Dog Allergy Remedies

Hello Janice,

Did you keep up with all the RAW and DE and body masks and then the symptoms came back when you stopped?

If you have continued with the program and the itching came back despite the RAW diet et al, you might consider a few additional dietary supplements. Consider yucca and quercetin for the inflammation, and also colostrum to help build the immune system.

Maybe a it's a lot for the system ... I do know that when my Bells gets a hot spot she gets caught in a scratch and turns her brows upwards in a look saying" I don't have fleas... I swear! "

Vinegar works great for us, and wheat free. Stress never fails to set her back though.😇

Have you tried bovine colostrum? it's the miracle cure in our house. My cat has almost doubled his life expectancy of 2 yrs. I haven't used it for allergies but I know it claims to work for them.

Everyone with any animal with skin allergies....Please please feed your animals with tumeric. Add a half teaspoon to their food twice daily. My chow mix weighs 110 lbs This summer notice Max itching slot and both eyes were watering. Like everyone else we went straight to the vet. His entire stomach was red with sores and the sores were on his chin and also throughout his thick hair. The vet gave him medicine that was over a hundred dollars per script. We went through several scripts and had only partial results. I read about turmeric that also contained pepper. Within 3 days eyes were back to normal within 10 days almost all the rashes were cleared up I've since started making my own 500 ml. Capsules also adding 10% clove. It works unbelievable...I also have started taking them myself and have notice a HUGE improvement in my arthritis pain........It works trust me everyone should at least try it on their pets....If u make your own capsules it only cost pennies to make. Amazon has the empty capsules cheap they r OO caps and the filling tool runs around $20 it takes me about 20 minutes to fill 50 caps....

Good Morning Jeffrey,

Could you please share the ratio of the turmeric and pepper you used? And can u share the brand of capsules? Thanks a bunch

Jeffrey, Please, please..I'm desperate here...Since I don't know if all tumeric is created equal, could you please give some more specifics? My 7 yr old blue nose that I just adopted has the same problems your pup had. Just ended the 2nd dose of prednisone with antihistime and 3 days later she is a mess. how much pepper??

Hey there! A couple of things came to mind when I read your post. Chronic yeasty ears for sure indicate allergy, but vertebral subluxation is also a possibility. It may help to have your dog adjusted by a chiropractor. And, yeasty ears at 4 months: were any vaccinations given at that time? The puppy is teething and in the states here 4 months is when many get a rabies poke so double whammy to the immune system; it could be vaccinosis [lovely catch all term! ] Even if you have given excellent groceries all along, if the yeast overgrowth was never addressed you will now need to clear the yeast layer by layer; you may find using applied kinesiology helpful in choosing which probiotic to start with: after 2-3 weeks it likely will be necessary to switch probiotics. It may take 6-8 weeks or longer to get the yeast under control.

I have 'allergy' dogs also, utilize both holistic and western vets along with a doggy chiro, and while not perfect this is what works for me:

ZYMOX for funky ears. I have used home remedies for the ears and for normal dogs they work - but for allergy dogs they often just miss. Clean ears *frequently* during allergy season - you have to stay on top of them - Virbac ear cleaner from the vet works well for non-infected ears. Again, home remedies such as gentian violet or vinegar rinses sometimes just do not touch allergy ears and if that is the case then no shame in buying veterinary approved products.

Steroid shots/antibiotics - it can be a fact of life for allergy dogs; if your dog needs them, then your dog needs them. I've tried herbal nettle, herbal thuja, local honey to no avail and in my experience nothing halts a skin reaction quite like a steroid poke. Yes, its not ideal and they don't last forever and some seasons my dog may need 3-4 pokes. I have accepted that for my dog to be comfortable that occaisional steroids are needed.

That said, Ted's Mange dipping solution certainly can be used to help balance the PH of the skin:

• One 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide [from the supermarket]
• 32 oz of filtered water [fill up the perxoide bottle twice and dump into larger jug]
• You have now made a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Now add to that 1 cup Borax.

Shake it up, the solution SHOULD be grainy. Bathe and rinse the dog, and then plug up the tub and pour the solution over the dog. I use a small sponge to soak up the solution from the bottom of the tub and squeeze out over the dog - do this for 15 minutes, 30 minutes is better. The key is to not rinse, do not towel off, and to let the dog air dry. This should bring some relief to itchy skin. If you suspect an infection of the skin Ted's recipe for Yeast/staph may help:

• 1-1/2 cups 1% hydrogen peroxide
• 1 tbsp borax
• 1 tbsp epsom salt
• 1 tbsp Milk of Magnesia

- mix it all up and then apply to a freshy bathed still damp dog and do not rinse -let air dry for however long it takes.

Licking and chewing feet sound like contact allergy to me - frequent bathing or a foot bath when she returns from out of doors may help. I don't trust the mixed up hydrogen peroxide solution to keep, but for frequent daily dipping a vinegar solution might work for rinsing the feet off when returning from outside and also help balance PH.

I mix up a big pitcher of baking soda water and fill all the bowls full and keep them full. Your dog may not drink much water, but I found mine tend to crave the baking soda water, so offer full bowls and your dog may gravitate to them.

I agree that fats are important in the diet - perhaps sunflower oil or other such cooking oils will suffice? I tend to cook for my dogs, meaning I cook with doggie left overs in mind, so I limit use of certain ingredients so I can turn any left overs into dog food. So if I roast a chicken, I don't use any onion - and the fat that is rendered from the chicken can then be fed to the dogs. Maybe you can see what you can use from your own meals to provide the needed fats?

You might also take a visit to this site from a canine nutritionist who has written extensively on how to nutritionally support dogs with myriad ailments: www.greatdanelady.com/index.html. Good luck, and keep us posted please!

Hi Theresa, Thank you for taking the time to read our story!

Vertebral subluxation I had never heard of, nor did I know there were veterinary chiropractors, found one where I live and we are going for an appointment tomorrow, would be great to rule something like that out as an over-arching hinderance on her immune system.

I understand your stance on conventional medication - for me its a path I don't want to go down again until I have to because I truly believe that there must be an underlying issue. Immune system, gut flora, acid-rich environment, etc - and the itching is just the symptom. To treat the symptom is something I want to do, but not at the expense of not discovering the cause. Of course sometimes we have to turn to conventional medicine to buy us time though :) I hope I don't have to again, I will try -everything-!

I will have a think and look at records re: vaccination, it's got me thinking - although we went for the smallest vaccine schedule possible through our holistic vet that shares the same views as us, and in the future we are doing teeter tests instead of annual boosters

The yeast was certainly cleared (layer by layer) with the operation and conventional drugs that followed. Her ears currently look/smell great but my worry is that we haven't got to the root cause (or maybe we have, maybe the ears were in relation to a food allergy, and the reason they still look great is because she only eats horse/sweet potato now - maybe they wont turn gunky again as Spring comes) - but as she is still licking/biting her paws incessantly, it is clear there is still AN allergy present - whether it be food or environmental - and I believe the root cause is her immune system.

Thank you for posting the different solutions to use in layman's terms, I will now order the products needed and start this treatment topically - its such a shame its winter here, I worry about soaking her daily for her to drip dry, its cold here!!

What do you think about putting 1/4 teaspoon of bicarb in 500ml coconut water? She will drink the whole lot, loves the stuff. Water, not so much but its in there incase she does have some! In summer she will certainly drink more water once its hot!

Thanks again, really appreciate your time and effort :)

Hey Aimee! You said: "The yeast was certainly cleared (layer by layer) with the operation and conventional drugs that followed. " This is NOT how clearing yeast works. While you may have cleaned infected gunk out of the ears, it doesn't touch the systemic yeast infection - the yeast overgrowth that is occurring in the GI tract - that is causing the symptoms to manifest in the ears in the first place. The conventional drugs that ensued only served to further depress the immune system, further reduce the healthy flora in the gut, address only the surface symptoms and not the root, and cause additional symptoms to manifest. Please search the link I provided for the Great Dane Lady's site for 'systemic yeast infection' -she has some programs laid out to get a grip on this sort of problem. My preference is to simply dose acidophillus, primadophillus, DDS with FOS and the like but the Great Dane Lady's system works.

And - while the immune system can be built up and supported, 'genetics' happens. What I mean is, you have a dilute dog; she would normally be a black dog except she has the dilution gene which makes her coat a pretty blue. Not sure about your dog's breeding/pedigree/breeder, but there certainly has been a craze of late for blue in many of the bull breeds. Unethical breeders are breeding dilute to dilute to get 100% blue puppies placing color above all else, including health. So unless the breeder took pains to assemble a healthy pedigree your dog might be a genetic lemon. It doesn't sound as if she has CDA - color dilution alopecia - but the dilution gene has been suspect in animals with chronic skin issues - particularly during color fad crazes. Have you consulted your dog's breeder? Are they experiencing issues with littermates or the sire or dam or other related dogs? At the very least the breeder should be informed of your dog's health issues so they can choose to avoid breeding those two parents together again.

Another aspect to consider is the thyroid; if the thyroid is out of whack for whatever reason, then steroids help balance it. Steroid does not automatically = bad. Low dose long term use doesn't automatically = bad. And as you say, it does buy you time.

As for the vaccine schedule, I used to go with single poke vaccines, different labels and the like, but what really works well IMHO is AK - applied kinesiology. So regardless of whether its a combo or single vaccine, you use AK to see if that particular vaccine is OK for your dog. Works for food too, so you can check to see if a particular diet or food item is right for your dog based on compatibility with her energy fields. Use this to find the most effective probiotic too - and keep in mind that as you clear yeast layers you will need to switch around on the probiotic for the next layer.

As for the borax dip - Ted suggested once a week; dip Matilda and then crate her without bedding in a room with a space heater, right? And then mix up a tub of white vinegar and water [1:10 ratio is enough] and have her walk through on her way into the house after going potty outside but you can towel the feet off as this solution is only for washing any contact allergens off her feet.

Good luck!

Thankyou Theresa, that has clarified a lot for me! I now understand what you mean about the systematic yeast infection and will research that.

I also did some research awhile back and found out about when two blues are bred, skin conditions run rife - unfortunately my research came after the fact, only wish we had done it prior to choosing a breed but yes, the breeders certainly were going for looks (and money, blues sell for more) and not health, and we are paying the price now :) not that I would change anything, love our little girl more than anything! I feel like we were supposed to go through all this with her to prepare us for children in a few years haha. We have informed the breeder about all her allergies but they are not too interested which is a shame.

So this morning she had her appointment with the veterinary chiro, it went great, she did have some things to fix and straight away she is running straight! She never has, very interesting. He said he has no ideas if it will have an affect on her allergies but I'm so glad you mentioned it because its great to rule that out now and have her alligned properly :)

I have considered the thyroid - The place in California (Hemopet) where we sent off for the dog sensitivty food test (saliva - 20 panels of food) also does the Thyroid testing. I asked our holistic vet if she though it was worth us getting the test, and her words: "Don't think she is hypothyroid. The opposite condition, hyperthyroid dogs can be aggressive, lose weight, have vomiting, diarrhea, enlarged thyroid and drink a lot of water. It tends to be rare in dogs. I would be surprised if she had it."

I did my own research on common symptoms and would agree that Matilda has none of them. Would like your opinion on whether you still think its worth looking into though?

Our holistic vet who does NAET also does the AK - which is why we havent introduced coconut oil back into the diet, she confirmed that is doesn't work well with her at this stage, so we have kept it out. She goes over all the things we give to her on our monthly visits. I have an appointment this tuesday where I'll be taking along the new additions to her regime from the past few weeks: baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and Protexin probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus salvarius subspecies thermophilus. ) - once the borax and other things arrive (I ordered off the internet) i'll be able to take them on our next visit. So interested to hear what she says. I will do the research from the Great Dane ladys website prior to going so that I understand what you mean by the changing up of probiotic powders..

I have a spray bottle of 50/50 ACV/Water that I've been spraying on her feet after her runs, she licks it off immediately, but is this sufficient or is the white vinegar 1:10 water "soak" better? She spends her days going between the backyard and inside the house so I'll have to think of a good way to go about that.

You are so kind to give so much great advice :)

Hey Aimee! Aren't doggy chiro's fun? I like to get my litters adjusted before going to their new homes - its a small thing to do, but can make such a big impact. You might think adjusting a tiny puppy isn't warranted, but the natural birthing process involves so much... Squishing and compression, so yes - the spines can be pushed out of wack and this can have life long influence if not corrected. The reason why I thought a subluxation was present and an adjustment was indicated was the ears; in human infants chronic ear conditions have been linked to the C1 vertebra [the one right at the base of the skull] being subluxated, often due to delivery with the use of forceps. Once these babies get the C1 adjusted their chronic ear problems are resolved -no tubes needed, no more infections. Your doggy chiro would have checked the C1 and adjusted it if it were an issue, and its all good to be moving and gaiting correctly, as having a shoulder or patella out of wack long term can lead to arthritis in that joint.

Now, the 1:10 white vinegar solution is merely a foot bath and not intended for a lengthy soak. If Matilda is allergic to grasses and grass pollens, then the simplest and most direct way to help remove the contact allergens is to bathe her. And since you don't want to have to bathe the entire dog 6 or more times a day, having her step into a dish tub of the vinegar solution and then walk onto a towel and then into the house sounds like a workable plan. JMHO.

And, because you are using a vet who practices NAET, try gathering some allergens to bring to the vet for allergy elimination. Go outside first thing in the morning and run a jar over the morning dew in the grass - get up as much dew as you can; this is the stuff that Matilda is reacting to, so bring in for elimination. If you have a yard full of dirt and no grass to collect dew, bring a sample of the soil in for testing. You should also set out a pan of distilled pure water and leave it out over night or for a few days if you have the time; pour this into a jar and bring this to the vet for elimination [the water will collect any airborne pollens et al].

The thyroid can show normal on tests yet still be out of wack in my experience. Not saying your vet is a quack or that sending a sample to Hemopet wouldn't be money well spent, just saying that tests are not perfect nor often sensitive to the ideal degree. You have an allergy dog so the thyroid should always be considered; it wouldn't hurt to bring some kelp to the vet and see if kelp/iodine is indicated for Matilda via AK.

My experience with clearing layers of yeast is that all probiotics are not identical. Some blends work better in the winter season while some blends tend to be more indicated in the summer season. Depending on how long the condition has gone on, starting the DDS with FOS, 1 capsule am and pm for 3 weeks wouldn't be amiss; DDS is the probiotic and the FOS helps the bacteria populate. Follow up next with Primadophillus for 3 weeks am and pm. And then finally follow up with PB8 for 2-3 weeks, same dosing program. While these are all probiotics with overlapping strains, they each bring something different to the table... Or the gut as it were. If you do not get any indications as to which probiotic to use from your vet, the above wouldn't steer you off course. Usually if its the right remedy you know right away - in a matter of days.

Good luck, and please keep me posted!

Thanks, hope you don't mind I just want to confirm the explanation of the Ted's Mange dipping solution for this weekend as we have everything now but I think I'm missing something as this would be a very expensive exercise to do regularly.

"can be used to help balance the PH of the skin:

   
• One 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide [from the supermarket]
   
• 32 oz of filtered water [fill up the perxoide bottle twice and dump into larger jug]
   
• You have now made a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Now add to that 1 cup Borax.

Shake it up, the solution SHOULD be grainy. Bathe and rinse the dog, and then plug up the tub and pour the solution over the dog. I use a small sponge to soak up the solution from the bottom of the tub and squeeze out over the dog - do this for 15 minutes, 30 minutes is better. The key is to not rinse, do not towel off, and to let the dog air dry"

So here in Australia, you can buy a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide in the pharmacy/supermarket and its $5 for 100ml. So 16oz=500ml ($25) and I read online that this stuff was full of fillers and wasn't pure, but anyways I could order online (ebay) a 500ml of pure 3% and have it delivered for $27. The solution above seems to use all 16oz(500ml) in the one go. Borax isn't sold in pharmacies/supermarkets over here anymore but found an 11kg tub online, delivered $60, so I'd assume a cup will only work out to about 50c - but still, for each time it to cost $25 I feel like I must have something wrong - either that or h202 is so much cheaper in USA.

The other option is that awhile back I purchased online a bottle of 35% Food Grade h2o2 - cant remember how much that cost but probably around $50 - so if I can dilute a small amount of this and still get the same affect that would probably be more cost effective? I haven't looked into the diluting calculations but just considered 3% v 35% I believe it would.

Anyways if you could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it :)

Hey Aimee!

I can buy 16oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide for 99 cents here in the USA, and the borax is $5. 50 a box - so super CHEAP on my end.

There are dilution forumlas all over this website, but this is a quick dilution chart:

http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/peroxide-dilution-chart.html

In a nutshell: To make a 3% solution from your 35% the dilution is 1:11 - so 1 part 35% add to that 11 parts water= 3% solution. Ted's remedy uses a 1% solution, so you would then take your 3% solution and dilute it even further by adding 2 parts water for every 1 part of your 3% solution.

Clear as mud?

If you search in the REMEDIES section under Hydrogen Peroxide and also Borax, sources are listed for how to purchase these ingredients in areas where they are not commonly sold.

Hi Theresa! Hope you have been well, just thought I'd shoot through an udpate and ask a few more questions if you don't mind!

Firstly, thank you so much for pointing me in the direction of the greatdanelady website as I have learnt a lot (was also saddened to hear of her recent passing). I have taken all recommendations from the Systemic Yeast article and ordered:

Kit# 30 + K9 Ear Solutions

Kit #34 - Skin and Coat Repair

Kit ParaBe-Gone PET WORMER

I am excited to start this regime as I really believe this is exactly what she is suffering from that is coming out in the form of allergies such as gunky ears and paw licking.

I have been making small batches of the Teds Mange treatment up. Just 1/2 teaspoon of 35% h2o2, diluted down to 1% and then adding some borax and just soaking in cotton wool and bathing her paws. Its the best I can do to keep it cheap and the rest of her coat is fine.

Since removing the sweet potato from her elimination diet last week and replacing with pearled barley as per suggstion from greatdanlady website we have noticed a remarkably less paw licking, so whether its to be attributed to the borax solultion or new diet, either way we are so pleased!

I have a question in regards to the fact we would like to get her nudered, but still have not yet. First, as recommended by our holistic doctor, we were waiting for her first cycle. Once that came we were going to get her fixed in between the two cycles, however that was the same time her ears got out of control and she underwent surgery for them. As we didn't want her going udner general anesthetic too close together, we waiting and 2 months ago she went on heat again. Now, next month is when we were hoping to go through with the procedure, but wanted your opinion on whether we do it or not while starting on this program to rid of the yeast. Whether we should start this AFTER she has been fixed, or before and put off her operation, or any advice would be really helpful!

Thanks!

Hey Aimee!

In an ideal world you would wait until the yeast situation was resolved before you stressed your dog with a spay surgery.

That said, being intact may be causing some of the issues she is experiencing as the shifting hormones from going in and out of heat are very stressful for some dogs [you just never know].

If your dog were having reproductive issues - goofy heat cycles, cystic ovary, etc. - then yes, wait until that is resolved as spaying will only cause the symptoms to manifest elsewhere in the body.

But given the health advantages that spaying provides [reduced chance of breast cancer, remove the chance of pymetra] if this were my pet, I would opt to spay now. What does your vet say? I would be inclined to follow the vet's advice and if the vet says wait it out then do keep exact records of when your dog starts her cycle and when she ends it as this info is important to have until the gets spayed.

If you are still seeing the doggy chiro, getting your dog adjusted after the spay surgery is a wise idea as when under anesthesia the dog is abnormally relaxed and when they wake up from this deep state of relaxation the bones don't always go back to the correct position! So its a good idea to get her adjusted after she has healed up from the sugery.

The anesthetic can do goofy things - your holistic vet may wish to prescribe bentonite clay or charcoal or some other detoxifier and liver support such as Milk Thistle. In addition to detoxing from the anesthetic, you may find her skin will become dry and flaky [this seems to happen to my dogs when they go under] so you may want to supplement with evening primrose oil or flaxseed oil or some such for a couple of weeks while the anesthetic works its way out of her system.

Good morning Theresa! I hope you are well today :)

Just thought I would give you our current update and ask a few more questions if you don't mind!

So I read an article on the greatdanelady website which states to NEVER spay a female during any of her estrus period and as our pup is just 2 months from finishing her heat cycle I decided to cancel the appointment I had to go through with it last week. Her nipples are still slightly swollen and I want to ensure it really is in the middle of her cycles and not too close to the last one. We are on holiday for 2 weeks in the middle of October so dont want to do it too close to that so she's booked in for 31st October - its as close to the ideal world as we can get under the circumstances :) Once she's recovered we will certainly take her back to the doggy chiro, thanks for that great advice! I have purchased Milk Thistle and will do research on bentonite clay, charcoal & primrose oil (my holistic vet isn't up to speed on this stuff, I've been to two holistic vets, the dermatology ward and the advice you have given me and led me down the path of is the first time I've seen a noticeable change in her! )

So our order from 1st choice naturals arrived yesterday so we now have all the kits I mentioned about to start conquering the yeast. Are you familiar with the program on the greatdanelady website? I know you suggested an alternative protocol but I have purchased this kit and when I asked the company for some advice, I havent had a reply (the lady running the show now is understandably very overwhelmed since the passing of Linda)

So the protocol on the website is the following steps:

1) Thyroid test - 5 panel

2) Change diet

3) Herbal Wormer

4) Start Skin Recovery Kit #30

So yesterday we went to a regular vet who took her blood and is sending the blood serum off to USA for testing - so it is going to be a little while before we hear back on that. We have already changed her diet from sweet potato to pearl barley and my gut instinct is that is the reason for the huge improvement we've seen in her paw licking. The herbal wormer we now have, however the product (PBG-51) WILL kill heartworms and could be a problem if the dog is heartworm positive. Although it is very rare in our area, the vet from yesterday also has sent off to check that, and I wont get those results for another few days. My question is - do you think we can start immediately with the the skin recovery kit for yeast removal and then once we find out regarding the heartworm, we can treat that, and then once we get the results about the thyroid, we can deal with it (if its negative) - all vets I've spoken to believe there's no way she has thyroid issues but all the advice on the greatdanelady websites says to get this test done first, so I'm glad I'm doing it, best to just know.

Maybe you can help me with these questions I have, maybe not but worth an opinion :)

So the diet guidelines from greatdanelady are to feed meat + whole ground quality grains (oat, barley, millet). As I'm in Australia the recommended brands aren't available here so we make our own food.

So it says: Use a Holistic food with a quality whole ground grain such as oats, brown rice, barley, millet, quinoa, amaranth as the carbohydrate component. Contrary to what you read about grains being bad - whole ground, human grade grains are not bad to feed (as a carbohydrate component to a diet) even for yeast situations, because they have their fiber intact, which changes the glycemic index (rate of burn).

The confusion I'm having is that I'm using Pearled Barley - Pearled barley is produced from whole seeds that have been scoured to remove the seed hull and bran. An excellent choice for specialized obesity and diabetic pet diets due to its unique nutritional makeup, modest amounts of slowly digested starch and the soluble fiber ?glucan.

Does this mean I'm not feeding an acceptable grain? Because the fiber is not longer intact because its hulled? And if so do I ned to get hold of Cracked Barley? I would love your thoughts on this. I've googled until the cows come home and I just can't get a straight answer.

Also, as part of the yeast removal protocol - Oxy-Drops are given in water. As I may have mentioned to you before, as its currently winter here, (actually Spring but you wouldnt know it! ) our dog really just doesnt drink water. However, she would drink raw milk (kefir) or coconut water. The easiest option for me if the coconut water - its raw, organic, and nothing added - now I could putt he drops in there and be sure then that she was getting them instead of putting it in water and not knowing if she even touches it, HOWEVER I'm unsure if coconut water would feed the yeast, as the protocol also says no fruit for the first 2 weeks - again, thoughts?

Thankyou thankyou thankyou :)

Hey Aimee! You asked:

"The confusion I'm having is that I'm using Pearled Barley... Does this mean I'm not feeding an acceptable grain? Because the fiber is not longer intact because its hulled? "

I too googled about and tried to find an answer to your question. What I found was that the nutrient information listed for barley - chock full of all kinds of good stuff! - is always for *pearled* barley; they don't list the nutrient value of whole barley - not that I could find anyway.

I say use what you already have on hand - sounds like you are getting results, kudos! - but do try to find barley groats or pot barley as the hulled [but not polished] barley will have more nutrients and fiber. Look into buying barley groats in bulk - should be cheaper and healthier in the long run.

As for question #2 - From the website, re: Ox-E drops:

"Give the pet 1 drop per 20 lbs. Of body weight “internally” twice daily. [ So 3 drops a. M. And p. M. For your beast. ] Add the drops to a little water and pour over food OR if you free feed you can add drops to a small amount of water and bring up into a syringe (no needle) or eye dropper and squirt along the outside of the pet's teeth line. Do not squirt the fluid directly down the throat as the pet could choke!! Do this twice a day."

The simplest way would be to add the drops to your raw food/home made food. If she turns her nose up, then you can mix with a little water and use a syringe to get it down - just tip her head back and pull her lip/flew out at the corner of her mouth and put the syringe there and gently depress the plunger; most dogs will just start swallowing. If she reacts like it tastes beyond foul, add more water. I have also used size #1 gelatin capsules - I buy the blanks at the pharmacy, but I have also taken capsules of acidophillus apart, sprinkled the power on the food and then reused the gel cap. Just take the drops and put it into the capsule and push it together again - and then hide it in a ball of raw meat, or whatever.

I'm curious as to why your dog doesn't drink water. What kind of water do you give her? Straight from the tap? Filtered? Bottled? If its tap water does it taste funny? Do you drink it and can you taste anything? I know that dogs fed a RAW diet tend to drink *less* because they get their water in the form of their raw food - but they still drink water from the bowl. So why is your dog such a limited drinker? Is your home made diet the consistency of soup? Or is there something about the water itself that deters her from drinking? Again, curious about this.

And again kudos for being persistent and working with all those vets! A good holistic vet understands that you are not only a client - but a potential teacher as well.

Thanks!

Hey Theresa!! Thanks so much for your wonderful loyal replies!! Is there a way we could swap email addresses without posting them for the world to see? I wanted to grab your address and send you a little thankyou something

So the barley issue - thanks for your input - once I also looked it up from a different angle I realised pearled barley is the refined grain and not considered 'whole grain' so I have just ordered 5kg of organic unhulled barley - perfect, that should last us awhile!!

Ox-E drops - perfect, I understand now - I thought that I had to mix them with water only but that makes more sense. Although just to clarify, Matilda is only 26lbs so I'll give her 2 drops, AM & PM. Or maybe 2 drops AM & 1 drop PM as she's at the lower end of the next drop bracket.

I'm not too sure why Matilda doesn't drink much water! I think because she gets wet food morning and night when we're around, maybe we just dont see her drinking a bit throughout the day, but the waterbowls around the house never seem to lower too much as we are always refilling them - maybe thats why, maybe throughout the day when we're at work, she has a bit of a drink. She is only a small dog, and as soon as she runs in the house after a big exercise and is knackered she goes straight to slurp at her water. I know she drinks a lot more in summer when its hot but as its currently winter I just dont see her drinking much - she only gets reverse osmosis filtered water and it tastes great, we both drink it. She does drink water, just not enough for me to know that if I was putting 2 drops in her bowl, that it would end up in her system, as she doesnt drink a bowl of water a day. Does that make sense? I've never been too worried about it!

She is our world - I will never give up on her and I am feeling so positive about our current journey - all thanks to you!

Thanks again :)

Hey Aimee! I forgot - Matilda is a Stafford - not Staff! She is a small, handy size, isn't she? I raised APBT a dozen years ago, and just recently said goodbye to my 12 year old OFRN Ruby, who now runs in heaven with her mother and littermates. All the bully breeds are dear to my heart, but the pit bulls will own it forever. Thanks!

Thanks Theresa :)

We have started Matilda on the program that the greatdanelady recommends - supplementing with probiotics, digestive enzymes, ox-e drops, and tincture of black-leaf. However, as we are in Australia and they have to send the 'human' equivilent products due to import laws, and due to high rates of shipping, I have already realised I will have to make another order of the probiotics soon as they will run out after 45 days, and it is a 3 months (minimum program) - which is getting so expensive, therefore, I would like more information on your preference "to dose acidophillus, primadophillus, DDS with FOS and the like"

What you wrote earlier:

"My experience with clearing layers of yeast is that all probiotics are not identical. Some blends work better in the winter season while some blends tend to be more indicated in the summer season. Depending on how long the condition has gone on, starting the DDS with FOS, 1 capsule am and pm for 3 weeks wouldn't be amiss; DDS is the probiotic and the FOS helps the bacteria populate. Follow up next with Primadophillus for 3 weeks am and pm. And then finally follow up with PB8 for 2-3 weeks, same dosing program. While these are all probiotics with overlapping strains, they each bring something different to the table... Or the gut as it were. If you do not get any indications as to which probiotic to use from your vet, the above wouldn't steer you off course. Usually if its the right remedy you know right away - in a matter of days."

So, without much knowledge at all about probiotics I am trying to figure this out. The current probiotic she is on is:

http://www.nzymes.com/store/pc/articles.asp?article_id=50&type=&condition_id=&product_id=&panel=5

Does this fall into any of your above catagories? 'acidopholos' is in the description.. This one has 2. 1billion probiotic microorganisms per capsule so if I do change probiotics to one I can get within Australia and therefore keep shipping down, I would want it to be of this calibre.

The pro-biotic we have at home is Bio-Kult: this is cheaper and available in Australia

http://www.bio-kult.com/about-bio-kult/319/bio-kult

Also approx 2billion probiotic microorganisms per capsule, its description says it is a multi-strain so unsure what above this catagory falls in?

We also have another probiotic at home - its the powder we had Matilda on prior to starting this program -

http://www.animalhealthstore.com.au/protexin-multi-strain-probiotic.html

made by the same company as above but is the one for dogs. Protexin Green Label is an in feed formula containing 60 million CFU/gram. I'm unsure how many grams she was getting in her food but it was 2 small scoops, probably only 6-8 grabs so the calibre was no where enar as strong as the two above. Also multi-strain so not sure where that fits on.

I have googled DDS & FOS but am still confused about what I can buy to ensure its enough and works within this program. Also because I know I have candida and would love to do the same program on myself at some point I'd really love to figure this all out with your help! Thankyou!!

Oh! I forgot I also still have a bottle of Dr mercola's probiotic at home:

http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics.html

From reading the description is sounds like this is the DDS one, and has FOS?? From reading its 30 billion per capsule so sounding like a stand-out compared to the others.

Hey Aimee!

The first probiotic combo you are currently giving to Matilda contains 4 specific strains of bacteria:

Lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium thermophilum, bifidobacterium longum, enterococcus faecium

The other probiotic combos you linked have many, many more - but they don't include the same 4 strains.

I think you should stay the course with the current therapy you are using for Matilda, so if the Nzymes are going to be too pricey, perhaps one of these formulas are available to you and more affordable:

This product has the 4 strains plus 1 additional strain of bacteria -

http://houndgatos.com/hgsprobioticblend-dogs.aspx

This is another option to consider:

http://www.davincilabs.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=200836060

I'm not saying that other formulas aren't good - but I think its important to stay on the current therapy until its finished. After that, hit the discount bin for your digestive probiotics and I say the more strains the merrier! I like switching them up so as to keep the strains constantly changing.

Now, YOU having candida - Ted's remedies are the best! https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/candida14.html#ted

Thanks again - I understand now! It was an either/or - not a both at the same time :) I will remain with the current protocol for the 3 months period and then take it from there! Once we transition into a maintenance period, we will be sure to incorporate probiotics/digestive enzymes in her daily regime, and switch them up monthly to ensure different strains / layers are effective.

We just got the 5 panel Thyroid test back and her Thyroid levels are excellent. The very high T3 and free T3 results likely reflect a tissue metabolic response to increased metabolic demand (from yeast infection?).

We will get the food panel results back shortly, but we are so happy to rule out any medical issue/damage and now focus solely on the yeast!

Dietary changes for dog................

I have a Shihtzu, that also had a bad yeast/allergy problem. After doing much research, I discovered that the vet, was actually making my baby worse! The steroids and antibiotics 'feed' the yeast. So, I stopped them completely. I ONLY feed raw meat now. Some vegetables contain sugars. So, I would stop, all, kibble.

After the tea tree shampoo. Rinse well. Mix, half white vinegar/half water and pour over your dog and allow to dry. You can also make this solution and put it in a spray bottle, to use daily on any areas that need it. It can also be used to clean the ears. I squirt half a syringe full, in both ears. Massage under the ear and then the dog will shake it's head. Wipe away any 'muck' with the same solution. Probiotics are needed to recover from the anti-biotics. A probiotic yogurt is a good option. I also, give half a clove of garlic every day. Once a week, I give 1 raw egg. And, once a week, I give a tin of tuna in oil, drained, to replace a meat meal. My dog is a 100% better, doing this. Think about what wolves eat? I also, only give filtered water to drink. Regards, Debbie. Brighton. UK.

I found that all meats bought in most leading stores have already been experimented on and being introduced to antibiotics. I just read where a cow has aids & being treated with antibiotics. For me meat is out of the question for humans and my pets. Here is a web site used for giving all cattle antibiotics, but the plus side is we can buy these for our pets; but in smaller doses per body weight, I use this site for my cat that has upper resp. issues. I would never feed my pet raw food. Animals in the wild eat untouched animals by the government yet.... I tried using vaseline on my cat to smother mange/mites as suggested and its a total nightmare getting it off my cat, I would say its not very good for animals ingesting this greasy blob and bad for the system, if any thing the mites increased more;here is the site of antibiotics used on our meats!! ..... http://www.jefferslivestock.com/search.asp?camid=LIV&ss=antibiotics for cattle&search-submit=GO.

Hi Zango,

I have a golden retriever that had severe allergies that came about when he was 2. He was thought to have various disorders like Cushings and Addisons but the tests proved he didn't and no matter what we did he was getting worse to the point where he could no longer move and wouldn't eat.

I found a book called "The Holistic Guide to A Healthy Dog" by Wendy Volhard and followed the instructions for a cleansing diet to rid my dogs body of toxins and allergies.

He was COMPLETELY better within 12 hours. Running around like a puppy, normal stools etc. I proceeded with the natural diet that is outlined in the book and he has led an amazing life since. When people see him walking down the street they ask how old my "puppy" is. The transformation is remarkable. He is now 8 and his only vet trips in the last five years have been to weigh in and make sure I am balancing his vitamins properly.

I highly recommend this book even if a dog doesn't have issues but just to give it back the life dogs are meant to live.

The diet takes a while for humans to get used to... A bit more work than we are accustomed, but it's worth it!

Also in the appendix are herbal, holistic, mineral and vitamin remedies for all kinds of ailments and issues. You may find it very interesting as well because of what you do for a living.

Take care and good luck!

Alison

Zango, I would add a pinch of milled flax seed for the cleaning of the colon. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for all of the great information. I've been dealing with a yeast problem with my dog for years. I have tried EVERYTHING. I'm going to order the Hyland's product that you recommend and follow your instructions. Thanks again.

Please try Rescue Remedy for any stressed or grieving pet. Such a small addition with noticeable improvements.

Thanks for your post. Just wanted to make sure I understand the recipe correctly. Where you said: The solution is 2 ozs of pure Neem oil, a little olive or coconut oil and tea tree oil, one tablespoon of Goldenseal extract, then make up to 16 ozs with organic apple cider vinegar" -- does that mean I would add 14 oz of organic apple cider vinegar to these ingredients (2 oz of which is oil so then 14 oz to make it a total of 16 oz) or do I add 16 oz apple cider vinegar? Thanks!

Tea tree oil is toxic for cats.

I tried the 1 oz Neem oil with 8 oz. vinegar in a spray bottle. It is working fantastic. I have 3 cats and are having a bad time with fleas this season. This spray has worked wonderful on them. They are enjoying not scratching and playing around more. Thanks so much for this web site. Keep up the great ideas.

Neem Seed oil for itchy skin!

I just went out and purchased pure Neem Seed oil with dropper for my West Highland Terrier--who has been scratching relentlessly for the past five or six days. I don't think it's fleas, but we took him for a hike a few days ago and he seems to have been bitten by *some*thing that caused slight welts all around. I pretty much confirmed that those welts corresponded to the areas he has been scratching...it's actually been keeping him up nights (and me unfortunately!). I tried to give him one over-the-counter antihistimine caplet before bed, but that didn't seem to help. I've also wiped down the areas most affected with Apple Cider Vinegar, but he is unaffected by the taste/smell.

Well, I went thru his coat and applied a drop of Neem Seed Oil (rubbing it in with my fingers) to every single welt I could find. Some of the welts have already scabbed over, but I still applied the oil to those areas too because he seemed to still be bothered by them.

This was about an hour ago and I gave him a bone treat to distract him right after (so that he wouldn't be too interested in licking the oil). I've seen MARKED improvement already (and he's been done with the bone for about 15 minutes now). It's a miracle! I'll post here again if I see any adverse reactions or problems, but so far it works like a charm.

Thank you for all your comments!

My dog had an itching problem and she was losing her fur. I took her to the vet they did a scraping for mites, ringworm and checked for fleas the test came back negative for all. They gave her medication for jock itch, I tried it. Well...sometimes the docs think they know, but they don't. The itching continued. I have tried Teds mange recipe and use it also. I have since found neem oil. I put a generous amount of neem oil on each crusted welt. I put neem oil in her shampoo and try to bath her once a week. All of this has helped. I will continue until its gone. This is a slow process.

Please make sure you are adding at least 40IU of vit E daily, otherwise the fish oil with spoil in the gut. Reasearch it.