[LJsMom]

LJ, my senior GSD, is allergic to many things. She is borderline allergic to kelp. Stupid me, decided to try Orijen fish. I really thought that since the only bad thing in it was the kelp, she would be ok.

Well, after 2 weeks her skin was really, really bad. For the last 7 days, I've back to feeding TOTW salmon. Her skin hasn't gotten worse - but it hasn't gotten better either.

She has flaky, scally spots and has lost lots of fur. I've been bathing the problem areas with DermaBens shampoo. I've tried putting extra virgin organic coconut oil and calendula on the spots with limited success. What should I do? My poor LJ is a mess.

 

[3K9Mom]

Are you SURE she's not allergic to anything in the TOTW salmon? Sometimes, allergies develop when we're not watching, and I've discovered that one allergic flare-up often produces others.

What I would do, personally, is I'd put her on a bland diet of food that I am absolutely positive that she's not allergic to. Boiled chicken, boiled ground beef, or boiled ground turkey, whatever she tolerates best. And just feed that for 10-14 days. Add in a dollop of canned pumpkin if you're sure she's not sensitive to that, for extra vitamins. Maybe a bit of yogurt if she isn't sensitive to dairy because good bacteria help.

Just let her body to a complete detox.

Raw honey is supposed to be excellent for skin wounds. But I think you need to choose what you're going to use the oil or the honey. Personally, I'd go for honey. It has a longer track record.

 

[3K9Mom]

And BTW, not such 'stupid you.' Camper and Zamboni have had runny poop from excessive snacks (they broke into them and gorged themselves). I wanted to firm things up, so I fed them Cheerios -- lots of fiber, right? Camper is allergic to every grain he's been tested for, but he was never tested for Oats. And he always ate Cheerios as a pup and loved them. So I gave him a bowl. And this morning he has thick gooby yellowy gunk in his eyes.

Ok, he IS allergic to oats.

Zamboni's poop solidified nicely. Camper's got worse. Definitely, he's allergic.

We live and learn.

 

[bethd]

I had a gsd with the same symptoms and thought it was allergies, turns out it was tapeworms! Make sure you rule this out also.

 

[WiscTiger]

I would try the limited diet also. BUT if your dog is really miserable you might want to do a trip to the Vet for 2 or 3 days worth of Predisone. I am not a fan of Pred., but if my dog is really miserable and the Pred will help then for a few days I will give it.

 

[LJsMom]

LJ doesn't appear to be miserable - she doesn't scratch or bite at her skin.

I'll do the boiled rice, hamburger, sweet potato, pumpkin diet. They were both on this diet for a few days last week because I didn't ease them off the Orijen and back onto the TOWL resulting in runny poop. At least the runny poop cleared up quickly.

LJ wasn't allergic to salmon a couple months ago - but I know allergies can spring up at any time. We didn't test her for environmental allergies - now I wish I had. We've had a lot of pollen lately and her eyes are gloppy.

Tonight I put Active Manuka Honey on some of her spots. My husky tried to lick it off but LJ gave him the evil eye.

Thanks for the help!

 

[3K9Mom]

It may not be the salmon. It could be one of the lesser ingredients. One of the oils, or something like that.