AboutPatti Expertise To date, I've owned 7 dogs, all of which have lived into old age.
Having cared for them in all stages of life, I feel I can offer sound advice to other pet owners, and people considering getting a dog.
I am knowledgeable about the AKC (American Kennel Club) dog breeds, training and exercise, caring for sick and elderly pets, feeding, as well as many holistic treatments pets can benefit from.
My only request is that you write me using standard English and punctuation.
Experience My life experience in this field is more like "on the job training" rather than an actual degree in animal welfare. You may benefit from my experiences over the past 30 years.
Aside from the dogs I've owned, I'm also involved in "breed rescue" and have fostered several dogs, all of which have been adopted to wonderful "forever homes".
I find helping people who want a dog very rewarding.
Question this might be a dumb question not silly.lol i have a hybrid wolf husky.his itching is driving us and him crazy we do all that their is to do.the vet has suggested prednisone. do you know if prednisone is the same for pets as for prople? i have had to take it myself (10mg) and have some left over because it made my sugar go to high.is it possiable to give it to him? he is an inside dog, pure white and we hate to see him go through this every year.i thought that maybe being 80% wolf the vets flea stuff wouldn't work well but they say it does but doesn't seem to be working well for him.
thank-you cindy
Answer Hi Cindy,
Many drugs commonly used for veterinary purposes are also used in treating human conditions. Not being a doctor, I would be unqualified to advise if your 10mg dose of Prednisone would be the correct dose for your pet. You should ask your vet if your medication could be used on your dog.
Medications such as Prednisone and other Corticosteriods can help break the cycle of itching, and give your dog's skin have a chance to heal. After the skin has healed, you may be able to slowly stop the medication, or at least not need it on a daily basis.
These are powerful medications though, and there are risks associated with their long term use such as kidney damage, decreasing the absorption of minerals (especially calcium and iron), and they can effect the digestive tract.
If the problem is fleas, it's much better to treat the insect infestation, than simply suppressing the symptoms.
I can offer some suggestions.
First, are you sure that the problem is fleas and not a seasonal allergy? Environmental sensitivities, allergies to food, pollen, dust mites, and mold can cause severe itching. You vet can test for allergies.
If the problem is indeed a flea problem, have you tried using a different kind of flea control product, other than the kind you get thorough your vet?
Pyrethrins are actually a very old method of killing not only fleas, but controlling ticks, lice, cheyletiella mites and mosquitoes. They are are a natural extract made from flowers of chrysanthemum plants. The biggest drawback to using a flea control product with Pyrethrins is that the ingredient has been around for so long, that some flea populations are immune to it. It's worth trying though, since it can be purchased over-the-counter in pet supply stores or catalogs.
Another newer natural insecticide that is fairly effective for flea control is D-Limonene and Linalool. They are made from citrus extracts. I should mention that though they are natural products, they still can have serious side effects if used improperly, read and follow all product directions.
Flea droppings will most likely be more obvious than the critters themselves, so run a fine-toothed comb through the dog's hair near his tail and flick any debris into a container of water. Flea droppings contain blood and will turn the water pink. Once you identified fleas as the culprit, the attack should be multifaceted:
- Groom your dog daily with a fine-toothed comb and drown the fleas in a container of soapy water.
- Dip the dog in a flea dip that has low toxicity and a residual effect, such as a Pyrethrin based product.
- Treat your house, especially areas where the dog sleeps or spends a lot of time.
Whatever the items you use for flea control, be sure to wash all of your dog's bedding, spray his bed or crate, and treat the house and yard as indicated. Put some flea powder in the vacuum cleaner bag as well.
Electronic flea traps are sometimes used to attract and kill the pests before they attack the dog, but they do nothing about fleas in the yard or flea eggs or larvae in the house. Successful flea control involves a two-pronged program which controls both the fleas on your pet, and those within the environment... which means your home.
Fleas actually spend a very short amount of time on the "host" animal. Most of their life is spent in the floor cracks, carpet, or dog's bedding.
Treatment of your home must begin with a thorough cleaning. Frequent vacuuming of the house—especially pet areas—is necessary to keep fleas at bay. After vacuuming, the cleaner bag shouldn't be left in the closet, since the flea eggs it contains can hatch and reinfect your house.
After cleaning the areas where your dog spends a lot of time, apply an insecticide containing an insect growth regulator, such as Precor, which will prevent eggs from hatching and the larval fleas from pupating into adults that reproduce. Products that contain both an insecticide and growth regulator are the most effective.
