My Labrador (chocolate) is infection prone, he has sticky ears and a smelly, greasy, flaky (his coat is full of what looks like dandruff), and thinning coat. I have shaved him, and now I can see were he is losing the hair and at this spot it is flaky and dandruff. What can I do? Which food do I give him to correct this and the other problems I have with him.
He also has itchy paws, excessive gas, recurrent diarrhea, and at times he urinates in the basement. He is 7 years old. I've been feeding him all sorts of commercial dry dog food. I would like to make my own because he seems to have allergies every week. What do you suggest for food?
By Hector
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
This tip I put on here, might apply to you.
www.thriftyfun.com/
My dog, Dutchess, who has yeast problems so bad, is 8 years old, has to have one bath per week with a special shampoo. She is on pills during the summer for itching so bad from yeast. Yogurt is great for them, as long as it does not have artificial sweetener in it.
Food predominantly made out of corn, is bad for allergies in dogs, and gives them little protein. You will find the ingredient list on most cheap foods has corn as the main ingredient. It is a cheap ingredient to load dog food down with, and make lots of it. It makes lots of waste too. What happens when we eat corn?
By products are not meat so check on your dog food ingredient label. I have to laugh at some of the foods that vets recommend to me to use, (they are encouraged to recommend certain dog foods as they get benefits from doing so, but this is motivated by them getting benefits and not the quality of the dog food).
I wouldn't feed certain foods to my dog but then I have done my research and they usually don't have time to research or the desire to. I never correct the vet, they are not really nutritionalists they are much higher trained. The more waste a dog makes, as in a diet made mostly of corn product, the less quality food they are eating, and that means they will have to eat more more more more, and go to the bathroom more more more more, and in the end, no pun intended, they are getting nothing for their health at all.
Pedigree is what I feed mine, although there are plenty of better foods out there as far as ingredients. The difference in output, as far as their waste goes, though when they are on pedigree is amazing. Don't forget, it takes just a little more time to cook up some chicken to give as a treat then to buy stupid cheap treat in a box at the store with no good food in them at all. There are good treats that have one hundred percent meat in them but I still like to supplement them with real chicken and I always cook it. I don't buy into the raw foods diet although lots of people do it. I don't want a dog kissing me who has eaten chicken sushi.
I like to give them a little olive oil in a spoon, rather than fish oil pill, since I am never sure I can get them to take a fish oil capsule, and I wonder if it doesn't pass through them whole, without dissolving especially if they are eating a poor quality diet. They just lick the oil off the spoon every so often. It should help with dry skin problems too. I could do a little oil in a spoon, a teaspoon every other day at first. Some of them lick it right off the spoon with no problem.
I like to take the dog with yeast/ear infections chronically to the vet. Have the vet do tests, etc. They will usually give you anti yeast pills etc, However, afterwards, I would put the dog on a chicken diet for a week. This is like a food challenge to see if it is really allergies. this kind of diet would not be good long term, since there are no vitamins or minerals etc. But this can go a long way in alleviated allergies, and testing to see if it is his food that is making him sick.
Sometimes it takes a lot of testing at the vets to find out what is wrong. That is oK. When it is time to pay the bill, just say "can I pay $50 of it now and the rest later..." and then you will establish with the vet that you are going to pay it off. Don't ask about this before hand they will say no, Once you are in there and they know you will come back, they will likely say yes, and there you are.
I like to remember the skin of a dog, and how it needs to be cared for too. You would not go without bathing or wiping your face off, well skin feels so much better when it is clean. I just get a soft rag and wet it and gently ring it out and go over the skin with it. I usually do this before an other topical flea application. Then once the skin is dry I do the topical.
For sensitive dogs who are extremely allergic to fleas, I would not use a topical but a pill that they give for flea control. Banjo swells up like crazy if she even has one flea bite. Again, a quality food can help in this fight against fleas, as bad skin attracts them. Go over their skin, softly, but enough to get down to the skin and refresh them. Let it dry. Dogs like to have their faces washed too, and around their ears. They need someone to take care of their skin for them as they cant really do a good job of it.
Also:
www.earthclinic.com/
To check your dog's pH balance, pick up some pH strips at the drug store, and first thing in the morning test the dog's urine. Find where they have just urinated outside and stick the test strip in the puddle. If it reads anywhere from 6.2 - 6.5, your dog's system is exactly where it should be. If the numbers are lower your pet is too acidic. ACV will re-establish the correct balance. Soy, corn and wheat are nasty ingredients for many/most dogs, and eliminating these, one at a time, can help determine allergies.
Robyn
Age brings a lot of issues. I hope this helps and feed them yogurt too, it is a good thing for them.
Just wanted to let you know I started cooking for my St. Bernard and her hips improved dramatically within 2 weeks. Raw foods are not recommended for dogs over 2 years of age (per my vet), I used to cook this recipe, but truly do a little research because I do not know your dog's specific needs.
Oatmeal
Frozen Veggies- green beans, carrots, broccoli, (no corn)
Chicken, beef, or other meat.
I just tried to make equal portions of veggies and meat, and used oatmeal as filler...they love it!
I had a Cairn terrier that was allergic to many foods. He would chew his fur until he had bacterial infection in his skin so he would chew some more. His skin was flaky and had darkened areas. Everything he could reach was chewed off. I started to switch his diet using different meats. It would help a lot for about 6 months. Then he would start chewing again. When I was getting really desperate I tried canned salmon with brown rice. I would cook up 3 cups of brown rice with a little olive oil. Then I would add a can of salmon (about $2) It had the soft bones for calcium and good oil. He never chewed again. I would try to add veges form time to time, but he would always start to chew again. Broccoli was the worst. He lived to be 17 years old and never chewed again. I liked the salmon because it was cheap, had good oils and a calcium source. Good luck with your dog.
Feed your dog a good quality food. You must read the ingredients and if it has byproducts, hormones, antibiotics, added salt BHA/BHT, artificial flavors, fillers, wheat, flour, corn, soy or sugar, avoid these products. There are good quality foods like Natural Balance, Merrick, Evangers just to name a few. Another excellent product for your dog's skin is Royal Coat Express by Ark Naturals. This is a good quality fish oil for scratching, hotspots, shedding and dry flaky coats. www.arknaturals.com
Another tip that will help is to wash/rinse your dog's feet especially after a walk or running away from the home . Remember your dog will walk on grass that has been sprayed with weed killer, fertilizers and who knows what else. What ever they touch with their pads enters there body system. This will result in allergies, itching, licking, scratching.
Oh Hector, Your dog has seborreah. We adopted two rescue dogs about 8 months ago. The owner went into hosice and the dogs were given up. One of them has seborreah. He is 7 years old, was skinny, smelled like parmesan cheese, greasy and scratched 24/7. His underside was like a piece of dry black leather with no fur. It has been a long, very expensive road. We tried everything our vet recommended. My husband washed him twice a week with Sebozole shampoo. You can buy it from the vet but it is much cheaper on line. We give him 2 Benadryl (generic brand from Walmart) and one fish oil capsule twice a day. Try food from Petsmart that is grain and soy free. Also expensive. You can thin it down to use less by adding ground turkey and rice. I fry up a pan of ground turkey and make 2 cups of minute rice (store brand). Add the cooked rice to the turkey and mix well. Cool and store in a big container in the fridge. Add to the dry dog food. the diarrhea is because you keep changing dog foods. We had all the allergy tests done, only to find out it is not food related. It is grass, trees, all kinds of flowers, shrubs, etc.
Eight months later he scratches very little. He has gained weight. He has a beautiful grey/black/silver coat. He is a German Shepherd. He still receives 4 Benadryl a day and 2 fish oil capsules. (2/1 in the morning, 2/1 at dinnertime). We also give him Comfortis once a month. Your vet will sell it to you but it is cheaper on 1-800-petmeds. My vet agreed to match the price. My husband bathes him about every 10 days with Sebozole. He now eats 4 cups of dry Nutro Senior. If you are going to change dog foods, you have to do it gradually by adding the new food a little at a time. He is happy, loves to play and be patted and loved. At first he didn't know what to make of all the loving. It don't think anyone ever patted or hugged him. Not out of meanness but just because he smelled and felt so awful. You can do this but it takes time. Over the course of 8 months we have spent about $3 thousand between medication, shots, vet visits, tests, etc. We finally have it down to normal and affordable. Was it worth it? You bet. We love him dearly and he returns the love every day.
No steroids. Allergy comes back worse each time. Allergy pak from Nzymes. You won't believe how much this product will help. Cost is less than 1 vet visit. cooking? Small grain brown rice, lentils, ground turkey (but not too much) , raw beef bones (cooked ones splinter) Organic (if you can) veggies (Costco has 5 # bags of organics in freezer) , sweet potatoes, farm eggs, canned salmon, canned jack mackeral(has no mercury), --------NO----------- corn wheat or soy. ________NO___________vaccines. (Bet his allergy showed up right after a vaccine). Dry borax in carpets. Cedercide granules in yard for fleas. _____NO _______poison between the shoulderblades (Advantage or other). Evo kibble for a little crunch. Even some fruits but NEVER GRAPES OR RAISINS. Main grocery aisle pet foods even contain other dead pets including the euthanasia poison which does not cook off. Please check this for yourself on the internet. ------Build immune system. Do not tear it down with insults of poisoned food, vaccines and pesticides. Good luck. Contact me with questions if you so choose.
You will want to switch to an organic food with o corn, soy, wheat and your first ingredient should always be a real meat not a by-product or meal. In other words, do not feed your dog any dog food you can buy in a grocery store. there is a reason for that. you will spend more on your premium foods but you will also save money in the long run by not having to run to the vet. Pure pumpkin will help with the runs, don't keep changing his food. Blue Buffalo was formulated without all the cancer causing agents in it. It has done my dogs a world of good. I used to use Nutro and it was okay but I've been hearing that they have recalls a lot. Blue is made in the U.S. and uses only quality ingredients. I plan on adding some raw foods into my dogs diet also (they are 4 & 10 years old) most people i have talked to that use the raw diet keep Blue on hand in case they are short on time or go out of town, and all their dogs are beautiful even the older ones are shiny, healthy and happy dogs.
Have you discussed this problem with your Veterinarian?
The poor animal is in a shocking state and dry flaky hair could be mange for the sake of the animal please talk to the only person professionally qualified to advise you. Good luck.
My dog was licking bald spots on himself. I thought it was stress and gave him supplements for that. But, the licking continued. I went to Earthclinic.com and found a wonderful solution. I had always given him yogurt on his food but I upped it to 2 T with each meal. I also started giving him 2 T of Apple Cider Vinegar(the one with the "mother") in his meals twice a day and 2T in his water dish. The licking stopped almost immediately! I couldn't believe it! It was that simple.
I have itchy skin myself. So, I've started this regimen, too!
Yep. Greasy seborreah. The dog is probably highly allergic to corn, wheat and needs an experienced vet to make recommendations. One corn chip will set it off. It's probably deeper than a food issue. The dog might be deficient in a "metal" or needs a specific supplement. I've only seen it once in a rescued laborador years ago. It is completely controllable though once properly diagnosed.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
