# My terrier-poo needs your help



## Pella (Oct 7, 2014)

So many of you have seen my posts about Lena before--my apricot moyen pup--but this post is about my other dog Casey. Casey is a 9lb 10 yr old terrier mini poodle mix that I rescued from a local pound when he was about 6 months old. 

Casey is the one on the couch:










He had been at the pound for about 2 weeks and weighed only 5 lbs. The pound had seized him from a hoarder along with 5 other dogs. They were taking them in batches out of this situation where there were 30-40 dogs in a tiny 6 x 6 room, all loose. 

So he arrived at my house both incredibly skinny and also terrified of food. He's struggled with food allergies ever since I got him, and often has slightly itchy skin. He's only needed steroids twice. 

So as he's gotten older, he's gotten less energetic. He had a bad tooth infection that went into his jaw about a year ago and needed dental surgery. Afterwards he was much brighter and happier for awhile, but then declined again, and became my little lump dog, who slept curled tight in a ball all day, and only went outside when I literally picked him up and forced him off the couch. Never interacting with other dogs, never playing, getting up only once or twice a day to eat and drink. He started gulping snow when we were outside. He didn't want to go down the steps off our porch. 

I noticed that his urine was pretty dark and read up on kidney issues with dogs. We finally got in to see a holistic vet who listened to our tale and simply recommended switching him over to a raw diet that was preformulated with ground up bone in it. 

Casey had been on dry dog food-Zignature lamb limited ingredient (grain free) so I bought him Nature's Variety Instinct Raw lamb. Suddenly I had a whole new fiesty little dog! Barking at visitors, playing with our other 2 dogs, playing with his toys, marching right off the porch to do his business, letting us know when he had to go outside, and nice, clear urine. 

Except he got bright red patches in his "armpits", groin, and between his shoulder blades and his hair on his right shoulder started falling out. 

I'm confused why this would happen when he had been on lamb, and we kept him on lamb? One person suggested that the zignature lamb was grassfed, and the instinct raw might be grain fed. 

I switched him to the rabbit formula of Instinct Raw, and his hair stopped falling out but the red patches persisted. On both the lamb and the rabbit formula he was constantly itchy. 

So next I bought him a raw food that was JUST LAMB, no added vitamins, no added veggies, JUST LAMB. His red patches cleared up, but he continued to be very itchy, and developed these little patches on his skin--almost like dandruff that is stuck, and is itchy. 

Then I tried zignature canned lamb. His energy levels went down, and his skin has continued to have these little itchy patches that eventually scrape off, and the hair goes with it. 

Casey has long been incredibly sensitive to many proteins. Early on he ate a lamb and rice formula from Costco (meat as first ingredient). Within a year I switched him to Core Wellness Ocean flavor and he was on that for years and years but eventually got sick of it. Then he was on Natural Balance sweet potato / white fish formula with pre and probiotics. About a year ago he stopped eating fish cold turkey and only wanted the zignature lamb that I was feeding to my foster dog. Even when I have cooked him white fish or salmon, he won't touch it. I know now I should have rotated proteins for him more, but I didn't know back then. 

His skin was close to fine on just the zignature lamb...

Anyhow, he is allergic to all poultry (turkey, chicken, duck, haven't tried pheasant but he has reactions that last weeks if not closer to months in his skin), beef, and venison. I am not sure if he is ok on rabbit but I think so?

I am incredibly puzzled by how he was ok on lamb dry dog food but had reactions to the instinct raw lamb. My only thought was cross contanimation with poultry products in the factory but INstinct Raw assures me this is not the case. I also feel at a bit of a loss as to what to try next. I am hoping to find a preformulated rabbit raw food that has some veggies/vitamins added to it. Does this sound like a good thing to try?

I am also getting him some kelp and brewer's yeast, based on what I read in Dr. Pitcairn's book on healthy dogs and cats. I've taken him to many many vets over the years and gotten piss poor advice from most of them. Even getting in to this holistic vet, he's not been terribly helpful. He recommended raw, but offered nothing other than steroids for his skin. 

I am bathing him once a week with yucca shampoo which definitely seems to help. Given the lack of help from vets in my area I wanted to post here and see f someone else on here had a super sensitive dog like this and a better vet, or more experience with raw food diets. 

If anyone has other supplements to recommend, or even dosage suggestions for those two supplements I would be so grateful. Links to good websites for feeding allergic dogs / anything else helpful is much appreciated. We are really trying here and I am miserable watching him be so miserable. 

Thanks all.


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Try one of the Fromm four-star foods. My seriously itchy/allergy bichon can do well on all of their foods. I've tried other foods with very similar ingredient lists, and they make her yeasty and itchy. 

Wash him in Nizoral human shampoo. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then rinse well. When you think he's rinsed, rinse him some more. 

Some dogs are just reserved and quiet, it may be part of his personality, but try the Fromm first and see if you see any difference. 

I know it seems weird, but Ive tried Orijen, Acana, Nature's Variety, Nature'S Logic, California Natural, Natural balance, and so many more. Fromm is the only thing that does not bother her. Worth a try


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

It's not an answer on the food part of it, but I've been reading some good things about a product called Madra Mor. For dogs having allergies and skin issues, their Soothing Mud seems to work well. I think you want to do a couple baths a week in it for a while, then gradually reduce down to maintenance baths. Professional groomers offer this but lay people can buy the product, too. I think the skin turns pink from it during the bath, but calms down afterwards.

If interested, here's Debi Hilley's blog post about trying it out:
Grooming Smarter: Madra Mud .


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Never believe _*anything*_ pet food manufacturers say!
Eric.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

My Molly has allergies that make her feet & face itchy so I spent many many hours researching ways to help her( she is already grain free and eating raw) and I now give her 5mg of Biotin daily..........it has been proven in a study, scientifically, to benefit dogs with skin problems and is not toxic to the liver or the kidneys and is almost impossible to overdose as it is water soluble and eliminated with urination. The body takes what it needs and eliminates the rest! I decided to give it a try and she has been taking it for 2 weeks now and wow! no more itchies! I found out that although Biotin deficiency is uncommon it can also be hereditary. It is usually manufactured in the gut so Biotin can also help with digestion! An added benefit not mentioned is Molly's tear stains have really been reduced by it too! (coincidence?) Biotin doesn't work for all dogs but it is working for Molly!
Google "Biotin for Dogs" 

P.S. If you decide to try it make sure you don't get the Biotin that is sweetened with Xylitol! (the fruit flavored fast dissolving type)
Also if they list it as 5000mcg,(= 5mg)remember that 1000mcg= 1mg
The rule of thumb dose is 5mg per 20lbs of body weight ....I give Molly, who weighs 13lbs. 5mg because since you can't really overdose, it's not that much more!

Also, the tablets are easier to give than capsules (my past experiences trying to get a small dog to swallow a capsule)


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## antiseabearcircle (Mar 2, 2015)

Oh wow, that is tricky! It sounds like he's developing hot spots resulting from his allergies. If he was doing well on Zignature Lamb - you could try another one of their formulas like Kangaroo or Whitefish. Whitefish is a cooling protein which is helpful for dogs with food allergies. If it's available in your area, I would also recommend introducing raw goat's milk into his died. Raw goat's milk is universal and easily digested - it also contains anti-inflammatory properties which promote healing. Primal's goat's milk is good, but if you can find it Answers raw fermented goat's milk is even better. Stella and Chewy's and Primal both have pheasant raw formulas that would be worth trying.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I can't answer the food question, but I can tell you the two best things that the Veterinary Dermatologist gave one of my previous girls who had similar skin problems from allergies.
1) Nizoral human dandruff shampoo - you can get it on Amazon, and it works ten times better than any vet formula we ever tried.
And Soriatane (sp.) which is a prescription human psoriasis medication, that he would have compounded into the appropriate dosage for her. 
Whatever you do, I would strongly advise staying away from steroids at his age. My girl took them a few times when she was younger, but when her vet insisted that she needed them for another reason when she was 13, within 3-4 days it caused pancreatic, which she ultimately died from a little over a week later....


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Sounds like you're really trying to do right by Casey, lucky lil guy to have found you.

I've had really good results with this spray and shampoo. I pretty much keep a bottle of it around even when no one seems itchy because somebody will find something to get into that will trigger all sorts of itchies. (I've used it on myself when I accidentally discovered poison ivy).

100% Guaranteed ALL NATURAL treatment for dog itching skin conditions


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