The first summer was May to September. Then next summer was early April to Oct. It got hot really early that next summer and when it looked like he was going to be on Prednisone a lot we changed to the Atopica, which worked well for him. Yes, a tablet a day. I don't think I said in this thread but Oban is no longer on allergy meds of any kind. And he is not itchy. He got sick and I took him off of everything, allergy med, glucosamine supplements, pain meds and the pred was tapered off. I'll try to keep it short, went to a novel protein and carb, home cooked and TCM and acupuncture, Then slowly to raw. Then he got sick again and we are now on a special kibble which is used for his illness but also used for allergy dogs. Oban has not itched since we started the home cooked and we are now going into summer three of no itching.
@Joy Yes, we changed to raw food when Snowie was about 5 months old, and in the last year we've also removed chicken and duck because they seemed to make the itching worse. He seems to be best on beef and venison meat, organs, and bones, and fish. However, Snowie being such an enthusiastic scavenger, he finds discarded food wherever we go on our walks, so I can't say that I have entirely controlled his food intake. But at home we're strict.
@Snowshoe that is wonderful that he has not itched in so long!! Are you able to stop Oban from scavenging on walks? If I had to put Snowie on a novel protein, then I'd have to be ultra-vigilant on walks, and it would be a nightmare in the area I live because workmen throw their chicken bones into the gutter, people leave their discarded picnics on the beach, people think nothing of throwing their bones (from fast food) anywhere they are eating it, and as for bread and leftover toasted cheeses, etc, well, plenty on the pavements and walks. So short of walking Snowie with a muzzle, I am pretty much prevented from trying a novel protein! Do you still have Oban on TCM? Snowie was on "heat purge" TCM herbal tablets although I couldn't see any difference... I sometimes wonder if the glucosamine supplement affects his itching, but I'm more afraid of his bulging disc and clicking joints to stop it.
Can I step in here on the TCM front? I know Pippa and many others think its bunkum, but I have a slightly different insight. First of all, I would like to say I practice/have practised western acupuncture on humans with I guess I would say some moderate benefit, generally short term rather than in the longer term. For mostly muscle based problems/pain. I understand how this can work (Gate Theory of pain probably sums it up). It is relatively low risk and free of side-effects. It has very little firm evidence in the way of good solid robust randomised-controlled double-blind studies to back up its benefits. Using traditional Chinese herbal medicines is a different kettle of fish altogether. Firstly, do you know what is in it? If you do, do you know what the side effects of the herb are? Unlike acupuncture which is pretty safe and risk free (and some say ineffective) herbal treatments are not. Remember a lot of human medicines are derived from natural plants (Aspirin, Digoxin, warfarin, morphine, tamoxifen) - they are certainly not ineffective. And certainly not free of side-effects. Many herbal treatments have been associated with liver or kidney failure. Herbal treatments are pretty unregulated. What exactly is in it? What dose are you getting? Will it interfere with existing drug/medicines? What evidence is there to back up use? How long, what dose? All this is unknown, or at least not made clear by your average TCM practitioner. What worries me is that TCM usually involves a combination of acupuncture and herbal treatment, and you just don't know what you are getting with the latter! I totally understand that when you have tried everything "conventional" you go looking for slightly less well-established treatment. Well at the end of the day, there are very few of these treatments that are proven to help, and the risk of harm is there and somewhat unknown so I would urge you to take care and think carefully. jac
It is interesting you mention chicken. Dogs are more likely to be intolerant of chicken that they are of wheat. There is a LOT of chicken in dog food and treats.
Lundy's situation was ongoing most of his life poor chap! We waited until the itching had well and truly stopped before we weaned him off. He was allergic to grass pollen, sea and sand, a lot of foods, wheat etc so didn't take much to start his itches. We washed his paws regularly with Malaseb too which helped. If we didn't keep on top of his condition he got the most horrendous weeping sores (particularly at the beach, so sad as he loved it there) so I was vigilant. It was tough on him and he had a lot of steroids over his life along with anti-b's when the sores were bad. We also had to be very careful with his weight (he was a very big build dog anyway) as the steroids made him very hungry and thirsty (however they were miraculous at relieving his itching so it was a balancing act) He did live a good life to 12 and a half though. Such a lovely dog we still miss him so much. We did choose a black lab this time because of this though as the vet told us the lighter coloured dogs are more prone to skin conditions. Wouldn't have changed having him in our life for anything though. He was completely gorgeous, itches and all!! This is him (in the back, with our rescue Daze!) Sam
We are in a rural area and don't have those garbage problems, mostly. Though you may remember a thread I posted last winter about a garbage bag and assisted pooping. Yes, Oban is still on TCM. As a matter of fact we were tapering off two meds but last week I noticed bloody urine drops, called the Vet, she said to put both back to the previous dosage, no more bloody drops. Oban has had an enlarged prostate which those are targeting but they also have a beneficial effect on digestion and skin.
My lovely Lundy was very allergic to chicken / was the worst along with beef. Lamb and rice was all he could tolerate without itching. Wish I'd known more about raw feeding as I wonder if it might have helped.
I did the Nutriscan saliva test on Oban, even though we were sure his allergies were seasonal environmental. There were very few high numbers but one was for turkey. Turkey, of all things, the novel protein I cooked when he first got sick. He wasn't showing any symptoms of intolerance but I do avoid it now. He can eat chicken, eggs and duck, or he could if not for needing a low fat diet. http://www.nutriscan.org/
