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I have a three year old boerbull who was born (according to the vet) with a lowered imune system due to the mother passing on ringworm to the litter this resulted in him constantly scratching, getting hot, biting his feet etc. He has been on kortico daily throughout his life, sometimes 2 a day when the symptoms are worse - consequently, he is overweight, has mottled skin, lethargic and retains water. I would be so grateful if anyone has any ideas on alternative treatment. Many Thanks
In Reply to: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Mary Kircher on May 07, 2000 at 10:06:35:
Hi, Mary
I love animals and presently nursing a mix Border Collie back to health after she lost majority of her fur. A friend of mine advised me it might be a skin condition and suggested I bath her with a canine shampoo with oatmeal base. Couldn't locate that shampoo so I'm using Tee Tree Oil Shampoo for dogs.
Surfed the net for alternative medical and nutrition website for you to review. Came up with the following under google.com. Hope this helps.
Paulette
Natural Alternatives Canine Wholistic Nutrition
http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/riverien/wholenews.htm
In Reply to: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Mary Kircher on May 07, 2000 at 10:06:35:
Hi Mary,
Just a couple of thoughts. Have you had the dog's thyroid levels checked? Also, Vitamin C is indicated for better immune function.
According to Wendy Volhard's book "The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog", herbs for immune system would be "echinacea, goldenseal, red clover and acidolphilus". For dermatitis it says "comfrey, dandelion, myrrh, pau d'arco, red clover and vitamin B.
You might want to check your area for a holistic vet. If you can find one, he/she can get the dog balanced and guide you on homeopathic remedies for your dog. Also, ideally you need to get him off of the steroids.
Hope this helps,
Kathy
In Reply to: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Mary Kircher on May 07, 2000 at 10:06:35:
Mary,
Have you looked into Dr Pitcarn's holistic remidies ??
Sounds like something he would get into in his books. Health
food stores usually have them. I hate to hear about a sick
animal and hope you find a cure soon.
VF
In Reply to: Re: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Vince F on May 10, 2000 at 15:38:00:
Thank You so much Kathy/Paulette/Vince for taking the time to respond. I will look into all your suggestions and let you know if there is any improvement.
Go Well
Mary
P.S. This is the most wonderful site !
In Reply to: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Mary Kircher on May 07, 2000 at 10:06:35:
Mary:
I had to respond. You need a second opinion. Your dog's symptoms can be related to his corticosteroid use and he needs to be weened very slowly under your veterinarians care. It is also possible that your dog never got over the fungal infection--a thorough dermatological workup would be in order. There are veterinary dermatologist at every major veterinary collage and in most big cities. When you see the dermatologist ask about Cushings, atopy, contact allergy, demodectic mange, fungal infections, ... a good vet should be able to list several more possible problems. Oh yes, dogs do have food allergies too. Hope this helps. When I lived in Florida we saw dogs like yours daily. Good luck.
Pam
In Reply to: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? posted by Mary Kircher on May 07, 2000 at 10:06:35:
Hi, Mary.
Everyone had such appropriate suggestions that I hesitated to add mine but there is one glaring suggestion missed:
All dogs who have a tendency to skin conditions will benefit from the essential oils that help humans with so many conditions. Actually, it was the vets who were the first to use them and for just this condition. If your original vet has not mentioned this to you, you really need a more knowledgable vet. Since they cannot hurt the animal (even though these other causes might also be contributing) why not try them?
Per # the dosage would be the same as with humans (see the article about essential oils on the home page). You would see results in about 3 months. Too much can't hurt anything except your pocketbook.
MY dog takes her capsules perfectly well just by my telling her they are treats. However, if you are not so fortunate, they DO come in liquid.
Once you find the dose that helps, you will need to keep it up for the rest of the animal's life because that animal just genetically needs more than the average for optimum health.
This does not excuse you from looking for the other contributors mentioned by so many others right here but will likely make it easier to deal with them if you find them.
ANY Holistic Vet you may have already seen will have at least mentioned this to you. Please let us know how your "3 year-old baby" does.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? Archive in Veterinarian Holistic Medicine posted by Walt Stoll on May 13, 2000 at 07:52:24:
Hi Walt,
Thanks for picking up on the essential oils. My dogs are on them but forgot to add that.
I decided to put my dogs on a wellness program shortly after I embarked on your three-legged stool. It didn't seem to make sense for me to be eating more healthy and for them to be on crappy dog food. They are now on a biologically appropriate diet (all raw meat and bones/fish oils/powdered kelp & alfalfa/vitamin c/raw eggs etc.) I also have a holistic vet so now am no longer vaccinating - I use homeopathic nosodes instead. My dogs have no fleas. They were just blood-tested for heartworms and had a fecal for other parasites. Everything came back okay. A natural program seems to work so well for them. As an added bonus, all have clean white teeth and no bad doggy breath!!
For anyone who is interested: There are a couple of books that are great for the diet. One is "The Ultimate Diet" by Kymythy R. Schultze and the other is "Give Your Dog a Bone" by Ian Billinghurst. (He is an Australian veternarian.)
Also, there is a list that is of great support for those of us who are feeding a raw diet. It is the BARF list at Onelist.com. BARF stand for Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods.
Feel free to e-mail me if anyone would like more information.
Kathy
In Reply to: Re: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? Archive in Veterinarian Holistic Medicine posted by Kathy McEvoy on May 13, 2000 at 14:49:24:
Hi, Kathy.
I might have known that you would be ahead of me on this.
Do you also know of the wonderful holistic vet publication: "The Whole Dog Journal"? This monthly journal is at least worth your reviewing a sample issue. Let us know what you think. For a back issue, call (800) 424-7887.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: dermititus in dog - holistic solution ? Archive in Veterinarian Holistic Medicine posted by Walt Stoll on May 14, 2000 at 10:38:27:
Hi Walt,
I have subscribed to "The Whole Dog Journal" for a couple of years now. Agree that it is a very worthwhile publication. (Paulette and trish: you may both be interested in this)
As you may have guessed, I am passionate about dogs!! Unfortunately, we had to have our old boxer, Sherlock, put down last week. Still missing him greatly but it's very comforting to have our other boxer and two boston terriers to ease the pain.
Kathy
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