12 yr old Toy Poodle Skin Age Sores, Collapsing Trachea, Vitamins

Question
My baby is a 12 year old toy poodle named Candy.  She is 4.4 lbs and is a white toy poodle with pink skin and is the love of my life.  Candy is 12 years old this year, I'm her 5th and final mommy.  I've had her for 3 years so far.  Her original mommy didn't know any better and fed her chocolate for 5 years.  And another family had to get her surgery something equivalent to a hysterectomy, and had to have gum surgery as well as having a few of her teeth surgically removed from her.  She also at one time had received rabies shot which left a large patch of skin which doesn't grow hair right under her right arm.  

Last year I had to have one of Candy's vets, Dr. Carmen, surgically remove 11 of her remaining teeth.  She's still got enough teeth to eat her organic Nutra Senior dog food.  But about 6 months ago she got all woozy in our living room, rocked side to side for a couple of seconds, then sort of in slow motion collapsed onto her side.  I held her, and she was okay, but I got scared to death thinking I had lost her.  I have been feeding her Dr. Fosters and Smith's senior vitamins on a daily basis, along with Enacard meds for her enlarged heart.  Due to her collapsing trachea (which Dr. Larson showed me on her xrays) Candy also wheezes, like she has asthma, quite often.  Candy's vets also did a full bloodwork on her last year and all was well.  So, my questions are:
1. The Enacard tablets don't seem to work that much for the wheezing anymore even with the increased dosage since it's been a year that she's started on them, should I ask the vet to change the heart meds?
2. Candy now has age spots, the gluconutrients that I've been giving her on a daily basis for 2 years got rid of them, but it no longer seem to work now.  Her age spots on her bottom lower areas seem to look like dark reddish sores, and some of them become open sores or they kind of are bumpy.  Is there anything at all I can do or give to Candy to get rid of those? Candy doesn't seem to be afflicted by the sores, but they look bad on her delicate skin.  
3. What made her woozy and collapse like that?  It definitely didn't seem like a heart attack.  And she wasn't wheezing at the time.  
 
As far as everything else is concerned, Candy displays the other poodle obsessions listed in the other parents' comments, like licking things compulsively, licking/sniffing the air constantly, clawing at the carpet, and sometimes anxiety peeing.

Answer
Hello There Bomin and Candy,
You and Candy sound perfect together and you both seem happy, which is good.  
Some of the things I can help you with, the others (such as the Medical ones, I will have to leave to a Vet.  You can find Vets on this Ask site that may be able to help you better).

--she got all woozy in our living room, rocked side to side for a couple of seconds, then sort of in slow motion collapsed onto her side--.  This sounds like a Seizure to me.  There is nothing to be done except to make her comfortable and talk her through them when she has one.  A Vet can't diagnose a Seizure unless your dog is having one during a vet visit and he can get samples then and there and measure her brain activity to make a true diagnosis.  She could also have passed out temporally from poor blood circulation due to her heart.

--Due to her collapsing trachea (which Dr. Larson showed me on her X-rays) Candy also wheezes--.  For her wheezes, when walking Candy, I would use a harness around her stomach rather than a collar and keep her free of a collar in the house (which you most likely do, but I thought I would mention it)

--The Enacard tablets don't seem to work that much for the wheezing anymore even with the increased dosage since it's been a year that she's started on them, should I ask the vet to change the heart meds?--.  I would ask the Vet if it was wise to change the heart meds or stay on them.  Even if they don't seem to be working, she could just be getting worse and the pills are keeping her from wheezing more.  You might do a trial where you take her off them to see if she wheezes more or the same, but again, I would ask the Vet first.

--Candy now has age spots...some of them become open sores or they kind of are bumpy--.Here is a diet that you might try feeding Candy along with her regular diet.  You might print the diet out first and take a copy in to your Vet to make sure that all the foods will be good for Candy, but they should help her skin and coat because of the Vitamins and Minerals in it.  It is a diet for people to help regrow hair and condition the scalp, but I modified it to fit a dogs diet.  You can make alterations to the amount of ingredients because Candy is so small and this diet is designed for a large dog.  I would half the recipe.  

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Taking omega-3 has proven to be good for your health in many different areas, but it also aids in feeding hair roots. Think of it as fertilizer so to speak. Your scalp will also benefit from omega-3. You'll find gel caps of omega-3 wherever vitamins are sold. They make an excellent supplement. Natural sources that provide omega-3 fatty acids include Tuna, Sardines and Salmon.

Protein
Your hair is made up in a large part, from protein. So, in order to continue having a healthy head of hair, you need to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, brown rice, and other foods containing protein. This will go a long way in preventing your hair from falling out.
Cysteine
A big ingredient of protein is the amino acid, cysteine. It does good things for your hair, as well as detoxify your entire body. You can get cysteine from eating foods such as nuts, onions, meat, fish, egg yolks, and even garlic.

Vitamin A and C
Both of these important vitamins can help in preventing hair loss. They can be found in green vegetables, fruits, carrots, broccoli as well as melons.

Vitamin B
All of your B complex vitamins can aid in growing hair and keeping it healthy. You can find vitamin B in milk, meats, and some fish.
All of these vitamins and minerals can be found in different foods, but you can also take them in pill form. By using a combination of both you may discover that hair loss is becoming a thing of the past.

Your best bet would be to make up a "topping" for your dogs dry kibble that consists of:
1 lb Hamburger or Turkey Burger (70-30 because of higher fat content)
1/2 lb Spinach
1/2 lb Broccoli
1 can Sardines in Olive Oil (use the oil of the sardines and blend it with the Spinach and Broccoli to make a juice
2 eggs scrambled
1 Apple Blended (or you can use 1/2 cup of Applesauce)
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked using chicken broth for better flavor
1 grated carrot
1/2 package of Knox unflavored Gelatin will also help as it contains Keratin, which is what hair and nails are made out of.

Mix these ingredients together and add to your dogs food.  She will most likely love it and think she is getting a treat.  This mixture should last you about a week in a sealed container.  If your dog isn't interested in eating this mixture, try lowering the amount of or removing the greens.  Some dogs don't like the taste.
You can add a Tbs of Cottage Cheese every other day to help if your Vet says its ok for her to have dairy.  If you let the mixture sit on your dogs food for at least 30 min, it will soften her dry food making it easier for her to eat it.

--
 Candy displays the other poodle obsessions...like licking things compulsively--.  You can buy a product called Bitter Apple for dogs who lick things.  It has a bitter taste that dogs don't like and will help stop them from doing damage to the things they are licking.  Your Local Pet Store should carry it, or you can go to http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635337&sourceid=1500000000...
and find it there.  

As for the other things she does, that is just Poodles and there is little that can be done to stop her from the sniffing, clawing, and peeing.

I commend you for taking Candy and finally giving her the forever home that she was looking for.  Good for you.  
I hope this information will help you to help your little baby girl.  If you have other questions, please feel free to ask me.  I am always willing to help anyone who asks for it.  

Go ahead and ask either your Vet or one of the Vets on this site, (go to Animals/Pets, then click on Veterinary Medicine, then Dogs) about the Heart Medication change.  

I also believe in the power of Prayer for pets.  If you would like prayer from people all over the country to pray for Candy, please visit this website at http://prayersforpe ts.org and sign up.   It won't hurt and it can only help your Candy girl.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com and God Bless you and your Girl,
Kim