The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Posted by Adrienne Caldwell (Queens, New York) on 04/28/2014
I have a question for Ted. I have a rescue with extreme allergies. She is allergic to every type of food except raw beef. The beef has to be untreated or her stomach will reject it. She also is allergic to something in ALL types of vitamins and supplements. I add unprocessed apple cider vinegar so she gets a, c and e. Sometimes she can tolerate black strap molasses for a source of b's and iron but usually her skin will break out. She needs omega 3 fatty acids but is allergic to fish and whatever would be in the casing for fish oil capsules. Do you have any suggestions for alternative omega 3 sources to treat her skin allergies that act up in spring, summer and fall?
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Hey Adrienne! Not Ted responding, but in case he doesn't visit this section I thought I would chime in.
The first thought that came to mind when reading your post was that your dog needs GI support in the form of probiotics and acidophilus. The next thought was that alkalizing would also help.
I have a number of allergy dogs and when whatever it is that blows in on the air/blooms in the molds and pollens and I start seeing my pack develop hives and get the itchies, I alkalize the water with baking soda. If every seems to have it I do crisis dose of 1 teaspoon into 1 liter of pure water - this for about a week; then I drop down to a maintenance dose of one half teaspoon into 1 liter of water. I may rotate this out with Epsom salt in the water or borax, especially if I feel a yeast component is involved.
And in the clearance bin at the grocery store I found a bottle of liquid Benadryl for topical use; I tried that on my one dog's skin fold pyoderma at the base of her tail and it seemed to help greatly reduce the itch/irritation. It got me better results than the turmeric I had been applying, and the dog is comfortable so I have no problem using it topically.
And I know you have tried everything, but have you tried spirulina powder for vitamins for your dog?
Flaxseed oil is one alternative and likely least expensive to fish oil for omega 3s and it is sold in liquid form. Gelatin (derived from animal sources) is a cause of allergic reactions in humans often and is used to make pill capsules, so I think thats what you want to avoid. Capsules can be made from vegetable stearate I think and this might be fine for your pooch. You could try searching for vegan brands of chia seed oil and seaweeds as well or use walnut oil, sold in the standard grocery store. Seaweeds and algae should be used with caution since your dog has such severe disease and these can worsen some autoimmune conditions in humans (ask the vet). Organ meats like liver are great sources of b vitamins and iron. Its best to use grass fed beef for organ meat, since cows are not meant to eat corn, the livers of beef from industrial farms can be very unhealthy.
Posted by Jade (North Babylon, NY) on 11/19/2007 ★★★★★
Today is Monday November 19th - On Friday November 16th Murdoch was cured with the help of ACV. Plus i was giving him Flax seed Oil as well. but i cant give him that every day it acts like a detox for the dog (if you know what i mean)' Well Murdochs skin is looking good. He developed itchies on the other side of his neck which i think was weird but ok so now Im treating the other side of his neck where he was scratching. this started this morning. So I will give him ACV for this Im not worried Im sure he will get cured as well. I have great confidence now in ACV. To be continued..
Posted by Jade (North Babylon, NY) on 11/16/2007 ★★★★★
Hi Everyone - This is the 2nd Day I have Murdoch on ACV. As of this morning his skin didnt look red it was now pink and looked like he was scabbing up. He likes it when i dabb him with the ACV on a Cotton Ball and rub it on his skin it must soothe his skin. I also puncture the capsule of Flaxseed Oil and put it in his dry food. I dont really see a difference yet in his coat but it does seem that his dandruff has lightened up. I am also putting ACV a drop right now in his water and he doesn't like it but is drinking it. His ears are looking much better since i dabbed the cotton ball in the Mineral Oil and cleaned them they are clearing up nice. Well I will keep you posted
Posted by Jade (North Babylon, NY) on 11/15/2007 ★★★★★
After finding this site and reading all to do with other people who's had the same dog problems as I have with Murdoch - who is a pitt-bul/labrador/shar-pei/ (but doesn't have shar-pei) skin. I have bought the ACV and put less than a capful in his water - he doesn't like it so i am gonna try to put it in his food next. but i did buy Flaxseed oil capsules and crap open the capsules and put that into his food. He does eat that in his dry food. I dabbed some ACV with a cotten ball and put it on his neck line where he is scratching red- and since it is only 2x's i have done this i will keep you posted- I will put it in a spray bottle next and spray him down. Murdoch was on a Pretisone and an Inflammatory and it did help him but who wants to keep their dog on Meds (Not I) so i took him off and hes starting to scratch again. Thats where the ACV hopefully now will work on him.
I also bought the Mineral oil - because his ears are red and i think he contacted mites from BF's dog who had a severe case of them. any way i have been taking the mineral oil on a cotten ball and dausing it and rubbing it in his ear. this is only the 2nd time too but it look better this morning but not red pink. i deffinately want to test his PH level so that will be next. Thanks to all for posting you have been very helpful. Will keep you posted.
Posted by Pinkie (Portland, Oregon) on 11/03/2007 ★★★★★
Thanks to Marina from Victoria,Canada on the flaxseed tip. My Morris is a orange mixed breed. Looks like (you guessed it) Morris on the commercial! His skin was dry and he had the welts on his neck. I read your posting, had some omega 3 and squirted it in his mouth. After 2 days I gave him a day off, the difference in his skin is unbelieveable. His coat, like when he was a tiny kitten. He's 5 months now. I have another mixed breed Mischief (she has a crooked tail:)normal skin & coat, but she will be the next one to benefit. They won't drink water with ACV in it but I'm working on a mixture they can't detect. Also plain yogurt no flavor, no nothing, will clear up parasites. A tip from a vet!
I have a cat that is always chewing at its fur and had been giving her cortisone for the last 18 months. I put ACV in her water bowl and also flaxseed oil in her food. No more scratching and welts on her back have healed. I also rub her fur with straight ACV and she now can lie in front of the heater for warmth, whereas before she preferred to stay out in the cold air at night because the house was too warm for her. The next step is to get through our summer. You start off with 1 drop of ACV in your cats bowl to start them off. The next week add two drops. This will do for a small cat bowl. I also put ACV in my dogs bowl and I usually put in a teaspoon. She loves it. She is an aged dog but still loves to run and especially loves to chase the ball I throw to her repeatedly and she isn't sore afterwards.
Posted by Susan (Dallas, Texas) on 08/14/2008 ★★★★★
My golden retriever had constant hot spots and skin allergies. Tried a cheap product called Missing Link. It has omega-3 salmon oil in it and you just sprinkle a tablespoon on their food daily. What a lifesaver. Her skin is great, her hair is silky, overall health is good. No more biting at her skin and being miserable, or hot spots! My vet doesn't sell it, but they recommend it to all their pet owners now due to my dog's results. They tell everyone about my dog and her results and everyone runs to pet her when she comes in cause of her silkiness. Good luck.
Posted by George (Orangeburg, SC) on 10/06/2008 ★★★★★
We took our Scottie to the vet because she was itching so badly. The vet put her on antibiotics and a steroid spray which caused her to go deaf for weeks. (Not to mention the cost!) After that, the vet said she had a food allergy, so we bought an expensive brand of anti-allergen dog food. No luck with that either. Then I saw your website and decided to try the ACV. This caused her to sting and begin scratching wildly. She also howled in pain. I diluted it to half and half with the same result. She started avoiding me when she saw me coming. I then tried baking soda and water paste. That didn't work either. I decided to go to Walmart and ask the pharmicist what he had for an itching dog and he suggested Solarcaine Cool Aloe Gel. This gel has lidodcaine (which relieved the itching) and aloe vera (which cools the skin). It worked like a charm. I highly recommend this for your itching dog!
I have a 2 1/2 year old chichuachua with a bad case of pet dandruff and I dont't know if it's mites orjust dry skin because I notice that it's considered walking dandruff if it moves and I've never seen it move can anybody help me with this question it's mainly close to his tail
My dog has had skin ALLERGIES soooo bad FOREVER-- (since 8wks old she is now 2----itchy eyes like goggles, hot spots on her front paws and YEASTY ears/skin - also inflammed itchy lips)- I went though TONS of natural remedies for red mange/YEAST/allergies (because the symptoms can mimic each other) including but not limited to---- coconut oil, ACV, elimination diets, supplements, essential oils--- you name it - I tried it--- did TEDS Mange treatment, and have been making her food ( ground turkey with cruciferous veggies only ...even with all of the evening primrose, immune support anti yeast probiotic protocols, even making 24 hr fermented homemade yogurt!!!
For all I was doing I was seeing small improvements where it would DEFINITELY improve but not go away completely--- no REAL RESULTS that I could say WOW - that worked--my husband who makes fun of my 13 hour research sessions for our pup has been giving Stella a raw egg once a day for the last week with her breakfast. - PROBLEM SOLVED ---no joke--- I can't even believe it! AMAZING!!!!
Posted by Lacy (Many, Louisiana) on 03/10/2008 ★★★★★
My short hair dog had a terrible oder due to flaky skin. I tried giving her oatmeal baths, oils nothing seemed to work and only made it worse. Then I started giving her a raw egg with her food every other day. Not only did she think it was a treat her skin issues are a thing of the past and she smells great. Also I started using coconut oil on her tender and red belly, worked like a charm and if she licks it no worries because it helps her doggy breath.
Posted by Poodlesrule (Virginia Beach, Va) on 10/28/2011 ★★★★★
Hello,
My dogs had horrible allergies with nasty ear infections that would not go away. My poor dogs suffered for so long. I switched to numerous "holistic dog foods" trying to help them. My research showed that all the preservatives in dog food was causing all these problems. I finally switched to a species appropriate diet which consists of feeding my dogs like wolves eat - whole prey. I found out that there are thousands of people feeding this way. We all feed our dogs a diet that is 80% raw meat, 10% edible raw bone and 10% raw organs. After just a few weeks, the ear infections that my dogs suffered with for 4 years disappeared!!! All the itching all over their bodies disappeared!! Their coats are shinier than they have ever been, they have more energy and all the tarter is gone from their teeth too! I have now been feeding this way for 3 years and my vets can't believe how healthy my dogs are. we also no longer vaccinate. We had titers done on my dogs and they have enough antibodies in their system, from the previous vaccinations they have had, to last them the rest of their lives. :-)
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Posted by Thepeterboroughpackleader (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) on 10/20/2011
I am a Dog Behaviorist and have had dogs my whole life. I have seen allergies, skin problems, yeast issues devestate many families with dogs and having 4 French Bulldogs of my own gives me tons of experience with this area as well. My one little girl has had an awful time with "allergies" and skin issues... After thousands of dollars in useless tests, damaging steroids and other prescriptions I discovered the amazinghealing abilities of feeding my dogs a Natural, Species Appropriate or RAW Diet aka B.A.R.F Diet.
Dr Richard Pitcairn DVM wrote an excellent book on caring and feeding your pets naturally and now my allergy/yeast prone dog is happily living symptom free! I urge all pet owners to consider this way of feeding.
Posted by Genevieve (Atlanta, Ga) on 08/31/2011 ★★★★★
Our six year old mutt eats a raw meaty bone diet ("RMB", a combo of raw meat, raw bone and organs), and many health concerns other owners face have disappeared. She used to have eye infections and bad breath. We haven't seen an infection or cold in years, and her breath is absolutely neutral. Her teeth gleam. People mistake her for a younger dog. And never once has she had to have her glands expressed. I believe many of the skin problems people report here will disappear with this species-appropriate diet. Many allergies are due to grain found in kibble. Even grain-free kibble is highly processed. Feeding raw also provides our pup with the extreme satisfaction of ripping and gnawing. There are several books out there to learn about this diet, which can be frightening to many folks. It takes a little practice, and a freezer certainly helps. By getting familiar with cuts of meat I'd never heard of (tripe, turkey necks), we feed her for under $2/day. I was scared at first, but wouldn't dream of feeding any other way now. Best of luck to all!
Posted by Jb (Atlanta, Ga/usa) on 08/07/2011 ★★★★★
One of my German Shepherds had an awful time with gooey ears, crusty lips & itching/scabs on her lower back & neck. Once I placed her on raw meat & bone diet all symptoms disappeared. It took about 3 months for her skin to heal. Suppose it took that long for the grains to get out of her system.
I have even tried grain-free food but, the crusty lips & ears start up again after one serving.
RMB diet works.
Also, food-grade DE is not harmful if mixed in food. I use it several times a year to clear intestinal parasites in my dogs. In fac, t I add it to my own smoothies. It's silica. Food-grade DE is used in the midwest to treat cows & hogs for parasites. It is perfectly safe. One has to take precaution not to allow the powder to enter the eyes or breath it in. Add to moist food or broadcast in the yard & lightly water into soil.
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