Quote: Lori Hall

Jonathan, I would like to add another thought to the mix regarding the vet. My vet was not keen on the whole raw diet and vaccine thing either, but the others on this forum encouraged me to stand up for what I think is the best thing for my dog. I calmly explained to the vet each time there was a negative comment, and before long they started to accept the fact that I was going to make my own decision on this. Not only did they stop commenting on it, but the dermatology vet has admitted that she believes his diet is keeping his skin in great shape even though he tests positive for 43 different environmental allergens - she doesn't have many dogs that are so itchy, but their skin looks good and stays yeast and bacteria free.

So I'm encouraging you to not shy away from taking your dog to the vet when he needs to go, and stand confident that you are doing the healthiest thing for him!

Huge ditto!

You might consider looking for a new vet if you feel that you have to 'battle' every time you enter the door. As Lori said in the mean time ...stand your ground with them. But DON'T not take you dog there becasue of it.

I would do this AFTER you take him & have his foot looked at.

I asked around to see what vet other people were using & then called & asked some questions about their beliefs on vacs & raw. I them asked to have the vet contact me to speak with prior to an initial visit. I offered to pay for that phone consult. Discussed raw diet, my feelings about vaccinations, the work that my dogs do, etc all before taking in my dogs.

I found a wonderful vet(she & her husband own the practice) that,although they do not promote raw diets to their general clienetal,(too many people doing it incorrectly to the detriment of their dogs), they are onboard when they know that you are knowledgable & feeding it correctly & dogs are doing well & agree to honor my feelings about no more vaccs.

You just need to take the time & do your due diligence, to find the right vet for you & your dog.

Yeah I'm making an appointment today - I saw some success with the cortizone, in taking away some of the redness, but not enough to convince me to NOT take him in.

Just got off the phone with the vet, Blade and I are going in at 2:15 this afternoon. Putting away MY reservations in going to the vet, and rather focusing on getting Blade healthy. Thanks for the encouragement. I'll keep everyone updated.

p.s. He is LOVING the diversified diet. Yesterday morning he caught a glimpse of me in the kitchen, but still went on his walk with my wife. On the walk my wife said he was walking weird, with his read end almost in front of his back legs, and so she thought he needed to scoot as he had just pooped. So she said, "go ahead" and he literally bolted towards home! Needless to say he was a handful the rest of the way home for her until he came bounding inside, looking for what Dad had "cooked" up for him.

Blade and I just got home from the vet. Thanks to all still following this, I really have appreciated all the input, suggestions, feedback, and advice.

I made sure to get two decent walks in today, and we did one before we went into the vet to hopefully calm blade's nerves (and probably mine for that matter). Brought some of his favorite treats: cheddar cheese, and in we went.

He weighed in at 74.4 lbs - right around our target weight. He got a good checkup on his teeth and the Vet said his overall health is very good. We discussed his diet, and I explained what I was now feeding him. She did not try and convince me to switch over to a kibble, which was nice. I also provided them with a fecal sample from the day's walk.

Onto the paws - they ended up doing a skin scraping and cytology (I'm reading my itemized receipt - never would have remembered that term). It came back as bacterial, no sign of fungus or mange (not sure on spelling). The Vet seemed most concerned with what she called a "walled off" pustule between his toes, and was not as concerned about the back of his paws or else where on him. She mentioned that it could possibly be a food allergy. She said worse case they might have to do surgery and cut out the pustule.

She sent us home with an Elizabethan Collar to stop the licking of his paws and perscribed the following:

- Simplicef 200mg (once daily) - she gave me a 21 count supply, and schedule a followup appointment on 11/17
- Animax-(Panalog) Topical Ointment which she suggested to use for approximately 10 days to help bring the redness/itching down

She also provided me with a perscription for Ciprofloxacin (500mg) which she had me fill at the local target. She said to give Blade 1.5 tablets once daily, and suggested I start that a day AFTER I start the Simplicef.

She also mentioned getting an Antihistamine, such as claritin, but made sure to note not to get claritin-D. She said to give 10mg twice daily. Acne cleansing pads were also something she suggested, and to do that once a day on between his toe to help dry it out. I also was suggested to switch over to stainless steel food and water dishes (I previously was using the plastic non-spill water dish and a ceramic food bowl).

Finally she made mention that I would possibly try a trial diet to possibly eliminate a food allergy. She suggested feeding him a meat that he has never had before, along with sweat potato. When I get myself collected, I'll post up what his diet is going to look like for the next week, and would love some comments on it. Also curious if any of you would suggest doing the trial diet as suggested by the vet, to possibly eliminate any food allergies.

Thanks!

p.s. Here is a picture of my little patient: Blade

1. Has the dog ever eaten sweet potato before?

2. I would like to read why the vet suggests food allergies rather than other (far more likely) allergies. What led the vet to food and away from environmental/inhalant or flea saliva allergies? (Food allergies account for only about 5% to 10% of dogs' allergies.)

3. True allergies, period, just about always present with itching in dogs. (The histamine receptors in dogs are mainly in the skin as opposed to ours, which are mainly in mucus membranes.) When I say "just about always," I pretty much mean "always, with exceptions so rare they are hardly worth mentioning."*

Mara asked "Does it seem to bother him? does he scratch it? lick it?"

You replied "The paw doesn't seem to bother him."

Has itching just started? Are you also seeing itching at the base of the tail or the backbone or shins? Face? Anywhere?



How is the dog doing with the conehead collar? (I ask because it's traumatic for some dogs and there are less uncomfortable options.)






*

While allergic humans may often sneeze, wheeze or even have serious respiratory difficulties, allergic reactions in pets are mostly characterized by skin problems, exacerbated by their primary symptom—itching and scratching.

from http://www.medi-vet.com/canineallergy.aspx


Signs
Itching is the primary sign of allergic skin diseases in dogs.

from http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/skin.htm


... pets show their allergic reactions in their skin with their primary symptom being itchiness accompanied by profound scratching

from http://www.gentle-dog-training.com/dog-food-allergies.html

(This is across the board, including vet manuals and small animal derm reference books. Pruritis is a -- or THE -- major symptom in dogs' allergies.)

 Quote: connie sutherland

1. Has the dog ever eaten sweet potato before?

Nope.

 Quote:

2. I would like to read why the vet suggests food allergies rather than other (far more likely) allergies. What led the vet to food and away from environmental/inhalant or flea saliva allergies? (Food allergies account for only about 5% to 10% of dogs' allergies.)

I got the impression that the Vet simply THOUGHT it might be a food allergy. She wasn't 100% sure, and really didn't seem to push the trial diet on me. She simply said that if I was interested in trying it, that I could. I could tell that the primary treatment she wanted me to do was the antibiotics and e-collar. I stood my ground on the raw diet, and I think Blade's overall health went to show that other than the sores on his paws he is otherwise is good health.

 Quote:

3. True allergies, period, just about always present with itching in dogs. (The histamine receptors in dogs are mainly in the skin as opposed to ours, which are mainly in mucus membranes.) When I say "just about always," I pretty much mean "always, with exceptions so rare they are hardly worth mentioning."*

Mara asked "Does it seem to bother him? does he scratch it? lick it?"

You replied "The paw doesn't seem to bother him."

Has itching just started? Are you also seeing itching at the base of the tail or the backbone or shins? Face? Anywhere?

I guess I didn't equate "itching" to licking. He has been licking his paws quite often, which we've tried remedying by trying to cover the area up. I told the vet this and she mentioned that trying to "cover" the pustules up will actually just give it more room to grow, as you close it off from the air. So has he been "itching" it as in scratching? Nope. Has he been licking it? Yeah.

 Quote:

How is the dog doing with the conehead collar? (I ask because it's traumatic for some dogs and there are less uncomfortable options.)

He jumped up and down, using his front paws trying to "scratch" it off for the first 2 minutes. Then just followed me around the house and gave me the big "puppies eyes" look. He is currently laying on a bed relaxed. From my opinion, he seems to be doing 'OK' with it. Obviously not happy about it, but doesn't seem not himself. He still responds to his name, wags his tail, and comes when called.

Thanks for all the advice Connie! Hope I've clarified some of the stuff for you.

 Quote: jonathan holen

He has been licking his paws quite often, which we've tried remedying by trying to cover the area up. I told the vet this and she mentioned that trying to "cover" the pustules up will actually just give it more room to grow, as you close it off from the air. So has he been "itching" it as in scratching? Nope. Has he been licking it? Yeah.

Licking at itchy paws is a classic allergy symptom. (That's why Mara asked if he was licking it.) The reply that the paw didn't bother him threw me completely off, and I'm sure I'm not alone. (Licking at the paws isn't necessarily allergy, so more questions follow.)

Skin infections from this kind of activity in the area between the toes, regardless of the trigger (allergy or other irritation/pruritis) are not uncommon. That is, the licking might have caused a skin breach and opened the door to infection, or an infection might have triggered the licking.

How do his ears look inside? Are they pale and healthy looking, or inflamed (red)? Is there debris?

Is he licking OR biting OR scratching near the base of the tail, or the backbone, or shins, or anywhere?

Did the paw-licking start recently? How long ago?

If you look carefully at the other paws, are they all un-inflamed, or just better than this one?


I'm not a health professional, BTW .... nothing but a long-time researcher of dog nutrition and allergies. But Dr. Betty might see the thread and comment.

" We discussed his diet, and I explained what I was now feeding him. She did not try and convince me to switch over to a kibble, which was nice. "



Excellent!

Here is a what I plan on feeding blade this next week. I'd love some comments and suggestions. Also, just hoping that with this plan I can get some feedback on whether or not to try that trial diet (food allergy) - my gut is leaning against trying it, and rather sticking to the new diversified diet you guys have helped me get on.

Thursday night: Pork w/ liver + Veggie Glop #1 (from MacDonald's book)

Friday: Chicken Back w/ 1 egg (AM) / Chicken Back w/ Veggie Glop #2 and supplements (PM)

Saturday: Pork w/ 1 egg (AM) / Chicken Back (PM)

Sunday: Ground Beef w/ Pumpkin (AM) / Pork w/ liver + Veggie Glop #1 (PM)

Monday: Chicken Back (AM) / Sardines w/ Veggie Glop #2 (PM)

Tuesday: Ground Beef w/ 1 egg (AM) / Chicken Back (PM)

Wednesday: Pork (AM) / Chicken Back w/ Veggie Glop #1 (PM)

Again, I'm posting this so you guys can help me tweak it. I know that I can't simply come up with a formula and stick with it, but wondering if this looks more along the lines of what I should be doing. Trying to mix things up, so he isn't getting the same thing day after day.

His breakfast this morning was canned Alaskan Salmon and an egg.

The Veggie Glops are made out of Romaine Lettuce, Radishes, Celery, as well as some banana thrown in there. The liquid base consists of some eggs, plain natural yogurt, as well as some garlic. I followed the recipe that MacDonald suggested in her book.