[Dfwgolden]

Hi everyone!

Ok so I have serious question for xx large breed dog owners.
I have a 12 week old male Great Dane puppy.
When we got him he was on Diamond Puppy formula and doing iffy.
We feed ourdogs a grain free rotational diet.
And they have done awesome. However Bane has seemed to decline since we got him.

He’s growing normally and everything however he has had soft stool since day one.
And these past two weeks it’s literally been water/patte.
Two days ago He had to go CONSTANTLY. And just explodes I kid you not it’s like an explosion.
A norm poop just falls even if it’s diarrhea however his blows like a gun. Splashing everywhere.
Including in our new car… Three times within two hours.
And it’s not just a little it’s A LOT.

He’s been on-
Diamond Puppy
Whole Earth Farms
And recently Diamond Naturals Large Breed chicken and rice.
This last food is when he hit his worst.

After two weeks of this I took him off the food sunday afternoon. And only gave him canned pumpkin salt, plain crackers, plain yogurt (live culture) and some probiotic human capsules.

Last night I finly have him some solid food:
Wellness Simple Salmon formula.
This morning he finally pooped and it was solid! But very orange defiantly could tell it was from the pumpkin! Haha!

He has since pooped three more times all of which have been mostly solid but could be better.
Shaped but mushy.

I’m wondering if it’s poultry and the Petco guy recommended it as a way to start into a LID and see if that helps. (The simple)
He had his ears cropped about 3-4 weeks ago and was on antibiotics which could possibly play a roll? And he is down on his probiotics?
He was only on them for a week though and this didn’t start up to water until recently.

He is on dewormer and flea/tick. Sintenal. And has received his last round of puppy shots. No rabies yet.
My dad brought up the possibility of Giardia and Coccidia. Had a fu work up done today he he’s clean as a whistle on his fecal Giardia and blood.
Our vet is a dane breeder herself

Bane is eating and drinking normally and has shown no signs of “illness” he’s just his goofy self as always!

My biggest
Concern however is the fact that if he does do good on wellness simple that we won’t be able to keep him on it.
It’s $68 for 27lbs.
And with him already eating 6 cups a day and is having 4 other dogs.
You get the gist.
I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area and believe it or not my food choices although broad are limited to either $&!+ or high dollar.

We’ve done 4Health and Diamond and Proplan and purina one (which believe it or
Not the weight loss formula did fantastic for out over weight senior golden)

The vet said it’s possible he has a grain and poultry allergy.
Which limits my choices even more as even “duck and oatmeal” formulas contain chicken fat.

I leave for a month long Vacation with Bane to Poplar Bluff Missouri on the 15th white it being so Rural that lowers my availability even more.
Meaning I don’t have time to try a raw diet for him.

I need something that’s no more than $45-$50 a bag that can basically “hold him over” until I get back In 4 weeks.

I’m in need her Hound Dog mom! Lol.

[Amy E]

Thank you for all of your replies. I suspected it wasn’t the Frontline b/c my vet said the same thing, it would be a reaction at the sight of application usually, and that was not the case. And, that had not been the first time I’d put Frontline on him either. Fleas are not a concern in my area, I use Frontline for the tick killing power. Ticks are plentiful here and the ones that carry Lyme disease are too small to be seen, especially on a black dog.

Thanks for the heads up about starchy foods. I’ve been feeding him a lot of raw carrots! I will stop that to see if it helps. He’s already on Eagle Pack Holistic Salmon so I won’t switch foods just yet. He’s now on another round of antibiotics and more antihistamine. I’ll be giving him more frequent medicated baths again as well.

If the problem continues after this round of antibiotics is done, I’ll have to think about eliminating more ingredients. One thing….what are things that will boost his immune system? I fear due to his history he’s got a weak immune system so improving that may be a big key here.

Thanks again.

[USA]

Hi Amy E

It would be relatively simple to figure out if it is the Frontline that did caused Moby’s skin bumps. Stop using it for a while. ALL of the commercial topical’s penetrate the skin to some extent so I would NOT use any flea control that is applied directly to the skin until you have figured this out.

Commercial spot-ons Like Frontline are neurotoxins and I don’t use them at all! They also penetrate the skin by using pretty powerful solvents that scare me!

There is a topic in the forums on Natural Flea Control and you might want to take a look and see if any of the less toxic choices are something you could try.

/forums/topic/natural-flea-prevention/

Good luck and keep us updated!

[USA]

Hi theBCnut

Eucalyptus:
Eucalyptus polybractea is also called Blue Mallee – Highest 1,8-Cineole content. Should be best flea killer. The most camphoraceous smell with a touch of peppermint.
Dives – Different chemical makeup. Probably not as effective for fleas and ticks.
Radiata – High 1,8-Cineole content. Camphor smell with a touch of sweetness.
Globulus – High cineole content. Less camphor like and a little more woody.

The lemon type Eucalyptus called Eucalyptus citriadora has a very high Citronellal content. Camphor smell with lemon mixed in. Great repellent. I prefer Citronella Java for it’s softer lemony scent.

Moroccan Rosemary IS Rosmarinus Officinalis. There are different country of origins for Rosmarinus Officinalis. I like the smell of the Moroccan the best but they all have a high cineole content.

The repellents, Citronella, Lemon Eucalyptus and Geraniol have a very short duration of effectiveness. Less than a day when applied as a spray. The Killers, Clove, Peppermint, Thyme, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Orange, and so on have a duration of a couple of days when applied as a spray.

I can’t believe you don’t like the smell of orange oil OR orange blossoms. They are different smells and I really like both of them!

[USA]

Hi theBCnut

Nice list! I have used most of them except for the birch and the bergamot. My research has led me to these observations:

Geranium – Effective as a repellent mostly because of it’s Geraniol content. Ceylon type Citronella has a higher Geraniol content and is MUCH less expensive.

Eucalyptus – Powerful killer of fleas! Contains 1,8-Cineole. Rosemary has similar qualities (1,8-Cineole) and I use it because it has other ingredients that in combination I think make it a more effective flea killer. I also like the smell better! The Morocco type is my favorite.

Peppermint – Powerful flea killer! I don’t like the smell. It is often used in combination with Rosemary for the synergistic effect.

Clove – Powerful flea killer! I stay away from Clove because of it’s phenol content. Phenol’s are in my opinion pretty toxic and can be very irritating.

Cinnamon – Phenol

Tea tree – I don’t like it because of it’s toxicity. Oils that contain Geraniol have the same antiseptic qualities and they are safer and smell better.

Patchouli – Brings me back to the 60’s! Expensive.

Birch – The sweet version contains primarily Methyl salicylate (the wintergreen smell). Methyl salicylate penetrates the skin and I think it is pretty toxic. It is also a powerful flea killer.
The Tar version contains Cadinene which would put it more in to a Cedar type of oil and would also make it much safer.

Cedar – Powerful flea killer and safe to use!

Lemongrass – Repels and kills. Not as effective as Geraniol but it smells good. The citral version of lemongrass smells divine. Safe.

Bergamot – I would only use a Bergaptene Free version because of Bergaptene’s toxicity. It gets it’s flea killing properties from Limonene which is MUCH cheaper in Orange oil.

Spearmint – I love the smell! It contains limonene AND R-(–)Carvone which is also a flea killer and is what gives spearmint it’s characteristic smell. S-(+)-carvone, smells like and comes from caraway seeds

[Bobby dog]

You have to take everything into consideration. I don’t blame you for using flea preventative on your indoor kitties, they are still able to get them. I still am not sure if I made the right decision because if they do get them, getting rid of them mid season is more difficult, fingers crossed! They are all older (except one) and everytime I see them in the afternoon laying around in the grass, I cringe.

Can’t believe your cat was missing for three weeks! How scary. Nice happy ending though. 😉

[arwyru24]

That is amazing about the fleas. I have to admit that during flea season, I use a preventive on my indoor only cats, and the dog lives at my parents house so he doesn’t come into my home to bring fleas to my cats. I have just been there with the flea infestations, when frontline stopped working a couple years ago and the dog must have brought in fleas and he and our 18 year old house cat were totally infested and it was a nightmare. I was using revolution, and I was glad of it when Wyatt escaped last June and was on the lamb for 3 weeks living in the wilderness. He got out like 2 days before he was due for another dose, so when I finally caught him he was already almost 3 full weeks overdue and there was nary a tick or flea on him. I was impressed. More recently though the last time I applied revolution to Wyatt he got a tiny little patch of missing hair exactly where the revolution was applied so I talked to my vet and I switched to Activyl, which I gave them this last month…it is supposed to be the safest of them all, although it only does fleas not ticks, but hopefully he won’t escape again…anyway, the activyl seemed to give him a burning sensation after I put it on because he seemed like he was trying to run away from it for a few minutes. I don’t know what I am going to do next.

[Bobby dog]

Akari: Love the pic, he’s quite handsome with that new collar and tag!!!

C4c is not the only one who has tasted FreshPet. There was a discussion a few months ago on the FreshPet Select forum and a few posters either tasted it before or decided to give it a try. Yuuuuuuuuuuck, hats off to C4c and anyone else for tasting or eating something that they would feed their pet though! ;0

jake’s mom:
I have been to the HK site and forgot about the samles. I will check it out again. If anyone happens to like it my local pet store sells the recipe recommended by Catinfo that I could pick up easily. And one of the things Bobby is good for is eating any cat food regardless if the cats want it or not. lol I agree, old cats, old habits. Oh well, they are eating much, much, much better food now. I can’t force them to eat what they don’t want to, but they are eating well.

On another subject, my cats who live outdoors have no fleas right now!!!! I actually did not use flea preventative on them this summer. It was a hard decision to make, but I thought I would give it a try. I have some flea stuff (chemicals), DE, and Halo flea dip on hand, haven’t had to use them. I have been flea combing them and have found nothing. I am sooooooo excited about this, eating well makes such a huge difference for our little furry friends. I used to spend an hour and a half flea combing everybody during flea season, don’t miss that. Now I am down to brushing, checking for ticks, and calling it a night.

[Jerri N]

Greetings pacer1978. You will love the north Ga mountains. I have a pet friendly cabin company very near Morganton. I live on a river. It is very, very rare for me to see mosquitoes, I guess the fast moving water and fish take care of that. There are times that our doggie guests will pick up fleas while out and about. They are sharing the same land with all sorts of animals, and we do have chiggers up here. Personally I don’t have my pets on flea prevention and they have no fleas. Don’t slam me… But I don’t have them on heartworm meds either because we had a horrible experience this winter after giving them Trifexis and I haven’t found a heartworm med that I feel comfortable giving to my fur fur babies. I hope that helps, the weather has been WONDERFUL up here.

[theBCnut]

There has been a study that shows it is not a good idea to switch from Milbemycin in midseason, unless you overlap and give the ivermectin at the same time for a month or so. This is because Milbemycin is less effective at killing the earlier larval stages than Ivermectin, but Ivermectin does not kill the later stages as well. That’s also why the Milbemycins are labeled to use for 3 months post season, so here in FL, you need to use both to switch even in winter, because we don’t have 3 months post season, not even 3 weeks.

For anyone thinking of getting Ivomec liquid and dosing your dog yourself. The regular liquid is 1% and even one drop of it is an overdose for most dogs, which can lead, over time, to liver failure. The sheep drench(available at Jeffers dot com among others) is 0.08% so is much easier to dose appropriately.

I use Ivomec(the sheep drench) for heartworm prevention right now. I give garlic and use an essential oil shampoo and I feed 1/2 raw. Mostly I shampoo because they rolled in something, not because of fleas.

If I do have to shampoo for fleas, I wet the dog’s head and shampoo behind the eyes all the way around. This drives any fleas back down onto the body. Then I wet the rest of the dog and shampoo the rest of him. Leaving the shampoo on, I let him go play while I do the next one, and the next one. After I have 3 soapy dogs running around the yard, I call the first one back for a rinse, this gives the nasty little fleas plenty of time to smother in a coating of shampoo. I towel dry the first and put him in the house and start the rinse on the second. That guarantees that the last dog has enough time to kill all of her fleas.

[Akari_32]

I don’t see why it would hurt to switch. Might as well confuse them lol Many people recommend switching active ingredients in flea meds every so often, so I don’t see why it should be any different with mosquitoes and heart worms.

Bobby Dog, I have talked to her a little about heart worm and flea stuff, but I’d have to dig it back up to recall any of it. I’ve done so much looking into it that I don’t know where I got most of the stuff bouncing around in my brain lol

[Bobby dog]

Akari:
Did you ever ask BCn what routine she follows for HW/flea/tick prevention? You both live in the same region. Not sure of the effectiveness of Ivermectin against certain parasites. Maybe look into that, it could help you decide.

[Akari_32]

I live in Florida, too, and I also use Trifexis, and it tweaks me out, as well. The dogs do fine on it, though. I’m going to be trying out Sentinel next for our smallest dog, and Little City Dogs (Program generic made by a kennel owner out of NY) for fleas for the big dogs and cat. I’m still unsure if I want to do ivermectin myself (you can buy it almost anywhere that sells farm stuff), or do pre-dosed pills like HeartGuard or something. There are some cheap versions of HeartGuard I may try on CanadaVet.com (I think that’s the website) depending on the dose they give. I’d like a larger dose since the big dogs are outdoor only ATM….

[Nancy C]

Just a thought: Years ago I read in one of Dr. Pitcairn’s books (I think) that garlic would take care of fleas. I began giving my young Golden one little round garlic capsule from Whole Foods everyday. (Whole foods brand) She has NEVER had a flea. NEVER. I drop it in the the food bowl. Recently I have been reading that garlic is BAD. But then I ‘ve also read that it’s not so bad in small amounts. I have also dropped one capsule in each bowl (supper and breakfast). she is now 10, is very healthy and totally FLEALESS. Hope this helps.

[Harpers Mom]

Harper is on trifexis right now, it works wonders but everytime I give it to her I cringe. We live in Florida where Mosquitos are horrible so I will be keeping her on a heartworm preventative, but only ivermectin not all the extras trifexis has.

I am looking for a natural flea preventative to start using as fleas are terrible here also. I’ve tried the garlic but it only helped minimally. What other natural routes are there? What do y’all use?

[Mom2Cavs]

I used to vaccinate when I went to my regular vet, who btw loves to vaccinate and give steroid shots like crazy. Stella (who is at the bridge now) and my cat Princess definitely had vaccine reactions and this particular vet would just give a steroid shot to help, and then vaccinate the next year. I would even bring up the reactions and he would still insist. Can’t believe I went along with this then, but I was ignorant about vaccinations and flea meds at that time. After a very bad experience at this particular vet and learning a lot more, I finally switched to my holistic vet who does titers, except for Rabies because it is required by law. I’ve been titering now for 3 years and give the Rabies vaccine every 3 years. I do natural flea meds, but I do heartworm (use Tri Heart Plus) around every 35-40 days because we have bad mosquitos here in Ohio. Everyone is doing fine. I will continue to do this with any pet I have from now on.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Cyndi]

I’m never vaccinating my dog either. After all the horror stories I’ve heard and read about. We have to do rabies vaccs here, it’s the law, but other than that, not doing anything else. I use all natural stuff for fleas, but I do use Ivermectin (sp?) for heartworm once every 45 days during mosquito season because they are bad here.

We were just having this discussion on the review side and there’s quite a few people on here that don’t do any vaccinating except for puppy shots…

All I can say is, inform yourself, do research and read, read, read. There are a ton of articles out there proving dogs don’t need vaccines every year or really ever, after their first puppy shots.

[Susan]

Hi Suburban Gal, I too dont believe in Vaccinating after 2years old, Heartworming or Flea products,
I rescued Patch about 19months ago, when a dog is rescued from a pound, we are given 1 worm tablet or 2 depends on their weight, 1 flea tablet Comfortis which I never used & the next day the rescue dog goes straight to vets for their health check then is desexed & vaccinated, the next day Patch was unwell & was crying after being desexed & vaccinated, so I rung the rescue vet & they said bring him in, they just gave me some pain killers for him & said he must be in pain from being desexed as he was 4 years old & the vet said that his shaft was all bruised around his stitches…..Patch seemed OK the next day but still had hive like lumps all over his body… 1 year forward Patch was due for Vaccination, I took him to his vets & he had the 3 yearly Vaccinations, vet never did his Kennel cough shot as I dont boarded him anywhere, we went home then that night Patch seemed unwell & was real sleepy, so I just let him sleep the next morning Patch was doing what he had done 1 year before when I had just rescued him crying & whinging, he wouldnt eat his breakfast, which is a first for him, so I just let him sleep, I googled about vaccinations & side effects & it looked like he was ill from being vaccinated, I rung his vet she just said keep an eye on him & she wrote in his file reaction when vaccinated, she said that some dogs that have Immune Problems cant be vaccinated…..I dont Heartworm either as 1 vet said the area I live, in his 30years he has never seen a dog have heartworm come from that area & he saw no need as its caught from mosquotos the vet said if I live out the west more 1/2hour away he would recommend he was heartwormed but Patch being an indoor dog there’s no need….when I’d worm Patch he was waking up about 2am wanting to go outside & eat grass then a couple of hours later he’d have diarrhea, no worms were ever in his poos after being wormed, so vet changed Patch to the Milbemax all wormer & I was to only worm him every 6 months instead of every 3 months, the Milbemax didnt have any side effects like the Propanal…. the flea products, Ive only used the Frontline spot on twice with no problems then I changed from Frontline to Advantage spot on as I give my cat the Advantage, the next day after appling the Advantage the day before my daughter came around & said whats wrong with Patches head his left side & left ear was all swollen, his lips were red & swollen & he had hive like lumps all over his body again, like when he was first vaccinated, I rung his vet she said just keep an eye on him as it was nilly 20hrs since I applied the Advantage & they have their worst reaction within 24hrs of apyling, she said that the frontline only penetrates the first layer of skin but the Advantage penetrates thru their skin into their blood, so I wont be using Advantage again.. So after all of these things that have happened with Patch Im not re-vacinating him in 3 years as he’ll be 8years old & I see no need as I think dogs should only be vaccinated the first 2 years of their lives but after 2 years I’d say that they have the antibodies needed to fight any diseases, with the Heartworm I see no need if you have an indoor dog & you dont live in a mosqitoes infessed area, with fleaing Im too scared to try the new Comfortis as its a tablet & may cause stomach problems. I live Australia & we dont have rabies thank-God..
I’d say your friend Sharon has seen alot of these reactions being into rescue especially with older dogs, I think what she’s doing is OK..alot of these rescued older dogs have a past & their health isnt always good…Your friend is doing a really good job for rescueing these oldies & she’s right if they get adopted & the new owners want them vaccinated they can do it, but I see no need, we are not vaccinated every year, so why over vaccinate animals.. Sorry for the book, but I had to explain why Im against Vaccinations after the animals are 2 years old…..

[Suburban Gal]

My mom’s former co-worker and friend, Sharon, has several Shih Tzus. She also does Shih Tzu rescue.

We just found out that Sharon no longer vaccinates her dogs. While she cites age as a reason why (all of her dogs are seniors), that’s only part of it. She says there’s a whole new train of thought about over vaccinating pets and that science shows that most vaccines are good for life or at least 7 years from the time they’re given. She told me about Dr. Schultz of the UW-Madison veterinary school and says he has quite a following. In addition to not vaccinating, she doesn’t give heartworm prevention nor does she do flea and tick prevention either. She says she titers when she can.

Honestly, none of my pets have ever had any problems from vaccinations. While any animal could have an adverse reaction to any vaccine, the probability is small according to many veterinarians.

I also can’t imagine not giving flea and tick prevention. We tried cutting corners once to save some money by not giving that during the winter months and we still had an infestation of fleas which also spread to my uncle’s home when we took the pets to visit him shortly after we stopped giving flea and tick prevention. Never again. My pets get it continuously year round. And I can’t imagine not giving anything to prevent heartworm. That’s not only expensive to treat, but fatal as well.

While I think highly of Sharon and applaud her for engaging in her breed’s rescue efforts, I don’t support her decision to stop vaccinating altogether and titer when she can. Just because someone says you shouldn’t vaccinate doesn’t mean you should stop. Vaccinations are given for a reason and some are required, like rabies, because it’s not only for the greater good of you, as some things are transmissible to owners, and your pet but it’s good for the greater whole of society as well.

This is no different from those who say they’re not going to vaccinate their children.

I find it all very bizarre.

Does anyone here know what I’m talking about? Do you agree? Are pets over vaccinated? Did you stop vaccinating?

[crazy4cats]

Hi pacer1978-
I try to feed my dogs fresh garlic a couple of times a week normally. But, now that it is flea season, I have been giving them a scoop of the Bug Off Garlic from Springtime Supplements every day. So far, so good. I did this last year also and they did not get fleas. As for Heart Worm, I don’t have any recommendations. Have you checked out the dogs naturally magazine or dogaware websites. I’ve gotten a lot of good info from those sites. Good luck and have fun on your vacation!

[pacer1978]

Thank you HDM, you have helped me many times in the past and have always been very helpful. I really didn’t want to put them on anything such as heartguard. Where we live, it would be very unlikely that they would be exposed to heart worm after researching a lot about it in regards to the process of how a dog gets infected. However, since this was a last minute trip, I started to think about it a bit more when I realized that there is a stream in the back yard of the cabin we are renting. It is my understanding that mosquitoes live near water and since it is more “country” from where we live, thought there would be more of a chance of exposure.

I did some research on some natural tick/flea/mosquito repellents for dogs and I will try those.

[pacer1978]

Hello,
My husband and I, including our three babies, will be taking vacation next week to the GA mountains. We will be renting a log cabin and plan on having the dogs mostly outside with us, enjoying the weather. I took my dogs off heart worm and flea/tick preventative medicines after researching side effects with them both having chemicals in them. Should I put them on it for this trip or does anyone else have an alternative/holistic, more natural remedy to ward of fleas and ticks?

Should I be worried about heartworm? We will be in Morganton, GA and the cabin has a stream running through the property. We will be there from 7/2-7/6.
Thanks for any suggestions!

[zcRiley]

ANITA, all this fantastic advice & info, huh? In case you’re overwhelmed, you can also reverse your process of elimination by eliminating everything plus all treats except for the Miracle Pack (start that with tiny tiny increments). My own pooch couldn’t wait for trial & error awhile back, I stopped everything cold turkey. Stopped the shots, the meds, everything. It was cleansing time.

START WITH: Nature’s Variety Instinct Turkey Meal Formula (Dry). It has ONE protein & does NOT contain grain, gluten, potato, dairy, eggs, chicken, beef, or fish (half of which feeds yeast/allergies etc). , just add 1/4 cup of water to your portion for moisture & the correct amount of the Miracle Pack). And absolutely nothing else. No treats. Hard to do? Yes, it is. Will your dogs survive? Yes, they will. Then you graduate to Brothers Complete Advanced Allergy Care dry food. You’ll see the ingredients & know what you just “added”. Then move on to grain free treats only.

No oatmeal anything shampoo (feeds yeast). If medicated shampoos give an allergic reaction, try Aroma Paws Rosemary Tea Tree (Yeast & Bacteria Healing Formula), it’s all natural. There’s a matching spray, too.

Trifexis is the best (fleas). Comfortis is good but not for ticks.

And lots & lots of clean water to drink. Good luck with whatever method you choose!

[Bobby dog]

Hey C4c:
I hope she comes back too! I also hope some or all of this info can help your sister’s or anyone’s dog for that matter. Also, be sure to print out my previous post about DE and the post with the link for using povidone/iodine solution to clear up yeasty skin for your sister. I did not use the pov/io solution because I did not know about it, but that would have definately speeded up the process of killing off the yeast!

It was nice to resolve his issues without harse products. As I wrote, Bobby was healthy other than the flea infestation, flea dermatitis and yeasty skin. I contributed to the problem with bad diet choices. Once the food/treats changed and supplements were added the rest was a little more time consuming, but worth it! I just had to make time to use the olive oil flea dip once a week, give him a bath at least once a week, use the coco oil topically daily, use DE when needed topically, wash his bedding weekly, and vacuum daily. I started this routine last September. Using the olive oil dip wasn’t necessary past October and bathing weekly tapered off in less than a two month span and settled to about 2x/month until about February. And I am a little embarassed to say I have not bathed him since March; I do brush him weekly. He is getting a bath this afternoon because I have some visitors coming tomorrow. lol My persistance to rid him of his feas and yeasty skin paid off because I have so much time to do other things this summer, well I just don’t know what to do with myself!!!! 😉

[Bobby dog]

Hi Anita:
Here are the supplements, foods, and products I used (and still do along with some new additions) to get rid of Bobby’s flea dermatitis and yeasty skin. Olive oil flea dip, Nolvasan shampoo, raw eggs, bone broth, unrefined organic coconut oil, sardines/fish oil, MSM, and DE. Not too complicated or costly! This along with a new diet plan that I began last September helped to restore his health.

Dogs with severe yeast issues more than likely need a carb free diet to starve the yeast; carbs feed yeast and bad bacteria. All kibble has carbs because they require starch to bind the food into a kibble form. Your dogs would probably benefit from a grain free and low carb food preferably with no potato. Bobby’s yeast issues were bad, but it was not necessary to eliminate kibble from his diet. I did feed kibble that had low carbs and I only feed kibble that has average to low carbs now.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

Since September I have fed DFA rated 3-5 star kibble along with DFA rated 3-5 star canned food. After a few months on the new diet, I started alternating canned with fresh foods, dehydrated/freeze dried foods, or frozen commercial raw. By continuing with the supplements, feeding quality food and treats I went into this flea season with a healthy and fresh smelling dog. Fingers crossed no fleas on Bobby and it is rainy and very humid where I live, fleas are in full force.

It is very important not to make too many changes at once; this includes new foods! Start supplements in low doses slowly working towards the desired dose. If everything is okay, add another supplement. As far as shampoos, olive oil flea dip, and applying coco oil topically I used them right away and regularly without any worries because they provided immediate relief and were important for treating the yeast.

For a flea dip I used olive oil (from the grocery store) which has no long lasting effects, just immediate relief for the skin and to kill the fleas without chemicals. I did this outside so I did not have to worry about being tidy. Start under the chin and in the collar area working your way to the back, belly, and leg areas all the way to the tail. With Bobby I would just pour it on then massage it in to be sure his skin and between his toes were coated. His fur is not too thick or long. He loved the massage that came with it not to mention he was not itchy and uncomfortable while it was on him. The fleas pretty much disintegrate. Your dogs’ coats may be heavier than Bobby’s if you decide to try this, be sure to separate the fur, pour a little, and then work it in. I always left it on for an hour letting him run around and play, but you will definitely see their lifeless bodies after a short time so an hour is not necessary. Then I shampooed it off, it is easy to shampoo out; I even use olive oil as a conditioner for my hair.

I bathed Bobby once a week using Nolvalsan shampoo mostly. I always shampooed twice leaving the first application on for at least 10 minutes. I can’t find Nolvasan on-line so they may not make it anymore. Hibiclens or the drug store equivalent has the same ingredients as Nolvalsan. Malasab shampoo is a popular choice and highly recommended by many posters on DFA. I also used EQyss Micro-Tek medicated shampoo when the condition became less severe. You can find Micro-Tek on-line and in some pet stores. With your size of dogs I would look into a large bottle of Malasab shampoo, but in a pinch you could always purchase the Hibiclens or generic equivalent at a drug store.
http://www.drugs.com/vet/malaseb-shampoo.html
http://www.eqyss.com/pet_microtek_shampoo.asp
http://www.vetstreet.com/nolvasan-shampoo

The biotin in eggs is great for the skin and hair. I fed Bobby one raw egg a week. However, he recently decided he no longer likes raw eggs so we have poached eggs on Sundays. He gets a one minute egg and I get a two minute egg. lol
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/02/09/raw-eggs.aspx

I made bone broth and fed it once a week. I still feed him bone broth weekly; Bobby weighs 44 lbs and I feed him ¼ – ½ C of broth.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/reasons-your-dog-love-bone-broth/
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/12/02/pet-bone-broth.aspx

The coconut oil must be organic and unrefined for all the benefits. I fed it 3x/wk as well as used it topically when needed as a soothing and healing salve; I tried feeding it 2x/wk after his skin healed, but found he benefits most eating it 3x/wk. Previously I bought Spectrum brand from Wal-Mart, 14 oz. for $8.99; they were cheaper than my health food store. I recently found organic unrefined coco oil at my BJ’s, 36 oz. for about $10. So if you belong to a price club, look for it there.
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-is-good-for-your-dogs.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_11/features/alternative-treatments-updated_20861-1.html?pg=3
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/InfusedCoconutOil/index.cfm

I started out feeding tinned sardines packed in water once a week, but I failed to keep it in my pantry on a regular basis. So I switched to a fish oil supplement. You can find many good fish oil supplements for dogs on-line and in pet stores. I used CVS 1000 mg fish oil tabs 3x/wk and I still supplement his diet with it. Tinned sardines packed in water would be the healthiest choice. I tried cutting back to 2x/week, but he developed a little dandruff so I am now back to 3x/week.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_12/features/Fats-Chance_20658-1.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_9/features/Fish-Oil-Supplements-For-Dogs_20600-1.html
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/06/13/the-frequently-missing-ingredient-in-your-pet-s-diet-that-could-devastate-their-health.aspx

MSM helped to relieve and heal his itchy skin. MSM has other benefits that may be helpful for your dogs as well. I use only100% pure MSM powder with no fillers or flavorings. You can find pure MSM marketed for dogs on-line and in pet shops.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/msm-raw-fed-dogs/
http://www.vetinfo.com/msm-for-dogs.html
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/msm-for-dogs.html
http://essentials4all.org/100__Pure_MSM.html
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/naturvet_msm.html

I also used DE as a flea powder and for treating his environment. Some posters use garlic to repel fleas. Here’s some info:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/bug-off-garlic-dogs/All-Natural-Dog-Supplements
http://www.enonvalleygarlic.com/About_Garlic.html

Homepage

I was not fully aware of the important benefits of probiotics for our pets. I now feed kefir twice a week to Bobby for the probiotics. This would have made a tremendous difference with the healing process if I had used it during his skin/flea issues; if I only knew!
Probiotic info:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/10/26/advantages-of-using-pet-probiotics.aspx
http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics-for-pets.html
http://www.medicine4animals.com/23/Does-Your-Cat-or-Dog-Suffer-with-Digestive-Problems,-Skin-Problems-or-Poor-Immunity.html
http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html

ABC diet:
This is a download I highly recommend; it is $2.95 and worth every penny! I feed the ABC diet now throughout the week rather than in one meal. This is an easy way to enhance any kibble diet with fresh foods. I found this download after Bobby’s issues were cleared up, but I definitely would have followed it during that time. I believe it would have helped with the healing process.
http://www.seespotlivelonger.com/home/sll/page_41/see_spot_live_longer_the_abc_way___electronic_down.html

I recently started giving Bobby unflavored beef tendon and beef trachea chews. Here’s some healthy treat suggestions:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/02/10/easy-to-make-pet-treats.aspx

[Bobby dog]

Hi Anita:
I will sort through your questions and add some links to the over the counter remedies that I used to completely heal Bobby! Remember, all dogs are different. Bobby had no health issues other than flea dermatitis, flea infestation, bad diet (please remember, anything they eat must be quality ingredients, it really makes a difference), and yeasty skin.

It sounds like you already have been to the Vet and there are no other health issues?

Did the Vet give him a steroid shot for the itching?

I really suggest feeding canned with kibble. Moisture is really important for healthy dogs and especially important for dogs that have some health issues. I always feed kibble with canned or fresh meat lightly cooked, or dehydrated, freeze dried or frozen raw for every meal. If you are going to TSC for DE, check out the 4Health canned dog food. It’s 99 cents/can and DFA rated 4.5 stars. I feed 4Health, Pure Balance from Wal-Mart ($1/can for stews and $1.25/can for 95%), and Earth’s Pride ($8.99/6 pack) from BJ’s as my main canned rotation.

4H DFA review:
/dog-food-reviews/4health-dog-food-canned/

4H TSC link:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&pageSize=&beginIndex=0&searchSource=Q&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=image&searchType=1002&autoSuggestURL=AutoSuggestView%3FcoreName%3DMC_10001_CatalogEntry_en_US%26serverURL%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252ftsc-prod-lb01.crossview.inc%253a3737%252fsolr%252fMC_10001_CatalogEntry_en_US&searchTerm=4health+wet+dog+food

I was wrong; you can buy 20 lbs of food grade DE for $12.99 at TSC. They carry it in the livestock feed section.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/product__10151_-1_10051_2789

Check out the Activyl site to see what they say about bathing your dog. Most products are waterproof, but you never know. The Vet Tech at my Vet’s office gave me info on it, but I never checked it out after I settled on Sentinel because it already had the flea egg killer in it and I want to use as little chemicals as possible.

For treats, stay away from carbs or anything sugary, it will only feed the yeast. I have never fed them, but posters here recommend The Honest Kitchen Beams. I haven’t fed treats from the pet store recently and find many have carbs and starches so I just make very, very small meatballs for Bobby (I freeze them) using 2 lbs of ground beef, an egg or two, fresh garlic, tumeric, and I add fresh basil, cilantro, or parsley if I have it. I also throw in any veggies I have, but if you decided to make something like this I would leave the veggies out for now. You can also slice meat as thin as you can and place the slices in the oven on the lowest temp and cook until they are like a jerky consistency.

It is not unusual for them to try and lick off the coco oil if they like it. It is a wonderful product and is good to feed and apply to skin irritations due to its antiseptic properties. Just try to supervise your pups so it can soak in, it really will make them more comfortable and the fleas don’t like the oil.

Probiotics is an important step to get their immune systems back on track too! Probiotics has helped my cat tremendously. I use plain Kefir or plain greek yogurt right now for him. He has grown hair in places that I thought would never come back! That is another story. I think you will see a tremendous improvement within a week of using probiotics with their coats and skin.

Everything that I used on Bobby you will find at Wal-Mart, drug stores, health food stores, on-line, or pet stores very easily. I will post tomorrow what I used to help Bobby and hopefully something or several things can help your guys as well.

[Anita L]

Thanks for all the info BCNut and BobbyDog!

I will definitely be going to TSC tomorrow for the DE.
Our 55 lb Aussie/Blue Heeler (Gazpacho or Spocho) mix is the one that is having the worst reaction with the fleas (hot spot and hair loss -wise). Doc said she is allergic. He put activyl on her and said don’t bathe her for the next 3 or 4 weeks. But she has no hair on her butt (baboon butt)! He also gave her a shot for the itching. That was Friday and today, Mon, she is itching horribly. So now I am realizing about the house, the yard, the bedding, etc. We do not have carpet (hate it!). Actually we have slab right now due to water damage, ugh! But we do have a rug in the den and a rug in the bedroom. The rug in the den is a shag rug! I am dreading treating it but I know I have to. Any suggestions on this?

Spocho is also 9 years old and has trouble with her hips. The DE sounds like it would help her greatly! I am thinking that I will add it to the other supplements (Miracle Pack) which I give in plain yogurt. They love it!

On the treats, I do have some milk bones, marrow bones and raw hides left. I’m thinking I need to quit being cheap and throw them out. I have done so much research on the food that I haven’t gotten to treats and don’t even know where to start. Suggestions?

On the food, my pups only get kibbles (the quality kind). Now I am wondering if I need to add a canned food (quality kind of course).??????

I will also be picking up the medicated shampoo and the p/i sounds great too. I have coconut oil that I use already (on my skin, my hair, cuts/scrapes, and the list goes on). I tried to put it on Spocho’s butt once and it def seemed to soothe her right away, but a few mins later she was licking it off….is that normal?

I’m also thinking of adding coco oil to their supplements. What would you recommend on this? How much and how often?

Sorry for so many questions. I appreciate any answers!

[Anita L]

I am SO glad I found this convo! I live in AL (I am definitely seeing super fleas…ugh!) and am having the same problem with my 2 dogs. 1 is 55 lb aussie/blue heeler mix and the other is 100 lb lab mix. They are both miserable. I have been using Benedryl to help their itching, knowing its only temporary (and everybody needed some sleep). I have been working on the food and trying to deal with the yeast aspect as well.

So here’s my question:
Akari32, When you say you will be treating your home and yard with DE, what is DE? (probably a dumb question and something I should know, but I am so overwhelmed with all of this right now, I can’t even think of the simplest things). I have really benefited from following your “adventure” and BobbyDog’s helpful suggestions. THANKS to you both!

Also, Zolicylus, I have recently started on the Miracle Pack (one step in the right direction) and this is not the first time I’ve heard about using Brothers Complete Advanced Allergy Care. I have come SO close to buying it but keep holding out. Right now we are using Nutrisca Salmon & Chickpea. I’m seeing a switch in the near future. So THANK YOU!

[Akari_32]

Oooh, I love palmetto bugs! As long as they aren’t on me, or at least 6ft away lol They are pretty fascinating.

Patty, I’ve never seen those cow killer ants you’re talking about. I did see my first Carpenter Bee’s today though! The queen was a good two inches long! Freaky lol Oh! And I’ve seen an Orchid Bee around my ponds a few months ago. Those are gorgeous! I never knew bee’s could be so pretty lol

We do have Black Widows and Brown Recluses, though…… I don’t really like taking out entire populations of bugs around the house (other than fire ants and fleas lol), but with two out door dogs, I absolutely take out any venomous spiders I see in the back yard, with a vengeance.

[theBCnut]

Some Yorkies are born with a liver shunt, which does mean that they have to watch their diet, but I haven’t heard about them, as a breed, developing liver problems later in life. Toxins contribute to liver disease, so keeping the chemical usage in your home as low as possible would help. Milk thistle is known to help detox and support liver health, but don’t use it for a few days after monthly heartworm prevention. Use heartworm prevention and flea meds as little as possible. Give antioxidants and consider making homemade food, so you know the quality of ingredients that go into it.

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I am very jealous of your Wal-Mart experience. I just spent the afternoon there today, lol. First I stopped at my local pet shops for sales and to use my Wellness & Holistic coupons. My fav pet store gave me 10 lbs of samples, yeahhhh! By the time I made it to Wal-Mart I was pretty well stocked up. I did find they had the Beef stew and the Turkey & Chic 95%, which mine normally does not stock; they always have all the chicken recipes. I went through self checkout and forgot to scan my coupons. I had to go to customer service. There was only one employee taking care of a line of five people. Finally she called for help. So I had my fill of Wal-Mart, but I am going to ask someone again next time I go! 🙂

Then I went to TSC to stock up on horse feed, dog and cat food. They sent through a 10% off everything coupon. They were completly wiped out of 4Health for cats, ugggggggh!

Tomorrow I am heading to Pets Supply Plus to use my $5 off $20 coupon. They sent through an e-mail coupon for 1/2 off Cali Nat’l, Evo, or Innova dry dog or cat food. After these shopping trips, if they don’t eat what I have, they will starve for the next month. lol

I am glad you saw the post! Every now and then I come across something that I find interesting and I think might help (I hope it’s not too annoying! lol). Anyway, I also stumbled across some flea prevention info that might interest you as well. I believe it would be a less costly way to administer the same products you have chosen for your dogs recently for flea meds, but it will also include HW preventative.

[Misty S]

I am new here but I have always had & still have quite a few rescue pets.I used to make all my pets home made foods,I cannot actually say I have or would feed my pets raw foods,/meats if bought from farms run into a lot of money,hence I steam store bought chicken because of what is injected in all meat/s minus farm grown unless USDA orders that be done.I have an older cat that was not treated very well by her previous owner,I have tried many different cat foods but she cannot keep it down,some times she does great,but I am still very concerned about her condition. Because vets. now are so out of the question money wise,I do as many home natural remedies as I can,but I plan on keeping up the work done on her & look for more remedies. Not to change the subject but we found a cat running towards a highway,I ran & picked her up & she seemed to be in distress & not very well taken care of,I brought her home to see that she had been fixed,her eye was running & the other eye she kept closed,I also found she had some sort of mites on her,I bought a flea solution & continued bathing her with at least a months rest,I couldn’t seem to get rid of what ever it was so I took her to a great vet.(now retired) he said to me that what ever is on the out side”IS” also on the inside,I found a solution that is used on plants to keep bugs off vegetation,I went back to this vet & questioned him about this product & he said it was alright,between bathing with the solution & feeding her the same it was an on going deal but in the end the greatest rewards was; we now have one of the sweetest fluffy cats we could ever want,those mites on her body was some thing I had never encountered in my life time,they were like knives sticking out of her back.We have five cats & two dogs. Good Luck every one & God bless us & all our fur babies.

[Amy B]

Hi everyone,
I’m finding this thread quite interesting. My 2.5 year old Maltese x Pomeranian has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. He is allergic to fleas, dust mites and has food allergies. We still haven’t gotten the food part down pat yet and are a bit unsure what to do.
When he was younger he used to be on kangaroo mince and veggies, or beef and veggies. He seemed to be allergic to these so the vet suggested we put him on a novel protein of goat and sweet potato. He was doing well on this diet until the goat was costing us $80 per 3 weeks!
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we should put him on?
Lisa D I also heard from a pet store employee that fish is good for them. Could you explain to me more how long your dog has been on this diet for? And also why you spray him with white vinegar?
I was told to purchase fish mince from BARF dog Big Dog pet food range (all natural) but I saw it contained fine chicken bones (only after I purchased it) but I wanted to see how he would go on dry food as well. Has anyone had any positive experiences with sensitive skin dry food products?
PS. I’m from Australia

Thanks in advance! 🙂

[crazy4cats]

The BCnut-
Did you really want to tell me that? Lol! Thanks for the help with supplements.
Cindy-
I feed mostly kibble with various toppers. I give mine digestive enzymes every meal. Probiotics and a green supplement twice a week and right now garlic granules everyday for increases flea protection. You can just start adding these things slowly. You are off to a great start. You are feeding high quality products. You are way ahead of the average dog owner!

[DogFoodie]

Becca,

Have you ever tried Springtime Natural’s Big Of Garlic to repel fleas, ticks, etc.?

[Barbara]

Thank you Becca for the information. I hope you have found a way to solve your dogs flea bite allergy from earlier this year.

[theBCnut]

I’m also from Florida, the flea capitol of the world and the only bathing technique that I’ve found that kills fleas is to thoroughly wet the dog and use tons of shampoo so I end up with a very foamy dog and then I let the dog go play while still foamy for 10-15 minutes, while I suds up the next dog. After letting the shampoo sit for 10-15 minutes, the fleas have drowned and I rinse them off.

The problem is that while this kills all the fleas on the dog, it does nothing for the fleas in the environment, and we have plenty of those down here.

[Bobby dog]

Is Sentinel an option? The Vet Tech gave me some info on Activyl the last time I took Bobby in, I never looked into it because I changed HW meds. I agree the older flea chemicals don’t seem to work anymore.

I have been looking at a few different chew options for Bobby, I’ll pass the info along to you when I can find them. I got a little frustrated researching chews, there seems to always be a caveat with everything. lol Do you ever worry about accidents leaving your dog unsupervised with bones, chewies, dental bones, or rawhides?

[Akari_32]

I know about Trifexis and the problems it’s been causing. Unfortunately, it’s the only thing that works for fleas around here. Like I said, super fleas. Haley has no reaction to it, and Bentley used to get sleepy on it when he first started, but after a few doses, he now does fine on it. When he was on it, and the fleas weren’t biting him, his hair grew back. Now that he’s been out for several months, and the fleas are back in full spring time force, he looks terrible.

However, my coworker just bought a box of Comfortis (the flea-only Trifexis), and her dog just started having seizures after never having them before. From what I hear, they are pretty mild and there are symptoms that show the dog is about to have one, so they see pretty controlled. I don’t know if she plans to take her dogs off it or not, though I should hope so.

Bobby dog, the only way our fleas die in soapy water is if I’m flea combing for them and some hair comes off in the comb, and I rinse it in some soapy water. The fleas are stupid enough to cling to the hair and drown after a few minutes. Common flea meds don’t work here anymore, which is why I’m pretty much stuck with Trifexis, though I did hear about that new Activyl, and plan on checking into it. I’m also hoping my generic Program (Little City Dogs brand) works well, because it’s cheap, and there are no side effects at all ever reported. I don’t really like how rigorous Trifexis is, but the fleas are so bad here that it’s necessary. Thankfully we’ve been lucky so far…. But I have a new plan for Haley at least when she’s done with this box in few months. As bad as it sounds, Bentleys medications are not my problem. I’ll give mom the info, and even do all the work, but I will not pay. I’ve got my own dogs and etc’s to pay for. What she does is up to her at this point.

I do plan on raw bones, but I want something I can give him when I’m leaving the house for a few hours. Something that isn’t a a hard glob of chewy carbs and chemicals lol

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
You’re right, I must be underestimating your superfleas! I have never have seen a flea survive a good dose of shampoo during bath time before. They always die fairly quick while I bath Bobby no matter what shampoo I use. I even use a soapy water dish to kill fleas when I flea comb. Most of the time they never make it to the water, they just die trying to get out of the suds.

Well try the oil, I am not a scientist, but to me it looks like the oil breaks down the outer shell because they just seem to fall apart in front of my eyes in very little time. If nothing else, he will have a moisturizing treatment!!!! 😉

I was giving Bobby rawhides last month until Labs forwarded info to me about the chemical process used to make them. I am looking into other stuff for him to chew on since RMB’s don’t interest him. If I were you I would incorporate RMB’s into his diet when you are home and able to watch him. Maybe in place of a meal or just reduce one of his meals. Since you know he likes them, does well eating them, why not make it simple plus it gives him variety.

Sharon:
I forget how I came to my conclusion, but I will look at my info later and catch up with you on the catfood thread. I do feel certain I have tracked down the co-packer. Of course it still makes me apprehensive that they won’t share this pertinant info with customers; what else won’t they share when necessary?

[arwyru24]

Our breeder has been issuing major warnings about issues/side effects with Trifexis. I know it is possible with all such medications but she was adamant that we not use that one. The dog we have gets Vectra 3D and the cats used to get Revolution, however the last time I used it my sensitive skin guy lost the fur that was at the application site. So I asked my vet and he said it sounded suspicious so I am switching them to Activyl. They are indoor only cats so ticks and other nasties aren’t as much of an issue as simply avoiding a flea infestation. I had a choice of Activyl or regular Vectra but I have read that Activyl is the safer of the two, although buying from online sources is really suspect so I only get that stuff through my vet.

[Akari_32]

Bobby Dog, you underestimate our super fleas. Dawn dish soap doesn’t even kill them! I may try an oil dip after a while once I see how this shampoo is working though. Which seems to be pretty good right now, actually. After just two baths, his skin is less red, and he’s itching less. We have an other bath data for tonight, which I’m sure he’ll be just thrilled about :p

I’ve also been adding some coconut oil to his food, as well. Makes it look even more gross, since I make his food the night before it’s used, and reheat it before I feed it to him LOL It’s like greasy, confused jello XD

Also, the canned food should be here today or tomorrow, I think. I’ll start him on two days of canned, one day of THK, when it does, since the canned food is 1/2 can a day. Get a good rotation thing going, and keep it interesting.

Also, since I’m cutting out carbs as much as possible and giving him weird mushy food and such, I need to find him a chew that won’t count as a meal (so no raw right now. Later, though). I used to give him a Greenie a few times a week when I left and no one else was home to give him something to do for a few minutes while he was locked up (which is why I don’t want to do raw– his small size would make any raw yummy a meal and I won’t be home to clean up after he’s done), so I need something else. Obviously, chews are out, since they are like entirely grain and starch products. I was thinking raw hides, though. They shouldn’t have carbs, right (in theory lol)?

[Bobby dog]

And one other option for moisturizing his skin is to try the olive oil moisturizing/flea dip treatment I use before you give him a bath. You don’t have to leave it on for as long as I do. I do that because I incorporate it with barn or yard work and I don’t have to be neat about applying it when I am outside. The oil kills them pretty much instantly once it comes into contact with them. You could even apply it in the tub right before his bath, leaving it on for a few minutes until you see their lifeless bodies. lol Just be sure you apply it to his entire body (except his facial area) starting at his neck working your way to his tail if you do decide to try it. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
The links for the shampoo aren’t working, they take me to the sale page, oh noooo! If I only had a little extra money, I can’t stand to walk away from a good sale! lol

I quickly looked at a few shampoos I think there are a few affordable options for you. You want to try and match at least one of the active ingredients in the Malaseb or Nolvasan shampoos otherwise, IMHO (FWIW), you are just throwing away money on nicely scented shampoos that are fine for bathing, but no other benefits. You have a few of those shampoos in your house for him now so I would focus on getting something medicated.

Any soap will kill fleas when it comes into contact with one. I used Dawn dishwashing soap before because I was at my friends house, who has no pets, and Bobby rolled in something disgusting and I had to bath him immediately. Quite a few fleas bit the dust that day lol. Crossing my fingers, no fleas right now and we are in flea season too. The last few years when Bobby’s fleas became unmanageable I would pour and rub in olive oil (just regular store brand) all over his body beginning on his collar area (not his head) and let him run around outside for about an hour with it on. It was my version of a hot oil treatment for him. lol It really moisturized his skin, but I really used it for killing fleas; like a flea dip. The oil pretty much instantly kills the fleas.

This info is for Sharon too (if your reading). I stopped feeding by Nature because they wouldn’t disclose their co-packer, but I think I just recently found who it is. I always thought their recipes looked great. I would buy them again at this time. It is up to you of course, but I think this is a great option for your little guy.

I am going to check out those shampoos, be back in a little bit. 🙂

[Akari_32]

He came to us with fleas and fully furred, so I don’t really think that’s the problem. Not the whole problem, anyways. I know they aren’t helping anything, but the only thing that works to kill them is Trifexis, and we’re having trouble affording even feeding ourselves, much less pay $300 a year for flea medication! I’m gunna see if I can get her to do it my way, and buy an egg inhibitor flea med, and heart worm meds separately. To do this for my dogs and cat is $80 a year, vs $600+ for Trifexis.

I’m thinking of trying By Nature, since PetFlow has it on sale and free shipping. What do you guys think?

http://www.petflow.com/product/by-nature/nature-95-meat-grain-free-turkey-and-bacon-canned-dog-food

If I order from PetFlow, would you guys recommend any of these shampoos?

http://www.petflow.com/explorer?f%5B%5D=pet:dog&f%5B%5D=product+group:shampoos+%26+conditioners

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Akari_32.

[Honeybeesmom1]

Hey Akari. You’ve decribed my Chi. to a T! I’m 99 percent sure Bentley is allergic to fleas.
Honeybee also has a problem w/ pollen and grass – but his main problem is fleas. I put him on Darwins for months and no change in his hair loss, fleas and itching.

I’ve put him on THK Thrive for months then Zeal for months, Merrick canned for a few wks, then Nature’s Logic kibble for a few wks, then NL canned for a few wks, home-cooked, Pure Balance canned for a few wks, Wellness canned for wks, 4 health canned…NO change w/ his red skin. And all the while he was on all of that diet change…he still had one thing…fleas.

Every 2 days his belly gets sweaty and smells like an old wet dirty sock. Even 2 days after a bath. I bought Virbac Ecto-soothe for $20 from my vet that kills fleas, ticks and lice.
But I think a bottle of $3 dish soap would do the same.

I flea comb him probably 10 times a day and have a glass of water w/ dish soap in it to throw the fleas in.
I have sheets over my furniture ( to catch flea eggs) that I take off and wash in hot water, dish soap and essential oils every 2 days.

I have hardwood floors that I vacuum and mop everyday. I HATE to put the flea drops on them – so I was doing things naturally which was not working.
I bought Advantage and put on all pets…and 2 wks later fleas are back.

First thing I did this morning…was flea comb him – and he had a flea. I bet that one flea bit him 50 times all night. My life’s mission right now…is to kill every flea I see. lol
I’ve even treated the yard w/ DE.

Yesterday I pulverized some oatmeal in my magic bullet and mixed in some warm water and let that sit on him for a few minutes. Rinsed w/ cool water as that soothes his skin.

He’s only 5 lbs..but keeping fleas off him is as hard as keeping them off an 80 lb dog.
I also flea comb the other 2 dogs just as much. I’m in Louisiana and it’s hot & humid in the 80s and 90s now. And we always have problems w/ fleas here.
Good luck w/ Bentley…I know it’s hard.

[Susan]

Hi, sounds like ur dog is allergic to fleas as you said you washed him & killed some fleas… some dogs can just have 1 flea bite & they will itch, scratch & go mad with itchness…I know I wrote to use Antiseptic lotions (Betadine) just becareful with the iodine & antiseptic lotions as they will dry the skin more, they will kill any bacteria but will also make his skin very dry & more itchy, I only use when Patches paws are real bad & his cortisone cream isnt helping, another very cheap way to relieve his itch & dry skin is what my Dermo doctor told me to do, was go to supermarket in the breakfast section buy some oatmeal that we cook & eat its very cheap he said add some water & make a paste & I was to put this oatmeal paste on my itchy skin & face as I suffer from Scleroderma, the oatmeal will soften his skin & stop his itch & its cheaper also he can eat some & it wont hurt him.. try to leave on for 10 mins then rinse…I would try this before the Antiseptic lotion as it sounds like his skin is very dry & furless from fleas…you should start to see an improvment & fur starting to grow back within 2 weeks & try to keep the fleas off him, in the summer at night when Patch is sleeping I go on a flea hunt thru his skin & kill the fleas on him he loves the massage.. he often picks up fleas from the dog park as I dont use no flea products on Patch as he had a real bad reaction to Advantage spot on & was so sick for 1 week his mouth swelled up, his ear swelled up & was spewing blood 7 hrs after applying the Advantage spot on so vet has said dont use any spot ons or Comfortis she said that the Frontline spray was good but its dear if you have a big dog.. Good Luck as its summer over there, Im having winter & I hate the rain & cold, prefer the heat & beach..

[Akari_32]

Interesting Betsy. Never thought of it that way.

I do plan on trying, yes 🙂 I just want to give the new diet and shampoo a few weeks to see how they’re helping. Last year we did all these different things at once, including it changing to winter during the beginning of everything, so we never really determined what helped and what didn’t. Since the hot weather just started, we’ll have plenty of time to go slow and see what helps.

I gave him a bath, and let the shampoo sit on him for about 5 minutes. The bottle says 5-10, so I started slow, just to see how he’d react to it. He seemed fine with it, plus it killed the fleas the Advantix 2 failed to killed, so that’s a plus LOL I need to get the yard and house treated with the DE I bought a couple weeks ago, as well…

Bentley seems to like everything, so he should like it 🙂 I’m going to get him going on the THK for a couple weeks before changing him again, just to let his tummy settle in to a new food. That’ll also give me time to let Walmart figure out how to function. :p

[Akari_32]

Ok, guys! I just got back from the dreaded Walmart lol I went in for Sulfedene Medicated Shampoo, but they didn’t have any. So I got my second choice, VetArmor Itch and Allergy medicated shampoo. It was my second choice because it was more expensive and I couldn’t find much about it. I also went a head and got two cans of Pure Balance 95% Beef and Chicken. I wanted one of each, but the chicken was gone lol I also explained to mom my thoughts about a thyroid issue and the blood tests needed for that, and that he need to get back on his Trifexis, or some other good flea med (because let’s face it Advantix 2 sucks….). I’ll give him a bath tonight and see how this stuff works.

[Karen B]

Has anyone used products by Wondercide.com? My lab got fleas last month (Jax beaches) and then got tape worms. I had to put Advantix II on her to stop the fleas. I was waiting for my order from wondercide. After I sprayed the yard with the natural cedar, I used the indoor spray around the doors in my house but did not put any on my pup as she was on Advantix. Two days after spraying my yard (I did do it with full strength) my Lab’s eyes and whole face swelled up. Benedryl and a steroid shot later finally took the swelling down. In the meantime we had rotated to a different boost food from NV and gone swimming in the ocean. Not sure which of these things caused the swelling but the vet thought she possibly had gotten bite by something. Anyone ever go through this?