Allergies

[Valeria S]

Are the allergies an issue for your dogs?

Would be very interesting to hear how you feed your dogs, based on what you chose the diet, and what the outcomes.

This is an important subject to me since my 6.5 mos pup had skin problems since i got him at 2mos old. And it turned out that a lot of boerboels in Russia suffer from food allergies or other skin problems. 

When I brought the puppy home, i fed him with homemade meals(meat, milk products, cereals, vegetables + vitamins & minerals) dry food was given only once a day. After few weeks I had to bring him to the vet with the skin problems. He was diagnosed with pyoderma. The dermotologist's verdict is that pyoderma is the outcome of the allergie. Now we are trying to diagnose the origins of this allergy (food, environment, parasites etc)..

[Dries Lloyd]

Also struggled with skin alergies, mainly in ears and around genital areas. Tried almost everything, including changing lawn variety (yes, don't laugh!). Also all sorts of medication etc. Did some research on BARF, but was not a 100% convinced yet. Then one day I read an article, stating that stools turning white on BARF, and this reminded me when I was a child picking up our dog's poo every day (oh and did we enjoy that. LOL!!) pure white. Thought I'd give it a try, and never looked back. Decided to do my own, and yes, it is more work, but sooo much better. Allergies slowly disappeared, and my dogs have never looked healthier. This togehter with the enjoyment I see at each and every meal, stools being less and NO smell whatsoever - what a bonus!!. To add to this - it's so much cheaper!! I do a mixture of 50/50 raw chicken and raw meat products with 10% raw fruit & veg. The problem I recognised was the quality of the protein. Also some dogs are allergic to maize in pellets. Not saying it will make ALL allergies disappear - depending on what type of allergy. I also add cooked rice now - especially if I see a dog needs to put on some weight. Rice then used as energy source instead of protein. Luckily for me I have a nutrition junky as a partner - bonus again. Wish she can do some wonders for me too. To all out there I say - give it a try - you've got nothing to loose and lots to gain! Dries Lloyd

[Valeria S]

Now the vet prescribed us hyppoallergic kennel, we have been eating it for over a month, and i cannot say that I see some changes. For now i decided to start to introduce raw meet, and see the reaction. If he doesnt show me an obvious allergy to it, i will try to switch to raw. Time will show.

Wish you guys all the best with your dogs, hope you find a solution and share it with us! :)

[Dries Lloyd]

Hi Valeria, All I can say is give each and every treatment time, and do not switch to next cure after only a short period. Dries

Valeria S said:

Now the vet prescribed us hyppoallergic kennel, we have been eating it for over a month, and i cannot say that I see some changes. For now i decided to start to introduce raw meet, and see the reaction. If he doesnt show me an obvious allergy to it, i will try to switch to raw. Time will show.

Wish you guys all the best with your dogs, hope you find a solution and share it with us! :)

[Sweet Pea]

Valeria, there's a great Yahoo Group I joined that you may want to check out. It's called Canine Allergy Solutions. The people there are very knowledgeable and have struggled a lot with their dogs and allergies and are very helpful in sharing information. I don't know if this link works, but you can always do a search on Yahoo Groups: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Canineallergiessolutions/

[Lisa Tiro]

http://www.nzymes.com/pc/viewcontent.asp?idpage=16

Just found a great website on misdiagnosed skin allergies. My 17 month old Boerboel just developed a rash on her tummy in the creases of her legs. It is due to yeast overgrowth (infection). I am currently treating her with Nzymes (just started) and changed her food again. I switched from Blue Wilderness (grain free) and Biljac ( I was mixing 1/2 & 1/2 because I was switching her completely to Blue after I used up my supply of Biljac), to just Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice formula. I was told that the sweet potato in the Wilderness and the Biljac is likely the culprit plus the milkbone dog bisquits she was getting daily. Oats, barley and brown rice grains are supposed to be better for them with the yeast problem. I also got her healthy organic treats. My friend swears by this lady, The Great Dane Lady. She credits her with saving her Yorkie's life so I thought I would share it with all of you. I also discovered in the process that my 21 year old daughter who has been suffering with an unknown ailment for 2 years may have it as well. She has been to so many different doctors and had tests and they keep telling her that everything is normal. Now by complete accident I find out that all of her symptoms are the same as this yeast overgrowth infection. She has developed acne, depression, anxiety, stomach aches, headaches, feelings of helplessness, nightsweats and terrible dreams, itchy dry skin and hair. It is unbelievable! She has a doctors appt next Tuesday. She will have to detoxify her body from this parasite and it will take months. I will keep you all updated on my journey. :)

[Lisa Tiro]

Lisa Tiro said:

Well, not recently. We did have her vaccinated for lyme as a pup but I didn't do it the last time she was due because I have heard so many bad stories about vaccinations and that the lyme vaccine causes it's own symptoms and at the time she had a luxated pattella. We do have a lot of ticks around here and we are always pulling them off of her even with the Frontline on. My pit bull got lyme living up here and thank God we caught it in time to give her the antibiotics for it. I will bring her to my vet and have her tested though. Thanks!

Oh, and the knee was injured when I was playing tug with her on my slippery tile floors. I rested her, doubled up on the Acti Flex joint supplement I give her and within a few months it never happened again thank God! I know that wasn't lyme because the knee would just pop in and out and no limping etc. My other dog was lame when we noticed and took her to the vet. Bella is just having the skin rash now but it's not a bulls eye like you would get with lyme and she's not lame at all. I really do expect that it yeast.

[Lisa Tiro]

Just be careful that the food doesn't have sweet potato in it. That can aggravate the yeast condition more. I just switched from grain free Blu Buffalo Wilderness to Blue Buffalo Chicken and brown rice recipe and I have started her on Nzymes which is supposed to flush all the toxins out. It is a probiotic product getting rave reviews and I just ordered the Black-Leaf Tincture and Ox_E Drops. You can treat them internally and externally with both of these products. They also have special drops for the ears I believe. Don't give antibiotics or steroids for it. It only makes the yeast grow more. Check out this website. It comes highly recommended! https://www.nzymes.com/pc/home.asp?a=dog
Good luck!

Sarelle Walton said:

My 2 year old male has battled with nasty ear infections for quite some time now. He gets a yeast build up in his ears that smells horrible and drives him mad. We've tried switching foods, including raw introduction, applying topical ointments and sprays and have considered going to an allergist. I like the idea of raw and he has chewed well when I've traded kibble for raw a few meals during the week. I just hesitate to go 100% raw since my husband and I travel and occasionally have to kennel the dogs. We know they will have kibble there. SO, as a last ditch effort before the allergist and possibility of meds for the rest of his life, we are trying the grain free diet of Taste of the Wild. We noticed an increase in the yeast during transition and was told that will happen as the grains leave his system. So we shall see!

[Sweet Pea]

Don't expect to see a bulls eye rash on a dog if looking for Lyme. Dog's don't present with the same symptoms that humans do. The most common symptoms of Lyme in dogs is fever, swelling and joint pain, loss of appetite and some times even kidney failure. Illness in dogs can occur up to 5 months after exposure. For dogs in epidemic areas where Lyme has reached epidemic levels, it's probably worth getting an annual test for Lyme. It can go undetected for years until it effects their kidneys. Currently my female is undergoing prophylactic treatment for Lyme as one of the ticks I found on her came back positive.

[Lisa Tiro]

So Jer do you think lyme is a possibility if my girl has no other signs or symptoms just a yeast rash? Her appetite is fine. She has no joint issues, no eye or ear infections, no fever etc. I also feed her chicken and turkey necks on occasion and I am going to start feeding her raw a couple times a week, probably just chicken quarters or backs. Lisa


The BoerBoel Network said:

That's very good information Kim,
At least with our girl she's never had swollen/sore joints but what we are seeing allot of is the secondary infections, bacterial, yeast and staff. Plus the constant eye and ear infections. The Boerboels seem to get the ear infections allot anyway so I'm not sure in our case if its related or not. We have gotten in the habit of cleaning the dogs ears on a weekly basis, seems to help some.
At least from what I have been able to dig up the Lyme will have a different effect once it goes chronic, pretty bad from what I understand and can kill a dog due to the kidney failure.
Given the function of the kidney I wonder if once it gets to be a problem if thats what causes some of the other infections, seems like it would.
We had her at the vet last night and there was a guy there with his pug that was also lyme positive, this poor dog was a mess. The dogs eyes were just like our girls (infection etc) but his dog was showing very bad joint issues, couldn't even walk. Poor thing was all wrapped in a blanket, you could tell the poor dog was not feeling well.
What was also interesting was that since his dog had been lyme positive its been an on going battle to keep the dog in good shape, very similar to our dog.
At least with our girl 99% of the time she is pretty active happy and healthy. Seems like once she gets sick though everything else seems to go down hill quick.

I have to admit I didn't know about the sweet potato thing....I'm glad you mentioned it as its been part of our dogs diet for sometime now.
Jer

[Lisa Tiro]

lol.....ok. I thought you might have confused my post with others. Glad I could shed some light!

The BoerBoel Network said:

No I wouldn't think so,

I thought there was some other issues you were having but I may of gotten off track because some of the other post.
I confuse easy :-))

On a positive note, I am more sweet potato aware lol...

[Hylton Samuels]

None of my dogs suffered from allergies and skin problems ever again. Do yourself a favour and read the attached documents. NEVER LOOKED BACK!!! Google the word " Greenopia" and see what surveys was done on dogfood brands and which types of dogfood got good test results. Don't care who says what , cause i had it over and over, i stick to BARF feeding and it's not even as expensive as people say. Id rather Raw feed my dogs than sit with all these unhealthy dog problems. Im out

[Lisa Tiro]

I agree with you. I will read your Greenopia but I have been researching raw and have joined the yahoo group on it but I just feel like it is way too much work especially if I am leaving someone else in charge if I am out or away. I also worry about choking and sharp bones going through the intestines. I do give her chicken and turkey necks we are eating either and I give big meety raw beef bones too. I also was told that the big beef bones are bad because she could chip a tooth OMG! And that pork is too gassy so I am completely confused! I think I will supplement her diet with as much organ meat and necks and maybe some chicken quarters with the wings cut off for now and see how it goes.

Hylton Samuels said:

None of my dogs suffered from allergies and skin problems ever again. Do yourself a favour and read the attached documents. NEVER LOOKED BACK!!! Google the word " Greenopia" and see what surveys was done on dogfood brands and which types of dogfood got good test results. Don't care who says what , cause i had it over and over, i stick to BARF feeding and it's not even as expensive as people say. Id rather Raw feed my dogs than sit with all these unhealthy dog problems. Im out