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Allergies?? Chewing at fur

4K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  moonie2 
#1 ·
Finns always been relatively itchy since he was a baby. It never stopped so I recently switched him from Fromm Gold LBP to Acana heritage meats (no chicken,grainfree) also included homeopet itch and skin drops to his food to ease the itchiness. He's only been on Acana for maybe a full week straight now. I know it might take awhile to see if it helps at all. I thought he was getting better I hadn't been seeing him itch much. But at night in his kennel maybe a week ago he chewed the tip of his tail fur off. I had never seen him mess with his tail before but the next morning the tip was gone! Fast forward to last night he went in his crate for bedtime and everything was fine no new missing fur patches othing his coat was fine this morning I took him out and I noticed his fur on his hip looked a little ruffled and then I get home later and checked it out again and this spot was wet like he had been chewing at while I was gone today. He chewed off more fur. I'm at a lost I'm not sure what to do:( my older ones fur is still all there and she's not itching. I can't figure out what Finns deal is. It could be a food or environmental allergy but I haven't even seen him bite at himself or itch lately. Not as much as before but this kind of freaked me out :(
 

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#3 ·
Poor guy!

Good for you using the drops!

I believe these are Homeopathics, so these should be given separately during the day and 20-30 minutes AWAY from food and water......just the drops by themselves....

For a natural approach, Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar from a health food store can help with itching. Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. You will know it is organic because you will see “The Mother” (which contains the medicinal properties) floating around in the bottle. It can be used internally (to aide in digestion) and externally (for itching). Make a 50/50 mix of the the Organic ACV with purified water (not city tap water) and after a bath with a mild organic or castile soap/shampoo (see shampoo cautions below), rub the Organic ACV mix down into the skin/coat, working in small areas, until the whole dog is covered including legs and belly. Always be careful of eyes (vinegar stings). Let dog drip dry, do not rinse off.

**You can put the mix in a spray bottle and spray on their coats and specific itchy spots (if skin is not opened) a few times per day till you see improvement. You can also use this mix to wipe out ears.


Shampoo Cautions:

IF you have a dog that is sensitive to grains, beware of other GLUTEN BASED ingredients, with names that we do not recognize, that could be in the Doggie Shampoo that you are using!
WHEAT: hydrolyzed wheat protein or triticum vulgare (wheat) or stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl (hydrolyzed wheat protein) or hydroxypropyltrimonium (hydrolyzed wheat protein).
OATMEAL: or avena sativa
BARLEY: hordeum vulgare or maltodextrin (can also be from barley)
RYE: secale cereale
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein can be derived from: Soy, Corn, or Wheat


Organic Shampoo: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011ESJXRW/ref=sxr_pa_click_within_right_aps_sr_pg1_2?psc=1


There are a few other natural items too.



I think you should consider Acana SINGLES instead. :wink2:



Moms:smile2:
 
#5 ·
Brushing helps get the dry skin and dead fur off. Midnites coat is not feeling soft like it can, I just brushed him out and blew his coat with the dryer. I'm thinking bath is next. They are all shedding pretty good too.
 
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#6 ·
Try a limited ingredient diet. I would start with fish and potato since the meat seems to be a problem. Also, you might try benadryl. Check with your vet for the dose. My senior has food allergies which are controlled, but now she's started with seasonal allergies. She's worse in the fall, but spring bothers her too. She gets baths with Maldeb shampoo which really helps her, too. Benadryl didn't work as well for her as chlortrimeton. She gets 1 1/2 tablets (4 mg) twice a day right now. Once the pollen settles down she won't need any.
 
#11 ·
My girl has allergies, when she developed a hotspot, I took her to the vet. She was always itchy. The vet put her on a newer allergy pill, I don't recall the name off the top of my head, but your vet will know. It's been very effective without side effects.
 
#13 ·
Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I'll have to try them out. Poor baby, I felt so bad:( how often should I be brushing him? I thought I heard before too much brushing could be bad. And I had just given him a bath maybe two weeks ago... with a new shampoo I know the old one had oatmeal in it.. I don't think the new one did but I'll still check the ingredients. Thanks Moms for the homeremedies I'll try them out! And worse case scenario we'll get some allergy meds. Poor baby looks so goofy missing the tip of his tail and now a huge patch on his back lol
 
#17 ·
Ahhh don't worry--Midnite is still missing some fur on the tips of his ears. I just look at him and shakd my head.
 
#15 ·
You could try Povidone Iodine, also called Betadine, which is an organic iodine solution. Use this on the spots. It's non-toxic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-yeast and an antiseptic. "Only povidone iodine has the capability of killing all classes of pathogens responsible for nosocomial infections including gram positive, gram negative bacteria (including antibiotic resistant strains), spores, fungi, viruses, mycobacteria and protozoa." (Happy Dog Naturals)



You can purchase it from the drug store.
In a small bowl, pour a little of the povidone iodine and dilute it with warm water (filtered water) until it is the color of iced-tea. Use a clean cloth or cotton balls each time you dip into the solution and bath the infected spots with this. Don’t rinse off, just pat dry. Do this at least 2 to 3 times daily.


Or, try some Colloidall Silver spray purchased at a local health food store (NOT GNC). "Colloidal silver is a liquid antibiotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal that has been touted as treating and preventing an assortment of conditions in both humans and animals."


Moms :)
 
#22 ·
I have never encountered this with the dogs.


You may find this thread interesting.
S.O.S Pale Gray Dandruff Skin on Back
Problem:
Originally Posted by reggieDJ:
Hi, My 4 year old shepherd has some sort of irritation on her ridge/back. Her coat lost all of its shine and looks like a coarse black cotton ball, definitely has a lot of dandruff in the irritated area and it sort of smells. Not like garbage musky, I can’t put a word to the smell.
Solution:
Originally Posted by reggieDJ:
Day 4 of the ACV apple cider vinegar and I kid you not, it’s gone and if I scratch her back she doesn’t shake her leg, just happily wager her tail. I’m going to continue for another day or two just in case.


:smile2:
 
#23 · (Edited)
Just for grins, I'd check for fleas to.

When Traveler got fleas a while ago the first thing he did was nibble the fur off of the tip of his tail. Then he started nibbling his flank/hip area until the skin was bright red and also missing fur.

We got rid of the fleas (a whole 'nother story) and all the fur grew back including his tail.

Llombardo,
Many, many, many years ago we had a shepherd when we lived in Michigan. (The only other dog I have ever had until we got Traveler.) You may want to check for flies! Bro's ears were constantly getting chewed up by flies.
 
#24 ·
In April of this year my 2 yr old female developed a lump on her front leg. 1st vet said "bone tumor", second vet said give it a week and recheck. He agreed it was a tumor but not necessarily bone tumor. While searching for answers online I came across the "Tumeric Users Group" on facebook and I read a lot of encouraging things about Golden Paste. I started her and my 7 yr old male on it. My male suffered from terrible seasonal allergies. Red itchy belly, black skin and constant ear infections. Even the allergy medicines did not work. When I took my female back in for a recheck on lump it had grown and needed to be removed and tested. Between money issues and scheduling it was two weeks before I could get her in for surgery. I dropped her off for her surgery and headed to Lowes, got a call from husband. The lump had shrunk by more than half and they decided to not due surgery. During this time my male got a spot on his face that concerned me, so I took him it to the vet. They weren't sure what it was only that it was infected. Gave him antibiotics and recommended Apoquel. Due to his size the cost was over 150.00 per month. Couldn't afford it. Continued with the Golden Paste and not only is the lump on my female gone, but my male's allergies are gone. His skin looks like it does in the winter. Nice pink, none itchy skin and his ears are wonderful. Usually his ears are kind of black and gunky no matter how much I cleaned them. Now they are nice and pink and he hasn't had one ear infection this year. I am also using this myself for arthritis for my hands and I am pain free. I absolutely love this stuff. Nothing worse than seeing your fur baby suffer.
 
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