Dog Community

Ugh, Poor Ari

Posted : 8/21/2009 5:50:44 AM

Ari at least isn't feeling unwell, but her poor skin! Within 2 weeks we've had an outbreak of acne (at least that is what they think it is) and one paw she started chewing up front. Went to the vet (1 week ago today) and they said the chin bumps is likely acne, and that the paw was likely an irritation she further irritated. Got some medicated wipes to use. LESS than a week later I saw her back paw being all chewed up and inflamed. And her chin acne wasn't looking any better, though her front paw looked slightly better it was still irritated to all heck. Plus, now she has a slight hitch in her step because her poor back paw was sore.

Back to the vet we went yesterday. Now we have a perscription for antibiotics to use, along with the wipes. A follow up appt. in two weeks to see if the round of antibiotics is working. If not, we may have to start ruling out allergies. I'm not going to start thinking about allergies yet though, until we see what is in two weeks. I don't even want to THINK about food allergies. If she is having food allergies, this will not be fun. Not only will we have to take that into consideration, but she also has a touchy stomach.

The vets concerned about her ears too. Her ears have been an ongoing battle for us since the day we brought her home. They are very very very prone to yeast infections. We've managed to keep it under check, but it's been flaring up again (at the same time as her chin acne, and two irritated paws).

On top of it all, Ari's lost interest in her kibble and will only eat at night. She's still very active and crazy, so I'm not overly worried. We have tried switching her kibble up, but the last we tried didn't agree with her tummy. We're going to try another formula soon as well (she's typically fed California Natural Lamb and Rice, and we have tried the herring formula and soon we'll try the chicken). She's lost some weight, and for a dog already skinny as all heck, I am not liking that! She's 54.6 lbs. right now when not two weeks ago she was 56.4 lbs.

Holy cow, Ari must have heard my thoughts about her eating...she's eating her breakfast! This hasn't happened in a week. Little stinker.

Anonymous

Posted : 8/21/2009 9:19:38 AM

Poor girl!

Rosco is prone to yeast issues, and it manifests in his ears and feet. We manage it with coconut oil in his food daily, and I can't tell you how much of a dfference it has made -- no goo in his ears at all. Coconut oil, Dogzymes and simple food (we feed Cal Natural too) is the balancing act for him.

Hope she feels better soon!

sharismom

Posted : 8/21/2009 9:48:37 AM

Sharon, I'm sorry to read this. I have no suggestions, but will keep you and Ari in my thoughts.

calliecritturs

Posted : 8/21/2009 10:44:43 AM

Dog allergies often come out in the ears -- they attack not only skin but any mucus membranes. It's FALL -- so it's likely atopic.

You honestly might want to try something alternative -- I've had really good luck with Billy (who is a MEGA allergy boy) on homeopathic stuff. But you need a good vet who really knows what they're doing with them.

I know this isn't a popular concept -- everyone assumes that a reaction to food is a 'food allergy' and it's just not true. Some foods are simply inflammatory. Chicken is one of them. In other words -- if the body is not in a state where it is absolutely DESPERATE to be inflamed, certain meats/foods like chicken can be fine. But when the body is simply looking for a place to burst out with inflammation, chicken can be a problem.

This is one of the things I've come to respect so highly about TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine). Food is a big deal -- and it's amazing how a food like chicken (which tends to be the one everyone reaches for -- particularly white meat) can actually be a problem. But it's not an allergy -- it's simply something that will increase inflammation if there is already the tendency there.

Seriously -- if you go to http://www.tcvm.com there is a locator on the side. Finding a vet who does TCVM can help you go a long way to diet help that can help stack the deck more in your favor.

btw -- I'm not saying food allergies don't exist. They surely do. But it's different than an allergy.

the_gopher

Posted : 8/23/2009 10:37:04 AM

Thanks for the link Callie! There's a lady right in the town next to me. Right now the antibiotics seem to be helping. She's not attacking her feet anymore. I would like to do a more holistic approach to her, so I may call up the doctor and find out what her fees are. Sadly, right now finances are a concern - but if they are reasonable fees, it'll be doable.

She's never had chicken kibble. but she often gets raw chicken. I haven't seen an issue, or a flaring up of her ongoing ear issues, when eating chicken, but I will definitely keep it in mind if it does have the characteristic of flaring up issues.

I really should ask her breeder if any of the other littermates have any issues like Ari. Even just out of curiousity sake, plus I know the breeder would be very interested to know. Well, she already knows about Ari's bad ears.

I hope that after her round of antibiotics are done, that this doesn't flare right back up again.

You don't know purgatory until you have a high energy, young adult dog in your house, who can't be taken out for a long romp b/c her back paw is too tender Indifferent