VERY itcy Rat Terrier

Question
My 3 1/2 year old Rat Terrier has very itcy skin. At this point she has chewed her paw pads enough to draw blood and make her limp. Over the last year we have tried the following in conjunction with our integrated vet.... High quality grain free kibble, raw food, home cooked meals, allergy pills, herbal suppliments, antibiotics and organic shampoos. We do not vaccinate her or treat her for fleas. She has been checked by our vet for fleas to confirm. I might see a little improvement and then back to the same behavior. I am beginning to wonder if I just have a neurotic dog. I am at my wits end. I feel like a horrible doggie mom because I can't figure out her condition.
I hope you can point me in the right direction.
Thank you!

Answer
Hi Trina

Thank you for writing to me about your Rat Terrier's allergies.  I sympathize with you about your dog's allergies.  I too have a very allergic dog.  My dog eats only raw with nothing else added in.  I use Stella & Chewy and Instinct, grass fed or wild caught.  I do not think that the allergies are based on food at this point but something else related to her immune system. I wonder if this could be true for your dog as well?

If your dog is very nervous, I would suggest trying three products, TranQuil, Pro-Quiet (both from healthypets.com) and L-Theanine 200 mg 1x a day.  This is what I give to my dog.

I have seen significant improvement (for awhile it was 100% but now it's a bit less) by working with a homeopathic vet.  She's wonderful.  Her name is Michele Yasson and her practice is called Holvet.  She does phone consults.  She really helped my dog make significant progress.

I just ordered a product called Skin-eze sold by Allergic Pet.  I'm hoping that it will be a supportive addition to her protocol.

I would advise that you investigate everything in your home and property that could possibly be an irritant, including dust, mold, any cleaning products other than natural (such as vinegar, peroxide etc) for anything that could be causing your dog's issues.

I would appreciate it if you stayed in touch should you see any progress.  I would be interested in knowing what has worked for you.

I wish you the very best with this issue.  My email is szukidavis@aol.com/

Regards
Shelley Davis