Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

The only thing better than than oil capsules is canned green beans, Nico goes batty over canned green beans so i let her have them from time to time.. no added salt of course!

That is so funny -- I have two who love canned green beans, too (no salt).

that is funny, i thought mine were the only loony ones.
One of them also begs for strawberries, i let him have tiny nibbles because im not sure of those.
And puppies favorite treat is pepperidge farm gingerbread cookies

I'm coming in at the tail end, but. . .

Hi, Patty, welcome to the board . I've had a couple GSDs and have dealt a lot with allergies, but more along the lines of inhalant/environmental type. You mention "allergies" but you don't say anything about scratching, itching, chewing, so I'm assuming you're just talking about the alleged food allergies, diet problems, diarrhea, etc., right?

I know you're getting hammered with lots of suggestions, so I just make a couple.

First off, start keeping a detailed log or diary of what you're feeding, supplementing, Rx-ing, etc. Otherwise, after a few weeks, you'll find it impossible to recall what changes were made and when and go nuts trying to figure out what you think is working and what isn't.

Second, the vet is good for blood tests, medical issues, etc., but (unless you go with the holistic one) don't expect their dietary advice to be consistent with what you'll read here from Ed's material and the forum members. Typically, a mainstream vet will probably suggest one or more of the special kibbles they have. My vet has tried that and I never went along with it. Once you get the Giardia, diarrhea cleared up, and get a clean bill of health from the vet, then you take more time to fine tune a diet to deal with the other problems. Some dietary/supplement changes will take effect sooner than others, e.g., (1) it may take days or even a few weeks for the full benefits of salmon oil to kick in, and (2) a dog may "de-tox" for a while (several weeks or more) when you go from com'l food to raw - keep that diary!

More to come on probiotics.

Mike

how did i forget the Log!
pretend you are the most OCD book-keeper you know for a while
It helps so much to have a log of everything to make correlations on your own or with the vet down the road.
i had
date/breakfast
ingredients/skin/potty/overall
Date/lunch
same as befor
Date/dinner
same as above
then a little place for notes
3 days to a sheet

That diary is crucial. Good catch, Mike.

I found it impossible to remember exactly what reactions went with what antihistamine, what food, which yogurt......

Patterns LEAP from the written page that never make it through the maze of my brain-plodding.

Mike,

I was just thinking about keeping a log . You are right, it is easy to become confused. That is a great suggestion and should also help the vet and everyone else trying to help. It's late and I really must go. I will keep in touch and let you know how things are going.

Thank you all,
Always learning

 Quote: Patty Hopmann

Connie,

About his eye. It started right after his head swelled up like a melon from the lepto vacine. It seems to be mainly from one eye.
(his right) I was not real happy with my vet for giving him the lepto shot while he was still dealing with the giardia, after reading more on the vacine.Iam looking for a new vet.I told him about his eye, he just said it was a reaction to the vacine. However it has never gone away. I just thought he had allergies.

Hi Patty,

I would be sure to mention this to the new vet also, makes me wonder if the swelling damaged the tear duct in some way. Also, does the dog seem to have any pain in his stomach along with the bouts of diarhea?

Good Luck,

Connie,

I just wanted to give you an update on my GSD Lex.I took him to an holistic vet,Patricia Cooper. She put Lex on okra pepsin(for diarrhea),myoplus(for muscle support), and zymex(for GI tract).
After a week on the okra pepsin we ran out of his dog food(California Natural)and started him on raw meaty bones. Since his diarrhea had not stopped I thought "what do I have to lose".After a few days his diarrhea stopped. He was so enthusiastic about his food I kept it up. A few days later his diarrhea stopped and never came back. I feed him chicken quarters,pumkin or sweet potatoes,and kefir.

I just got back from my follow up with the vet. Lex gained over 6 lbs. and his coat is soft and shiny. She took blood and fecal samples for lab workup {I should hear results in a week),and added livaplex(a multivitamin).

He still at times waters out of his right eye and goes into scratching fits. I think it doesn't happen as often. It takes time to heal from the inside out but I think we are on the right tract.

I just want to thank you and this board for all your help. My trainer and I contribute a lot of his success to feeding him RMB. I would not have the courage or the knowledge without this board (and the books it recommended). I also feel very lucky to have a vet who is open to RMB's and minimal vaccines. Unfortunatly our state that requires rabies at 4 months with yearly vaccinations will not accept titers.

Thanks for all your help,
Patty