dermatologist info/allergies
Submitted by Myster on September 24, 2012 - 9:40pmHey all
I have a 3 yr old english bulldog who has had skin issues for the better part of this year. I think it may be a contact allergie to grass, then turns into staph but im not sure.
i want to get him off steriods, he has been off of them for about a month and now some skins isues are starting to come back.
My vette was talking about sending him to a dermatologist to get to the bottom of things, has anyone here been down this road? what to expect and what im getting into or if anyone has anything over the counter i can by to help out his skin?
He is on Wellness White fish, we also give him salmon oil
any help would be great
Allergy Tested
I'd have him allergy tested for a start. The steroids are a bandaid and definitely not good for the long term health. What other foods (proteins) have you tried? Have you consulted your breeder for their suggestions and experience?
Raw diet
My Gunther had the same problem. I switched him to completely raw diet and it did magic. It has beed almost 2 years on raw and have had not skin flare ups at all. I'll never go back to kibble.
raw diet
i will look into this, good to hear that it worked for you. the breeders wernt much help they just said take him to
the vet. did you do an allergy test before the switch? how long does it take to make his meal?
I also feed RAW
though I did not start feeding raw because of any skin problems. I just felt with all my research and the crap that is in kibble, as well as the constant recalls I figured I'd switch to RAW.
RAW is not always the magically cure. If you have a dog allergic to chicken and you are feeding raw chicken you are going to still have problems. But on the whole I feel raw is by far the best way to feed. I know exactly what is going into my dogs. I also buy organic, pasture raised, non grain feed meats. It can be time consuming depending on what you can afford to spend.
I started feeding Nature's Variety pre-packaged raw patties, now I would say I feed more of a BARF diet, but I avoid whole bones and stick to ground bone. You have to make sure you don't feed too much bone. I do have one that I have to add alot of water to his meals as well as organ and tripe to keep him from getting constipated. For healthy teeth and gums I give them raw bison, beef or venison bones (ie marrow bones) to chew on.
ooops...
Meant "been"
thanks
thanks for the info, trying to find a place that does allergy testing near me and am looking into raw
thanks again
some experience
Emma is alergic to almost everything....she has had numerous testing, medications, food testings and after almost 7 years we have found somewhat of a happy medium. She is on both raw food and steriods (in small dose). Without the meds she is just uncomfortable, ichy and fulld of red bumps. I would love her not to have to be on them but that would mean she would have to live in a bubble. There would be no quality of life.
Emma loves the outdoors. We live in northern Canada so heat is not an issue. Emma chases squirrels, rabbits and the occasional moose...never have caught any of them but loves to play just the same. In the summer she loves to dig for rocks in the river, kayak with us and ride on the quad when we head out on adventures. She has quality of life and in a perfect world would not need the meds, but even so once in awhile she has another bad attack that requires higher doses for short periods of time. It's a balancing act for us. this may be the case for you to. Watch closely, use the best dog food you can afford and get a good vet are my only recommendations. What works for one bulldog may not be the best for yours.
Good luck, I know what you are going thru