I hope that 'ole Manky Eye is soon restored to her usual beauteous state! Sounds like the vet will get to the bottom of it.
I try to buy as much as I can that is not tested on animals. It grieves me that some animals (as our Labs and othe dogs, on this forum), have such a wonderful life and others are doomed to misery.
I am guessing there is not a link between stopping using the above noted treatments rather than actually starting the Bravecto?? I am a Bravecto fan, but just wondered as I read that.......
Do you mean being allergic to the spot-on treatments, or that I hadn't used any flea/tick treatment for two years until using Bravecto? We did use the spot-on treatments until Snowie was two years old, and during those two years Snowie was incredibly itchy, drew blood from scratching under his armpits. But it is quite likely that I did not apply the spot-on treatments properly due to Snowie hating it so much he'd try to escape as soon as he caught whiff of it. Or it got washed off when he swam. Or... maybe the Bravecto is not making any difference because he has started itching again -- AARRGH!!!!!!! Although nothing like before, none of the mad rubbing of his chin. I was told by two vets that an itchy mouth usually means food allergies. But I've subsequently read that an itchy face, particularly around the eyes and mouth, are also indicative of mites.
Hi Emily, how is Ella's eye? I hope you have found a solution! I am interested to know why your vet said that if it were mites then with steroids it would get worse? From what I've read, a mite problem can be related to an immunity problem and therefore, with steroids suppressing the immune system, the mite problem gets worse.
Aw....@MF sorry the itch is back. Yes, I was suggesting that the spot ons were causing the itch. My faith in spot ons is low. HOW do you get it on the skin rather than fur as it says? I guess it is better absorbed into the skin than it looks but I was never convinced..... I assume the itchy chin isn't acne?
Acne? That's a first I've heard. Is acne something that affects dogs? What does it look like? Snowie never had what looked like blocked sebaceous glands on his chin. Yes, the fur -- how do treatments penetrate fur?? My vet has instructed me to spray Snowie's lower back twice a day with a special spray for muscular aches (for treatment of his bulging disc). Well, I do it dutifully, but really, I cannot see how it can get through the fur. I do part the fur somewhat, but his fur is so thick, even when he's been swimming he is usually dry on the skin. We go back to the vet in a week and I'll ask then.
Thanks for asking. We're into day 5 of the steroids and I think the itching has decreased a little but not significantly so I have no idea what that means. I'm not actually sure why the vet said it would become worse if it was mites... I tried get through as many questions as I could think of but I missed that one. I'll ask next time. I'm a little sceptical about the spot on treatments as well. The only thing I'm sure of is that I always manage to get it on my fingers! Oh well, no worms/fleas/mites for me!
I think a few dogs on here have had acne on their chins. Maybe Kate's Sam was one, can't remember who else. But I do think you would see visible red spots through the fur. I only mentioned it in the context of a chin itch.
Willow had puppy/teenage acne on her chin. It was visible red lumps. I can't say it caused her to be overly itchy, though.
Well, a little bit of a surprise today. Manky eye is actually ringworm! Eek! On the plus side I'm happy it's not allergies but, yuk, ringworm! I'm picking up a prescription of something tomorrow (oops, forgot what it was but I know it's a human medication too) that we'll use for 4 weeks and retest. I've had to let the dog club know too as it's contagious. I'm really hoping we haven't passed it on to anyone. We'll also have to make sure not to touch it and keep the baby away as well. Fingers crossed it clears up quickly
Yuk! I got ringworm from a cat once. It was horrible, itched like mad. It's easy to treat - normally just a topical ointment - but you have to be careful because the spores can last in your home for months, so you may need to treat your carpet, clothes etc, too.
It's going to be a nightmare. The vet said to remove all dog hair from the house - haha if I knew how to do that I'd have done it months ago! We have to vacuum the furniture, change the bedsheets and mop the floors. They recommend to keep Ella in a tiled area so we can keep clean and mopped. No training, no dog parks, no play dates etc. and keep her away from young children (i.e. our seven week old son) as their most likely to catch it. We have to re test after 4 weeks to see if it's gone. Worst case scenario is it could take up to 20 weeks of treatment to go! Grrr so frustrating! What's worse is that I'm now itching all over! It's like when someone starts talking about head lice (for those of you now scratching your heads... You're welcome )
Haha, I'd already started scratching my arm, which is where I got the rash last time. It was nearly 20 years ago and I still remember how much it itched!
Sounds as if you are going to have a tough few weeks while Ella is under going treatment, but hopefully it will clear without any problems, particularly for you OH and your precious little boy.
I hate that Ella is going to have to be isolated in the kitchen/laundry . She's so used to cuddles on the couch and sleeping on our bed. I hope she won't think she's being punished. Even worse, we're expecting the weather to be in the high 30's for the next 10+ days so our walks are going to be limited too. I'll just have to do lots of 'restricted exercise' training and games, followed by a shower and putting my clothes in the wash!
