About Charlotte B Expertise I can answer any question on raising and training dogs,the proper feeding, training, and behavior of animals.What I do not know for certain, I will take the time to research for the correct advise.
Experience My father was a veterinarian and taught me hot to take care of animals, starting at the age of three.
I have raised and trained purebreds, and mixed breeds.I participate in animal rescue groups in my area.
Up until my health made it necessary for me to stop, I have trained dogs.I have trained some dogs that could not be handled by their owners. They would bite their owners, but in 65 over 65 years of handling dogs, I have never been nipped in anger. The only times I have had skin broken was in playing with a little puppy, and they were not yet taught not to nip so hard.
Organizations SPCA of Irving Texas, several rescue groups.
Question Hello,
I am so glad I found this site - I have so many questions for you... My husband and I recently bought a Toy Fox Terrier named Rocky from a local small dog rescue. He's 4 1/2 years old and weighs about 6.5 pounds. When we first saw him at the rescue, he had such a bad coat, lots of dandruff, not a lot of hair on his paws from itching, his eyes were always wet and he sneezed and snorted a lot. The lady that had him said that he'd been at the SPCA and was 8 days away from being euthanized and so she had brought him to the rescue and had had him for a month or so. I asked her to explain his skin/allergy conditions and she said that he's allergic to corn and that he was on a different food to help him get better. We brought him home, I did a lot of research on dog food allergies and we changed his food again, bought a special allergy/medicated shampoo and I bathe him about 4 times a week and brush him out daily. His coat looks a lot better now, but he still has the weepy eyes and is always sneezing and still itches his paws. I called the vet and she said to give him some children's Benadryl or some sort of antihistamine. So..I give that to him two times a day and I also put a coat supplement on his food and give him a few green beans with his food in the morning to help with his coat. So...like I said - he looks a lot better but the allergies haven't gone away completely. This new food is called BLUE and it doesn't have a lot of products that he could be allergic to, so I'm hoping that after a few weeks of eating it, that corn or whatever he's allergic to will be out of his system.
As far as the behavioral problems go, we were told that Rocky was house-trained, and would go to the door if he needed to go out. We've had him for three weeks now and he has always gone to the door accept for last night - he went into the bathroom and pooped on the floor! We don't know what caused that but maybe thought that he did go to the door and we didn't see him right away. We did scold him for doing that though...
We are gone during the day for work, so we take him out in the morning and then again as soon as we get home. We block him off in the kitchen area which is a very good size and we put his crate in there, plenty of toys and some things to chew on - he won't go to the bathroom in there and he does eat and drink during the day while we aren't there. At night he likes to play a lot and we sometimes go for a walk. Recently, just within the last week or so...he doesn't want to be held or loved on at all like in the weeks prior. When we first brought him home he would put his paws up on the couch and I would pick him up and he'd lie on my chest for hour and hours - he loved to be loved on! Now...he can't stand to be held and doesn't ever want to be in the same room as we are. If we're cooking in the kitchen, he's in the living room - and at night, when we're in the living room, he loves to go behind the kitchen table in a corner and lay down or in the dark closet or in the bathroom. I don't understand this behavior and it makes my husband and me sad that he doesn't want to be with us - is he just a "free spirit" or is there something wrong? I think he hates me because I'm always the one that has to give him his medicine and give him a bath and brush him out - all things he DOESN'T like very much! Is he associating all the things he doesn't like to me? We love him so much and got him because we really wanted a good companion - now he just doesn't even want to be in the same room as we are! I hope you can help - sorry I have so many questions. Thanks and have a great day! - Natalie
Answer Hi Natalie;
First, call a different vet !
That one is an idiot !
That is rediculous for a vet to tell you over the phone to give the dog Benadryl.
No veterinarian that knows beans about what they are doing would diagnose over the phone.
Benadryl will NOT fix that dog's allergies.He needs to be seen and properly diagnosed.
I am certain a REAL vet will put him on antibiotics.
I have a lot of experience with dogs with allergies.
I doubt it is the corn he is allergic to.
Two of the dogs I have now have bad allergies. They are allergic to all the junk that is in the air, like pollen,. dust,fleas, and things people are allergic to.
Food allergies are not that common, but allergies to fleas is the worst one, and it only takes the bite of one flea to stir up a reaction.
The shin problems are from infection caused by the allergies.
The shampoo and brushing are just a band aid. He needs antibiotics to heal up.
Giving benadryl is dangerous. It is a wonder they haven't killed him. I don't mean to alarm you, but that happens a lot with giving people medicines. The meds they get are calibrated to their weight and age. For a vet to advise over the counter people medicine without even seeing the dog is dangerous. that just blows me away.
Please understand, I am not yelling at you. You are trying to help this poor little animal, and your heart is in the right place, and also bless you for saving his life.
But, I would like to wring that vet's neck, and personally tear her diploma up. She has no business with it.
I would bet dollars to donuts the allergy is a flea allergy.
If it is fleas, you would need to use frontline. I have tried the other monthly flea repellants, and they just don't work that well. Frontline is the best, and that is the only one my Vet sells or recommends.
The shampooing is probably doing as much damage as it is doing good.
Frequent shampooing is very bad and can cause serious skin problems . more than a once a month shampooing, over not too long a time can really cause problems.
When my dogs have had a bad flareup, my Vet does give me a shampoo to use on them, and they gt bathed twice a week with it, for a couple of weeks only. they are also given the antibiotics and an allergy pill too.
When the skin starts to heal, after the antibiotics start to kick in, the shampooing stops.
Sometimes, even with Frontline, they will get a bad flareup, because Mine are also allergic to a lot of things in the enviornment, and Frontline doesn't prevent that.
If I catch it soon enough, they just have to take the allergy pills, but if it gets ahead of me, they have to have the anitbiotics.
The first sign of a flareup is chewing their paws.\Max, my little Lhasa will start laying on his stomach and scooting back and forth. He is scratching his stomach with the carpet. I oick him up, and sure enough there will be a rash on his stomach. when the setter's start to flare up, she starts scratching on the floor, like she is trying to dig. she will chew her paws too.
I put Bag Balm on the sore spots. That heals them faster.
It was made for a cow's udder. they get dry and rashy from a calf nursing. The Bag Balm heals and soothes. I put it on scraped knees on my grandchildren too. It is great! and it doesn't sting.
We get it at Pet smart here now, we used to have to go to the feed store to get it.
I have never heard of the food you mentioned, so I have no idea whether or not it is a good one.
Iams, Science Diet, Waltham's, or Nature's choice should all be allright.
Especially if the one you are using is very expensive.
The shying away is probably fear.
He is afraid you are going to brush and bathe him. with his skin so irritated, the brushing may be very painful.
I don't know how large the town you live in is, but shop around for a better Vet. Really, that one sounds like she made just barely good enouh grades to pass, and they HAd to give her a license.
Find one that will put him on antibiotics until he is healed up, and get some Bag Balm to put on his sore skin. He will probably not like that too much, but it is a lot better than too much shampooing.
My English Setter doesn't mind our putting Bag Balm on her, but the little Lhasa doesn't like ANYTHING we do to him anyway.LOl
He just likes to fuss.
The pooping in the floor was probably because you didn't hear him, and he couldn't hold it any longer, but if he so resents the bathing and brushing, he just maybe did it for spite.
This is going to make you feel bad, and I am sorry for that, but, he may think you are just being mean to him, with all the bathing and the brushing, and doesn't want to cuddle with you.
When the allergies get better, and he isn't being bathed and brushed all the time, he will see you really love him, and he will gradually get back to being a loving dog.
I am betting the allergies are due to fleas or something in the enviornment, rather than food.
When he was in the pound, he would not have been treated for fleas, and the lady at the rescue may have more good intentions than knowledge of the problem.
For dry coat, I give my dogs an egg or two every day. That helps the coat a lot, also cod liver oil, or if you use tuna packed in oil, when you drain the oil, put it on his food. I just let mine drink the water from tuna, out of the bowl I drain it into. They love it. The water has some nutrients in it, but for very dry skin, the oil would be better.
Please keep me posted on his progress, and write any time you feel I can help, or if you need clarification on this answer.
Good luck to you
Charlotte
