Hi Eveyone,

I wanted to introduce myself - I am a new member! My dog Cole is an 11 year old Keeshond and my little son! We love him sooo much!  My husband and I have had him since he was 7 months old and we got him from a local breeder- he is the son of a champion blue ribbon winner!  He is very intelligent... practically speaks English!--Really!  :-)

I guess the biggest issue I have with Cole are his skin irritations. It's a long story but since we brought him home I have changed vets 3 times because I always felt taken advantage of. They would try to charge me for procdures etc regarding his skin leasions-and other issues- they would see us coming and see dollar signs--I just hate that!~! His irritations crust over  and he is real itchy and if they are pulled off accidentally or he scratches them off, he bleeds. He has been on allergy shots for over a year-that worked for while, then stopped. He has been on numerus topical meds- didn't work -and antibiotics as well which clear up the infection but then resurfaces after 6 weeks or so. He is most affected between April and November I would say. 

I have now placed him on Pau D-Arcohe takes this daily - and Artemesian Combination a parasite killer-for the 1st 8 days of each month his diet now is a dry food I buy from only natural pets.com called "Bark at the Moon" and I add EVO canned food he likes the dry and wet combo plus he gets a CoQ10 twice a day and will be starting him on B6 / B12's --these have nothing to do with the skin issues I am just bringing you up to speed on what I am doing  ...does anyone have any other suggestions regarding his skin issues--and no--I will not make him wear a cone 'cfause its not that bad .  Oh yeah and I use medcicated shampooo with leave on conditioner from VirBac.

Thanks for listening...

MRW

Welcome Mrs.”W”!

I said it first only because Susie did not see you yet; she is the warm hearted “welcome ambassador” and takes that pleasure very seriously.

I would be curious to know if the allergy shots that were administered were custom formulated or just a broad spectrum serum. A custom formulation requires a blood test submitted to a pharmacological lab for formulation. Regardless, of all the wonderful care that you are trying to be sure Cole receives, there are some changes that I believe you should consider.

Food and environmental allergies can cause dog skin and coat problems and lead to excessive dog itching and scratching. Skin and coat is a reflection of the overall health on the inside. Dry coat, dog itching, red skin, hotspots, dandruff, smelly coat are all signs that the diet and digestion need improvement.  MANY DOG ALLERGY AND SKIN PROBLEMS ARE LINKED TO POOR DIGESTION.

If the intestinal tract is inflamed due to food allergies and other causes, Cole will not be able to absorb his food properly or optimally. Over time, inflammation builds and wears down the immune system. That is why many times dogs with chronic scratching, itching and skin problems have both yeast and bacteria overgrowth.  

Very often dog skin and coat problems can easily be remedied with a change of diet, enhanced absorption of vitamins and minerals and supplementation. However, chronic dog skin problems, scratching and itching over time indicate poor digestion, allergies and a weakened immune system.

Many of these problems become more prevalent as the dog ages and its organs becoming less efficient. Free radical damage accumulates with age and can contribute to skin problems, diseases like cancer, arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Normally, the body has an ability to handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production is excessive, damage can occur.

It is very important that you start giving Cole therapeutic levels of Omegas without the toxins! Omega-3 fatty acids are backed by  research to provide help for itching, scratching, skin problems and many other pet health conditions.

Results can be very quick but usually take 3-6 weeks to notice really positive results. Many pet owners are giving fish oils with the best of intentions, and taking fish oil for themselves as well I might add, but when these products aren't purified, they may be giving you and your pets some extra toxins along with the benefits. We and our pets can get an aftertaste and/or burping following ingestion of fish oils, this is because of the toxins that remain in the oil.

If Cole were my furry companion I would be giving him an additional antioxidant as well and a probiotic that will go a long way to see that his nutrient absorption is the best it can be.

Probiotics benefit dogs, cats and people by helping prevent chronic health problems. Probiotics benefit your dog by reducing toxins, strengthening organs, removing bound, decaying matter, and fortifying your dog’s system with important nutrients lost with processed foods, antibiotics, illness or stress.

Probiotics help produce natural antibiotics, which fight harmful bacteria and benefit the dog’s digestion of food, and aid in absorption of nutrients, antioxidants, and iron from food digested. Probiotics can help your dog with food intolerance while aiding in absorption of B vitamins, biotin and folic acid. As well as assist in controlling the growth of yeast, regulating hormone levels, stimulating the immune system, reducing inflammation and increasing energy levels.

Here are the links to the two ONP fish oils I would use: ONP Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil Caps and Nature's Logic North Atlantic Sardine Oil  For the antioxidants, be sure to look at the ones with the five paws ratings. Same for the probiotics.

You want to select an antioxidant expressly for pets is because the right dosage is very important and it is just as important that the antioxidant includes only ingredients that are safe for pets to ingest.

I hope you find this helpful, and we all sincerely wish Cole a long and happy life with you.

Hello!

I athnk you for your great words f wisdom..

I forgot to mention in my message that Cole gets Iceland Health Omega 3's every day--2000 milligrams - I pop open the pills and squeeze the contents into his food. I cant tell you how many spray versions of fish oil I have tried but he won't eat it in his food ..but Iceland Health works--have you heard of it? It is pure salmon fish oil. I also give him an antioxidant each day called BioVet--I get it at my holisttic groomer--its a large tablet that I crumble into his food once a day and lastly I give him a tsp of ground flax seed once a day as well. The probiotic--he gets that too- Gosh its inthe billions per unit--I give him hald a capsule each day...  

You are most welcome.

You did not say whether the allergy serums were generic or custom formulated. I will tell you that it is important as to where the fish oil comes from in relation to origin and purity is most important. When it comes to probiotics, freshness is the vital key along with bacteria count consistency. That is why the manufacturing lab is important.

Jay beat me to it! Welcome to the community!

It sounds as if you are doing lots of good things for your baby. Eli used to have horrible skin issues. I home cook his meals now. He also gets ONP Super Daily Vitamins+ Skin and Coat, Brewer's yeast and garlic tabs, ONP GI Support(has probiotics and prebiotics), In Clover K9 Connectin, and CoQ10. Also ONP Icelandic Salmon oil. Fresh fruits and veggies are part of the diet as well. You may want to consider a home cooked diet for a few months to see if it helps. Dr Pitcairn has a lot of easy recipes to try, and a website, I believe, but I can't recall it now. "Doggie Oats" is a great bulk recipe, and "One on One" is very simple as well.

Also,Jay is right. Allergy shots need to be a custom made medicine. Allergy testing is expensive, and the custom injections are pricey as well. The dog needs to be off antihistimines and steroids for 2 weeks before testing. I was going to have Eli tested, but couldn't afford the hundreds of dollars it was going to cost. I decided to try home cooking, and it's been great so far. His skin issues are gone. Also of importance is that he absolutely must not eat wheat products or beef. I am strict on this, and as long as he doesn't eat those products, he is fine.(except for Texas Toothpicks. These don't bother him. I don't know why....)

The other thing is the Virbac leave in conditioner. It never helped Eli, and my vet says it leaves the skin too moist, and leads to other conditions such as fungal infections. I would leave that out of the program. Dr. Pitcairn also has a few recipes for a skin and coat rinse after the bath. I think they have lemon juice and vinigar, if I remember correctly. I have tried them. Stinky, but OK otherwise.  I would suggest you get a copy of his natural pet care book and go from there. I have implemented some of his principles, and have seen results.

I hope this info is helpful, and best of luck.

Keep us posted.