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Barnyard Buddies:  Help for an Itchy Dog  |
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JamieRose
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Jamie
Crystal Lake
IL
USA
50 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 08:12:12 AM
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Does anyone have any natural remedies for a dog who can't stop biting and scratching her skin?
She is nine years old and has bad skin allergies since last July. She normally would get it only in the fall, and then it would go away by early December. Last year it started in July, lessened in intensity during the winter months, but now is getting worse as the weather warms up (we live in IL).
The vet wants to put her on steriods. Right now, my hubby is out of work and we have 5 kids to feed and little extra cash to pay for this. I have tried all kinds of different foods in her diet and we also tried giving her Benedryl.
I feel so bad for her. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jamie
www.lovegivenaway.blogspot.com
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 09:39:13 AM
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You can always ask your vet to put her on predisone (which is a steriod) but very much low cost. I would just call the vet office and ask what the least expensive treatment is and explain your situation. Most vets are pretty understanding. I can't think of anything natural to try at all since this seems to be a long standing problem. Hope this helps.
Dogs never judge people, they only forgive!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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chloesmom011
Farmgirl in Training
28 Posts
trudy
duncan
sc
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 09:40:22 AM
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Jamie do you know if it is allergies and to what? Or is it basically dry skin that tends to worsen in the winter months because of dry heat ? Is her sin dry ? I worked in a vet office for years as a tech and finding the cause was the first part. A lot of time if it is just dry skin I have treated it with skin so soft bath oil after a moisturizing oatmeal bath. I have a big mutt who suffers with dry skin all the time and he gets the oatmeal baths and sss over his coat once a week and it really controls the itch. Also adding some fatty acids to the diet helps the dry skin but that takes up to about 1 to 2 months to see the results. You can get fatty acids in the vitamin dept or just add 1 tablespoon if olive or canola oil to their food 3 times a week.
Loving the country life in my little space in the city.
http://sunflowerfarms1.blogspot.com/ |
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KathyC
True Blue Farmgirl
583 Posts
Kathy
Gastonia
NC
USA
583 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 4:05:20 PM
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Baking soda helped my doggy. I would wet her and work in as much baking soda as I could, it probably took about 1/4 to 1/2 cup each time, and massaged it in for about 5 minutes then rinsed her really well. I did this weekly back in the summer and it really helped, completely cleared up. She is having problems again so I will start with the baking soda this weekend. I was trying witch hazel, water, tea tree & lavender oil all mixed up together and it helps some, I rub it on her twice a day but after a few hours she is biting and scratching again. She smells nice though.
Kathy |
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2011 : 03:14:53 AM
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Fish oil capsules work really well. You have to be patient, it could take a few days to really notice a difference, but I've noticed if I forget with my 2 dogs, by day 3 they are very itchy again! That plus Benadryl has worked for my male golden.
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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grammytammy
True Blue Farmgirl
585 Posts
Tamara
Binghamton
ny
USA
585 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2011 : 06:01:19 AM
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A few other things that might help. Change to organic food - takes a while to work. Corn and wheat are the major ingredients in many dog foods and are the highest allergens in many. Also try tea tree oil topically for some quicker relief. 
FarmGirl 2495
God loved us so much He gave His only son to die in our stead. |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2011 : 08:05:53 AM
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Jamie, you need to find the money somehow and have your dog allergy tested. In the long run it will probably save you money! I spent 2 years trying to convince myself that I could find the source of my dogs itching and licking by myself. The vet kept telling me the only way to treat this problem was to test him and know what he is allergic too. I went through countless bags of expensive dog foods, even Science diet z/d at 70.00 a bag (which he ended up being allergic too). By the time I gave in I had probably spent 3 times the ammount it cost me to have the test done. Once I got the results I found that there was no way I would have ever been able to do this on my own.
My dog is allergic to so many things to list, but I will list a few so you can see what I mean.
Allergies: Poultry, Potatos, Fish, Soy, Barley, Flax, Ragweed, Pigweed, Housedust/Mites, Human Dander and Malassezia (yeast his body produces from the allergies). These are only a few of them.
There are only 2 dog foods out there that he can eat and we now have him on one of them, within a month we started to see a new dog. Out vet reccomended allergy shots to help him out, but now that we know what we are dealing with we can manage him in the appropriate way. His bedding is washed every week now to cut down on the dust, and I vaccumm the area rugs more often.
Since we have gone this route my dog has gained 2 pounds, has energy, doesn't spend all day/night chewing at himself, all of his hair has grown back and no more yeast infections. Plus we are not spending anything on steroids or allergy shots. Also if you are dealing with a food allergy giving your dog Benadryl won't do anything for that, you are just drugging your dog for no reason.
Good luck and I hope you find the cause.
Lillian |
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JamieRose
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Jamie
Crystal Lake
IL
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 12:52:29 PM
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Thank you everyone for your help. I will try a couple of your suggestions. We have tried the organic, allergy dog food and it didn't make any difference. I also will call some vets around town and see what they may charge for this.
Jamie
www.lovegivenaway.blogspot.com
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 |
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JamieRose
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Jamie
Crystal Lake
IL
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2012 : 11:42:25 AM
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A long awaited follow-up to my pooches itchy skin problem - I started putting a few drops of olive oil on her food each morning (back in Feb/2011), and, other than some normal dog itching here and there, she has not had another problem since. She just turned 10 and still acts like a young dog - jumping on furniture, eating food off the table, barking like crazy at the mailman, etc.
www.lovegivenaway.blogspot.com
www.sewjamie.etsy.com
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2012 : 12:01:07 PM
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I would say prednisone, or benedryl but maybe try oatmeal shampoo and if you have her hair trimmed or it is sparse she might be getting a little sunburn?
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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momshopsalotta
True Blue Farmgirl
232 Posts
Connie
Hertford
NC
USA
232 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2012 : 1:26:02 PM
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| My dog just got treated with an oatmeal bath, the prednisone and a flea tablet called Comfortis. It worked great. The Comfortis was about $16.00 for a one month tablet and well worth it. The vet also said that our 69 lb dog could be given up to 75 mg of Benadril (3 capsules). The combination of an oatmeal bath, the $16. Comfortis and generic Benadril could very well do the trick. |
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MiaBella
True Blue Farmgirl
100 Posts
Michelle
New Caney
TX
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2012 : 6:32:59 PM
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All problems start in the gut. Be it animal or human. Try giving her some probiotics, the easiest way is Kefir. If you can get any raw Kefir that would be best, if not then the store bought pasteurized will work. Give her a 1/2 cup a day in the morning before food.
Have you changed her food? Does her food contain corn, soy, wheat or gluten? If so, she could be allergic to some or all of those things so getting her on a better dog food will help.
Do you bathe her often? Too frequent of bathing can dry out their skin and strip away natural oils.
Michelle
Farmgirl Sister #4097
MiaBella Farm
New Caney, TX
www.miabellafarm.com |
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Hoosiermom
True Blue Farmgirl
199 Posts
Beth
Alexandria
IN
USA
199 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2012 : 09:27:08 AM
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We had a border collie that would develop this horrible allergy every summer & nothing seemed to help. The poor thing, she was on meds all the time with no relief. We moved & suddenly she stopped digging & licking & healed & never had a problem with it again. The only thing I can figure is we had some pine trees & she would always lay under them to stay cool even though we had plenty of other trees. She must have been allergic to the pine needles. I can't believe we couldn't figure that out, but sometimes it's that simple. Also, you may try Vetericyn, we used it on our livestock & it worked great, unfortunately, we didn't know about this when our dog had this problem. Good luck! I know it's awful to see our pets so miserable.
Beth |
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2012 : 1:07:29 PM
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You dog could be experiencing hot spots, moist areas underneath her coat that don't dry out and get infected from constant licking and scratching. If you have a pair of electric clippers, shave the spot(s) where she is scratching and let them dry out. I don't know if a&d ointment or diaper rash ointment would work or not. Your vet may have to put her on prednisone to get the discomfort under control (think of the worst rash you've ever had in your life). Generally, hot spots are caused by allergies; the most common is to fleas. There is a new flea prevention out that has the same active ingriedience as front line, but the carrier for the active ingriedent is different. It is cheaper the frontline but I don't know if it can boast about being water resistant. If you think your dog has a food allergy, try a hypoallergenic dog food and see if that helps. Yes, they are more expensive, but if you're kept up all night by her digging and scratching, it maybe worth it. Hope this helps.
Lorie
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
Edited by - queenmushroom on May 19 2012 1:08:47 PM |
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ModernishHomemaker
True Blue Farmgirl
58 Posts
Amy
Colorado
USA
58 Posts |
Posted - May 22 2012 : 5:00:15 PM
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I mirror some of the other responses.
My pup has sensitive skin (just like her owner) so I use sensitive skin shampoo and conditioner for her baths, and also an anti-fungal shampoo. I've also used baking soda added to the anti-fungal shampoo. I also have changed her diet to include more Omega 3s. This has all seemed to help. She still has a little papiloma on her hind leg that bugs her, but the pink inflamed patches of itchy skin have diminished greatly!
I'm just a 20-something girl making a home for me (and my dog) and waiting for the family to fill it!
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"A home is made of love and dreams"
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modernishhomemaker.blogspot.com |
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FARMALLChick
True Blue Farmgirl
978 Posts
Lora
Alexandria
IN
USA
978 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2012 : 07:44:27 AM
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Last year my dog lost all the hair on his back, legs and belly from chewing and scratching.He had sores and scabs everywhere. It was awful! The vet said it was grass/flea bite allergy. Gave me a steroid and sent me home. I gave him the meds and it works for a couple weeks then came back. His skin started turning black in patches and I was freaking out! I thought he had developed cancer or something. I did some research and figured out he had sarcoptic mange. I read about different treatments and picked a liquid sulfur dip from Tractor Supply. Good Lord, did it smell! But happy to say that it worked like a charm. Henry's skin is completely clear and his hair grew back even thicker than before. It's been 7 months.
Lora
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway" -John Wayne
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com
www.farmallchick.blogspot.com
www.farmallchickphotos.blogspot.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: Help for an Itchy Dog |
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Help for an Itchy Dog
