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  #31  
Old November 2nd, 2011, 06:47 PM
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Roxy is doing really well now. Last week both her front feet were swollen, hot, and irritated looking for about 5 days. They are better now, but strange as this symptom occured well after treatment began. Roxy has 2 more days of Cephalexin antibiotic and then I will be holding my breath for a week or two wondering if the rash will come back.
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  #32  
Old November 23rd, 2011, 10:33 AM
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Hmm, well Roxy is having some troubles again. Her ears are bothering her now. She has had dirty ears since I got her, I thought it was just the fact that her ears are cropped and gunk gets inside. I use a Q-tip to clean as much as I can near the outside of her ear (I don't stick it in her head). She holds still for this, and I grapple her and make sure I brace my wrist against her so that if she does move the Q-tip won't get shoved into her ear. I get quite a lot of brown, greasy gunk out of her ears, and some flaky skin as well.

The last couple days she has been shaking her head more than usual and scratching at her left ear in particular. So I took a look yesterday and it is wet looking in there and red with some broken skin. Not swollen red, but raw red. So I cleaned her ears as much as I could which seemed to give her a lot of relief. Her ears look less irritated today, but I'm still worried about the raw skin (her scratching couldn't get that deep, it's not from abrasion). I also noticed she has crusty, flaky skin at the corners of her mouth. Maybe from chewing on her Nylabone?

Argh! Any ideas?

She also stinks like anal glands all the time. http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=79415

I've decided I'm going to put her back on Iams kibble, and try to get the recipe for the homemade food she was eating before. This is the food combo she was on when I adopted her, and she didn't seem to have these issues then, so I'm going to try that and see what happens. I can't imagine a dog doing better on Iams than Acana grain-free, but I'm at a loss!

Why can't dogs pick a better time to spend our money? I'm starting up a home business, and with Christmas coming...? Ack!!
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #33  
Old November 23rd, 2011, 12:04 PM
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My golden had that guck all the time in his ears. You'll probably have to get "Surolan" ear drops. This is another classic sign of "allergies" sorry. If you keep up with good ear cleaner, it will help keep it away.
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  #34  
Old November 23rd, 2011, 08:17 PM
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Marty, thanks for the input. I actually do have Surolan drops, but they expired in 2005. I can't imagine it would do any harm to try it? Her ears look much better today than they did yesterday. Maybe I just let them get too dirty...? I picked up a bag of Iams today too and mixed some in with her Acana dinner.
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
Roxy - Feb '05 to May '20 AmStaff (adopted Jul '11)
Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
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  #35  
Old December 1st, 2011, 01:11 PM
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Well, the rash is back. This time it is starting on her soft belly skin (where there is little hair). She has also been losing hair around her eyes and mouth. She doesn't seem to be itchy. Her ears seem a lot better since using Surolan and keeping them cleaner with Q-tips.

Roxy is onto the Iams full time now, and so far no difference. However, after opening the bag of Iams Mini Chunks I realize that she must have been on the Iams Toy Breed (smaller pieces) which is a slightly different recipe, so once she is done this small bag I will buy the Toy Breed stuff. I will leave her on it for a month to see if there is any improvement.
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #36  
Old December 1st, 2011, 03:56 PM
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Sorry it's not better for you. Watch out for the Q-tips, I used a baby cloth and my finger so you cannot go deep into the ear canal. Use regular ear cleaner from the vet after your treatment of Surolan. Prevention works.
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  #37  
Old December 1st, 2011, 08:31 PM
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Thanks Marty. I am very careful with the Q-tips. She holds still for it too. I make sure I brace my arm against her head so that if she does move the Q-tip won't go in further. I wouldn't be able to get much with a cloth.
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Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #38  
Old December 9th, 2011, 12:46 PM
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Well, maybe the Iams is working! Roxy's rash is barely noticeable today. If Roxy's skin continues to look good on the Iams I will keep her on it for a couple more weeks to flush the system and then start to add some things in to figure out what it is that she's reacting to. The obvious thing lacking in Iams that is strongly represented in Orijen and Acana is fish. I can easily add this in by itself by using fish oil. The next obvious thing would be potatoes and peas (although not likely).

I washed the dog beds this morning, so if there is a reaction to that I should see it by tonight as she lays on her beds a lot.
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Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
Roxy - Feb '05 to May '20 AmStaff (adopted Jul '11)
Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
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Last edited by Myka; December 9th, 2011 at 09:12 PM.
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  #39  
Old December 9th, 2011, 12:51 PM
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Iams ProActive Health Adult Small & Toy breed ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Flax Meal, Caramel, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Rosemary Extract.


Acana Wild Prairie ingredients:
Chicken meal, russet potato, boneless chicken, boneless walleye, whitefish meal, peas, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E), sun-cured Alfalfa, chicken liver, boneless Lake Whitefish, whole eggs, salmon oil, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, zinc proteinate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, iron proteinate, vitamin B6, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, selenium, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.
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Ella - Jun '20 - Reg AmStaff
Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
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  #40  
Old December 9th, 2011, 04:31 PM
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I don't get it? But if it works that cool......I would definately add real cooked meat, I have given my dogs sardines in oil once in a while too.
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  #41  
Old December 9th, 2011, 09:14 PM
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Marty, I will do my best to find out what it is that is bothering Roxy and then find a high quality food that is compatible. By "adding things in" I mean adding things one at a time to figure out what she's reacting to so I can find a better quality food that she will do well on. Of course this is all assuming that Iams is "fixing" the problem...could be coincidence!

It is unfortunate that I have 90 lbs of Acana Wild Prairie! I buy it bulk for a good price. It is going to take Peewee a REALLY long time to go through all that!
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #42  
Old December 11th, 2011, 04:22 PM
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Today I don't even see a trace of the rash, and the hair around her mouth and eyes is starting to come back. Weird! Whoda thunk Iams would ever solve any problems! Maybe the commercials have some value! (joking!)
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #43  
Old December 11th, 2011, 09:26 PM
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you are tempting me to try that!!!!! Marty has a sore mouth right now, have no clue how it got there.
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  #44  
Old December 12th, 2011, 09:58 AM
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Ack! Don't do that! The only reason I tried the Iams is because Roxy was on Iams when I adopted her and she didn't have the rash at that time. I hope you find a solution for your pup's sore mouth!
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Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #45  
Old December 12th, 2011, 11:04 AM
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I won't jump into it for sure!!! But I've tried everything, right now its steroids........not happy bout that.
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  #46  
Old December 26th, 2011, 01:00 AM
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Hmmm...well heck, I don't know what's going on.

Roxy's feet are worse than they have been before...swollen, slightly red, some broken skin. Definitely not even close to the worse case I've seen, but something is still bothering her. Her skin rash is mostly gone...seems to have a flare up for a couple days once a week or so. By flare up I mean she will get covered in the all over red bumps (like in the first photos of in this thread), but they go away in a couple days. She usually has one small patch (less than dime-sized) on her side/chest/haunches that looks kind of like eczema - scaly, raised, rough skin. Sometimes it is red, most times it is normal colored. These patches will lose the hair off them as the scaliness flakes off.

From what I understand allergies showing up as foot irritation are always (almost always?) food related. I know holistic veterinarians suggest large daily doses of fish oil (omega 3) to help with allergies as it is an immunity booster and anti-inflammatory, but this is one ingredient I am questioning if she has allergies to. However, she hasn't had a drop of fish or fish oil in 4 weeks now. How long does it take for allergies to clear the system? Is it too early to start adding in fish oil? Fish oil should help the allergy, but not if the allergy is fish.

I need a new bag of dog food soon. She's been on the Iams Small Toy Breed for 4 weeks. I am considering a switch to California Naturals Lamb & Rice. Cali Naturals has limited ingredients and thus often helpful for dogs with allergies, and a different protein might be a good step to take.

Roxy's pre-adoption diet consisted of the Iams as well as a homemade food of about 75% white rice, 20% ground beef, and 5% carrots. This is just what I could tell from looking at it. I am not sure what ratio of homemade to Iams she was getting. We have been unsuccessful trying to contact Roxy's old owners.

Is it too early to make a call on whether she is ok with the Iams or not? It doesn't seem to be the answer - at least not fully - but am I being too quick? Regardless, at this point she is 75% better now than she was on the Orijen. So...environment related (weather has been bouncing from spring/winter/fall and may be related...I haven't documented weather compared to flare ups...or laundry detergent, or?)? Or food related?

Please help me make some decisions on the next step...or whether I should wait a bit longer before making anymore changes.
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Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
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  #47  
Old December 26th, 2011, 10:32 AM
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I gave up on the diet. Marty eats Acana Lamb and Apple right now with added high quality canned meat. I am convinced it's not food at all. I am thinking enviromental or auto immune stuff. She has the same breakouts on her skin that you described. Marty's crusty mouth has healed up for now. I got a spray from the vet "Dermacool" that works well on the breakouts. It's a cooling anti-itch. Sad to admit but she's a pet store dog and I am very upset about the amount of unhealthy dogs that come from there.
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  #48  
Old December 26th, 2011, 04:51 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Myka View Post
...... She's been on the Iams Small Toy Breed for 4 weeks. I am considering a switch to California Naturals Lamb & Rice. Cali Naturals has limited ingredients and thus often helpful for dogs with allergies, and a different protein might be a good step to take......

Is it too early to make a call on whether she is ok with the Iams or not? It doesn't seem to be the answer - at least not fully - but am I being too quick? Regardless, at this point she is 75% better now than she was on the Orijen. .....
I've only read a bit of the history, but from a quick glance, these are my thoughts....

The switch to Iams helped, so there is something in the Orijen which was not good for her.

The Iams may have helped, but there are still ongoing issues, which tells me that there are issues with the Iams. Not surprising, consdering all the other stuff that is in the Iams that is usually not the best, and maybe some stuff particularly in this situation that is not good.

Allergy dogs often need extra nutrition i some areas too.

The paws swollen, concerns me a bit, since most often with regular allergies you see itchy paws with sores from licking and such, but not so much swollen or hot. Makes me think of vasculitis, or gout, or some other medical issue or specific nutritional need that might be going on. And when I think of vasculitis, I think of systemic type of infection. Any chance of a tick disease? There are other infections too, that would require abx other than Ceph.
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  #49  
Old December 26th, 2011, 06:48 PM
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Marty, thanks for your input, I'm not totally sure that it is diet related either.

Lisa, yeah Roxy's paws are swollen. She is licking them a bit, but I think it is more that she licks because they are bothering her. I don't think her licking is the cause. The raw parts are between her toes right in the crooks, not on the paws of her paws like you see with many lick sores. Her dew claws are swollen too. This seems to only be affecting her front paws...maybe very slightly in the rear paws.

I just did a quick Google search on paw lick sores, which led me to a photo of a dog with a yeast infection of his paws, so I did a search for "dog paw yeast infection". That is what Roxy's feet look like. Kinda what her gunky ears look like too. Maybe systemic yeast infection? This here describes all of Roxy's symptoms to date: http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/blog/s...tions-in-dogs/

Lisa, the changes supposedly due to the food could be from the weather changes. She got better roughly as the weather got to freezing, and now is worse that we are mild again. I haven't been paying very close attention to this, but I think it is something to consider as well.
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Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
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  #50  
Old December 26th, 2011, 10:31 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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For yeast on the paws, you can soak them in black tea to help.

But usually they don't swell.....
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  #51  
Old December 27th, 2011, 11:06 AM
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I will look into a black tea treatment, although I think if this is her problem her ears are also affected and maybe her body skin too...?I have seen Tea Tree Oil mentioned in a lot of holistic treatments for yeast infections. I have that, I will try daily foot soaks and see what happens. I started adding Fish Oil to her food again today.

The paws in the pictures look swollen to me. Here are some pics from Google (Roxy's feet aren't near as bad as the photos, but definitely look very similar):


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Ella - Jun '20 - Reg AmStaff
Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
Roxy - Feb '05 to May '20 AmStaff (adopted Jul '11)
Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
Lacy - Sep '92 to Jul '03 - Sheltie

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  #52  
Old December 27th, 2011, 12:02 PM
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Further reading suggests yeast infections are often triggered by allergic reaction, but sometimes seborrhea (which was considered early in this thread), fleas, genetic predisposition, bacterial infection. The Chlorhexadine shampoo that I was using on Roxy (from the vet) for the suspected Mange (but also used as a broad spectrum treatment) would have helped with a yeast infection. The antibiotics she was on could have helped yeast flourish. Hmmm... maybe I will start the Hexadene shampoo baths again, and do Tea Tree Oil foot soaks. Could add yogurt into the diet...

I do notice that the blemishes she does still get here and there respond to daily washing with Hibitane soap. Not sure what issues Hibitane would help to cure. Reading back through this thread from the beginning I also notice that when the skin scrapings were done the vet didn't see any excess yeast. I also notice that the swollen, red paws showed up about 10 days after the suspected Mange treatment began (Hexadene shampoo, Revolution drops, and Cephalexin antibiotics (to prevent infection of the blemishes). So this does make me suspect the antibiotic treatment as a trigger for possible yeast infection.

I am considering calling the vet today to ask for a Ketoconazole (Nizoral) prescription. See if she would agree to this without another appointment, and agrees that it would be a good thing to suspect.



Maybe the initial cause was allergies to the fish in the Orijen, which is why she improved when switched to Iams, but she had underlying yeast infection which is why she hasn't improved completely?

Maybe it was Mange to begin with which could have taken hold because of lowered immunity (maybe from vaccination in March?) which could be the same trigger for yeast. Or the antibiotic treatment triggered yeast.

Maybe it is seasonal allergies which are better now that it is frozen, but yeast took hold.

Sooo many possibilities...

Thoughts?
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Ella - Jun '20 - Reg AmStaff
Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
Roxy - Feb '05 to May '20 AmStaff (adopted Jul '11)
Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
Lacy - Sep '92 to Jul '03 - Sheltie

Last edited by Myka; December 27th, 2011 at 12:31 PM.
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  #53  
Old December 27th, 2011, 03:16 PM
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To be honest I think we both should be doing the allergy blood test for about 700 bucks........ One panel is for food and the other one if for the enviroment. How do you feel about that?
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Old December 27th, 2011, 03:41 PM
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From what I understand, the allergy blood testing isn't very accurate or useful. :dunno: I'm not at the point of spending $700 either. Roxy's condition isn't bad enough to prompt extreme measures. For now, I think experimental changes are sufficient for Roxy.
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Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
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  #55  
Old December 28th, 2011, 03:42 AM
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To be honest I think we both should be doing the allergy blood test for about 700 bucks........ One panel is for food and the other one if for the enviroment. How do you feel about that?
If you can find a vet that will let you send in the blood yourself and pay cost, you can get it cheaper. That's how I did it. I used Varl and Spectrum, but I don't know about testing in Canada.

The blood tests will only give you a specific type of allergic reaction, and there can be other foods that they can be sensitive too. However, it gives you a starting point. They were invaluable for getting the diet right for my dogs.
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Old January 2nd, 2012, 12:53 AM
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I think I should be able to solve the issues myself with experiments. Hoping so anyway!

I upped the amount of fish oil a couple days ago so now she's getting about 1500 mg per day. She has some blemishes like in the very first photo in this thread, where the hair is raised on the sides of her shoulders. These blemishes come and go one week to the next, and I don't think there is a change in the blemishes' severity since I added in the fish oil. I do think that the irritation around her mouth has probably increased in the last few days.

Roxy will be finishing up this bag of Iams Small & Toy Breed in about 10 days, so in a week I will start switching her over to California Naturals Lamb & Rice. CN does not have any fish in it, so I can remove the fish (oil) from her diet easily if needed. I am not too keen on feeding a food from Natura, but she's on Iams right now, so who am I to be picky at this point?

I do wonder if Chicken might be the issue. Before I adopted her she was eating that homemade food (mostly white rice with some hamburger and carrots) along with the Iams, so that would have significantly lowered the amount of chicken she was consuming. When I switched her to Orijen and Acana that would have very significantly increased the amount of chicken she was consuming.
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Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
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  #57  
Old January 2nd, 2012, 11:14 AM
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Marty11 Marty11 is offline
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Myka what about the acana lamb and apple made with oats? Not sure about the fish though check it out!
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Old January 2nd, 2012, 11:36 AM
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Myka Myka is offline
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Another thing Roxy is doing lately...eating her own poop! She was obsessive with eating the charcoal chunks in the fire pit, then was eating her poop with the charcoal in it. Not sure if it was limited to charcoal turds or not, but maybe the fact that Iams isn't particularly digestible is making it still smell good to her.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty11 View Post
Myka what about the acana lamb and apple made with oats? Not sure about the fish though check it out!
Marty you're awesome! There is no fish in the Acana Lamb & Apple! The lamb & apple food is designed for "diet-sensitive" dogs leaving out common allergens.

Thanks for repeating this to me several times now...sometimes things have to be beaten in! I didn't consider it before because I thought all Acana and Orijen foods had loads of fish in them.

I'm going to switch her to the Acana Lamb & Apple.
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Ella - Jun '20 - Reg AmStaff
Squeak - '15/16? - Tabby cat (adopted Nov '18)
Streak - '18 - Black cat (adopted Nov '18)
Peewee - Jan '06 - 6.5 lb Chi (adopted May '09)
--------------------
Roxy - Feb '05 to May '20 AmStaff (adopted Jul '11)
Myka - Nov '98 to Jan '10 - APBT X
Lacy - Sep '92 to Jul '03 - Sheltie
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  #59  
Old January 2nd, 2012, 12:05 PM
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Marty11 Marty11 is offline
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By the way "Marty" eats her poop too sometimes and also eats the charcoal from the outdoor fire pit !!!!!!!!
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  #60  
Old January 3rd, 2012, 12:08 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Myka View Post
She was obsessive with eating the charcoal chunks in the fire pit, then was eating her poop with the charcoal in it. Not sure if it was limited to charcoal turds or not, but maybe the fact that Iams isn't particularly digestible is making it still smell good to her.
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By the way "Marty" eats her poop too sometimes and also eats the charcoal from the outdoor fire pit !!!!!!!!
Just a thought here - activated charcoal (bit different from bbq charcoal but still...) eases stomach cramps & stops vomiting even severe cases. Dogs with confirmed or suspected poisoning when taken to the vet are usually given activated charcoal to absorb the toxins & remove it via poop.
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