Dog Itching and Yeast

Hello I have a 7 year old miniature schnauzer named chynna she itches every waking moment she has been on allergies shots for the last 3 years and has to take cephalexin or simplicef with the shots.. I decided she has to have a better way of treating her severe allergies. i changed her diet 3 weeks ago to wellness core food and she gets either tuna or halo organic food with it she receives 1 time a day 1 cup of food and1/4 cup of wet food. she doesn't like the wellness much and 3 treats of wellness apples, yogurt and banana treats which she does like .Chynna's scratches all the time shakes her head or body, eye discharge and licking of the feet 2 days ago (which i feel will get infected because she has done this before). I started her on your skin regiment 1 week ago today 10/7/09. right now a consult is out due to money. i am a single parent trying to care for her 4 legged child as well. The allergies shots cost so much i know there has to be a better way.i gave her the last shot she had on 10/10/09 saturday due to she seemed to be in agony. I do not know what to do . i feel at a lost she also received a bath with sulfur and tar which helps for a shot time please help us ...
Thank you Candace

Hi Candace,
Sorry Chyna is suffering so much. There is a lot we can do to help you. The diet you are using is not appropriate--it was too high in carbohydrates. Sounds like your dog has yeast. Immediately stop giving her treats scuh sa bananas and apples--too sweet and be sure she is not getting grains. Please order the Dog Yeast Formula and Probiotic to go along with the Dog Skin Package (you already ordered). Please see earlier post about yeast.

Tessie's 1 year anniversary of her passing

Today, October 11, is the 1 year passing since Tessie died from hemangiosarcoma. I was so devastated a year ago especially because of all that happened during the last week of her life. Since then many clients have come to me with dogs that have hemangiosarcoma and I always feel an especially deep bond with them as this is such an aggressive, insidious form of cancer. Tessie had such a tragic life as an abused puppy mill dog and it makes me so sad to know this was what took her down.

Tessie brought so much joy into our lives and helped me so much with my practice. She had been abused for most of her life, had no front teeth (metal bits still left) from chewing on her cage. Her story and incredible transformation is seen in this brief video http://www.naturesvariety.com/rotation_video

Tessie had been thrown over a 6 foot fence into the Santa Maria Shelter. She was transported with another dog to Ariel Rescue. I fostered her initially following the death of my beloved Ariel. She had a lot of emotional and aggression issues so it wasn't easy to bond with her. But over time, she became my "copilot" and went everywhere with me. She taught me so much about life and how finding peace. Her greatest joy was sitting out back under the palm tree and cruising through the many bushes and woods by our home. Two days before she died, she was so sick with fluid in her belly (ascites fluid) and fluid had collected around her heart. Still, she marched triumphantly to the top of a wooded hill to say one last goodbye to her playground.

She was such a loyal friend and so brave. We had to have her abdomen drained several times because of the ascites. She went through so much at the end and I am happy to say that on her very last day, she ate for me, took a beautiful walk and then within hours we lost our beautiful girl. Tessie, we will love you forever and miss you everyday. Thank you for coming into our lives--we will never forget you!

Dog Inflammatory Bowel Disease--Please watch our funny video and vote for Bleu

Weight-loss Tips to Help Overweight Golden Retriever Trim Down

Dear Ariel,
I have a 3 year old Golden Retriever, Oliver. He weighs about 115 lbs. He is a very tall Golden. However, his weight troubles me. I want him to live a long and enjoyable life. for most of his young life he has eaten 1 can of Wellness Turkey and 1 can of the same in the evening. He is given a 8-12 in. 'bully stick' after dinner. He has a Greenie sometime during the day. His 'treats' are blueberries and raspberries and carrots. He does not eat a lot of these.
His exercise regimen includes an hour long brisk walk in a park. Sometimes, he gets 2 walks a day, but mostly just 1. He is the only dog I have. He'll romp with my cat during the day for a bit of time.
Because of my concern over his weight, I recently changed his diet to: 1 cup of lite dry Wellness and 1/2 can of Wellness turkey in the a.m. and 1/2 of dry and 1/2 of wet in the p.m. I haven't seen any significant change since doing this. However, I have not weighed him. He has had his thyroid checked in the past and it was normal.
Do you have any advice for me?
Frustrated,
Annette


Hi Annette,

Good for you for trying to help Oliver! This is a commendable effort and you can definitely help him. I have seen miracle stories of dogs losing significant amounts of weight from concerned pet owners and I know you can do it! The first thing you do need to recognize is that while his food quantity may not seem like much to you, he has been substantially overfed. In order for him to weigh 115 pounds, this weight has accumulated over time from continual overfeeding. Yes, it is true that we can increase his metabolism using Vitality NOW! and Pet Liver Rescue but excess weight can only be eliminated by reducing his caloric intake and increasing his exercise. It is good that you are questioning what to do for Oliver, and ideally, I can assist you best in a telephone consultation where we can go into a lot more detail.

In terms of his overall consumption of food, you need to take a serious look at what other food items Oliver may be getting-- from other family members, going through the trash, jumping on counters, getting treats from neighbors and relatives. The first thing to do is for you to take control of the situation and honestly assess all the food that might be going into Oliver. When families do this, they often find that there are a lot of "missing links" they didn't anticipate such as improper measuring of the food or little treats that add up to full meals. Also, it is important to remember that while one dog may be able to eat 4 cups of food at 100 pounds, another one may have a much slower metabolism and only be able to eat 2 without gaining weight (just like with people!!!).

You need to be very careful about the treats. For example, bully sticks should be intended as an OCCASIONAL (not an every day) treat--1 12 inch bully stick is calorically the same amount as 3/4 can of dog food! And if you are giving him a greenie too, well that is also like another 1/2 meal.....One large dog biscuit can be over 100 calories!

Here is a diet you can try:
Oliver needs a high protein diet so that he feels satisfied. Try Natures Variety raw frozen venison or rabbit medallions. Give him 6 medallions twice a day along with 1/3 cup canned pumpkin + 1 cup steamed green beans or zucchinni per meal. You should also use 1 teaspoon Amazing Omegas per meal to help balance out his diet and to help his coat. Most overweight dogs and people are actually deficient in essential fatty acids (Omega 3s) and many Golden Retrievers have bad allergies. The Amazing Omegas has some calories but these calories are very important for his health and will help him stay on the diet.

You can give him 1 4-inch bully stick every few days and replace the treats with either 1-2 baby carrots or 1/4 sliced apple. No more greenies! Try the supplements mentioned above--Pet Liver Rescue and Vitality NOW! to help speed up his metabolism. They may seem like "supplements" but really, at this point with his weight, they are critical. Why? Because excess weight doesn't just affect his body frame..it collects around the organs as well. For example, Daisy, the 118 pound Labrador that Ariel Rescue trimmed down to 73 pounds was finally able to be spayed and when the veterinarian removed her uterus, he also removed 5 POUNDS of fat around it!!!! The Pet Liver Rescue will help clear toxins from his liver while the Vitality NOW! will help burn up the fat around his heart and other organs. If he weighs 115 pounds, chances are he is at least 20 -25 pounds overweight and has already accumulated fat around his organs.....

So, give these suggestions a try and if you need further assistance, please note in-person and telephone consultations are available to help you at: http://www.AskAriel.com.

Dog Dandruff---Dog Has Flaky Skin

Oh no, this page has meow-ved!

Visit the new page here: https://www.askariel.com/natural-remedies-for-dog-and-cat-dandruff-s/1938.htm.

Holistic Care for Kitten with Eye Discharge and Chronic Infection, Immune Weakness

Q: My ten month old kitten is suffering from eye redness and green discharge from both eyes. His vet treated him with Terramicyn ointment. This started
late june 09, he gets well for one week then gets it back all over again.
Any suggestions?

Answer from Susan Blake Davis, Pet Nutritionist: The green discharge and eye redness is a sign of chronic infection. Your poor kitten has a weak immune system and you need to help him rebuild his health using improved diet and supplements. First, take a look at what you are feeding and try to use a good quality food that is free of byproducts and grains. Use a holistic brand such as Natures Variety, Primal, Wellness or Innova. Next, you need to use some supplements to help your kitten repair his immune system: Samento, Notatum, Power Probiotic, available on http://www.askariel.com/ are all good choices to start with and are easy to administer to cats.

Cats with Interstitial Cystitis--Blood in Urine

Dear Dr Gordon: I am having a real problem with my cat. She is a 4 year old, spayed female calico cat. I adopted her later in life from one of my co-workers and she has always been a little stand offish. Lately, she has started to urinate outside the litter box and there is a small amount of blood in the urine. I have tried everything to discourage this. I have changed the litter. I have purchased an additional litter box. I have even contemplated letting her go outside during the day because she used to be an outdoor cat and now is completely confined to the indoors. She has been to the doctor several times and the doctor is able to give medication to stop the bleeding and accidents, but it always seems to return. What is your take on this? TR

Dr. David Gordon, Holistic Veterinarian: Well my answer is going to come as quite a surprise to the majority of readers of this column and even to some veterinary old timers.

There are many things that potentially could cause bloody urine in your cat, and those should definitely be ruled out before proceeding. These include stones in the bladder, crystal plugs, bacterial infection, and congenital defects of the urinary system (like a persistent urachal remnant). But, given the age of the cat and the living circumstances, there is an excellent chance none of the potential causes listed above is the culprit. In fact, less that 1% of cats in this age group have bloody urine due to infection.

Well, if infection was not at fault, what was causing the bloody urine. Many hypotheses came forth by veterinary researchers in the field. Some doctors thought there was some mysterious viral disease that caused most of these cats to develop bloody urine. Others thought these cats must have some sensitivity to something in the environment, and this type of allergic reaction was causing the bloody urine. But we now know that these cats are not getting better because the antibiotics are making them better. It is true that veterinarians have been prescribing antibiotics and doing urine cultures on these cats for years and the cats invariably got better. The latest information reveals that the cats were getting better despite being put on the antibiotics.

We now know that most of these cats suffer from a malady that many women suffer from, called interstitial cystitis. By examining the interior of the bladder wall of affected cats, it was discovered that there were focal points of hemorrhage that mirrored what was being seen in these women suffering from a similar syndrome. Not only that, but the bladder wall was extremely inflamed.

The current theory is that STRESS is the underlying factor in the cat’s interstitial cystitis problem. Stress perceived by the cat causes the release of neurotransmitters that adversely affect different organs. In susceptible cats, this organ is the bladder wall. Once inflammation sets in, the bladder wall, in essence, loses its’ integrity and there is leakage of urine within the layers of the bladder wall itself. Urine is a very irritating substance, and the leakage of this urine further perpetuates the inflammation and leads to focal areas of hemorrhage.

Cats suffering from this syndrome have frequent attempts to pass urine, and this is invariably bloody. These cats are very painful and most women that have interstitial cystitis will attest to that. Cats may associate this pain with their litter boxes and could be urinating outside the box because they are associating the litter box with pain.

It makes sense then that to treat interstitial cystitis in women and cats, that the patient should respond to anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and analgesic medications. That is, in fact, the types of treatment that has been shown to be the most effective. Some cats will have repeated episodes of this over the course of their lifetimes but usually relief and amelioration of symptoms will occur with the above mentioned medications. 

How can we prevent this from occurring in susceptible cats? Provide many litter boxes and clean them daily in addition to trying to eliminate stress. That is easier said, than done because each cat is probably being stressed out by his or her own individual circumstances. Is it the neighbors loud rock and roll band? Is it the construction going on outside? Is it the neighbor’s barking dog? Are outdoor cats that your indoor cat can see teasing?

Some veterinarians also hypothesize that there is a certain group of cats that feel frustrated, unfulfilled, and downright bored with their sedentary lifestyles that we offer. Providing these cats with play time and stimulating their hunting and predatory instincts can help alleviate their frustration and boredom.

Patience and understanding is the key to living with these cats.

Author:  Dr. David Gordon, Holistic Veterinarian

Arch Beach Veterinary Clinic