redness & itching.....help please....

My baby Daisy (a beautiful 2 year old Boston Terrier) has been itching like crazy, only around her tail for a month or so. It is red and swollen sometimes, but not all the time and only on one side of her tail is like that. I took her to the vet and they gave her a steroid shot and said that should help. It never really helped much, but she didn’t scratch as much. It gets worse then it gets better, then worse again. I made another vet appointment, but the morning of it, she was fine. Any clues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

It could be from an allergy of some kind (food, air borne, flea)
or possibly if her anal glands are full, they can be quite bothersome, itchy & what not.
Maybe have your vet check that out too.

Well, I hope I don't come off as a holistic fanatic, but simply changing from kibble (I'm assuming you feed kibble?) to raw food can do wonders. My dog has done good, but not great on kibble and I'm about to switch him off to a raw diet. He developed hot spots a few years ago and has never really been in great shape. According to one source, simply changing from kibble to a raw diet can help the body to focus on bodily needs and help cleanse itself. I've spoken to a few raw feeders whose dogs had received cortisone shots to combat skin problems. Once they switched, they noticed a detoxification period which usually happens and it's a sign of the body "waking up" and cleansing itself. After the detox period, they noticed their dogs' coat were becoming brighter and glossier, and their energy level rising (in a good way). To their amazement, the skin problems began to vanish and now their dogs are in great shape and they swear by a raw diet. Gawd, I hope I don't sound like a one-sided holistic fanatic:rolleyes: Anyhow, just something to think about if you want to move away from conventional practices.

I feed Science Diet adult formula. I guess I should check into the raw diet. You don't sound like a fanatic to me. Thanks for the advice. :D

My Max (dachshund) has horrible allergies. Used to spend hours chewing on his feet. Took him to a holistic vet who changed his diet to Sojos with raw meat and veggies mixed in. He also has acupuncture treatments.

Made a world of difference. Max still has some problems, but his skin looks fantastic and he's a much happier animal. I still bathe him regularly, but it's worth it to see him doing so well.

What type of shampoo do you use? I have never heard of that food before, where do you purchase it from? Thanks. I don't think there is anyone around here who does acupuncture.

Re: Raw Diet
(this is going to replace my e-mail:) )

Getting started with the raw diet...First, I read about the pros and cons of raw feeding and potential health hazards. A few pop into mind: E. Coli and worms. Like most owners, I was a little apprehensive, but then it turns out that dogs are intricately made for eating raw meat and it's a little difficult for a dog to develop E. Coli from eating raw meat. Their intestinal tract makes it difficult for bacteria to procreate in there. And as long as you buy the meat from a reputable source and handle it carefully, you can easily avoid E. Coli. One basic rule applies: Wash hands Wash hands Wash hands :). As for worms, many people turn to their vets to get a vaccination. You only need it twice a year, so it's actually very cheap.

There is a lot of research that goes into raw feeding such as: what type of meat is in/appropriate, what foods can/can't be combined, how many veggies to feed, how many bones, are veggies and fruit even appropriate, etc. etc. One website that helped me TONS:
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm
Some priceless information in there. And if you search around, you'll bump into tips and advice from fellow raw feeders.

I also asked about this on two other boards:
Even if there are details that don't apply to you, I feel that there is a lot of firsthand information that will help to clear up some fog.
http://www.greytalk.com/~forums/inde...howtopic=74300
and
http://www.globalpaw.com/showthread.php?t=1977

I've also bought Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Pitcairn. A few raw feeders don't agree with the amount of grains Pitcairn recommeds, but he shares a lot of information about kibble and the benefits of raw feeding. Another author that some people swear by is Ian Billinghurst and his famous BARF diet. I hope I've helped some (I haven't started raw feeding, but my Pekingese is also suffering on kibble and we're going to switch very soon).

-Sophie

To check out the Sojourner Farms food, go to www.sojos.com. I get it from my vet.

The redness on the tail sounds like a possible contact allergy. Also at this time of year leaf mold allergies are common.

What you need to do is to go back to the Vet and get a short course of antibiotcs, and some Hydroxyzine (long lasting anti-histamine). They probably gave her a shot of dexamethasone previously which would relieve some of the inflammation, and allergic reaction, but not clear up the infection of the skin that follows intense scratching. Once cleared up, then subsequent dosing with Benedryl 1-2 mg/lb through the Fall season, or as needed.

Per raw diets...

First I've had good success with the ProPet line of dog food. My previous puppy of 11 years thrived on it, and my current two youngsters are also doing so. None of the 3 have ever rejected the food, or had allergic reactions to it. Neither have any health issues been linked to it. I'm sure there are other brands on the market that do as well.

Frequently as humans we try to tag or transfer our feelings about food onto our pets. Would we get tired of eating the same ol'e dry cereal for 3 meals a day, year after year? Yep. Does a dog get tired of the taste of a commercial food? Does it matter to them what the taste is when they consume their meals within 2 minutes of the bowls being placed on the floor? Actually my previous dog would consume hers within 20 seconds. Didn't get much of a chance to even taste it!

There is the idea that since a wolf is primarly a meat eater in the wild, and since dogs evolved from the wolf that raw meat (plus bones) is the natural diet for a dog. However the dog first diverged from the wolf about 100,000 years ago. So has its ability to eat raw contaminated meat, not to mention bones. Domestication comes at a cost. What a wolf can readily eat, and survive on will make a dog deathly ill.

On another forum there was a post where someone had a dog they were switching to raw. It had been given raw chicken and within 6-8 hours it cut loose with diarrhea, and continued to do so for the next few days. When I suggested that since raw chicken is a natural resevoir of Salmonella (75% of the chicken tested were positive for Salmonella) and that might well be the cause... well let's just say some of the replies were bordering past the fanatical. :mad:

I'll repeat what I said there: I do not feed any human prepared food to my dogs that I would not eat myself. I'm not sure either how a raw piece of chicken provides any better protein than one that has been cooked? If anything the denaturization of some of the protein back to possibly the amino acids during cooking would make it more easily digestible.

It is frequently stated that corn meal causes many allergic reactions in dogs. On the average 8-11% of dogs will have an adverse reaction to food sometime during their lives. Of that population of dogs, approximately 4% have a reaction against corn. The ingredients in order that cause the most allergic problems are: Beef, Wheat, Dairy, Lamb, Chicken, Egg, and Soy. It should also be noted that whether it be human or dog, the body doesn't care if that lysine amino acid came from corn meal, or animal protein. It's the same amino acid in either case.

All that aside if one insists on feeding raw for whatever beliefs then you should consider the following:

1. Especially if chicken, blanche the meat in boiling water for a couple of minutes. This will aid in getting rid of most of the surface bacteria, and the heat might help break down any bacterial toxin already on the surface of the meat. You still might have to deal with worms since their cysts are resistant to heat.

2. Avoid the big commercial producers such as Tyson, and if possible find a local packing plant where they take more care in sanitation during the food processing.

3. Avoid a raw meat diet for those dogs which are puppies, very old, or have an immuno-compromised system.

4. Avoid bones of any form. While wolves readily eat bones, they also eat the fur of their prey. It has been observed that when the bones are excreted, they are commonly wrapped in the fur. The theory being that the fur covering helps protect against sharpe edges of the bone as it passes through.

Most importantly read up on what a dog needs for a complete diet. This includes minerals and trace elements, not always found in meat alone.

Barf Diet Mythology

I suggest this! It should work really well! Drs. Foster and Smith VitaCoat Plus. It's especially made for dry, irtchy, scaley skin on dogs. Here it is.

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/112...7209_16799.jpg

and here's the link to the site.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...&N=2001+113500

I know EXACTLY where your coming from. My dog Scooby has the SAME EXACT thing!!! It is terrible right around his tail area. It gets sore and he is always trying nip at it.
What it is is: FLEAS!!! Yes that is the PERFECT spot for them to hide. Your NEVER going to look there too deeply!
My Scooby is HIGHly allergic to fleas. He has to ge a steriod shot several times a year. He is given baths regularlly but that does NOT kill this flea infestation at his tail. The vet had to Shave him to apply medication.
There are things you can do. FIRST: SCRUB FLEA SOAP INTO THIS AREA. LET THE SOAP SET FOR ATLEAST 5 MINUTES. You want the soap to get to the skin which is difficult to do unless you dig your fingers in.
SECOND, SPRAY THIS AREA WITH FLEA SPRAY. If you get the drops from the store put those in 2 areas. The back of the neck and the Tail area. In between Baths spray this area often.
THIRD, AFTER you get the flea issue under control ask your vet for some ointment for the flea bite areas. This will aid in healing.
Watch out for Flea eggs in this area as well. That may be the main cause anyways. Also give the dog some BENADRYL to ease the itching. Ask the Vet how much according to it's body weight. It essentially acts the same as the steriod drug.
Good luck!!!!

We went to the vet Saturday and Tuesday and are being treated for FLEAS as you said. She is highly allergic to them too. So she's on advantage and prednisone (for a week or so) and is doing much better. Thanks for your advice, if it gets bad again, I will refer back to this.