After a couple of months on Raw Meaty Bones....

[Trudy Harlow]

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this follow-on to my blog about switching Paddy to RMB.

It's been a mixed bag, but mostly good.  He still has some itching -- although, prior to all the trees bursting into bloom here (and my starting to sneeze continuously), his itching was markedly reduced.  In fact, it had all but disappeared.  With the tree pollen -- which he did not react to on the allergy test we had done last year -- he is itching a lot, especially on his face, and he has his first ear infection in months.  As I said someplace earlier, RMB is not going to help with inhaled allergies except (I hope) by strengthening his immune system so he can deal with them better. Still, last year it was not so obvious that he was allergic to the trees because he was already so itchy.

I have learned that Paddy is still not wild about white meat, but he loves beef (of course, the most expensive stuff!) and, after that, pork.  I've learned that I can just toss him his seal-oil (Omega 3) pills and he'll eat them right down.  He loves tuna out of a can, but feeding that is not my preference; I'd rather feed raw.  This coming week, I'll give him his first beef liver, but only a tiny amount, especially because he's on meds.  He loves chicken livers, so I hope he'll like the beef even better.

Unfortunately for him right now, the medicine for his yeasty ear has caused his stomach to be a little upset, so he is not eating well.  I'm sorta thinking this may be the last time I put him on this anti-fungal.  It's a terrible cycle because I have to give it with food but at the same time, it kills his appetite.

Still, he remains a happy boy and when he desires to eat, he adores, adores, chomping on his meaty bones.  His coat is lovely, his teeth are sparkling white, and his shape is perfect, which it's always been.  The hair on his feet, which used to be mahogany brown, is now nice and cream-colored, like the rest of him.  The discolored streaks in the beard around his mouth are gone.  He continues to have lots of cheerful energy.  I love watching him eat, especially when it's chicken and I can hear him crunching the bones.

More to come as we find our way through the allergies and find balance in the diet...

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Trudy, you will feel soooo much better once you find the right dermatologist and get this test done. The results are amazing. I have been able to pin point Winston's allergies and even before I take the step of doing the shots, I'm able to eliminate some of the things he's reacting to as best I can. I can't wait to the day when his paws are normal colour. That will be a day to celebrate (maybe even with a raw meaty bone)!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Karen, good points. And Trudy, balancing the immune system to combat allergies sounds, I am sorry to say, like hokum to me.

[F, Calla & Luca]

No I didn't pluck the poodle's ears. I don't pluck the doodles ears either but they are much less hairy.

[Trudy Harlow]

Yes, yes, Karen, I know that.  "Strengthening" doesn't necessarily always apply to weakness; it can apply also to disorderedness (if that's a word)...Maybe "achieving balance" would be a better way of describing what I'm trying to say.  But maybe not.  Anyway.

We probably will do the skin test at some point (maybe sooner rather than later).  Just got to get us a referral to a veterinary allergist.  I don't want to keep putting my sweet pup through all this.  Thanks for continuing to recommend this to me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The thing about allergies is that they aren't the result of a "weak" immune system, but rather one that is overactive. The immune system consists of very specific cells within the circulatory system, and for whatever reason, they have decided that some usually harmless substance (dust mites, tree pollen, etc) is dangerous and have developed antibodies against these particular allergens. These antibodies are very specific. For example, my Jack is allergic to maple pollen, but no other tree pollens. When he was allergy tested using the skin scratch method, which is much much more accurate than the blood testing that Paddy had, there was no reaction to oak tree pollen, willow tree pollen, etc. but when they injected the maple pollen, boom! an immediate histamine response. Every type of allergen has a very specific arrangement of proteins that the body reads, and can identify. On a cellular level, maple pollen "looks" very different from ragweed pollen or fescue grass pollen. The allergic responses are very specific, and once those antibodies exist, they're there for good. So even if any kind of food or diet change could "strengthen" the immune system in general, which to me might mean make it better able to withstand an infection or contagious disease, it can't do a thing to make those antibodies disappear.

I just asked again last week about blood testing for food allergies, and said that I would pay the $500 even if it wasn't effective, and Jack's specialist won't even do it because it so inaccurate. That may be why Paddy's serum testing didn't show a reaction to tree pollen. When you do the skin testing, you can see each response right there on the skin. So if you're considering immunotherapy, a good dermatology specialist will probably insist on skin testing, so that the exact right allergens can be determined in order to formulate the right antigens for each individual dog.

[Trudy Harlow]

So much to respond to! 

First, Sherri:  Yes, I am considering the allergy shots.  That's next.  As I have said repeatedly, I don't consider diet to be the cure-all for allergies, but I do believe that it can help strengthen his immune system in general, which in turn can help with the allergies.  Obviously, diet is not going to cure an inhaled allergy.  I am no longer experimenting with raw diets; I have made the move and will stay with it.  I frankly didn't notice when the discoloration on his feet cleared up...I was just looking at him one day and it was...gone!

F: When I finish this course of treatment, that's it (as I said above).  I have other things to try, if needed, and will do them.  The vet already gave me Malacetic Ultra to clean his ears with.  I am assuming you did not pluck your son's poodle's ears?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Have you considered doing immunotherapy allergy shots? I'm planning on starting this soon with my Winston as he has a ton of inhalent allergies too and no amount of diet change can really cure that. I know the shots have about a 75% success rate so I fell like it is a more sure bet than experimenting with raw diets. My veterinary dermatologist doesn't recommend a raw diet as means to treat allergies. Not saying the bones are bad, I'm sure he loves them, just don't know if they are the most effective treatment for the allergies.

 

I'm curious that you said the discoloration on his feet cleared up. How long did that take to happen? Wouldn't the discoloured fur need to fully grow out and be clipped or does the affected fur change back in colour? Winston's feet are a mahogany colour too, as is his bum area, and the creases of his legs...

[F, Calla & Luca]

I do think the systemic antifungal is a bit of overkill and I'd wonder if it even really helps the infection. I just put the spout of the cleaner in the ear canal and try to get it in the opening of the canal itself. I use Malacetic Otic.Tugging a little on the ear flap may help straighten the canal a bit. But gravity alone will get the fluid to the base. If you've got it right you should hear squishing when you massage the base. Then I use small cotton squares to wipe out as much as I can. My sons poodle had awful ear infections. When the dog came here I insisted that we clean his ears regularly. My son did this because I could not bring myself to pluck his ear hair. But I think regular cleaning alone may have kept infections at bay. At any rate he never got infections thereafter.

[Trudy Harlow]

F, he is on the systemic antifungal -- as well as ear drops -- because he has extremely furry ears, all the way down deep into his ear canal, and it's nearly impossible to consistently get the drops way in there.  The vet plucks and does ear washes, but at home, the drops are hard to get all the way down.  Because he has had chronic yeast in the ear since he was a pup, the antifungal seemed like a good idea.  This is his second bout with the antifungal, and it will be his last because it's just not good for him overall.  After this, we'll try some other remedies if the ear infections return.

My vet agrees with me that it's a mixed bag re ear plucking.  If you don't do it, it allows the perfect breeding ground for the yeast.  If you do pluck regularly, you are irritating the ear canal, creating a good environment for infection.  Darned if you do, darned if you don't.  What I do need to do is watch him more carefully and start treatment the moment I see him scratching his face, not wait for it to become constant.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am curious. Your dog is on a systemic antifungal for his ears? Because I would surely think he would be on ear drops and that should not affect his stomach. This is a bit confusing.