"Will check for shampoos tomorrow. Do the pet stores carry it also? Or is it a prescription type shampoo?"

I get it at the vet's. I don’t know if you can buy it at stores, but I'm thinking yes, because I just found them online without RX.


How often do you guys normally bath your dogs? I was always under the impression, less is better.....or is it different with these issues?

A completely healthy dog who isn’t rolling in poop and offending the household may need very few baths, as Cathy said.

(However, bathing in dog -- not people -- shampoo doesn't hurt anything, either. Humans have a history of shampooing a dog with whatever is handy when they dog stinks, and dog pH is very different from people pH. People shampoo is indeed bad for the dog's skin.



Textured washcloth....got it. Something to scrub real good?

Gently but thoroughly.



As far as pollens and other allergens getting on his bedding and carpets, does just weekly washing and vacuuming take care of that?

I don’t know that he has any inhalant allergies; I was just talking about the benefits of bathing with a dog who has yeast and other skin challenges, including allergies (and allergies are often a yeast trigger). I’m hoping what Cathy is hoping in her post above.



One more thing on the ear cleaning. For the flush, she assumed I knew so he didn't explain. But I assume its like you said, fill'er up, fold over ear, message and let it go?

What is the Flush? Can you link us to a picture of it online? What were the instructions for when and how often to use?


And proper ear maintenance.....if it looks and smells good...don't touch it? No wiping out or anything?

Well .... what would you be wiping out? If there’s something to wipe out, then it doesn't look and smell good, right? (Just making sure we are on the same page. )



How's he doing today? Ears looking good?

His ears I guess at doing better although he is still shaking his head on occasion. We called the vet and they said if he is still doing it in the morning, to bring him back in.

He is definitely more active tonight!!

As for the flush it just says "vet ear solution" it's in a 4oz squirt bottle and we are to use it twice week.
Also, got some Mometamax Otic Suspension drops. 8 drops in each ear canal once a day for 7 days.

So shampoos from the vet ill bathe to fight the greasy skin, etc. is this the type of shampoo to use regularly or just when he has greasy coast/yeast issues?

I have some questions now that I've been thinking about what's going on a little more...

I am hoping the staff and yeast is just a freak thing and doesn't happen regularly of course. I was reading a few articles and different things and some things came to mind.

Could the 'flea problem' have in fact just been yeast issue with the skin and not fleas at all? Which would in turn be why the advantix didn't stop the itching? We checked for fleas again and didn't see any still.

Overuse of antibiotics can complicate a yeast problem like you mentioned as it takes the good with the bad... Since he is on them for the staff and now the infection in the ear, Would it be beneficial to use some probiotics or other supplements to balance or boost his immune system?

Also a lot of things I've been reading say for yeast issues a raw diet with no grains, potatoes or veggies is key. Well, from what I see on the THK thrive ingredients are potatoes and veggies.

What about a cleanse or detox after the antibiotics are done?

Maybe I'm over reading, but like I said, some of this got me thinking a little more, so I figured I'd ask!

Bumping so it won't fall off "active topics" before one of us addresses the questions.

I know how my memory is .....

I need the reminder in front of my eyeballs.

His ears appear "oily" inside. Still head shaking at random, i assumed that would be over with in a day or so, gonna call th vet today and see what he says. Flushed once, doing it again tonight and been doing the drops lately.

Any advice on my post above?

Thanks!

Do they appear oily after the drops are applied? Because that does make them look oily as it spreads around.

I'm swamped right now, but I have a big yellow Postit in front of me to go piece by piece through the other post.

bump

Mychal, this is a lot to deal with! I will try my best until Connie has time to get back on here too! I have had several allergy dogs, and my current one is allergic to 45 different environmental things - it is very frustrating to try and dig through all this.

As far as the itching, have you done the white sheet test for fleas several times to make sure you really don't have any fleas? Even with using a topical, they can pick up a couple of fleas on walks, etc. and they can bite before they're dead - the topicals are not repellants so you can still have an occasional bite. I would do that test, looking for flea dirt. If you are positive you don't have a flea problem, then you can proceed to look at other things.

The staph and yeast infections are usually secondary to something else - i.e. allergies where the skin is getting scratched and bitten so yeast and bacteria can be introduced. Seborrhea is also sometimes a cause - an oily skin condition. But whatever the cause, the yeast will usually keep recurring if the reason isn't dealt with. To confirm yeast you need to get some scrapings done by the vet - I would recommend scrapings from between the toes, belly, ears, groin area, and where the dog seems to be greasy feeling. The vet can look under the microscope right there and tell you IF there is yeast, and how much, and where.

The thing regular vets, as opposed to dermatology vets, are NOT good at, is knowing WHY that yeast is there. They will usually blame it on food allergies and put you on some high priced hypoallergenic kibble that they sell. Not because they are bad vets, just because they aren't educated in skin very well. We spent bundles of money on exams, Rx's, tests, kibbles, etc at the regular vet and got no where fast. One trip to our derma vet and we were on the right path fast! They usually know just by looking at the dog, and where they are itching, what is going on. It doesn't mean you have to spend hundreds on skin testing and such if you chose not to. It just gives you a good evaluation to go on in deciding which direction to take.

The other thing it does is takes the stress off your shoulders! I got so tired to trying to figure things out all the time. One visit to the derma vet and we knew what our choices were. Kasey is highly sensitive to any yeast on his skin - just a tiny amount and he's itching like mad. So the derma vet has us give him an oral anti-yeast Rx every weekend for 2 days and he's been yeast free for years (we gave it for several weeks to clear him of the yeast first). It is often hard to irradicate yeast that is all over with baths only.

So I would highly recommend an eval by a good derma vet just so you know what you're deal with. I know this is already long, but I will post my derma vet info that I have learned below. As far as the shaking of the head, it may take a while after having the fox tail out for the 'feeling' that something is in there to go away - it has for Kasey in the past. And the Rx drops you are putting in there will make the ear oily - I hate that!

Here is the derma info:
1. Most people, and many vets, assume that if their dog is itchy, they should change their food - the kibble companies have brainwashed us into thinking that food allergies are very common in dogs, and so you should switch to an 'allergy-free' kibble if your dog is itching. The truth is, less than 10% of dogs have food allergies! And some breeds less than that - for example, it's less than 3% in golden retrievers. But food is the one easy thing that a regular vet can do to try and help the owner of an itchy dog - plus they make money off the 'hypoallergenic' dog kibble they carry.

2. By far, the most common allergies in dogs are flea and environmental. If your dog is itching a lot, the most important first step you can take is to make absolutely sure they have ZERO fleas! I was one of those people who thought we didn't have any fleas because I was always checking Kasey and never saw any. Wrong! One day I found one flea and that was enough to drive him to distraction. We started using flea treatments (which I hate to do, but the cycle of itching, biting and chewing, which leads to open sores and infection, was worse for him). Keeping him flea free has helped, but he also has environmental allergies, which is the next most common thing to check for.

3. Environmental allergies can range from anything like mold, pollen, grasses, etc. to even people dander! Yup, Kasey is allergic to me! Usually only a derma vet is knowledgeable enough to be able to do the required skin testing and reading of those tests to determine what the dogs are allergic to. Blood tests are a waste of money, both for food and environmental allergies - don't let your regular vet talk you into them, they are not an effective diagnostic tool. Skin testing IS more expensive (usually around $300 - $400), but it is very trustworthy.

4. If your dog is biting and scratching mostly on the back half of their body, fleas are highly suspected as the cause. If more the front half of the body, or the whole dog (especially paw chewing, ear infections/itching), suspect environmental and flea. Many dogs who have environmental allergies are also allergic to fleas.

I spent Kasey's second year of life going through a zillion different kibbles, home-cooked diets, and prescription dog foods - it was a big waste of money, time and anxiety trying to find the 'right' food. A year and a half ago we learned, from this site, how to feed raw and he has been healthier ever since. It didn't fix his allergies, but the derma vet believes the good nutrition has definitely kept his skin and coat in excellent condition in spite of his itching! I hope this info will help even one person who is struggling with the frustration and helpless feelings of having a dog that is constantly itchy! Going to the derma vet has taken all the guessing and responsibility off my shoulders, and that is worth the extra cost of a specialist!

(I would like to add that we would have ended up paying less in the long run if we would have gone to the derma vet first instead of trying all the other foods, drugs and trips to the regular vet!)

Everything Lori posted is just about exactly what I wanted to post and was looking for an empty time slot so I could write it up.

That post reflects most of what I've learned over decades of researching dog nutrition and dog allergies.

I too would do the white sheet test (probably twice) as a first step.

Wow, thank you Lori!
45 different allergies, I can't imagine! Did you find out about all of those through the skin scrapings? Do they just take the scrapings and give you back a list of everything the dog is allergic too? Wow, that's pretty awesome!

I hadn't heard of the white sheet test before, will give it a try and post back ASAP!

So would you recommend getting scrapings done from a demo vet and bypass our regular vet all together?

Good to know that the drops are making the ear oily! Was getting worried!
Head shaking comes and goes, so it is probably still sensitive. He doesn't like drops in his ears, that's for sure.

He doesn't itch like mad either. It's random. Nipping and licking with an occasional scratch. Usual licking is his genital area, his hind quarter area and each side of the base of his tail and he nips and licks the very tip of his tail.

I've taken the bedding out of his crate and think I'm gonna go with some kind of rubber mat in there just to make sure nothing is lying in his bedding that is harder too see. And he's been chewing on his bedding lately too, a mat will just be better I think.


As far as food, our vet admits he's not up on the natural diet, but doesn't deter me at all and he knows I won't be switching food, lol. He freely admits not being up on all the home remedy type stuff either, but is open to learning, etc.

This all happened so sudden is why we are worried about what's going on....first the staff, then the yeast in the ears and fox tail (nothing we could do about that really), greasy skin, and the itching and nipping. I would love if it was just a few fleas bothering him. I have searched and read horror stories about all the allergic dogs, and the issues they go through. We will deal with it if that's the case, but REALLY hoping that's not the case!

Thank you, and I'll post back with the results from the white sheet test!