Angel is still scratching :-(

Everyone,

In one of my earlier posts in this section I described how Angel was scratching badly so she went to the vets and had a check up. They couldn't find anything there and then so they suggested a skin scrape which came back negative.

She then had blood tests which apparently showed she was highly allergic to beef and lamb, so we changed her diet to James Wellbeloved Turkey & Rice Kibble which Yazmin is eating as well to ensure Angel is getting the right food but now she seems to be scratching more than ever!

Its driving her, Yazmin and I nuts! She's also excessively grooming her paws. I'm going to take her to another vet for a second opinion because the change to her food isn't doing her any good and I'm wondering if it really is a food allergy.

I've heard of piriton being good for allergies and I'm going to research a bit about it. Has anyone tried this with their dogs before and did it work?

Any help would be appreciated

When Jade had a random allergic reaction we gave her Piriton and it did calm the itchiness a bit but in the end she had to have a steroid injection at the vets which clamed it right down.
The vet recommended a half a tablet twice a day but I have heard that its fine to give them whole tablets. Its worth a go if it makes your girl a bit more comfortable - theres nothing worse than being mad itchy and not being able to have a good scratch!
Hope she feels better soon.xx

When you 1st joined the forum, not long after you got the girls, were you not doing alot of decorating? New carpet and such? If that was the case did this start with Angel not too long after? Just a thought, I might be wrong, but if this was the case maybe you could also mention this to the vet. If you have a new carpet she may be allergic to the rubber backing or something it's made of. I feed JWB as well but keep mine in containers and don't have the bag but look in the ingredients, is there any wheat at all in it or any treats you might give her. Alot of dogs react this way to wheat. If you still think it might be the food at all I do know alot of dogs with allergies do well when fed on a fish & potato recipe. I think JWB makes one as well.

Claire - yeah I hope we do get it sorted for her soon. She is such a wee darling. Think I will try piriton if the chnage in food situation still isn't benefiting her.

Deb - yeah we did get a lot of decorating done and we mentioned this to the vet as we had plastering done and Angel's coat felt like it had a film of something on it but its now completely washed out of her coat.

We actually changed the flooring to tiling so I don't think its the flooring that's causing her any reaction, well you never know I suppose.

I'll check the ingredients of the JWB package again. The bag is nearly done so I could move over to the fish & potato recipe in a day or two. I try just to give them chicken or fish fillets as treats now instead of snacks but if we do give them snacks its usually rawhide bones or sticks.

Just wish I could get to the bottom of it soon for her.

Thanks ladies xo

I have seen many a dog that was allergic to chicken and lamb that were switched to fish (incl. treats) and did well. Chicken is one of the easiest on the system and one would never think it a prob but some dogs are just that way. I used to give rawhide years ago but never will again, through personal experiences and with things I have seen come through the vet clinic where I worked its a wonder that it isn't banned. If I had the resources I would be on a one woman crusade to have all rawhide pulled from the market! There's another thought....allergy to the oils from the rawhide maybe?

piriton worked for diesel aswell

I'll stop the rawhide too Deb, anything to ease things for Angel. I got her the salmon and potato kibble but she won't eat it

She had about two pieces then turned her nose up at it but its possible she may not have been hungry. I left it down for around 20-30 mins then lifted it again.

If you don't mind me asking, what's made you feel so strongly against giving rawhide?

dieselboy wrote:piriton worked for diesel aswell

I was going to try that Kirsty. Where would you normally get it? Would it be like boots chemist or tesco?

Rawhide gets all soggy when they chew it and being hide it does not break down easily on its own. When its soggy it swells, and can continue to swell up to 10x or more in size inside the intestinal tract. If they have swallowed a large enough piece, and lord knows we don't see everything they do, it can sit in the tract and swell till it causes a blockage. Seen many dogs in for emergency surgery to remove it as well as some of the intestine it damages. Happened to my own dog years ago. If you are out when it happens, and many people tend to leave their dogs with something to chew while they are out, then you could miss the signs of it or come home to a dead dog. I barely caught it in time with my dog. Bulls pizzle is much safer and even has nutritional value. They do smell quite bad when they chew them and mine have to eat them outside or in another room. Good for when you are going out though. Also remember how bad those stafford kisses will smell after as well! Pigs ears are another to watch for. Unless you buy from a place that sells in bulk and replaces the stock very regularly you run the risk of salmonella poisoning from the oils that quickly go rancid in them. I know they stink a bit anyways but you can tell the difference between the fresh ones. They are also really fattening if given too often. If she doesn't like the salmon you can always try making your own food for her. Brown rice, white fish (cheap frozen fillets from Icelands), flaxseed oil, and a good all round supplement added is a good base. I use Osmond's Ultimate I buy online from Petcetera Etc. All non allergenic ingredients those. It's a good base to work with and if after a month or so she shows improvement you can add another ingredient, chicken maybe and see if she has a reaction and if so you know she is allergic to it. If you have a blender or processor you can puree some vegies to add as well. They cannot digest vegetables without them being pureed 1st though. I have recipes for non allergenic treats I make myself too but I'm sure if you look on the net you will find some to buy.

oh wow, and pigs ears! I never knew about the oils turning rancid etc.

this morning thankfully she ate the wafcol salmon and potato and also for her tea time meal. she must have been hungry lol

so hopefully that means she will do alright on it.

yes you would get it from both chemist and tesco

dieselboy wrote:yes you would get it from both chemist and tesco

brilliant Kirsty, thanks for that