Allergies... - Page 2

You canNOT beat Costco's food for the price. I know of no bag of crap, I mean Science Diet, that is cheaper than $28.99 for 35lbs of it. And that's the grain-free stuff. Even the Kirkland's would be a huge improvement, but for the shape she's in, I'd go straight to a grain-free. OMG, the poor freaking dog. Can't you take her temporarily? Maybe if they saw how much better she got, they'd listen?

The problem is that she only does this when she sheds... its not like she is like this all year long. Which is what I think is weird. Would food allergies only randomly crop up like that? It is also weird that it is just popping up during the last few years... maybe since she was 8? And it just gets worse and worse everytime, it seems.



This picture doesn't show her body well, but you can see how happy she is when her coat is in and she is healthy. This was taken in April around her birthday... her coat had only just grown back in from the last bout. My pretty Jewelzer! <3

I wish I could take her, but I *highly* doubt they'd let me. If I were to buy them what they needed to fix her, I think they'd give it too her... not only are they lazy as f***, but they are also "always broke". Psh.

We have a Costco nearby, but we have a Sams Membership... I wonder if they'd have similar foods? I'll have to check it out.

I'm pretty sure she doesn't have fleas (frankly, if she did, it wouldn't be hard to see them). I felt so sorry for her last night - she was lying in the kitchen shivering. I went and threw a blanket on her.

I have to say I am surprised that no one in their building has reported them or anything yet.

No one smokes, nope.

Not too unusual to 'develop' allergies. I've heard it said that your body (as human) undergoes a complete change every 7 years, why not for dogs? I do know that for the first 27 years of my life I could take aspirin. Then one day I took meds with aspirin in it my lip swelled. Next time my whole mouth area swelled. Since I had taken a 'new and improved formula' I figured it was the improvement. Used my old stand-by Excedrin and had to go to the Dr the next day (probably should have gone to the ER that night!). Hives, major facial swelling, internal swelling. Was told if I took aspirin again, I should just go straight to the hospital...... if I wanted to live.

So, she most likely has an environmental allergy, that manifests itself when she sheds and has lost her 'barrier'. I agree it could be floor cleaner, carpet freshener, any treatment put on the grass, or even the grass itself.

I had a golden years ago. He would get hot spots. I spent major $$ on stuff from the vet (creams and lotions) for the spots. By accident I found that mercurochrome worked the best. Too bad it was taken off the market. You may want to try campho-phenique, or even calamine lotion to help dry the area. That is what worked best for me, as moisture seemed to be a big problem with hot spots.

Dawulf, sorry, but Sam's doesn't have anything that compares to the Costco or the Kirkland foods (I forgot about the Costco grain-free formula...cuz I'm Costco-deprived and can't access it!!!) as far as the quality plus price is concerned.  (Does Costco require a membership? Again...Costco-deprived, etc.) 

What a SWEET face!!!!  Yes, yes, yes, you absolutely MUST make them do whatever's necessary to keep this darling grey-face comfortable year 'round...why can't they see that???  You have my sympathy, as I know what it's like trying to get a parent to accept the concept that you might actually know *better* than they when it comes to caring for a pet or [insert subject of contention here].

I'm not sure why Jewel's skin issue seems to be seasonal, though it may have some correlation to the growth/rest cycle each individual hair has to undergo before that hair dies off and is shed; if her immune system is having to try and compensate for a consistant oral exposure to an allergen, for example, her body may be delaying the hair regeneration cycle for as long as possible to try and protect the integrity of the skin.  That can work for the dog for a short period of time, but eventually the cycle has to end for the hairs and they have to be shed.  In the meantime, the normal skin cell regeneration rate is 22 days, but if the skin is exposed that cycle is accelerated, increasing the burden on the dog's immune system. 

To be honest, the very best option for getting to the bottom of Jewel's skin and coat trouble is to have her seen by a veterinary dermatologist, but in all fairness that is going to require a relatively significant outlay of funds because it's going to take multiple visits and several diagnostic procedures as well as dietary trials. 

You can do a relatively simple restricted-diet trial on your own to see how much of a role food is playing in the condition: if you temporarily switch her from what she's now eating to a single protein/single carb ration such as white meat chicken, ground beef, or hard-boiled/scrambled eggs for the protein, and rice, oatmeal, pearl barley or millet for the carbohydrate--pick one from each category, and feed at a ratio of 1/3 protein to 2/3 carbs.  Do this for at least two weeks; if one of the items is an allergen to Jewel, you'll see her symptoms esculate, and you'll have to pick a different combination to figure out what the trigger food was. If the problem is corn or soybean products, any of these combinations should give her relief, and you should start seeing her condition improve within the first week or so. Even if you decide you don't want to do an elimination trial, it's probably best if you feed her a limited diet like this for at least a few days before you switch her over to a new food; it will be easier on her system than a drastic switch between brands of commercial feed.

I'll definantly have to try to make it over to Costco... as far as I know you need a membership, and we used to have one, but Sams was cheaper. But it sounds like I might need to look back into getting one (which sucks because we just re-upped Sams a month or two ago). I do have a friend with a Costco one, so maybe I can get by with going through her until Sams expires...

The thing with doing a restricted diet like that is that I'm not over there every day, and I just can't make it over there every day. Plus they free-feed her kibble... because "she'll get hungry otherwise". But, she's not overweight (no MUCH anyways), and she never has been, so thats something.

I was over there last night and I gave her a hardboiled egg (I'll usually let her clean off my plate - it wasn't much, just bits of hamburger and gravy) and she ate that last, after she gave me a look. But my God, you could smell her as soon as you walked into the house. I told her "Jewel, you need a bath!" and mom said "Oh, yeah, I'll do that tomorrow if I have time." MAKE TIME

Srbarabs, now that you mention it, I think I remember there being something like she was allergic to grass, but the fact that she does this during winter too, like last year when there was three feet of snow on the ground, seemingly ALL WINTER (cause that just don't go away overnight), leads me to believe that it doesn't play a part in this. Plus she had a nice, soft, thick coat all summer long and did nothing more than lick her paws. That joint above her pasterns (is that what they're called? her 'wrists'?) remains slightly hairless.

My question about the wild salmon oil, is: Is it better to get it in liquid form or capsules, and how do you give it to them? Same with the vitamin E? She's a very very picky eater, which is why I ask.

I have never had a dog not love salmon oil in liquid form.

Costco is only $50 for a one year membership. You buy 2-3 bags of grain free dog food and you've saved at least that much over what you'd pay for Evo, Orijen, Acana, heck, even TOTW if you consider the bags are 35lbs and $28.99 as opposed to TOTW which is near $50 for 25lbs, if I remember right.  Sam's has nothing even close to the quality of the Nature's Domain.

Do you put it on their food, or give it to them in like.. a little saucer or something?

Squirt it on the food.

I would suggest trying the Nature Domain also from Costco. They have two flavors... a salmon one and a Turkey one. I know several people that feed the Natures Domain to their dogs. All the dogs I have seen that are eating this food look great. Most of the people I have talked to feed the salmon formula. I would try this for your parents Golden.

If you dont try the Natures Domain ( they do not sell it at all Costcos). I would check to see if the Costco near you does sell the Natures Domain. If they do not then I would try the Kirkland food. For the price you can not beat this food. They have a lamb and rice formula and a chicken and rice. I have fed both. My female does better on chicken so that is what I fed her. I have a friend that has fed the Kirkland lamb and rice to her dogs for 15+ years. Her dogs look great. I would try the lamb and rice formula (if you cant get the Natures Domain) first. As some dogs are allergic to chicken.

My female (the one in my avitar) is eating AvoDerm chicken and rice. It is similar in ingredience to the Kirkland chicken. The reason I went to AvoDerm instead of staying on the Kirkland is because it is more convenient for me to get the AvoDerm. I can get the Avo at work.. since I work at Petco.