Still trying to break the cycle

October 1, 2012 at 8:24 pm 8 comments

Boogie is now officially seeing a new vet. I feel that we deserve a second opinion, and The Village Vet is so much closer to home, way easier to get an appointment here, it’s clean, modern and uncrowded. As much as I like our previous vet, Dr. R , the place was just way too small and crowded. Boogie is now also on pet insurance.

The hair loss, the bald itchy patches on his skin… Sigh.

“Please… can we go home now?”

Boogie is eating grain-free meals. I bathe him once a week with medicated shampoos. I spray or rinse him a couple times per day with a chlorhexidine solution. He has also been on fish oil, an immune system supplement and probiotics. Dr. F said that in spite of everything that I am doing – which is good, Boogie still needs to be on antibiotics or steroids to keep the whatever-it-is under control. Dr. Fuller has prescribed a different kind of antibiotic: Simplicef – 14 days. She also suggested bathing Boogie more often and gave us a ResiCort lotion/leave-on conditioner.

Tomorrow, we get the results for Boogie’s “Geriatric Blood Panel”. He’s growing old, this little Boogie.

“Would really like to leave now. Please”.

Dr. F suggests allergy testing – which is also something that Dr. R brought up. Sigh. I keep putting this off because I can’t afford it, and I don’t think the insurance will cover it. Boogie’s skin troubles are a pre-existing condition. 😦

Entry filed under: Vet visit.

Yeast and itchiness Catching up. Notes about Behavior/Training.

8 Comments Add your own

1. Jane | October 5, 2012 at 11:24 am

Sigh. That’s the only problem, isn’t it with pet insurance, isn’t it?

Okay lady, I am going to suggest something, and you may not like it. But, coupled with high quality dog food and a once daily supplement (Nupro, look it up!! Or you can try Missing Link), I’ve taken more of a hands off approach to Rudy’s itch treatment on the advice of a friend. And guess what … it worked.

First, and I don’t mean this in a mean way, but I do think you need to readjust your expectations. Rudy still had dandruff-y skin and will itch sometimes. It never *completely* goes away. but it is WAY better than it was before, bothers him WAY less, and I see that as a victory.

I stopped bathing him every single week. Bathing that often strips the natural oils from a dog’s coat. The first two weeks we stopped bathing, it was ROUGH. He got itchier, his coat got more dandruffy – it was a challenge not to put him in the tub! But guess what? Suddenly, the itchies went away. I noticed less dandruff. And his coat SHINES. Now, he gets bathed about once every 2 months with coal-tar shampoo (cheap, you can get it at the drug store), and otherwise? He might occasionally get a dip in a warm bath with NO shampoo if he is getting stinky or was swimming and needs a rinse. But that is IT. He now gets brushed daily with a hound glove to get the skin to do it’s natural shedding thing, and things are GREAT. He’s more comfortable. Dogs weren’t meant to be bathed so often, I really believe that.

Give it a shot for two months. Will it be difficult? Yes because, like me, you obviously want your dog to be comfortable. But it’s worth a try. 🙂 The constant antibiotic regime can’t be too too good for him, either.

Barring this, have you considered seeing a homeopathic vet? I’d be worried they would try to sell you things you didn’t need, but might be interesting to hear what they say.
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- 2. lili | December 2, 2012 at 6:11 pm
  
  Hi Jane
  I actually feed (freeze-dried) raw and supplements. Boogie is no longer on antibiotics.
  I only bathe him once a week … is this considered excessive?
  The thing that really worries me is that his coat is thinning… there are bald patches that are not growing back. 😦
  I am going to talk to a nutritionist in the new year so hopefully this will give me new insights and help with Boogie’s diet.
  Reply
3. Jane | October 5, 2012 at 11:26 am

PS as I’m sure you have researched, allergy testing brings up many false positives and negatives. I wouldn’t waste my money, personally.
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4. Charlotte | December 2, 2012 at 7:33 am

I have to agree with Jane. Try not to bathe so often. They need those natural oils for their skin.
Have you considered switching his food to raw? Or even an allergy food? Natural Balance makes an excellent allergy formula, and it’s grain-free. As well as staying away from grains, chicken can also be a common allergen for dogs (in kibble, raw chicken doesn’t seem to be as bad).
I know a lady whose dog was severely allergic to everything she fed him. She switched him to raw and he was a different dog. Sometimes it’s a common preservative or additive they have in every kibble.
Don’t give up!
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- 5. lili | December 2, 2012 at 6:13 pm
  
  Hi Charlotte – yes, he has been eating freeze-dried raw all this time. I have cut out all grains now. A large percentage of his food is still poultry though (chicken/duck/turkey). I wonder if it might be an issue with certain additives/preservatives….
  Reply
6. Amanda | December 11, 2012 at 8:26 am

Hi you two!

I feel so sorry for you guys I have the same trouble with my english bull terrier.

She did get a bath two times a week at one point. And also, as you say, spray treatment during the day. Don’t forget conditioner! Bella got super dry from the antiseptic spray and schampoo and that did make it worse for her. She actually has a leave-in-intense-softner-spray. Fantastic!

Anyway, we did take the allergy test. Had to pay for it ourself maybe look up the possibility to a payment plan?!

When Bellas results came back they showed that she is allergic to dust and mites! We allready know that she has a food allergy.

So she eats Royal Canin Hypoallergenic. Works fine with her. + fishoil.

The other allergy is a bit trickier. Still bathing her once a week. I also have too wash all of her blankets and clothes once a week. And ofcours, try to have a cleaner house. It’s okey for the moment.

We also started an allergy treatment. A waccine.
http://www.heska.com/Products/ALLERCEPT/ALLERCEPT.aspx
Don’t know if you heard about it?!
It may take a long time before and if it works but I really hope it do!

I’m afraid my blog is in swedish but maybe you can translate it with Google translate? It really is Bellas blog 🙂 I write about our way to become a therapydog-team. But also a lot about Bellas allergies.

Feel free to send me a pm if you have thougts and questions!

Hope you’ll find a solution soon!

Cold winter hugs from Sweden!
Amanda and Bella
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7. Amanda | December 11, 2012 at 8:49 am

Oh! Crap! I wrote a super long message but it dissapeared. Never do this on the phone.

I was going to say that I have an english bull terrier with a lot of allergies. Food allergy and since we took the allergy test we also know that she is allergic to dust and mites.

She eats Royal Canin Hypoallergenic + fishoil.
Works fine with both allergies and stumach.

The indoor-allergy is a bit trickier. Bella gets a bath once a week with a special allergy schampoo. Don’t forget conditioner! The schampoo gets Bella dry and when she is dry the itches get worse. She actually have a leave in intense softner spray she can get every day if needed. Also baby oil might work on bold spots. I have to wash all her blankets and clothes once a week and clean at home more often.

I don’t think once a week is to much when you don’t know his allergies. If he, like Bella, has an allergy against dust and mite he really need to get a shower to rinse the dust out of his coat and skin.

Bella got thin coat and bold spots just like Boogie. But now when I know her allergies I can treat them right and the fur has grown back.

We also started her on an allergy treatment. A waccine. http://www.heska.com/Products/ALLERCEPT/ALLERCEPT.aspx
Don’t know if you heard about it?

I’m afraid my blog is in swedish. Maybe you can use Google translate? I write a lot about Bellas allergies but also about our way to become a therapydog-team!

Feel free to write if you have thougts and questions.

Hope you’ll find a solution soon.

Hugs from Sweden
Amanda and Bella
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8. Arina H. | December 11, 2012 at 6:26 pm

Hi Lili – I can’t remember if I ever read anything about Dr. Jean Dodds on your blog so I don’t know if you have explored any testing through Hemopet. She has the BEST and most comprehensive thyroid test out there, and now they also have a food sensitivity and intolerance saliva test for dogs (Nutriscan).
Links below…. ~Arina

http://www.hemopet.org/
http://nutriscan.org/
http://www.facebook.com/HemoPetPetLifeLineHemoLifeNutriScan
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