Any Vet's out there? (Allergies)
- Thread starter phyl
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Phyl, this sounds like a typical systemic yeast infection. Renee's advice has been on the right track. However you need to address this internally. Candida albicans is a very stubborn oganism to deal with, but it can be brought back under control with the right nutritional regimine and proper supplements. You must understand that antibiotics & steroids only address the symptoms, but not the root cause. Until the ROOT of the problem is dealt with, you'll never get out of the woods with this one. The allergy type symptoms you see are only the tip of the iceberg. The root of the problem is in the gut. Antibiotics kill off the beneficial bacteria in the GI tract, allowing Yeast, a fungus, to flourish. It then goes thru cycles of overgrowth releasing toxins into the system, resulting in skin infections, ear infections etc. Antibiotics only keep the vicious cycle going.There is a four step approach to resolving this situation.
1. Kill the yeast fungus
2. Cleanse out the dying yeast toxins
3. Re-establish good intestinal bacteria-Probiotics
4. Switch to a human grade, MEAT based dog food- Eagle pack is a great one www.eaglepack.com .
For the first three steps you want to go to www.nzymes.com . They have many success stories with this very problem. Oxy-drops and/or Black Leaf will kill the yeast. Nzymes treats or granules will cleanse the system., Bac-Pack Plus will re-establish the digestive flora. For a more in depth article on this, go to nzymes.com and look for their YEAST INSTRUCTONS page.
Another Great website that has articles on this and many other subjects is www.greatdanelady.com . Hope you find these things helpful. Good Luck.
1. Kill the yeast fungus
2. Cleanse out the dying yeast toxins
3. Re-establish good intestinal bacteria-Probiotics
4. Switch to a human grade, MEAT based dog food- Eagle pack is a great one www.eaglepack.com .
For the first three steps you want to go to www.nzymes.com . They have many success stories with this very problem. Oxy-drops and/or Black Leaf will kill the yeast. Nzymes treats or granules will cleanse the system., Bac-Pack Plus will re-establish the digestive flora. For a more in depth article on this, go to nzymes.com and look for their YEAST INSTRUCTONS page.
Another Great website that has articles on this and many other subjects is www.greatdanelady.com . Hope you find these things helpful. Good Luck.
TiggersDad ~
As I remarked to Chazhound on a different occasion: Great minds run in the same gutters. (lol) The link I originally posted for Phyl was to the article on candida at the Great Dane Lady site, it just ran through a Fila site that had cross posted it. I discovered it there and that's what led me to www.greatdanelady.com ! It's great to know that someone else was on the same track. The info there is unbelievable!
As I remarked to Chazhound on a different occasion: Great minds run in the same gutters. (lol) The link I originally posted for Phyl was to the article on candida at the Great Dane Lady site, it just ran through a Fila site that had cross posted it. I discovered it there and that's what led me to www.greatdanelady.com ! It's great to know that someone else was on the same track. The info there is unbelievable!
Phyl,
Get an opinion from another vet I was reading the posts and you said that your vet told you to give your dog flintstone vitamins?? (you mean the human kind?) if that is what you are talking about your vet is worng, wrong, wrong any vet would never ever suggest human meds for an animal never give your pets any human meds no matter what!!! no asprin, no peptobismal, anything!!!
as for the hair problems try switching foods (slowly), bedding, shampoos, everything and slowly elimninate stuff
What about fleas does your dog have fleas?? one of mine which never had fleas before got infested with them and he broke out in hives and started losing hair because he had "alergic flea dermititis" he is alergic to fleas
Good Luck with your dog!!
Get an opinion from another vet I was reading the posts and you said that your vet told you to give your dog flintstone vitamins?? (you mean the human kind?) if that is what you are talking about your vet is worng, wrong, wrong any vet would never ever suggest human meds for an animal never give your pets any human meds no matter what!!! no asprin, no peptobismal, anything!!!
as for the hair problems try switching foods (slowly), bedding, shampoos, everything and slowly elimninate stuff
What about fleas does your dog have fleas?? one of mine which never had fleas before got infested with them and he broke out in hives and started losing hair because he had "alergic flea dermititis" he is alergic to fleas
Good Luck with your dog!!
Renee, I just want to say you gave me a good laugh this morning about an innova diet for people. It's true, there's a lot of things in our food supply that does us more harm than good. After reading several of your posts, I now have both my dogs on Eagle pak holistic food. I'm glad I made the change.
I am new here but found this thread regarding allergies and had to respond. One of our greyhounds was very sick when we got him (needless to say he wasn't a good racer and retired young - to our benefit 
). After Muchresearch and investigating, we finally figured out it was food allergies. It took us the better part of a year, but we figured out he is allergic to most foods. He couldn't eat Any kibble (we tried most brands including the holistic, allergy formulas, etc...).
At first we went through our vet - who wasn't any help at all (sorry to any vets on this board) - they seem to know little about allergies, especially food allergies.
We also tried a holistic vet, who started us on the right track but in the end, we had to do our own research and investigation in order to get to the "bottom" of the problem.
It was the process of elimination that pointed us toward what he is allergic to exactly. We started with a Very plain diet (cooked sweet potatoe with skin, white fish, and another food that I can't remember at this moment)- no supplements. This was fed to him for 6 weeks minimum - until it appeared his symptoms were gone or on the mend (actually he was in such bad shape, it took many more weeks than 6 for him to even start getting better).
Then we very slowly started adding one food at a time, adding a new one every few weeks, providing he didn't react to the new addition. Because he is allergic to SO many foods, this took a Very Long time as we had to start all over again each time he reacted. But we eventually managed to figure out what he could eat (list is much shorted than what he can't eat).
In the end, we put him on the BARF diet (bones and raw food) and he continues to do exceptionally well. His diet consisted of raw turkey thigh meat, raw ground turkey, raw turkey necks, cooked white fish once or twice a week, and a mixture of specific vegetables, - ground up (only the veggies he isn't allergic to), and supplements.
It is now over 2 years later, and he still has the occasional bout with allergies but only very recently has been able to tolerate a little of Solid Gold Fish kibble and we have found a store bought "treat" that he able to eat, in moderation, without reacting.
We have found that if we give him too much of either of these in a short period of time, he reacts.
It is very difficult to find foods without wheat, rice, chicken, or any of the foods that he is allergic too....
His system is very delicate and we have to be very careful what he gets to eat. It has taken a few years, but it is much better than it was.
Within a year of mostly clearing up his problems, he became a very happy dog. He is such a character, smiles all the time (he has a huge smile), wags his whip of a tail at every possible moment...generally, a totally different dog than when we adopted him. Well worth all the work...
Good luck with your investigation.
). After Muchresearch and investigating, we finally figured out it was food allergies. It took us the better part of a year, but we figured out he is allergic to most foods. He couldn't eat Any kibble (we tried most brands including the holistic, allergy formulas, etc...). At first we went through our vet - who wasn't any help at all (sorry to any vets on this board) - they seem to know little about allergies, especially food allergies.
We also tried a holistic vet, who started us on the right track but in the end, we had to do our own research and investigation in order to get to the "bottom" of the problem.
It was the process of elimination that pointed us toward what he is allergic to exactly. We started with a Very plain diet (cooked sweet potatoe with skin, white fish, and another food that I can't remember at this moment)- no supplements. This was fed to him for 6 weeks minimum - until it appeared his symptoms were gone or on the mend (actually he was in such bad shape, it took many more weeks than 6 for him to even start getting better).
Then we very slowly started adding one food at a time, adding a new one every few weeks, providing he didn't react to the new addition. Because he is allergic to SO many foods, this took a Very Long time as we had to start all over again each time he reacted. But we eventually managed to figure out what he could eat (list is much shorted than what he can't eat).
In the end, we put him on the BARF diet (bones and raw food) and he continues to do exceptionally well. His diet consisted of raw turkey thigh meat, raw ground turkey, raw turkey necks, cooked white fish once or twice a week, and a mixture of specific vegetables, - ground up (only the veggies he isn't allergic to), and supplements.
It is now over 2 years later, and he still has the occasional bout with allergies but only very recently has been able to tolerate a little of Solid Gold Fish kibble and we have found a store bought "treat" that he able to eat, in moderation, without reacting.
We have found that if we give him too much of either of these in a short period of time, he reacts.
It is very difficult to find foods without wheat, rice, chicken, or any of the foods that he is allergic too....
His system is very delicate and we have to be very careful what he gets to eat. It has taken a few years, but it is much better than it was.
Within a year of mostly clearing up his problems, he became a very happy dog. He is such a character, smiles all the time (he has a huge smile), wags his whip of a tail at every possible moment...generally, a totally different dog than when we adopted him. Well worth all the work...
Good luck with your investigation.
Thanks for that post. You've outlined the best way to deal with a dog that's chronically allergic.
Most of the time, dogs with allergies tend to be allergic to grains, so by feeding an organic, grain-free kibble you can halt the allergy cycle, but every now and then you run into a dog with very chronic and extensive allergies and you have to use this method to find which foods are the problem.
It's no wonder your fast-guy is such a happy pooch; you've demonstrated how important he is to you and you've made his life infinitely better!
Most of the time, dogs with allergies tend to be allergic to grains, so by feeding an organic, grain-free kibble you can halt the allergy cycle, but every now and then you run into a dog with very chronic and extensive allergies and you have to use this method to find which foods are the problem.
It's no wonder your fast-guy is such a happy pooch; you've demonstrated how important he is to you and you've made his life infinitely better!
There are also a lot of "new" drugs that can be used as well. I have a dog that is alergic to grass! We have no option but to keep him on 1 Benadryl BID. Works! We also put him on a Lamb and Rice dog food with Omega's in it to help...figured it couldn't hurt! I can not keep him off grass! We live on 80 acres of yes you guessed it GRASS! lol Predisone is also a steroid and may cause him to eat more and gain weight! It did on several clients the vet I work for has used it on. Anyway you might want to try a different vet and food. If you have a pet store near you go read lables! Sensible Choice dog foods are great they are lamb and rice period or chicken and rice! always worked for us! Hope I helped as well! feel free to contact me with any questions too! You might also add a supplement called "missing link" you can get it at pet stores or at some stores that carry organic veggies and health foods (Henry's in So. CA). good luck
When my golden was about 2, I took him to a dermatologist because of his hairloss, itchi-ness, and hotspots. He put us on a regimen to find out if it was food-born or air-born allergies. Turned out to be "air-born" -- and he got put on weekly shots for being allergic to wool, grasses, trees, cats, etc., etc. Anywho, flea preventative was just begininning to get popular. I had always treated him with chemicals (how HORRIBLE to think back!). But then got him on the monthly treatments for fleas. I noticed a GREAT improvement. So, I backed down his shots to bi-weekly. Then I did monthly. After some time I saw he was doing fine and didn't give him any serum. He's 12 now and has no problems for like 9 years. So, thousands of dollars later, I found out it was due to flea dermatitus (sp?). Thanks to the "experts"...
Flea dermatitis is behind a lot of "mystery" skin problems. Glad you finally got to help him. I think most of us had to resort to some of those flea dips back in the day. Even the flea shampoo used to make my hands itch for hours after I'd washed one of the dogs and I always cringed to think of how it must affect their hides, but they always seemed relieved to be done with the fleas for awhile. Now I can get the flea shampoo with Neem - wonderful, non-toxic organic stuff.
This may help!
I am not a vet, but I worked in a vet clinic for 5 years and learned a lot over that course of time. Prednisone is a steroid and it has anti-inflammatory properties which help with the secondary inflammation and "itchiness" that is asscociated with allergies. Most vets will continue to prescribe pred. over and over again, but there are side effects! It makes them drink a ton and hence urinate a ton. Prednisone can be very hard on the major organs such as the kidney and liver, and can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding. It is always good to contact the vet when problems arise with our dogs, but in your situation, I would try a weekly bath with a medicated or cortisone anti-itch or anti-sebborheic shampoo (intended for dogs.) I would also consider a change in diet to something more natural. I have had a ton of good results with a "hollistic food" called Solid gold (any formula) and a product of theirs called Seameal. Canidae is also a very good food to try. I would also increase your dogs intake of essential fatty acids on a EVERY DAY basis. Examples are Derm Caps, Linatone, Vita Coat etc. These naturally help cut down on allergies and skin inflammation, hair loss etc. They work great and I sware by them. I have had no skin problems with my dogs since I have used these products. They have worked better than anything we ever prescribed in the clinic and they are well worth the money and saving your dog the discomfort of allergies!! Your vet may not be open to this concept as they have to approach everything from a strictly medical stand point. Here are some links to the food companies. If you decide to try this, make sure to give it six weeks to start new healthy cell and coat growth on your dog. I forgot to mention...allergic dogs always need good quality flea control such as Advantage or Frontline (nothing you can find in the grocery store!) One flea bite can start a whole reaction in an allergic dog.
Good Luck!
http://www.canidae.com
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com
I am not a vet, but I worked in a vet clinic for 5 years and learned a lot over that course of time. Prednisone is a steroid and it has anti-inflammatory properties which help with the secondary inflammation and "itchiness" that is asscociated with allergies. Most vets will continue to prescribe pred. over and over again, but there are side effects! It makes them drink a ton and hence urinate a ton. Prednisone can be very hard on the major organs such as the kidney and liver, and can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding. It is always good to contact the vet when problems arise with our dogs, but in your situation, I would try a weekly bath with a medicated or cortisone anti-itch or anti-sebborheic shampoo (intended for dogs.) I would also consider a change in diet to something more natural. I have had a ton of good results with a "hollistic food" called Solid gold (any formula) and a product of theirs called Seameal. Canidae is also a very good food to try. I would also increase your dogs intake of essential fatty acids on a EVERY DAY basis. Examples are Derm Caps, Linatone, Vita Coat etc. These naturally help cut down on allergies and skin inflammation, hair loss etc. They work great and I sware by them. I have had no skin problems with my dogs since I have used these products. They have worked better than anything we ever prescribed in the clinic and they are well worth the money and saving your dog the discomfort of allergies!! Your vet may not be open to this concept as they have to approach everything from a strictly medical stand point. Here are some links to the food companies. If you decide to try this, make sure to give it six weeks to start new healthy cell and coat growth on your dog. I forgot to mention...allergic dogs always need good quality flea control such as Advantage or Frontline (nothing you can find in the grocery store!) One flea bite can start a whole reaction in an allergic dog.Good Luck!
http://www.canidae.com
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com
I have not read all the post in this discussion, but if your dog is suffering a pollen alergy, one of the best ways to help rid it is contact a local beekeeper, ask for some honey and give this honey each day, as the pollen is local to you and the bees make from local plants, the honey helps desensitize the dog, this actually works,
Mo
Mo
I have a dog who is part husky and had a lot of gastrointestinal problems and chronic yeast infections in her ears. I tried a lot of different foods over the years. She was also really fussy, but she always liked fish (we had to keep the cat food away from her) so I tried the Flint River Ranch Trout & Sweet Potato ("Fish & Chips"). Flint River Ranch is also made with natural human-grade ingredients. It's worked really well for her. The GI problems are gone and we haven't had any recurrences of the yeast infections in the ears since she's been on it. She's over 14 years old now and is really doing well. When people ask how old she is they can't believe she's 14!! Best of luck in finding a food that is healthy and that your fussy eater will eat.