Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Allergies - Yikes!

Hi guys! Riley here. Mom needs a bit of help. We haven't done much posting in a while, mostly because Braeden and I have been in and out of the dogtor's office so many times in the last couple of months She just couldn't keep up.

Anyway, I know some of you have allergies, and I've joined the ranks. After lots of tests, they discovered I have FOOD allergies, of all things! I'm allergic to beef, eggs, flax and sweet potatoes! I'm now on a limited ingredient food, which seems to be helping some BUTT I decided to feast on acorns and twigs in the yard and ended up in the hospital with gastritis. *sigh* We got that under control, and even though they were reminded several times about the food allergies, they (the V-E-T) gave me some bland food to eat for about a week afterwards. Guess what was in it? Yep, BEEF and EGGS! When the Peeps figured it out, they quit feeding it to me, but I had already done a number on my leg furnishings. The problem is, I keep pulling the hair out and my back legs are bald!

So, we have a few of questions…

If you have allergies, what do your Peeps do to relieve the itching?

Do you have to take lots of baths?

Do you have to eat "special" food, too?

Do you use coconut oil, or any other types of supplements to help with your skin and fur? If you put it on your skin, how does your Peep keep you from licking it off?

If you do use supplements, are they topical or do you get them with pill pockets, or on your food?

Do you have any suggestions for my Peeps to keep me from chewing and scratching and ripping my hair out?

Any info you can give the Peeps is appreciated! I'm wearing them out with the ripping and chewing.


This photo was just the beginning. I am now hairless on both back legs. And I've started on my chin. I will be a sad looking Junior Officer if They can't get this under control. And I need to look good in my cap and badge!


Waggies,
Riley




27 comments:

  1. Well. can only tell you the Scottie before us had allergies he rubbed his belly raw and the inside of his back legs......he got a shot every month and had a pill he took twice a week, that took care of him.
    Now Mickey, Bites and Me, we get 100% natural Vegetable oil every dinner, two pumps from a squirt bottle...keeps our furs nice and none of us has any allergies.

    The Mad Scots

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  2. Kyla didn't have allergies to food-she ate everything. She had pancreatitis in 2013 around this time and finished her life with low-fat everything.

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  3. We don't have allergies....knock on wood. We LOVE no grain fish based food, like Canadae Sea. You may have to try something like that!

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  4. My BFF Finley has allergies too, environmental and foodz. So ya can imagine how much fun she are havin wif all da pollen in da air. She are on sublingual allergy therapy (it are lil squirts she gets under her tongue) and some different holistic supplements we get from da vet. Sometimes she has to take steroids, but we try to keep her off em since dey are not very good for her and she has already got a heart condition.

    We has to eats speshul food too - and it are real tuff to find one wifout eggs, corn, potatoes, and alfalfa (which are what she allergic to). She wears clothes to help protect her skins from the environment and sometimes she has to wear da Cone of Shame (it are called a Comfy Cone and she really don't mind it too much) to keep her from going at herself.

    Frequent bathin are sposed to help allergies too, so Finley gets a lotta baffs.

    Hope ya start feelin better Riley!

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  5. Oh Riley, I feels yer pain.. and wiff da oak count thru da roof I's been super duper itchy lately. Could ya maybe have environmental allergeez, too? I duz... dey really showed up when I wuz 'bout 3-4... and dey got worser ovfur time. I takes sublingual allergen therapy (a couple of squirts under my tongue after meals), holyistik supplements (most of dem they just shoves down my throat)...No coconut oil cuz I can gets yeast, and I can't ingest it cuz it isn't heart healthy (too many saturated fats, more than butter!). I takes a Biotin tablet, 5mg a day, to help wiff hair growth, after Momma read dis study... Click here Biotin Study

    Yes, I takes LOTS of baths... although I refers to it as waterboardin'. I knows whut ya means about pullin' out yer hair. Been there, done that. When I git really bad, da folks put a comfy cone e-collar on me until da pollen counts go down. It are a soft cone of shame dat really duzn't bother me, but keeps me from chewin' on myself or scratchin' my face.

    And clothes... I's told evfurryone bout da clothes I wears. I pulled all da hair outta my legs so I got some one piece outfits made and da hair grew back. Da comfy cone would work da same to keep ya from chewin' on yerself. Ya needs to break da cycle cuz da chewin just makes ya itch more and den ya chews more.

    If yer Momma has any more questions, tell her to send my Momma an email.

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  6. Oh, and Momma usta use da pill pockets and dey worked fine till I saw her put a pill in one. Then I wouldn't touch one-- empty or not-- fur luv nor money. So my Momma sez yer Momma should make sure ya don't see her put da pill in it.

    Dat is, if yer a stinker like I is.

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  7. Oh-- I furgot!! (I's takin' ovfur yer blog, sorry...)... we use a cream called Dermacton -- dey also has a soap and a spray ( and Whitley used their salve to help finally get rid of her hot spot. It helps to relieve da itchiness.... some pups gets all better on it. (well, if they aren't as messed up as me!) Here's where ya find it.... DERMACTON

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  8. Oh, and fish oil or Ultra Efa oil, not coconut... coconut is full of saturated fat.

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    Replies
    1. I read your comment Finley ~ saturated fat does not break down the same way in dogs and it does humans.
      Dogs never have to worry about cholesterol levels like humans do, as they won’t end up with the same types of health issues humans can from eating a high-fat diet. If fat levels are too low; however, dogs can develop dry, itchy skin and a dull coat. Other problems that can develop include a diminished immune system and other potential health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
      SWTS

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    2. Oh I should say early on Lee took several terms in veterinary science and politely disagrees with Finley in regard to coconut oil. It even has just recently been recommended by OSU for our neighbors show Shih Tzu .
      SWTS

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    3. I's read of lots of Westies on da coconut oil and quite a few gits da Montezuma's revenge. Nevfur heard of dat happenin' wiff da fishy oils.

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  9. We don't have allergies, Riley, but we can sure feel your pain. We see that you are getting lots of suggestions and we hope something works for you in a hurry!

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  10. Oh dear that does look a very sore spot. So far, paws touching wood, I haven't had a problem wiv allergies so can't help much I'm afraid....oh, I do haf one problem....Dad's hayfever, his sneezing makes me jump and wakes me up!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  11. I have these terrible allergies too. I used to get itchy, scabby rashes and I had chronic ear infections... I pretty much had an ear infection for 12 months straight. In the end they booked me in to the dogtor to clean my ears out and it took them hours to drain my poor left ear they said they'd never seen so much stuff in a dog's ear.

    My peeps tried changing my diet and it did nothing. In the end the Dogtor said the best thing would be to put me on a very low dose of steroids. So, I take a small tablet every three days, I have been so much better since. They said the dose is so low it shouldn't worry me and in the long run I am a much happier doggy.

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  12. Oh Riley, we are sorry you have allergies. Lady has them, but we pups are lucky, we do not. Take care of yourself.

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  13. Oh Riley, that looks terrible! I can empathize too, mum keeps finding clumps of my fur around the house and I've gotten a baldy spot too. She started give me a table of benadryl twice a day, and a bath any day now. She read some of the suggestions up above and I fear I may be made to wear clothes soon too. Mine are just seasonal allergies, but I've never had them badly in the spring before this year.

    Edgar, your itch comrade and his mum

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  14. So sorry you have the itchies! Our Angel Greta had allergies too. She did real well on Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ing Food (Duck). But she would flair up in the spring.
    She took a very low dose of prednisone, 1/2 pill every 2 or 3 days. the vet said the same thing as Dougall, it is so low it would not be a problem.
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  15. Oh poor baby. Your parents need to go on petadvisor.com and look for a food without all those things that make you scratch. It is going to be hard and it is going to be expensive but hopefully you can find something. Wishing you all the best.

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  16. I am most fortunate that I am only allergic to flea bites.
    I get a bath more often than Lee's other scots did.
    I get a bath every two weeks because my fur has more oil in it.
    For my flea allergy Lee uses a strong tea brew that is cold and applies.
    We do believe in the coconut oil a little applied with food.
    Lee's grandmother lived on a farm and the herding dogs had beautiful coats, she used Mirra Coat and Pet-Tinic. Once when one of the border collies got mange she mixed up that hair on a doorknob which is those two ingredients with honey and peanut butter and within two weeks his fur was coming in beautiful.
    Now in the city vets here will not give shots like I think Sidebite is talking about. It is probably a form of prednisone which in shot form kills the itch but has side effects.
    Well that is all I know. Good luck
    Sweet William The Scot

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  17. I dont know and have never had this problem

    wags
    Oreo

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  18. Oh good luck with that. We've been lucky with our pups, but I have a horse with allergies. He's on a combo of things that while they aren't stopping his itchiness all together, it helps sooth it.

    Monty and Harlow

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  19. Thank you for stopping by yesterday and wishing me well. My bum hurts but with everybody caring about me it sure did make Lee and me feel better.
    Thanks for being a friend
    Sweet William The Sct

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  20. Riley are you feeling a little better? Do you still itch as badly ~ I sure hope not.
    Thanks for being a friend
    Sweet William The Scot

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  21. So sorry to hear you're not feeling good. Mom uses a little coconut oil on my furs when it gets dry and itchy.

    Abby Lab

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  22. Is the itchy any better Riley?
    Sweet William The Scot

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  23. Riley I am glad to hear that your new diet and fish oil might be helping ~ growing new hair takes time, praying your furs come back beautifully and no more itchy skin. We sure though about all our friends in Texas with all those flood waters and rain. We are very dry here and HOT.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog
    Sweet William The Scot

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  24. Hey boys!
    We can commisserate..Dante is allergic to chicken and Ziva is allergic to beef! And we also suffer from the dry itchies sometimes.
    Mom wrote an article on her blog a while back - you could do a search on our blog to find it (the search bar is on the top right) anyways it's about dogs and coconut oil. Coconut oil is really good for dogs, and helped us with our dry itchy skin. It is also antibacterial so it will keep any of your owies nice and clean and moisturized. I hope your skin is doing better since this is an older post!

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