Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 29th, 2004, 05:52 PM
peppy85 peppy85 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: michigan
Posts: 20
Question blue heeler with itchy dry skin need help

I have a female blue heeler with really itchy dry skin its sometimes so bad she spins around on the floor trying to itch her back she also chews on her feet,but she does have any hair loss.I bathe her regularly and it helps for about 4 days and its hard to bathe her in the winter because she goes outside alot and i live in michigan so it gets really cold.Ive been told to give her benadryl but i dont know how much to give her.any help and advice would be great. thanks :sad:
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old November 29th, 2004, 06:07 PM
heeler's rock!'s Avatar
heeler's rock! heeler's rock! is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 896
Hi there, and welcome to the forum!

My red heeler has dry skin aswell, and I find not bathing her that often helps. I've heard that too much bathing can dry out a dog's skin. What type f food do you feed her, and have you ruled out any allergies?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old November 29th, 2004, 06:23 PM
lilith_rizel's Avatar
lilith_rizel lilith_rizel is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Meade, Maryland
Posts: 1,659
Cano used to do this type of stuff. We switched him to a lamb and rice formulated dog food, and he seems to be doing much better. And we only bathe him once a month, or when needed.

Have you talked to the vet about this issue yet? Maybe he is allergic to his food, or something in the house. It would be wise to rule out the allergy issue first.

And welcome to the forum.
__________________
"Every beginning is some other beginning's end" Closing Time- Semisonic
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old November 29th, 2004, 08:28 PM
twinmommy's Avatar
twinmommy twinmommy is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,139
benadryl is o.k. in low doses, but speak to your vet first...the thing with antihistamines is that they don't really work that well, Benadryl that is, on dogs. One of my dogs had somethng similar, and a great shampoo was Episoothe. Also give EFA and Omega 3-6-9 to make sure that they are getting their oils, but again, speak to your vet first before doing any of this.
__________________
If you are wondering if your dog can count, hide three cookies in your hand--and give him two!!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old November 29th, 2004, 08:30 PM
VickyK VickyK is offline
Vicky K
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chomedey, Laval, Quebec
Posts: 72
You could definetly be drying out the dog's skin. Normally dogs are bathed 3 to 4 times a year unless you use really good shampoo. (Unless she does have allergies then frequent bathing would relieve her)

Now first and foremost I believe you need to consult a vet....but if you do choose to bath her frequently try and find a good all-natural shampoo, like goats milk, wheat germ, sulfur or aloes.

P.s. If she is allergic to bug or insects Ive heard rubbing a little emu oil on her makes it go away. Apparently emu oil is a natural insect repellant
__________________
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Gandhi
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old November 30th, 2004, 11:21 AM
peppy85 peppy85 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: michigan
Posts: 20
thanks

i bathe her about once a month.i feed her kibbles and bits,i havent found a brand that doesnt either make sick or give dierrea and that she will eat,shes very picky about what food she eats.and i use a speacial dog shampoo that has natural oats,chamomile, and viatamins a b c e in it.and i will try getting her in to the vet but its hard when the only vet around here that wont rob you blind is always busy,and they still arent cheap.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old November 30th, 2004, 11:32 AM
VickyK VickyK is offline
Vicky K
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chomedey, Laval, Quebec
Posts: 72
My personal opinion is that a dog with eating troubles should not be eating kibbles and bits, again this is my personal opinion and other animals out there scrounge the garbage to eat so I dont want you to take things personally but there is human grade dog food out there, meaning pure and wholesome enough for a human to eat.If you can try and find some Natural Balance dog food Im sure that would help her not only skin wise but overall.
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
__________________
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Gandhi
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old November 30th, 2004, 11:54 AM
mastifflover's Avatar
mastifflover mastifflover is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,007
Hi Peppy first your dog is probably having an allergic reaction to the food. If you read the side of the bag you will see the first 3 ingredients
Corn, soybean meal, ground wheat, beef & bone meal, animal fat (BHA and citric acid used as preservatives), corn syrup, wheat middlings, water sufficient for processing, animal digest (source of chicken flavor), propylene glycol, wheat, salt, hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, caramel color, sorbic acid (used as a preservative), sodium carbonate, choline chloride, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), calcium sulfate, titanium dioxide, yellow 5, red 40, yellow 6, BHA (used as a preservative), dl-methionine.
These are all filler and have no nutritional value to your dog,they are alos very common allergens for dogs. The rest of the stuff in here is basically crap. The first ingredient should be chicken or lamb or beef.
You need to find a good quality food such as Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance these are more expensive but 2 things you do not feed as much since it is real food not filler and you will save the money in vet bills.
Also you should add fish oil (not cod liver oil) as a supplement to the food this should help to add essential oils to your dogs coat, I also use flax seed oil for coat. The food will vastly improve coat and you will see a big improvement in about 3 weeks. You have to switch the food slowly that is the reason for the diarreah. You start off with 3/4 old food and a 1/4 new food. Next week add more new. It should take about 2-3 weeks to really do it slowly and with out giving the dog the runs.You could also bath your dog using an oatmeal shampoo it is very soothing and relieves itching and in the spring and summer add essential oil of eucalyptus fleas hate the stuff. But I think your main problem is the food. If you need any more information you can private message me anytime. Good luck
__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old November 30th, 2004, 12:04 PM
heeler's rock!'s Avatar
heeler's rock! heeler's rock! is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 896
I agree

Kibbles 'n Bits is not a good food at all. Natural Balance is a good food, but so are many others, like Nutro Natural, Eagle Pack, and a bit more pricy ones but that you feed a lot less of like Go Natural, Innova Evo, and Wellness.

The first five ingredients in Kibbles n bits are:
#1) CORN!!!
#2) Soybean Meal
#3) Ground Wheat!
#4) Beef and Bone Meal
#5) Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA and Citric acid!!!)

The first ingredient should ALWAYS be meat, not a grain! That is not only very hard for your dog to digest, it provides absolutely no nutrional value at all! Another thing is that some dogs tend to be allergic to beef, so most people choose a chicken or lamd based diet.

I feed my dogs Go Natural which is chicken based, and will be switching them to Innova Evo soon. Go Natural is great, but it is very rich and therefore my oldest is gaining weight like crazy! Innova Evo is also much better because it is the first kibble dog food to contain NO GRAINS! The kibble is actually held together with potatoes! It's the same thing as raw, but cooked! My border collie is on raw food, but I couldn't keep my other 2 on it because it was getting so expensive. My bc has a very sensitive stomache so she won't eat kibble at all.

There are a lot of great threads on here about nutrtion, so I would take a look around and see what there is. Once you learn about labels, you will be better able to make good and healthy choices for your pup! Another great thing is to add some non-fat plain yogurt to your pups food. Just one tablespoon once a day. That helped my girl out a lot. Good luck!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old November 30th, 2004, 01:22 PM
VickyK VickyK is offline
Vicky K
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chomedey, Laval, Quebec
Posts: 72
Mastifflover Impressive stuff!!! Ver well said! I get so happy knowing that people are getting more and more aware of the garbage in commercial dog food. And the use of flax seed oil is becoming more and more popular Horay! You have one lucky pet!

P.s We did test on human grade dog food and Wellness was the only one that we were not impressed with. When mixed with water it became more thick and pasty then any other brand....not good for the intestines!

p.p.s. Natural Balance is coming out with raw dog food in a bag (must be kept refrigerated of course) It is only available in California for now but I think its gonna revolutionize the way we feed our furry friends. I strongly believe raw diets are truly best for them.
__________________
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Gandhi
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old November 30th, 2004, 02:33 PM
GsdDiamond's Avatar
GsdDiamond GsdDiamond is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 768
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinmommy
benadryl is o.k. in low doses
Any type of cold remedy can seriously harm a dog. If you have to give antihisamines, then you must use plain old Chlor-Triplon. It has no cold remedies whatsoever and was what my Vet said to use. Chlor-Triplon can be given both to cats and to dogs. For my (then) 60 pound dog, I was giving her 2-3 4mg tablets a day. Spread out the doseage so the dog isn't overwhelmed. Talk to your Vet first though BEFORE medicating your dog!!! Seek their advice about any over the counter medication!
__________________
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old December 7th, 2004, 11:37 AM
peppy85 peppy85 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: michigan
Posts: 20
ive just started usin a new dog food,its called Diamond Pet Food,i was wanderin how good it is, though it did make her sick the first day she ate it,even though i mixed it with her old food, but shes fine with it now,i just dont know very much about dog food, and dont have that much money to spend on really expensive dog food, :sad: but if any of you were to ask me about horse feed,i would be able to tell you exactly what is best to fee your horse,dependin on what you do with him
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old December 7th, 2004, 12:39 PM
elfelda's Avatar
elfelda elfelda is offline
Pet Lover Extraordinaire
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Guelph, ON
Posts: 55
Peppy85, although quality dog foods are more expensive, they also contain a lot less filler. You will find that your dog needs a lot less food, since it is more nutritionally dense. For example, and active 60 lb. dog might eat 2 or 3 cups of Kibbles n Bits a day, but only 1 or 1 1/2 cups of a premium brand. Check the guidelines on the bag if you are not sure how much your dog should be eating. He might also be used to eating more so you may not want to free feed for a couple weeks.

You will also, of course, save in vet bills in the long run, with a premium food.

A food switch should occur over about a week. Gradually increase the amount of new food in the bowl and decrease the amount of old food. Sometimes dogs prefer the taste of cheaper food because it contains more sugar and salt (just like fast foods for people). Mixing the foods together will help decrease "picking". It's okay if he doesn't eat for a couple days. A healthy dog won't starve in this short time. His hunger will get the better of him.

Adding oil to the food (especially in the winter, in Minnesota) will help with skin dryness. Also, most dogs don't need to be bathed more than once or at all in the winter. Try doing a very thorough brush out instead.

P.S. VickyK do you work for Natural Balance?
__________________
I :love: Stanley Coren
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old December 11th, 2004, 10:31 PM
peppy85 peppy85 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: michigan
Posts: 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by elfelda
Adding oil to the food (especially in the winter, in Minnesota) will help with skin dryness.
what kind of oil should i use??
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old December 14th, 2004, 11:49 AM
elfelda's Avatar
elfelda elfelda is offline
Pet Lover Extraordinaire
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Guelph, ON
Posts: 55
Flaxseed oil, or any type of oil you might add to your own food (vegetable oil), would probably do. There are also oils you can buy especially for this at pet stores.
__________________
I :love: Stanley Coren
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old December 14th, 2004, 03:28 PM
goldenblaze's Avatar
goldenblaze goldenblaze is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,482
Benadryl

Quote:
Originally Posted by GsdDiamond
Any type of cold remedy can seriously harm a dog. If you have to give antihisamines, then you must use plain old Chlor-Triplon. It has no cold remedies whatsoever and was what my Vet said to use. Chlor-Triplon can be given both to cats and to dogs. For my (then) 60 pound dog, I was giving her 2-3 4mg tablets a day. Spread out the doseage so the dog isn't overwhelmed. Talk to your Vet first though BEFORE medicating your dog!!! Seek their advice about any over the counter medication!

Benadryl is fine to give to puppies and dogs. Blaze has taken benadryl since he was 9 weeks old because of mange and it was our Vet that told us to give it. Two pills per day and he used them for 5 months for the itching. No need to let a dog suffer from being itchy, benadryl is fine.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old December 14th, 2004, 09:42 PM
Karin Karin is offline
Missing My Ciara, 3-21-06
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Williston, Florida
Posts: 2,094
Quote:
Originally Posted by elfelda
Flaxseed oil, or any type of oil you might add to your own food (vegetable oil), would probably do. There are also oils you can buy especially for this at pet stores.
Vegetable oils are a no no..however Safflower oil is rich in vitamin e & essential fatty acids that all mammals need. One half teaspoon over their food 3 times a week.

For a large breed dog 1 teaspoon 3 times a week .

Vegetable oil will give you a well lubed pet....and many potty breaks.
__________________
Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old December 15th, 2004, 09:50 AM
heidiho's Avatar
heidiho heidiho is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Maui,Hawaii
Posts: 4,348
Isnt this the agrressive dog you are gonna breed?????????????????????????
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old December 15th, 2004, 10:57 AM
peppy85 peppy85 is offline
banned user
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: michigan
Posts: 20
Red face

shes not really aggressive shes very protective of me my boyfriend and my cats.when ever scooby my 1yr old cat gets in a fight with my brothers cat ,which attually she attacts him he doesnt like to fight,but peppy,my dog,she runs to were they are fighting she hates when they fight and she breaks it up and corners my brothers cat so she cant attack scooby untill i get there then she runs and checks on scooby and gives him kisses,peppy has been attacked by this cat to but peppy wont attack her.and weve had people working on the house the last few weeks and she knows the guys doing it but she still gets cought off guard by them and it scares her so shell start grawling becuz she doesnt know them,atlest she thinks she doesnt know them,and yesterday one of them was in the kitchen and she wouldnt let me through she just kept getting in my way so i picked her up and carried her over to the guy and he gave her a treat and after that she wouldnt leave him alone she kept licking him and following him around the house it was kinda funny becuz just before she was grawling at him.shes never done anything but grawl,shes never even threatened to bite or do anything,she just stands her ground and grawls.ive asked blue heeler breeders about that and they all told me that its normal for same heelers to but overly protective,thats problly the words i should have used before instead of calling her aggressive,but ive never had a dog act like this,i grew up with boxers and then bullmastis(sp),so ive never had to deal with a dog that did this,sorry for any misunderstanding group hug??
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old December 15th, 2004, 11:05 AM
heidiho's Avatar
heidiho heidiho is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Maui,Hawaii
Posts: 4,348
Oh ok//,,,,,,,,,
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old December 15th, 2004, 11:08 AM
mastifflover's Avatar
mastifflover mastifflover is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,007
Diamond has some good foods and some not so good. I was feeding Diamond Large breed that was the only one that had no corn or soya in it. But if you have a Costco near you get Kirkland Series chicken and rice it is made by Diamond and it has not corn in it but does contain omeaga 3 & 6's and is less than half the price of Diamond and Buddy is doing great on it I do add supplements but he is a giant breed and needs the extras.
__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old December 16th, 2004, 10:52 PM
BoxerRescueMTL's Avatar
BoxerRescueMTL BoxerRescueMTL is offline
Adopt a senior dog!!
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Hudson, Qc
Posts: 783
my guys are on a raw diet also, and they're in great shape! i get my food from http://www.poshnosh.ca . they're a canadian company based in ottawa- i believe. anyhoo their rep. delivers it right to my door! she rocks (and no i don't work for them-just love them!!) ahaha
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old December 17th, 2004, 03:53 PM
justncase justncase is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 257
Adding cold pressed flaxseed oil( a couple of tablespoons on food )and salmon oil will help. It increases the omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids to the diet.Keep the flaxseed oil refrigerated or it will go rancid .
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:03 AM.