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  #31  
Old January 28th, 2017, 12:42 PM
Shazanne Shazanne is offline
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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MaxaLisa - thank you very much for your helpful reply.
I live in Calgary and there is ONE certified dermatologist available in the city with a six month waiting list to see her!! My girl is 12 + years old - I hate seeing her golden years marred by this skin condition. It breaks my heart to think I have to wait six months to have her assessed. I would take her anywhere within driving distance to have her checked, but it appears that dermatologists are few and far between within a 6 - 8 hour drive from here.
I will check out that shampoo. It has been suggested that she go on thyroid medication as her readings are in the low and low/normal range. However my vets swings back and forth on this as he says that, if she take the medication for a prolonged time, her own thyroid will stop working completely and she will require the medication for life.
But, if I felt it would help her, I am inclined to think it may be worth trying as she is over 12 years old and these years are precious to both her and to me.
I know nothing about the use of zinc or biotin - are they given as supplements or as prescribed medication? Or is there a food that contains good levels of both?
Can I ask what you feed your dog - I am a firm believer in nutrition being of paramount importance but, equally, I am aware that certain types of food are better in certain circumstances.
Thank you again.
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  #32  
Old January 29th, 2017, 07:17 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Sheesh, I haven't been able to get on here for a week. Just this site, it keeps timing out.

REgarding shampoo, I tried five before I found one that helped. MOst did not help the itchy skin. ONe made it worse. So much worse that the next day I took my dog to a creek that had had ice on it the week before so he could swim lots and wash it all off. Cold water also helps itchy skin, numbs it I guess.

IN case it helps anybody the shampoo that worked for us was:

http://cardinalpet.com/furreverdevot...d_shampoo.html

I had to go to a Tack Shop for horses to get it here in Ontario.

NOt sure if I actually said before but almost as soon as we started that novel protein and novel carb diet my dog's itching stopped. It hasn't come back. He is no longer on Atopica in the summer.
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  #33  
Old February 4th, 2017, 06:04 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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Location: California, usa
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Longblades, I agree, the food is SOOOOO important. I do agree that finding the right shampoo is important, and I'm guessing a lot of it depends on what in particular is living on that individual dog.

Shazanne, the key with the thyroid trial is that long term, your vet is probably right. But a trial to see whether you noticed changes should not have this permanent effect, IMO. I've been on thyroid meds for 25+ years and if I back off on my meds, my own thyroid will start to kick in, even in the defective state that it is in!

I used the zinc and biotin in supplement form for supplement. I prefer zinc picolinate form because it's highly absorbable. I would use this one for my 20-lb dog 2-3 times a week, but I backed off once I started feeding a more processed food: http://www.iherb.com/pr/Solgar-Zinc-...FVGewAodTiQLmA Long term you do have to worry about zinc buildup and balance with copper, BUT, as a trial, to see if there is a response, I don't really worry as long as I stick to not doing too many things at once and I'm usually watching like a hawk. For the biotin I use the Now capsules and just open up the 100 mcg one and sprinkle some in food.

Jazz here is an IBD/lupus dog with numerous food intolerances, so I mix up what I feed her so she will eat.

I try to get one homecooked meal in her a day, which nowadays is baked pork with sauerkraut that I mince together on a Ninja mixer. It's hard to get "clean" pork, but she seems to do the best on it. The dermatologist recommended using turnips with the meat, which I did for a long time, but she is turniped out. The sauerkraut is a good prebiotic and I know it's good for stomach stuff too.

Once or twice a day she gets a combination of pure dehydrated tripe: https://www.chewy.com/k9-natural-lam...e-raw/dp/35438 (they have a meal version which I don't feed. There are frozen versions which she won't touch. Beef tripe is also available from different places, but Jazz can't tolerate beef) together with 2 patties of Stella and Chewy's: https://www.chewy.com/stella-chewys-...inner/dp/34233 . The local store has a buy 3 get one free deal on these foods, but I get the tripe from chewy's. She will not eatany of it if I mix it with water, but she drinks a lot on her own, and sometimes I will follow it with a liquid mineral supplement. Of course the two different foods need to be separated for her to go near the dish and consider eating.

On mornings she won't eat, I feed her these in the car so she doesn't spend all day at daycare on a hurting empty stomach: http://shop.bixbipet.com/products/ra...nt=16316779457 (she has BAD separation anxiety and can't be left alone) I haven't found much about this food, I'm not sure I would feed a lot of it, but for our purposes, and for training, it is working well, and she loves it, and it doesn't upset her digestive system.

When we get to have the morning together, I will share some hard-boiled eggs with her, she loves them, but won't eat them unless we eat them together I would love to mix these in with some regular feeding, but she'll have none of that.

Each morning I feed her homemade chicken bone broth. It seems to help a lot with her fur and joints, and that is specifically to address her collagen deficiency.

It literally took me years to come up with this strange mix that keeps her eating regularly.
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  #34  
Old February 4th, 2017, 06:06 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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I should add, her digestion improved a lot when I added the tripe.... there are canned versions that she like, but I don't like feeding canned food on a regular basis.
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  #35  
Old February 5th, 2017, 03:02 AM
Shazanne Shazanne is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 73
Wow MaxaLisa - I wish I had your knowledge and expertise. I feel totally lacking in how to help Millie. I want to do the right thing but I just don't know what the right thing is for her. I look at her and feel I'm letting her down and I almost envy people who get a clear diagnosis on their dog, as they know or can find out what to do. That sounds as if I am wishing there is something wrong with her but I'm not. I just know something is causing her skin to blacken and her hair to fall out in patches but nothing is showing definitively in her blood or any of the tests she has had.
Now her vet is saying that her skin condition and the trembling in her back legs (now spreading to her front as well) could simply be age related. I just think he's saying that as he can't diagnose her and he admits that she has him beaten as he come up with nothing.
At the moment all I am doing is bathing her twice weekly in Duxuo Pyoderm shampoo and I have started her on Udo's oil daily for her skin plus SolidGold Seameal. Her breath has become really bad again (it had settled a bit) so maybe one or both is causing that.
I am so frustrated with it all - I just feel that I'm shooting in the dark and very likely leaving something untreated in my precious little girl.
Jazz sounds adorable! My Fonzie is a bit like that - he'll eat anything if we share it together! He's convinced he's human and everyday I find myself agreeing with him more and more!!! Thankfully he's health and happy - although a bit overweight so that's something we need to address, much to his disgust!!!
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  #36  
Old February 5th, 2017, 09:15 AM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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It can be very frustrating, and a lot of it is trial and error. Have you been to a different vet for a second opinion?

I would consider making the appt with that dermatologist. You can always cancel it, but if you haven't figured this out in 6 months, then you will be able to see the derm. Sometimes you can call back and see if you can get in on a cancellation while you are waiting.

I remember your post about the possible vasculitis. I really do feel like something is being missed. It seems like the fur loss is just spreading, so that's infection or hormonal or something...
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  #37  
Old February 5th, 2017, 11:05 PM
Shazanne Shazanne is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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My vet was convinced initially that it was vasculitis - but biopsies stated differently.
My difficulty (in one sense) is that I work for the practice my dog attends - although that won't prevent me from getting the best care for my dog.
Today I located through a Google search a vet that claims to specialise in dermatology, although she's not a 'certified' dermatologist. But I am going to ask my vet to send a referral to her as her waiting period is only 3 - 4 weeks.

I agree that something abnormal is going on and maybe I am concentrating on the wrong thing? Her trembling is getting worse, she's more lethargic a lot of the time but not always, she is barking a lot more and I always knew what her barking was for but now it seems to have no reason I can satisfy and, of course, her skin. But, weird as this may sound, she is eating better than I have ever seen her eat - she actually looks for food and she has always been the pickiest madam on the face of the earth!! That was one of the reasons that Cushing's crossed my mind (although her drinking and peeing is normal) and she tested negative.

It's like she has all these random symptoms that make me feel that my vet will think I have Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy if she develops anything else!! But I can't knit them together and get her the help she needs.
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