribed 'Elocon' cream. In Bruno's case, I honestly think that changing his diet and using Calendula tea made more of a difference. Whoot Toot - fantastic to hear, guys :D. Trinabean - even try skipping the shampoo bit for the wash and wash through the coat to the skin with the Calendula only (and as per usual, don't rinse). You'd be surprised at how clean and fresh the skin can become and as you have a short/fine coated breed dog, this shouldn't be too hard. It's hard to get out of being used to thinking/feeling that something's not washed unless it is suds up whereas the soapiness in any shampoo can affect the pH balance of a dog's skin. But I am so glad the Calendula works for you. Edited March 4, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Calendula tea I'll second this. After reading Erny's advice in other threads on using Calendular Tea I gave it a try. I had to search a few health food shops before I found it. It's very soothing on itchy skin. I use it as a final rinse after washing my dog and keep a spray bottle of it on hand too. When my dog was chewing his feet until they bled he was prescribed 'Elocon' cream. In Bruno's case, I honestly think that changing his diet and using Calendula tea made more of a difference. Did you use it to clear up his feet? Payton is not what I call a itchy dog but his feet are a mess currently and nothing is helping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polgara's Shadow Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Another plug here for Calendula tea after reading one of Erny's recommendations two years ago. Cheers Erny. After much trial and error we discovered Vulcan has reactions to lamb, pork, sardines and most non-native grasses. Calendula tea along with the odd spot application of Malseb (he had yeasty feet for a while) has worked wonders for us. Calendula doesn't always cut it for some of Vulcan's really persistent flare up's, but we've always been able to manage these with the Malseb. Vulcan scraped the top layer of skin off a small patch of his belly the other day it was weepy and sore looking when I found it. We've been using 2x daily applications of Calendula and its now healing nicely. I've found grabbing a handful of the steeped Calendula bits into a square of disposable paper towel is really handy for these spot applications. Flea allergy would be a pain to manage! The can only think to suggest flea bombing everything, washing all their bedding with eucalyptus, and switching flea treatment brands to something with a different active ingredient to the one your currently using. Edited March 4, 2012 by Polgara's Shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Another plug here for Calendula tea after reading one of Erny's recommendations two years ago. Cheers Erny. Did you use it to clear up his feet? Payton is not what I call a itchy dog but his feet are a mess currently and nothing is helping Cowanbree, put it this way. It is highly unlikely that you will cause any harm by dipping Payton's feet in a Calendula Tea brew. (With the feet, I like to gently dab with a dry towel in between the toes afterwards.) The Calendula can 'fix' things, but it depends on what is actually causing the problem. If it is a case of the initial cause no longer being there but the problem relates to the ongoing licking/scratching having become a vicious circle, then yes, Calendula can work to resolve the issue. But if there is an actual cause still lingering (eg. diet; liver dysfunction; contact allergy; etc) the Calendula will sooth and help whilst you work on the actual problem, but won't 'fix' it. Calendula tea has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities, yet isn't harsh or stringent on the skin. Make sure you get organically grown Calendula tea and that contains no artificial colouring either. Edited March 4, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Would the tea not stain a very light dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 MG - a DOLer did report that the tea she bought stained her dog's white hair yellow. My boy has a small white patch on his chest and this has never stained yellow (and he has had lots of washes with the tea in his earlier 'hive' days). I was curious about this so I sent the DOLer some of the tea I get from my local Health Food Store to try and she reported no problems. This is why I now make the point of people getting organically grown tea without artificial colouring. Although it is a presumption it is what might have been the cause of the other DOLer's yellowing experience. .... I've forgotten the name of the DOLer in question . Try a test patch first if it is a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Thanks will do :) i will try it on my pup and see if it works it never helped my older boy but i suspect he has other issues besides allergies. All blood tests for thyroid, liver etc came back normal though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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