posted 10-28-2003 08:16 AM           

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Hi,
I have a 1yr 10mo old boxer. For about a year now he has had continous skin problems that have me at my wits end with the agony he must be feeling.
It started with the skin around his eyes looking grayish/dry. Then it seemed he was losing hair around the eyes and an excess of 'tears'.
Then he began scratching terribly his eye area on his face and his ears. His inner ear flaps were like leather. He also developed 'puss blisters' on his mast. And his inner rear legs became very dark brown like elephant skin.
I would take him to the vet, he would be put on meds, show some sign of progress then weeks later back to it again.
Latest treatment is weekly baths with a special shampoo that seems to help somewhat.

HELP?

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posted 10-28-2003 09:11 AM         

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Of course I am not a vet, but I have a dog and a cat with allergies and I understand your frustration. Has the vet said what he thinks might be the culprit at all? The meds and the shampoos are for the symptoms, to make him feel better, they are not going to keep him from being allergic to whatever he is reacting to. I would start to look for the source, thats not even close to easy! and will take time and research.
I think both of mine are suffering with food allergies, so I have eliminated foods that have common allergens in them. What food are you feeding your guy? There is a thread on this forum called "FOOD FOR THOUGHT" that has links to many posts on this board and to other sites with information regarding foods and nutrition. You can also do a search on "dog allergies", look at holistic dog sites and find info on allergens in dogs. When I stopped feeding my dog kibble with corn in it, it made a HUGE difference, he stopped pulling his own hair out and licking himself non-stop. He was still having some symptoms and he has another health issue that I have to consider when choosing food for him so I started him on a raw diet(a prepared purchased one)last week, he gets one meal of frozen and one of the Kibble I chose that doesn't have common allergens for dogs in it. He really looks forward to the raw meal and I have noticed his eyes stopped tearing. It's still early, but I am hoping this will do the trick for him and the cat. There is alot of debate and discussion in past threads here on foods, it's a good place to start. Environment is another thing to look at.
Start by reading this: http://www.auspet.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000048.html

It will outline for you how to go about discovering what the allergens may be.
I'll look for other links and post them as I find them for you. Hope this helps and hang in there. Smiles, Maisey

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posted 10-28-2003 09:33 AM         

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Robostreak - your poor dog! Maisey is right the meds are just a feel good and dont heal outlying problem. It could be a food allergies or fleas or pollens. What food is he/she eating. Many allergies are caused by foods. I am going thru something similar but not as bad as you. Jake got a mouth infection the vet said is probably food related and he has been scratching a lot. Well I switched his food last week. I also think he has a grass allergy. He never sleeps outside and last night he did on the grass because it was so hot in the house. This morning he came in scratching like crazy. It can be a long process in finding what your dog is allergic to.

Please do a search on "food for thought" as Maisey suggested and start with possbily changing the diet first. And if you do, realize that it is not an overnight fix that it takes a little time to show improvement. Has the vet recommended supplement like vit e, flax seed, etc. Many of the ingredients incommercial dog food cause severe skin rashes so again please read up on food for thought and please come back with any questions and let us know what ourboxer is currently eating

I would also consider having your dog tested for airborn allergies and they can do shots just like humans if all else fails.

Honeybear

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posted 10-28-2003 10:06 AM         

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*GIGGLING*..Honeybear I know this was a typo, but I had to laugh when I saw this...

"please come back with any questions and let us know what ourboxer is currently eating"

Our boxer...are you adopting him as your own? lol

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posted 10-28-2003 10:19 AM         

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OMG I am so embarrased. I cant believe when I look back and read some of my postings and how they come out!
Honeybear

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posted 10-28-2003 11:00 AM         

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Awww ....I needed a giggle today. But robostreak is new to the board, so we should let him get comfortable before we adopt his dog! Don't want to scare him off.

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posted 10-28-2003 01:33 PM         

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You may find this series of articles helpful. I didn't read all of them and remember that not everything you read on the web is fact, so don't take all your information from one source. smiles, Maisey
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/01.html
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/02.html
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/03.html
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/04.html
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/05.html
http://www.dog.com/vet/dermatology/06.html

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posted 10-28-2003 02:04 PM         

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Maisey - those web sites are great!I mentioned Jake was scratching like crazy this morning and I just put him on his new food completely over the week-end but that site says it take time to build allergies to the food, so I think this is a grass issue (A new thing for him to lay in the grass to keep cool) I will be able to tell when we finally cool down this week-end, has been in the high 90s and suppose to be down in the 60s by the week-end so hopefully that will give Jake some relief

Honeybear

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posted 10-28-2003 02:17 PM         

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Glad they were informative. I am convinced already that Darby's problems are centered around what he was eating. He is only getting the raw for one of his meals a day right now, and the Caninie Caviar kibble for the other but his eyes already seem to have stopped tearing and he quit digging at himself. He is being more playful as well. Maybe just hopeful thinking on my part, time will tell. I read on a site a post about giving a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day in water or over food to stop dogs eyes from tearing and was considering doing it when I realized his eyes hadn't been tearing the last couple days. I looked in the ingredients on the raw food....apple cider vinegar. We will see if it lasts.

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posted 10-28-2003 07:11 PM         

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Hmm, do you think a dog would notice the vinegar in the water. And how much would be the right amount, say if their bowl holds about 4 cups of water?

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posted 10-28-2003 09:09 PM         

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The person who posted that tip didn't mention if you were to feed that daily or weekly or? She did say you could put it on their food or in their water but didn't say how much water to vinegar. She said her dog takes it right from a spoon! I was going to do a search on it and see if I could come up with a more precise direction, but then I noticed it is already in the new food I am feeding him.

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posted 10-29-2003 06:45 AM         

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If the point is to get a teaspoon into the dog, then any amount of water would do as long as the dog drinks it all. More water would dilute the taste if doggie doesn't like it. Less water would be easier to make sure doggie drank it all.

Just my two cents!

Jamiya

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posted 10-29-2003 06:53 PM         

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I guess I need to put less water in their bowl and refill later. I don't think my poodle would drink it plain.

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