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Post by mrsringo on Nov 27, 2010 1:44:55 GMT -5
Woops, Maddiesmom- I must have overlooked your post! Sorry! Hmm, that makes sense (about the pollutants, etc.)- even my Vets that I worked with mentioned those things. Do you know where you read that white fur was a myth? I'd love to read their reasonings for that.. I lean more towards agreeing with it, just because it sounds very logical, and I have seen LOTS of white dogs with terrible skin problems. Joon's belly is so fair that you can see her veins, she's quite the sample of anatomy. Besides, the same thing goes for humans with fair skin (my Dad is Irish and can barely walk in the sun without getting burned!) But that's interesting to hear, that it's a myth. We unfortunately cannot afford to take Joon to a doggie dermatologist currently due to finances (one income, 2 spoiled dogs and 1 spoiled human daughter), but are on the hunt for a different job for my hubby. Perhaps when we are more secure we will consider that. Her allergies really aren't that bad right now, just a scab here and there which we have ointment for (heh) and she's not itchy right now either. I'm surprised to hear about the cost of the Derm being less than a second opinion regular vet! Thanks for the info! I'm just trying to figure things out and make a good decision for my pups. I'll let ya'll know when I decide on something. I really do appreciate all of your guys' help! Sherrylynne- ahh! That's the phrase for it! Information Overload! Hehe! Rarnold18- You rock! Thanks so much! I will attempt to look that up as well!
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Post by katt on Nov 27, 2010 6:22:56 GMT -5
Rarnold18- Thank you so much for your huge response! It's hard for me to take this all in because I'm at an in between spot- I used to work for a Vet Clinic and have been told how bad BARF diets are for our pets (that dogs have been domesticated for so many years and their digestive systems have changed.. I've seen too many dogs come in that have been fed table scraps (not necessarily a BARF diet) and have gotten Pancreatitis which is an incredibly painful, life threatening disease for a pet and costs lots of $ to have them nursed back to health, and thereafter they are more prone to Diabetes. ) When researched, and cone properly, a BARF diet is fantastic. Table scraps and a raw/whole prey diet are two totally different things! The issue is that people do not do their research and end up doing it all wrong. Not enough (or too much!) organs, not enough variety (that is a HUGE one), not enough bone, too much veggie matter (whether or not dogs should have some veggie matter is a bit controversial, some dogs do better with some without).... A properly balanced, varied, structured diet will provide infinite benefits and I highly recommend it!
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 27, 2010 9:59:33 GMT -5
And msringo- read that link on the myths of raw feeding! It's invaluable
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Post by maddiesmom on Nov 27, 2010 11:35:54 GMT -5
Woops, Maddiesmom- I must have overlooked your post! Sorry! Hmm, that makes sense (about the pollutants, etc.)- even my Vets that I worked with mentioned those things. Do you know where you read that white fur was a myth? I'd love to read their reasonings for that.. I lean more towards agreeing with it, just because it sounds very logical, and I have seen LOTS of white dogs with terrible skin problems. Joon's belly is so fair that you can see her veins, she's quite the sample of anatomy. Besides, the same thing goes for humans with fair skin (my Dad is Irish and can barely walk in the sun without getting burned!) But that's interesting to hear, that it's a myth. We unfortunately cannot afford to take Joon to a doggie dermatologist currently due to finances (one income, 2 spoiled dogs and 1 spoiled human daughter), but are on the hunt for a different job for my hubby. Perhaps when we are more secure we will consider that. Her allergies really aren't that bad right now, just a scab here and there which we have ointment for (heh) and she's not itchy right now either. I'm surprised to hear about the cost of the Derm being less than a second opinion regular vet! That's okay! It was longer then I intended for it to be anyway Yea, I wish someone would've told me about the dermatologist sooner... I could've saved A LOT of money from going to the "regular" vet so often. Oh well, Live and Learn I don't have any articles, just what I've learned from the dermatologist. I am also part Irish - I got the fair skin & freckles, red hair, blue eyes and I get sunburned easily (and eyes are sensitive to light lol). But what you are talking about is two totally different things. Sunburn doesn't have anything to do with allergies White is just a color, same as brown, black, red, tan... all of those colored dogs can have allergies, too. On white dogs, you can just see them better. An exception would be breeding and the "quality" of the dogs being bred - breeding an albino dobe or white boxer can be rittled with problems. Puppy mill dogs with really sensitive skin would also fall under this category. After all, true allergies are just an abnormal, over-reactions of the immune system that occur in response to otherwise harmless substances. To break it down, there are five known types of allergies in the dog: contact, flea(parasite), food, bacterial, and inhalant. It is generally the consensus among gets that Inhalant is the most common, and flea allergies. Dogs are not likely to be born with food allergies. More commonly, they develop allergies to food products they have eaten for a long time... That and Contact allergies are the least common of the five types of allergy... and they do not discriminate against color pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Dog_Allergiesveterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/author/authorDetail.jsp?id=279What you could do, since it sounds like your problem is not so severe, is sort of journal when your baby has flare ups. I saved mine on the computer, so I wouldn't loose it I also wrote down what allergens in the area were high at the time (www.pollen.com) to see if there was a correlation. There wasn't... so that was another thing that pointed Maddie and I in another direction other than "envoirnmental allergies" Also a good, natural, oatmeal shampoo may help. My favorite is www.earthbath.com/shampoo/pints/pint-oat.php . I believe petsmart is selling them, now. You could try tea tree oil as well. I can't, as the smell of it gives me migraines! bleh! Anyway -- good luck! There is A LOT of information out there, and its really hard to sift through it all and find what helps your dog... Because what works for one, doesn't mean it will work for the next. And while I am very pro-raw, no one diet is perfect for everyone - just like humans
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Post by mrsringo on Nov 27, 2010 12:33:05 GMT -5
Hurricanekatt- Oh, I acknowledge that the table scraps and raw diets are completely different.. I had a hard time wording that to where it sounded like I wasn't comparing the two. But you're right, a lot of dogs that come in with Pancreatitis I'm sure the owner's just had no idea what they were doing and just fed whatever, no balance, nothing. In fact, most of them were probably just "here boy, want my leftover McDonald's?", but we did have a dog come in that was fed COOKED meat and brittle bones and that was... quite a mess to say the least. The doctor I was working with had to literally "unplug" her, and once she did, it was *literally* an explosion of bloody, yucky poo and brittle bones out the rear. It hit the wall across from us because it was backed up by so much gas! Anyway, nasty image, but that's what I think of when I see people feeding their dogs random table scraps! Haha! Sherrylynne- I have been reading several of those articles, they are extremely interesting. Thanks for the link! Maddiesmom- I see what you're saying.. hehe. I just got to thinkin' about my Dad's pale skin as compared to my Joonie's pale skin, but I see your point. White is just a color.. wait, is this a ethnicity campaign?! I wouldn't say that Joon was poorly bred, but she definitely isn't top quality for her breed... but it is possible that her genes could be part of her allergy issue. (She also had a recessed Vulva I had to have surgically repaired because it was causing infection around her lady parts.. can't remember if I already said that or not. Haha! ) I do concur, about the flea allergies! One of my dogs (Goose) is truly allergic to the fleas (or Flea Saliva, rather). Scabs up everywhere if he gets just one flea bite! Poor bubba. That is a great idea, regarding the journaling of my dogs' health issues and checking the correspondence to the allergens! Thanks for the tip, I will definitely be doing that. I have been using an Oatmeal shampoo for 4+ years on my dogs, and I LOVE it. Recently however, I have started using a Raspberry Seed Oil based shampoo that is very good for allergy dogs. It can turn your pup a pink color if used a lot, but my white/brown dog nor my black/tan dog have had any color changes.. they say they can turn "rust" colored.. haha, I guess I don't use it enough for those outcomes. (http://www.drugs.com/vet/douxo-calm-shampoo-can.html) ..and it smells pretty good, too. Thanks so much for your help! And I will certainly be doing some sifting and researching until we find what's best!
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Post by katt on Nov 27, 2010 12:42:39 GMT -5
Hurricanekatt- Oh, I acknowledge that the table scraps and raw diets are completely different.. I had a hard time wording that to where it sounded like I wasn't comparing the two. But you're right, a lot of dogs that come in with Pancreatitis I'm sure the owner's just had no idea what they were doing and just fed whatever, no balance, nothing. In fact, most of them were probably just "here boy, want my leftover McDonald's?", but we did have a dog come in that was fed COOKED meat and brittle bones and that was... quite a mess to say the least. The doctor I was working with had to literally "unplug" her, and once she did, it was *literally* an explosion of bloody, yucky poo and brittle bones out the rear. It hit the wall across from us because it was backed up by so much gas! Anyway, nasty image, but that's what I think of when I see people feeding their dogs random table scraps! Haha! I meant to add in that you had mentioned they were different, but I fell asleep. lol And yes, you never, ever want to feed cooked bone! (Unless perhaps it is ground into a fine powder and mixed into ground meat, but what is the point of that? Raw is light years better, and I still wouldn't risk it anyways!) That poor dog! Raw bones don't splinter and get sharp edges like cooked bones. The digestive juices, stomach acid especially, wears down the edges into nice, rounded gentle edges that help scrub the intestinal walls (but not scratch or tear them!) somewhat like fiber.
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Post by mrsringo on Nov 27, 2010 14:10:20 GMT -5
Hurricanekatt- No worries! Yeah, I felt terrible for the poor little thing. Luckily she recovered and was happy and healthy when she left. And that makes sense, about the raw bones.
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Post by maddiesmom on Nov 27, 2010 18:16:03 GMT -5
White is just a color.. wait, is this a ethnicity campaign?! lol! I'm going to check out the shampoo you mentioned - it sounds very interesting! My childhood dog had flea allergy dermatitis. I didn't understand it as a kid, but I do now... poor babies. I myself am allergic to mosquitos... so I can only imagine! I've been doing some research about Vitamin C supplements for dogs with allergies and/or similar or related illnesses. I'm tempted to try it (my vet said it couldn't hurt, but I'm still doing some research first lol) because what I've read so far looks promising... Maddie could use the immunity boost... but I feel for you! I was in your shoes and its no fun... Edited to add: I just realized I have the same kind of shampoo, Just a different variation. Maddie's is the Rx Douxo Seborrhea shampoo currently
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Post by mrsringo on Nov 27, 2010 21:06:12 GMT -5
Aww, it always stinks when you look back at your childhood pets and think of things you could have done to help them.. but everything happens for a reason, and those pets made us who we are today! So maybe that's why we strive for such great care now! Hmm, from the few articles that I scanned through regarding Vitamin C, it sounds like (another) controversial topic. (http://www.vetinfo.com/vitamin-c-dogs.html)- I would do the same, research, research, research, cus I'd hate for Maddie to be fighting off anything she doesn't need to. Aww, how funny (about the shampoo!). I love the stuff, and it makes sense that you would have the Seborrhea (Seborrhea Diarrhea... hehe, my coworkers and I used to say that every time we heard the word "Seborrhea" just because of the rhyming.. hehe. Sillies!) since Maddie's a Cocker & they have the oily skin stuff. I hope you find your answers for Ms. Maddie!
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Post by Heather on Nov 27, 2010 21:53:21 GMT -5
In an ideal situation a dog manufacturers their own vit c from it 's food. As do ferrets and cats. The more you supply it in supplementation the more they are unable to synthesize it themselves or at least how the theory goes ciao
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