Just looking around and found this, and thougth I might tell you just a little about me. I volunteer with a rescue group out of Rochester NY and have 3 of my own GSD's. Here is a picture of my two babies.... http://image61.webshots.com/161/8/57/62/393585762TlQjqh_ph.jpg The puppy is just 7 months old, and my daugther (Cori) is 5.....

Here is another of my wonderful family memebers... http://image32.webshots.com/32/3/83/78/295138378LWERLH_ph.jpg This is the very first one I rescue, a wonderful young lady from GA, she of course came with HW and has since recieved treatment and is doing wonderful.

http://image24.webshots.com/25/7/85/99/177078599aQBzPG_ph.jpg And this is Denver, he is from Long Island. This picture is from about a year ago... When Denver arrived here, he weighted 64lbs, and barely had any hair on his body, allergies to just about everything. He is also an EPI boy, and was suffering from bad skin... A year later he has a full body of hair, although we struggle daily with his allergies. He now weights in at 97lbs,and just a wonderful boy... From the time Denver got here, there was just something about him that told me I had ALOT to learn about him. Well a took a year, and then someone loaned me a leerburg tape. After watching it, and picking up on just a few german words I decided to see if Denver knew german, well he blew me away, he does. This all lead me to my next step and find someone knowledgeable in Schutzhung training... To make what could be very long story short, we tried him on a glove, he knows it, tried him in tracking, he knows it, but needs some more work... Everyday is a surprise with this boy, very smart. He watching my 5 year old,and is just the best surprise package I have ever recieved. I not can figure out how someone can go through all the trouble to train this wonderful boy and then just tie him up side of a shelter. I guess their loose is my gain, and I am VERY pround of my whole family... I can't to learn from all of you...

Kay

 Quote:

I can't to learn from all of you...

OOOPPPPS Ment to say "I can't WAIT to learn from you of you....."

Hi, Kay,

What great pictures.

If there's one thing I've had years of experience with, it's canine allergies. It doesn't seem to be a big issue on this board, so instead of taking up room with details of my vet's and my trials and results, I'm sending you a PM.

Do EPI and allergies often go together? Our almost 5 year old GSD has both so I'm curious. We too are still struggling to manage her allergies with the smallest possible amount of steroids.

EPI & Allergies: I'm sorry, Pamela, but I've have never had a dog with EPI. I did some research on it for someone once, but I don't remember whether allergies were a common accompaniment. My allergy post was about my own struggles (or rather, the struggles of my dog, my vet, and myself), and especially about our efforts to get her off steroids and get the allergies controlled by other means, no matter how costly.

I will be happy to PM the same story about my dog's 37 allergies and how we dealt with them, and if you want me to I'll also look up my EPI research and forward that.

I really am not sure if they go together, but I know of an other shepherd that has the same thing....

Connie

Please continue your discussion on allergies as I have a gold ret. with severe allergies & would like to hear your achievements as well as your downfalls in tratments

Both of our dogs have allergy problems. Heidi is allergic to something in her environment- it seems to be something my husband gets on him while at military bases. We try to limit her exposure by having my husband change his clothes as soon as he gets home and all of his gear is kept in a storage are that she doesn't go into. Our other dog Krieger has food allergies and that's the one that drives me crazy. It seems within a month of trying a new food he is allergic. I've tried different protien sources- lamb, chicken, beef, turkey and duck including RAW and a prescription food. Nothing works for long.

Kay also has solid experience with allergies in her own dog, I find. Sorry I did not keep a CC of my PM to Kay about my years(!) of strugglling with severe canine allergies, but I'll recreate it later today when I get a sec. Looks like Kay might want to add her own experiences in the forum too. I didn't realize it was a problem common to the board members.

The only pic that came through was Denver <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />. What a sable beauty. I also have 3 GSD's, two of them are rescues. My third is a pup that I got from a breeder specifically in hopes of avoidig HD. Well guess what <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> She has HD, but has had surgery and on her road to recovery. All of my dogs are sweeties, but my one alpah male is the best dog. He was found in a playground playing with a group of kids. I couldn't beleive that someone didn't look long and hard for him because he is a keeper <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. Thanks for sharing and try and repost those other ones!!