DOGS

I have an Akita dog who is about 7 years old he has a list of problem including occasional seizures and a thyroid problem. However now he has a bad rash/dry skin. The vets have tried everything from scrapping skin, steroid shots oral and injected antibiotcs. We use special shampoo and sprays for the rash, he has had this in the past and luckily had a great recovery but now its back and not getting better. Please help its becoming so expensive and I feel he is so uncomfortable. I hate to see him this way. Please help. Thanks.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello & welcome.....Does it always get worse this time of year?

What do you feed him (The Name) and how long has he been on it?

Any more details?    Let me know......Karla

[champ724]

Well this is actually the second time he has had this rash breakout....it starts off as dry bumpy skin, so when we took him to the vet the scrapped and shaved his skin to clean it off but now he scratches it so his rash is now worse it's red flesh and bleeds.....we try to stop him from scratching but it's hard to be on him all day about it......so now we are using this antiseptic shampoo that's supposed to disinfect the skin and make it dry out.


His med list is the following:

Levothyroxine 0.8 mg- 3 tablets a day
Alprazolam 1mg- 1tablet daily
Rimadyl 100mg- 1 tablet twice a day
Valium- inserted rectal when seizures occur


His special food is called ZD.....we give him both dry and canned food. It's special hypoallergenic food. We have a prescription card to purchase this.


A little bit of his history.....when we got him he got parvovirus but survived....is this why he has so many problems? In the past two years he's prob had 7 seizures. They ran all kinds of test. He has a thyroid problem, allergies to fleas, but no other allergies. His lungs showed that he has lungs of an old dog but they didn't find any other abnormalities....I would love any advice possible.....I would love to see him back to how he used to be......it's so hard we can't even pet him because his rash is located all over his neck and down his arms. Please help we love our dog and want to watch him get better.....plus is is so expensive. Every visit is  at least $100 and we've paid up to $700 in one week, with no results.....please any advice would help

Thanks

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Again.....More questions:
The last time he got this bad, was it this time of year? Summer?
What is the Rimadyl being used for & how long has he been taking it?
Why the Xanax?

Food: How long has he been eating ZD? What did he eat before? What was he eating when it happened the last time? Do you remember?

Do you use a topical flea preventative? Do you use it year round or just spring & summer?  Was he better before the flea season hit? Or better before the topical applications?

Does he have an odor with the rash? Anything odd that you can smell? Like corn chips, possibly? No, I'm not kidding!

What is the name of the shampoo and is it helping?

Think back.....Does it happen to coincide with him getting his yearly Vaccinations?

Sorry, a long list I know.....Get back with me and we'll keep going....Karla

[Misfits4Me]

P.S. Does he get better on the steroids or not?    Thanks

[champ724]

Sorry it's taken such a long time to respond....so here the update.

Two days ago he was at his worse the rash had spread and was bleeding more than usual.....we decided to take him back to the vet, they also thought his condition has worsened. There they gave him another injectable antibiotic, they sent us home with prednisone 25 mg 1 tablet twice daily for 10 days then 1 tablet daily for 10 days then 1 tablet every other day to ween him off. Allso they prescribed oral anti fungal ketokenazole

[champ724]

Sorry if I miss spelled it...I just know it's a oral anti fungal to be given  twice a day. The Xanax is working he's calmer now and he's doing better since, it's been two days and the rash has dried significantly.

I spoke to the vet they said he may be taking rimadyl for pain. So we won't be giving him that anymore. He seems to be acting more like himself he plays more and now is going back to his usual habits so this is great!

He's been on zd for about 6-9 months before he ate regular dog food with a mixture of human food to, they say it's not the food, they did the allergy panel and he was only allergic to fleas and some cheese mold or something. I dont have his records on file so I don't remember what the results were exactly. We do the flea preventative year round and when he's gotten bit by flea the rash is usually not bad......

The rash no longer smells but it smelled more like blood, dried blood, it was horrible.

The vaccinations are not the problem...I don't  think they are, it doesn't happen after his vaccinations.

He does get better with the steroids but this time they didn't send him home with antifungals or oral steroids which helped him the last time. I don't understand why they didn't give him the exact treatment that cured him last time instead they were trying things that were making him more uncomfortable....

The shampoo we were using was an antiseptic shampoo they use in surgeries which I think was irritating the rash more, so we stopped that. He is now getting better however are these rashes possible due to his thyroid I know it hard to tell but it also hard to see him suffer and I would just like  some answers or advice, please anything would help....thanks for listening.  

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Champ..I'm glad you came back.....I've been collecting info. for you since your last post....Yes, I'm going to help you!  

Four more questions:
Has he had any bloodwork done in the last year? ANything abnormal that you remember?  Has the Dr. said anything about Liver enzymes being abnormal?

What is the Name of the Regular dog food he ate, before ZD? How long did he eat it?

I know Rimadyl is for pain. What pain is/was he taking it for? And how long has he been on it?

Do you live in a climate that has fleas year round?
Opps, I think that's more than 4!  Sorry....Let me know.....Check back often as I'm probably going to start sending messages immediately.....Send me the answers to these when you can....Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Morning....We're gonna start with your food...The key to health is proper nutrition....Your dog cannot fight off anything (Including allergies) if he continues to live on this food! He must have better (Alot better) food or he will continue to go downhill.

First of all: ZD can only be used for a short period of time.....It's stated on the bag that it is intended for only short term use as it DOES NOT have the proper nutrition for a dog! IMO, 1 wk. is too long to feed this disgusting food!
Since you stated that your dog does not have a problem with food, why was he put on it?

Here's the ingredient list:

Dried Potato Product, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Potato Starch, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Calcium Sulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), DL-Methionine, Taurine, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Beta-Carotene

Here's a breakdown and what "Dogfood Analysis(dot)Com has to say:

"This is an Extremely Low Nutrient food relying on starch to hold it together & Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver as the primary source of nutrition.
SOY is one of the common causes of ALLERGIES in dogs & in this instance, it is preserved with the chemical (BHA) that is believed to be Carinogenic. (Causes Cancer)

Powdered cellulose is a filler (Better known as SAWDUST). This food also uses the chemical preservative ETHOXYQUIN, which has been banned in human food because of links to Cancer...

Over all, this is a VERY low quality food! It is NOT intended for long term use & does not have Nutrition adequate for adult maintence."

They rated it 1 star on a scale from 1-6.  This is also,an expensive bag of Sawdust, I might add!

Next I'm going to send you info. on the two Dangerous Chemicals in this food or any food....If you ever see BHA or Ethoxyquin on an ingredient list for ANY food, DO NOT buy it....It's toxic!   Please read my next Post.....I'll be back, Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Here's the article:

Why Would I want BHT in my Dog Food?

BHT or BHA is a preservative used in commercial pet foods and it basically preserves the animal fat content quite plainly so it does not rot in the dog food bag or can. It is also called Thoxyquin which does not sound very appetizing to people.  The history of Ethoxyquin dates back to the fifties where it was used to kill weeds as a herbicide and it was a chemical used to make rubber more stable.

As a preservative it keeps old food preserved longer and that has to do more with shelf  life and not your dog’s health. BHA is more for the manufacturers to sell it to grocery stores so it can sit on the shelf longer than other foods.

What does Ethoxyquin do for your dog? Well it can kill it. People who work in the rubber business and were exposed to Ethoxyquin contracted skin cancer, blindness, leukemia, diarrhea and liver damage.  In animals it can kill their immune system which is their only defense against diseases.  It causes kidney cancers and makes stomach tumors or colon tumors and the Department of Agriculture lists it as a pesticide. Yes you will find BHA in poor cheap dog food at Discount stores.

This is a chemical preservative that your dog is ingesting at every meal for years and years. Your dog will consume pounds of Ethoxyquin in its food approximately 27 pounds in its life time. Doesn’t sound very healthy does it?

You wonder why pet owners buy this food at all but most do because it is cheap. It is cheap in its ingredients but is it safe?  It all depends on how long you want your dog to live? Dogs can live 25-30 years but today the average life span of a dog is 13-14 years.  The best advice is to buy only certified organic food for your dog, and ensure that it does not contain BHA, or corn, or wheat or by products.  Pet foods are not supposed to contain chemicals that kill your dog. They are not supposed to contain harmful ingredients that damage your dog’s kidneys.

The only way to buy dog food today is with a magnifying glass as you read the ingredients.  

I'll get back to you.......Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Incase the other food you were feeding had ANY grains: Read this....

Healthy dog foods do not include needless grains and other pet health
damaging ingredients.

Brewer's rice and brewer's dried yeast are by-products of beer production. There you go, your little pet gets what is left over after a beer run, the stuff not fit for human consumption.

Poultry Fat - Used to encourge pets to eat a product the pet would normally not eat. NutriSource does not tell us what type of Poultry.

Beet pulp is another cheap filler used by pet food companies. "Beet Pulp" sounds good, doesn't it? Well it's not. Just because Grandma told us we had to eat our beets as kids doesn't mean it is good for our dogs. Grandma didn't take the nutrients out of the beet and leave us just the dried fiber to eat, did she? Beet pulp is junk.

Fermentation Products - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Sugars are the common substrate of fermentation, and typical examples of fermentation products are ethanol, lactic acid, and hydrogen. However, more exotic compounds can be produced by fermentation, such as butyric acid and acetone. Yeast carries out fermentation in the production of ethanol in beers, wines and other alcoholic drinks, along with the production of large quantities of carbon dioxide.

You thought I was about done with this review, didn't you? Nope, I'm not going to end the review as of yet, not without telling you about the manure this company decided to include in the pet food for your pet, Animal digest. AAFCO doesn't care that manure is included in the pet food as long as the temperature at the time of cooking is brought to a certain degree.

Now there are those people out there who simply refuse to believe a pet food company would use manure in their pet's foods. Let me ask you to think on this issue for just a minute and then see what you decide. Let's take a person, for instance, When a person begins the "digestion" process food is placed in the mouth for chewing. Digestion continues as the food passes to the stomach and is broken down to pass into the intestines for further digestion. Digestion is complete once the person has had a bowl movement and fully evacuated the food from the human body. Why would obtaining human digest be any different from animal digest?

Pet food producers are using ingredients unfit for human consumption which are killing our pets. The ingredients in pet food must be changed!

The use of Corn, Wheat, and Soy are causing such awful conditions in pets including:

•Dry and itchy skin
•Fever
•Ear aches
•Ear infections
•Hot Spots on the skin
•Bad breath
•Dental disease
•IBD
•Hair loss
•Sore feet
•Abnormal nail growth
•Bloat
•Weight gain
•Tumors
•Moles and warts
•Seizures
•Blindness
•Deafness
•Heart conditions
•Kidney conditions
•Liver conditions
•Early pet death
These companies need to be held accountable for the injuries to our pets and our best friends early deaths............

I copied this off of another food forum.......Karla

[lab_labra2]

omfg . i hav been feeding my pup wheat chapati ... n dog food once a day ..

n she hav lil-red paches on her belly n legs i will post a pic of it ,,,,


is it due to wheat then ?? what should i make her eat now ?

[lab_labra2]

i give "pedigree" the dog food to her n it do contain wheat n corn n rice n some meat

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Labra...How's the new puppy? The rash could be from a number of things, but it never hurts to have your girl on better nutrition...

The info. below is from "DogfoodChat (Dot) Com.  Here's what they have to say about Beneful:

First five ingredients of Beneful dog food:

1.Ground yellow corn
2.chicken by-product meal
3.corn gluten meal
4.whole wheat flour
5.animal fat
The first ingredient of Beneful Original dog food is Ground Yellow corn. Corn has been linked to many different problems within dogs including yeast infections to allergies. Corn is often difficult for dogs to digest and offers no nutritional value. We usually never recommend a dog food brand that contains corn.

The second ingredient Chicken By-Product meal is also one we try and stay away from. Its hard to determine the quality of this ingredient. Chicken By-Products are usually lower quality parts of the chicken that are rejected for human consumption.

Again Corn shows up as the third ingredient. It shows up in the form of a Gluten meal, which basically means after everything that may be nutritious has been removed from corn, they take whats left over and call it Gluten Meal.

Whole Wheat flour is the fourth ingredient. This ingredient is also one we don’t want to see in dog food. Whole Wheat flour is one ingredient that has been linked to numerous cases of dog allergies.

The fifth ingredient, Animal fat is an ingredient in which it is impossible to correctly identify the source. When you can’t identify the source usually this means that it is of lower quality.

With all these unwanted ingredients in the first five ingredients it would be hard to recommend this food to anyone. People are drawn to this food due to the cheaper price. One must think about the future. Ingredients in Beneful dog food have been linked to cases of allergies. Allergies = Vet Visits and Vet Visits = $$$. Your dogs food is an investment of your dogs health.


Other pages to look at better food:

DogfoodAnalysis(Dot)Com  This one is my favorite place to review food.....Your Beneful is rated 1 star (Which is the lowest). Type Beneful in their search box and it will bring up the information of why you shouldn't feed it.....Go to their listings of 4-5-6 Star foods and select from there...

DogFoodProject(Dot)Com
Petfoodratings(Dot)net           Good luck.....Karla

[champ724]

Omg...... Thanks so much for your help.....now that you mention this he has been on zd for more than a couple of months and has lost 6 lbs. What type of food do u recommend he is an American Akita 7 years old.

I am aware that he doesn't have any other blood test abnormalities, as far as the liver test I'm not sure but will get back to u.

We live in southern California I'm not sure what type of flea climate we live in. He was eating regular pedigree before  

[lab_labra2]

so whats the food left on earth to make dogs healthier then ?

corn is gone meat is gone whole wheat is gone !

[lab_labra2]

oh i just got only 1 idea from that site >

make dogs eat fresh vegetables ..nothing else please misfit tell us other products 2 :)

[lab_labra2]

please give me light
i give my 3 month pup following food

morning 8am- bowl of wheat chapati n pedigree

evening 5pm- diluted milk

night 9pm -bowl of wheat chapati


i came to know that i m wrong with this diet plan

as jus ur post says -wheat n dog food contaning flour corn etc are harmfull

and that have affected my pups stomach in form of ithy red skin spots.



i will now b giving fresh vegetables n brwon rice to her ..and tell some more organic food i can feed to her .. please do tell me how should i shedcule it

[lab_labra2]

i have started giving vegs to her .. she was bit in agony wheres my regular food but i made it happen !

i gave her raddish . green beans  . ladyfinger and capsicum


is it right food for her ?

[Misfits4Me]

Beneful Pet Food:  From Dog Food Analysis

Primary Ingredient- Corn- Corn is a problematic grain that is difficult to digest. It is thought to be the cause of a great many allergy & yeast infection problems.

Second- By Products - The AAFCO defination of by products are those parts not used for Human consumption....They have little or no value. Necks, feet, underdeveloped eggs, intestines, some feathers!

Next- Corn again
Wheat
Beef tallow- Fat

7th -  Beef, but too far down the list to matter.Of no nutritional value this far down.
8th. Rice Flour & Soy- Both are cheap fillers...Soy is a common cause of allergies. Some beleive it's the #1 cause in Dogs.

We are appalled to see Sugar in a dog food.

Also, Artifical Color should NOT be used in Pet food...Some are banned in many countries because of cancer causes..

We do not recommend this product!

WELL, I GUESS NOT!!!    To eat the beautiful bag would have to be healthier then what's inside...   ;)     Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Sorry...I blew it!  You said Pedigree & I was still thinking about Beneful....
It doesn't matter.....Pedigree is the same!  Actually worse, as they have added BHT & Ethoxyquin to the mix......I'll be back with some suggestions soon....I'm trying to figure out which are the easiest to find.....Karla

[lab_labra2]

My gawd misfit please use simple general language :P

i hav started maaking her eat vegs since i read ur post.

i had cornered wheat corn meat etc etc .

YEa tell me is that right ..n what about eggs

[Misfits4Me]

Labra...Your dog cannot thrive without protein (Meat)..Who told you to not let her have any? And don't feed radishes.....Your puppy needs a complete, nutritional, high quality Puppy food....It is very important during her growing stage!  

The info. I'm sending is suppose to help this lady make a decision about a higher quality food for her sick dog....I'm not telling her what to feed, but offering help so she can see what NOT to feed.....Your welcome to follow....

I know you don't live in the U.S. so I don't know what's available to you.....The web pages I posted have plenty of info. on how to go out and find a High quality food (No matter where you live).

It would be in your dogs best interest to find a ready made food, as they are more nutritionally complete.......The way you are feeding is not......

If you want to feed her a cereal meal, then give her oatmeal (Cooked). It's full of nutrients....Yes, you can add a little milk to it if it doesn't cause any digestive upset.....Yes, she can have an egg (Cooked), Brown rice and Vegetables (Carrots, green beans, peas, squash, pumpkin, etc. Not radishes).....NO onions! She can have chopped apples, cantelope, watermelon, bananas, berries,etc.  She can have any of these things added to her DOGFOOD!!!  
          
You have a growing puppy that needs to be fed correctly, starting today.....Karla

[lab_labra2]

ty:)

m adding more organic products in my pups food that the comercial food

i gave her oatmeal n some vegs u mentioned

hope she will not get any problems n will live like 25-30 years on this diet

(i read it in dogfoodproject :x )

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Champ...How you doing?
Here's some suggestions:

My choice would be "Wellness Core". This is an excellent food, but also easier to find, is why I chose this one...
ALL Wellness Products are wonderful...The Core line is the grain free...They also just came out with a line of "Canned Stews" that look fabulous! 3 of them are grain free...If you've never let your dog have canned food, you must....The extra water in canned food helps to flush out toxins in the system...Kidneys.

There are two choices of Core (Dry)...One is the Ocean Recipe. Here's the ingredients:

Whitefish, Whitefish Meal, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Pea Fiber, Tomato Pomace, Natural Fish Flavor, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Choline Chloride, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product

Opps...I lost my original recipe.... I'll have to come back......Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Part 2 Cont.  
Sorry bout that..This is the original recipe:

Deboned Turkey, Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potato, Tomato Pomace, Natural Chicken Flavor, Canola Oil, Chicken Liver, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins & Minerals, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Products, Rosemary Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product

Now, look at these ingredients..See that there are 4 meats listed first? That's what you want in a food.....Doesn't this look better than what he's been eating?

Wellness Petfoods are sold at PETCO....Do you have one in your area?
If you only have a PETSMART, the ONLY food worth buying there is called "Blue Buffalo".   The package has the title "BLUE" on it....It's also an excellent food. Remember, NO other food there....
Petsmart was suppose to also start carrying "Wellness" as of August. I have read that that did not transpire...

Other foods to look for if you have to search:
Nature's Variety Instinct (The Instinct line is the grain-free)
Orijen
Innova Evo
Taste of The Wild

None of these can be found at a grocery store or discount center....The foods they sell are NOT the ones you want for your dog..

OK, Now for supplements:
He needs an "Omega 3" fatty acid supplement... Salmon oil is my choice...Can be purchased at a pet shop...If you can't do that, Any Pharmacy will have a fish oil supplement...Buy the human ones and give to him...It will read, Omega 3, Fish Oil on the bottle....

How much does he weigh? Up to 20 lbs. - 1/4 of human dose, Up to 50lbs. - 1/2 of human dose, etc. Open the capsule and squeeze it on his food.

Also, He needs a Probiotic (Good Bacteria for his digestive system). Will also help his fungus problems....Purchase at a health food store. (It will be in the refrigerated section). Only get one that is kept cold....Don't buy one off the shelf anywhere...Every place sells them...The dose is the same as above...

I believe I'm done...I bet your glad, huh?  Actually, I'll probably think of something else later..  ;)   Let me know if you have any questions.....Good luck....You won't believe the change that proper nutrition is going to make in your furkid......He will be so excited!!!  Karla

[lab_labra2]

i give her now daily

morning -oatmeal, egg , some vegs + diluted milk ..all mixed up

evening- diluted milk + vegs


night - oatmeal,pedigree,vegs ,fruits +diluted milk  


all bowl full ...


thanx to you karla my pup was really missing all these things :)

[lab_labra2]

i will b adding deboned chiken n potatoes to her feed soon !