Dog Allergy Remedies

Hi everyone at EC! I am very glad to have found this site. I am an unemployed single mother who took in a rescue dog about 3 weeks ago. May 29th to be exact. Funds are very limited these days and trying to avoid having to go back and forth to the vet. The first weekend I brought Mondo home, an 8 year old female Yorkshire Terrier Mix, she started to sneeze, the next day she started making these hacking/coughing sounds which at first would startle me everytime she had these cough attacks. The shelter said she had Kettle Cough whic is normal of rescue dogs. They gave her these antibiotic pills to take for 10 days. Which worked two weeks later. After the cough was over I decided to take Mondo for a Vet check-up to make sure there was nothing else wrong with her. Another reason was because I noticed she would lick her paws and she scratch her ears a lot, she had lots of green goop coming from both eyes all day long. Even after wiping. She was always very smelly, even right after a bath. And day after day she would smell worse. By day three I wouldnt let her sleep in my room cause she smelled so bad. So she was taking baths with regular shampoo bought from the pet store every two days. She had also started scooting two days before Vet appt. At the Vet's I was told that Mondo had Allergies, either from Food or environmental. She had an eye infection, ear infection, yeast infection on her skin, she was overweight, she weighs 16 lbs and should be no more then 12 lbs. Oh, Mondo also needed her anal glands expelled, which they did at the office. They also cleaned her ears and plucked the excess hair in the ears. Since finding Earth Clinic, before spending money on the list of things recommended by the vet, i decided to try the holistic route.

- For her ears, i have been cleaning her ears with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, just pouring some in there and letting it foam. I rub the excess off with a cotton ball and clean off wax with a q-tip. I then add the mixture of 50/50 H20 and ACV into the ear and wipe off with cotton ball. She does not like this very much. Face and ears turn very red and keeps shaking her head to remove the ACV. Walks around the whole house shaking and scathing her ear until it stops burning. One ear is all better, and the other is coming along very well, after a week of treatment. I will keep doing the same for both ears until both ears are healed. She only goes crazy now ith the one ear.

- For her eyes I rub ACV at the back of her neck, just soak a cotton ball with ACV and rub. It clears the eyes of redness after a few minutes, but did not go away totally. So also started using Collodiol Silver, I add a couple drops per eyes twice times a day. Since this does not burn, she stays pretty still for that. I will keep on until its gone.

- For the Skin Yeast Infection, I have been giving her a bath with the ACV / Water Mixture baths and soaking her feet in White Distilled Vinegar during the baths. Then I would follow-up with the Head & Shoulders shampoo that the Vet recommended for her dry flaky skin.

- For her breath I just started adding 8% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide to her water. I see if that works.

- I also give her 2 tablets of a probiotic Acidophilus that was recommended on EC in other post. I crush into a powder and mix in 1 tablespoon of plain natural lowfat yogurt. She really doesnt like it very much. I have to force her to eat it. She also wont drink her water when I add 1 tablespoon of ACV to it. But she does lick it off her face during baths.

- She was slowly weened off the Chicken and Beef packets in sauces and now only eats an all natural / holistic brand of food. She drinks lots of water sans the ACV.

Everything was looking very good until i noticed these red spots appear on her belly last night during her belly rub. I quickly rubbed ACV all over her belly and a few hours later the redness was all gone. Today after her bath, while dyring her hair I noticed all these small red bumps all over her back and belly again. I stopped drying her hair and began rubbing just ACV all over her skin with cotton balls until she was practically soaked with it. I then blow dried her without rinsing. I am not sure what all these red bumps mean and if I should be alarmed? does she have something contagious to humans or is it her allergies flaring up. I must say that yesturday my 9 yr old daughter did give her two chewy chicken drumstick flavored doggie snacks that Mondo loves. Actually the only thing she gets excited for. We had stopped giving her these snacks for the past three weeks. and today before Mondo's bath I did giver her two more snacks. I didnt really think much about it until now. Could this be an allergic reaction to the snack or is this something more serious? She doesnt scratch very much, licks her paws everytime she comes back in from her walks or stepping on the grass. Sleeps a lot. Eats her holistic food thruout the day until its gone. No hair loss. Ive been searching the web for info before taking her back to the vet. I don't think its Mange as there is no hair loss, no excessive scratching and chewing. Do you have any advice as to what should be the next step for her if the ACV does not work because I am seriously considering returning her back to the shelter. I think that i may be in for more then I bargained for with Mondo.

Thanking you in advance for any advice you may have for me. Thankx!!