My 11 year old toy poodle...

Question
My 11 year old toy poodle is 11 pounds and black.  She is losing her hair, scratches herself and licks herself very much of the time.  We've bought special shampoo, food, vitamins, and a spray to help the itching.  Nothing helps.  We saw a vet a few months ago and he put her on benedryl and ID dog food for a while.  She improved for a while but is now worse.  We took her to a different vet yesterday and she thought it might be food allergies.  We have to get ZD for her and absolutely nothing else.  Since she loves frozen yogurt and Milk bone dog biscuits and doesn't like dog food without a small amount of chicken (without any seasoning) this may not work.  Do you have any other ideas?  Thank you very much.
                Lois Foley
                keyfoley@aol.com  

Answer
Hello Lois -

Your pet has a very common and yet difficult to pinpoint and diagnose condition.

Here are suggestions that may help. First, try changing the diet to an all natural food. Most foods puchased at the store (and from a vet) are full of chemicals, by-products and preservatives which a lot of pets are allergic to. I use the brand Nutro and it has worked very well with my pets. It smells great and they love the taste. Most pets eat it right up because it is an all natural flavor and aroma. I have had great succes with this food, you can find it in most pet stores. I do not recommend the prescription formulas such as Hills' Science Diet as this brand has been known to cause kidney stones and kidney failure in alot of pets. The natural foods are the way to go.

You may want to see what is in the Milk Bone biscuits, she may be allergic to something in it. The yogurt is GREAT and very beneficial, do not take her off of this. Chicken, again, she may have an allergy to chicken. I recommend, stop the Milk Bones and chicken, start a natural food and add a dollup of yogurt on top.

There are many natural "treats". Our pets love them because they get the most natural flavor. We rarely have a problem with the pets getting sick or being uncomfortable. I am sure if you tried a natural treat your pet would eat it because they do smell great.

As far as supplements, here are a few you may want to consider:

Vitamin C in therapeutic doses can act as an antihistamine. It is also felt that the bioflavanoids help in boosting the immune system work well with vitamin C.

Vitamin E is also an antioxidant, and can have anti-inflammatory properties. It is also good to use topically for minor skin irritations.

Biotin, this B vitamin helps fight allergies, and can be found in eggs or by a pill supplement.

Yucca has cortisone properties without all the nasty side effects. It acts as an anti-inflammatory, which removes the itch and swelling. Yucca Intensive, a yucca tincture, works fast in the dogs system, and is used at one drop per 10 pounds of the dog's body weight.

Essential oils are necessary for good health of your pet's skin and coat, and for immune boosting. Flax seed oil is best purchased at a good health food store, also has anti-inflammatory properties and will help heal skin lesions quickly.

It is good to take good external care of your pet as well. Good shampoos include Pet Botanics Herbal Shampoo, which contains pennyroyal, rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender and horsetail, and Pet Botanic Oatmeal Shampoo which is great for hypersensitive skin. I personally like using Neem Oil Shampoo which is both natural and effective and as some dogs appear to react occasionally to Oatmeal, this is a good one to have on hand.

Tea tree oil is excellent to use as a rinse after bathing. Mix one-half teaspoon to a pint of water, rinse with it, and leave on. It is made from the melaluca tree, and besides being a natural skin softener; it has antibacterial and anti-yeast properties. This is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it for human and animal use. However, do not use Tea Tree Oil on or around cats as it can prove harmful.

You can use Witch Hazel or Apple Cider Vinegar to wash the scratches or inflammed skin lesions. These are anti-septics and help to cleanse and soothe inflammations. AFter cleansed, apply a thin layer of Aloe Vera Gel to the lesion. Its okay if your pet lick it off. Aloe helps heal from the inside out so its still doing its job. Aloe helps to really soothe inflammtions and will reduce the tendency to itch. You should see results within a week to 10 days of the scratches really healing up.

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you would like information on natural and herbal remedies for human and animal concerns please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you. I also offer a catalog of specially formualted remedies which I can send to you as well. Actually, I offer a few skin related products which I think may help your pets scratching. I may also be able to specially formulate something for your pet and her condition. I would be happy to discuss any remedies or her condition further with you, I would like to help.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist