[Dori]

Ok Patty. Then I will stick with Sentinel. I put an alarm on my iPhone to remind me every 45 days as opposed to every 30 days. I think you posted that that’s what you do. I read a lot of posts about Heartgard and was wondering if that was a better option but I’ll stick with Sentinel because Georgia is flea and tick land. I’d rather protect my girls preventative than have to have them endure the treatment for heart worms. And no thanks, I don’t want to have to be bombing my home with treating for flea infestation. I wash all their bedding and them every week to keep all at bay as best i can. Thanks for your reply to my post.

[theBCnut]

I think it is funny that some people don’t give prevention because it is so toxic, but they say they would treat their dog if it came up positive because that isn’t as toxic. Treatment is way harder on a dog than prevention. One method uses arsenic and the vet is literally balancing how much to give to poison the worms but not kill the dog. The other method uses exactly the same thing as heartworm prevention in either the same dose or a higher one. I use heartworm prevention for my dogs, but if I decided not to, I would not treat a positive dog, since if I’m doing all the things to keep mosquitos off of him anyways, he could never have more than just a very few worms, which would never cause an issue.

I don’t think a monthly dose of Sentinel is much different in toxicity than Ivermectin, it does have something for fleas in it too, but my understanding is that it is one of the less noxious ones. It’s definitely better than Trifexis.

[pugmomsandy]

Fairly regularly I use Springtime Inc. Longevity, Fresh Factors, Bug Off Garlic (or Flea Free Supplement liquid), and I got some free bottles of their Advanced Hip and Joint and Joint Health Chewables at checkout. springtimeinc.com

And a couple times a week, I give Mercola krill oil and ubiquinol, Swanson’s Dr. Langer’s probiotics or Mercola probiotics, Mercola digestive enzymes, Immunel (swanson), and a glandular product (currently Pet G.O.) http://mypetsfriend.com/pet-go.html and ProDen Plaque Off, vit E and C, and Mercola Bladder Support.

When I make dehydrated foods, I like to add in some raw apple cider vinegar.

I’ve just started to add some sprouted seeds to their raw food. 4 Legs of Love from SproutPeople.org. http://sproutpeople.org/just-for-pets/sprouts-for-dogs/

[Dori]

You should really check your Bentley to make sure he has fleas before using any more flea treatments. When he was treated for fleas did you treat the entire home, carpets, bedding, etc. for fleas? You may be treating him but if they are still in the house it will be a losing battle. You really need to be careful using too much flea treatments. They are toxic.

the BCnut – In the past I tried shampoos on Katie with Tea Tree Oil and those were some of the most reactive on her. I thought the Tea Tree Oil would help but it made her worse so I’m always careful to use shampoos with minimal ingredients that I recognize, research their effects and for Katie no Tea Tree Oil. Any ideas what in tea tree oil would bother her. I had been really hopeful at the time. Anyway, I have found a shampoo that only contains Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, Panthenol and Allantoin. It is the best that I have found to date. The manager of The Whole Dog Market around the corner from me recommended it and said customers loved it for their sensitive dogs. Oh, it’s soap free.

[Akari_32]

Gotcha. Any brands you recommend?

He’s back to chewing on himself this morning. He was scratching a little last night, and this morning he driving me crazy with nasty licky dog noises. I’ll have to see what I have for fleas around here. I may still have some tubes of Sentry. Like a retard, I gave most our topical flea treatments to my friend, thinking we’d always have the trifexis -_-

[Akari_32]

I didn’t see anything that popped out at me at Pet Supermarket (that was a good 8 months ago, though). I’ll probably have to go to PetSmart or PetCo for anything good. I also do a lot of online shopping for fish and reptile stuff, so I’ll look next time to need something. What sort of ingredients would you recommend?

It’s only that one Bayer’s shampoo that makes him oily. It’s pretty weird. I’ve used it on Haley with no issues (other than it doesn’t clean worth a crap). He doesn’t have any confirmed food allergies, but we think chicken and grains are a no go, as are fleas, and grass. So, basically everything a dog comes in contact with, he’s allergic to.

[Akari_32]

Around here it’s pretty much either Hartz or Sargents (or Grreat Choice… Lol), unless you want to drop about $20 on an 8 oz bottle. There’s not really much of a choice here, since I also have two large dogs that like to roll in dirt.

We’ve almost always used the whitening shampoo on him. It doesn’t seem to bother him. I tend to not use it, though, unless her happen to have nothing else. Mom is the one that usually does.

The vet gave him a cortisone shot about 6 months ago while we got the fleas under control and him on a better flea prevention (winter is over now and his Trifexis has run out, and we don’t have $300 to get everyone back on it!! *rips out hair*), and it worked great while we got everything figured out. I know they don’t last very long, but it sure does help.

I don’t really like the Bayer stuff, but it was free. Pet Supermarket had samples out for a few months, so I went in and grabbed a few every week. It doesn’t really clean him at all, and kind of makes him (just him, which is weird) oily. Free is free I suppose. I noticed they have it on clearance now, and I fully understand why lol

I try to keep the water cooler, but he shakes something terrible when I get anywhere below luke warm. He’ll also run away from it if it’s too cold. He’s only about 8 pounds, and is a total princess. Has to have a jacket on when it’s below 50 outside XD Anyways, I know hit water isn’t the best for dry skin, and I do my best on that end.

He’s Maltese and Jack Russell. Dad was 4 pounds, mom was 11. He wasn’t supposed to get much bigger than 5 pounds, but he never got that memo lol

[Akari_32]

It’s a human body wash. We’ve been using the new Bayer Expert Care or whatever it’s called shampoo and conditioner, Grreat Choice oatmeal shampoo, Hartz Groomers Choice Whitening Shampoo, some other Hartz stuff (just a normal shampoo), and we occasionally use the really expensive Adams for fleas if he needs it. Just about everything from normal shampoos to fancy stuff. We’ve also been wiping his feet and tummy after going outside, keeping his bedding super clean, treating the house for fleas, etc. Thankfully he doesn’t seem bothered by oatmeal shampoos, but this Grreat Choice stuff is junk. Bought it on clearance, and I understand why they were getting rid of it LOL And the pollen is terrible right now, so I’m sure that’s not helping. We’re almost to the point of getting him a cortisone shot again… I’ll see if I can find that stuff around here. Maybe it’ll help.

[JeffreyT]

Yes, I’d get the dog to the vet immediately.

After reading Scared Poopless by Jan Rasmusen we decided not to give heartworm meds because they are basically poisons meant to kill the heartworm/larvae.
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/05/13/heartworm-medication-safety/

For prevention we always apply natural flea/tick spray like Mercolas, and test twice a year for heartworm to get it early when it’s not dangerous and treatment is easy. From what I’ve read, it’s not as easy to get heartworm as vets make it out to be.

How is he doing?

[Naturella]

Fatcakes,

Fish oil is great – I would keep him on it for a while. You could also try a fish-based food for the sake of rotation and varying the protein intake. Lamb is good for skin and coat too, I hear.

As far as fiber, my pup is currently on a mix of Dr. Tim’s Grain Free (4.5% fiber), Nutrisca Chicken and Chickpea (7% fiber), and Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension Grain Free (5% fiber). He, however, suffers from hard stools, as high in fiber as his diet is, so kind people in this forum have recommended pumpkin and flax for him, and maybe even yoghurt – they are all good additives, and the latter REALLY seems to help him. All the foods he is on currently are 5-star rated (except for the Vets Choice – that is 4.5 stars I think) and grain free.

I am switching him to Earthborn Holistic Grain Free mixed with Vets Choice, and Victor Ultra Professional Grain Free mixed with Back to Basics after. All of that will have even less fiber than he has in his food now, but I will be adding the pumpkin, flax, and yoghurt daily, I don’t mind. I really like Victor and can’t wait to get Bruno on it, and they also have a salmon-based grain-free recipe. It is also very affordable and 5-star-rated.

That is for the fiber. As for the dandruffy-ness of your guy, I can just share my experience, and it is that my pup, when found, was so flea-infested, the vet had said she hasn’t seen a case this bad. He has had skin sores and wounds all over. With much TLC, grain-free food and daily fish skins (I used Beams by The Honest Kitchen), his skin healed up completely and coat is super soft and shiny. So this is why I may consider more fish in his diet, plus, I am sure more knowledgeable people in the forum will chip in with more advice.

[dogspotindia]

flea and ticks creatures infest your pet, they cause them a world of pain. There are so many medical remedies are available in market to prevent the fleas and ticks like Kiltix Collar for fleas and ticks Medium Bayer, Tick Away Forceps Karlie, Protektor Dog Flea & Tick Remover, Scabovate Anti Tick-Flea Dog Soap. http://www.dogspot.in/flea-ticks/

[Leah12345]

I am hoping the DFA dog aficionados will play a round of Pet Detective.

Fifteen years after our beloved dog died, we broke down and adopted a darling 8 month, 11 lb. mixed girl at Thanksgiving. We do not know any history except she was caught by animal control in rural Missouri and taken to a kill shelter where we adopted her as soon as the 5 day waiting period was over. She is very responsive to me, my husband, and two teen sons; will sit by us, follow us, and let us love her. I don’t think she had ever been in a house because she did not know what a doorbell sound was. She seems housetrained, but I am OCD about taking her out so not sure. I don’t think she was hit because we are Italian-Americans and move our hands a lot and suddenly and she has NEVER reacted in any way. I don’t think her nails had ever been trimmed, her fur was a mess, and she had a variety of worms and fleas so I don’t think she was well cared for. She was extremely car sick in the beginning so I think she may not have been in a car before – she loves car rides now. Anyway, she is so good with us and can be bothered while eating and isn’t even slightly annoyed when we fish acorns or other food/non-food items out of her mouth. Her problem is people. She barks at them and if they move she will run up and try to bite their pants or legs. She wags her tail the whole time. She is relentless with the barking and biting until they sit down. Recently, when people were at our house she calmed down when they sat down and want to sit by them, get pet, and even “kiss” them…until they stand up and then it all starts again. I try to take her out daily to expose her to people and sounds, but this has only very slightly helped. A weird thing is that before I knew better, I took her to “doggie daycare” once a week and she initially showed the same fear-aggressive behavior when I dropped her off, but then I could watch her on webcam and she was fine with people/dogs; walking around, standing by people, letting them pet her/pick her up, and walking around the dogs. Some friends told me to stop taking her to doggie daycare because it’s a bad for dogs, but I am not sure. She is fine at the vet and with vet techs (doesn’t even bark) and barks at the groomer, but then calms down and lets them pet her and carry her around. We can’t take her to PetSmart because she is so loud and aggravated there.

So pet detectives, I am wondering if anyone has ideas about why she is SO freaked out by people and dogs, but is fine at doggie daycare. Any ideas about what might have happened to her or ideas about socializing or what I should do to help her? Could she have been a neglected, outdoor dog with little contact with people? Do you think she was abused? We love her and want her to be comfortable AND I don’t want her to bite anyone. Thoughts?

[USA]

Hi Jason

I’m happy to see that you are looking for safer alternatives for flea, tick and mosquito control!

Products like Frontline, Advantix, etc can buildup in the organs of dogs over time so even though you don’t see immediate side effects they are still dangerous. They are also neurotoxins and I am just glad you looking for alternatives!

Indoors
Wash their bedding at least once a week and add Borax (boric acid) to the wash.

Boric acid can also be rubbed into any fabric couches or chairs. Vacuum the cushions and rub the Boric acid into the fabric beneath the cushions.

Outdoors
Beneficial nematodes are effective for flea control. If your dog roams the whole nine acres that is a lot of nematodes you will need (like a billion!). I would do the area around your house no matter what. I prefer to use nematodes in vermiculite (scanmask) rather than nematodes on a sponge. The ones in vermiculite have a shelf life of 2 years, the ones on a sponge are probably dead or dying by the time they are purchased (shelf life of about 4 to 8 weeks).

Keep any vegetation as short as possible if you can. Ticks are usually in vegetation above 2 inches or so.

I don’t know how big your creek is or if there are fish in it but that would be the only place I might look into commercial mosquito control. The chemicals would not be on your dog as long as he doesn’t swim in it.

On your dog.
Bathe at least once a week for flea control. Use a flea shampoo that has essential oils in it. Natural doesn’t mean safe so try a small amount first and see how your pooch does. Just bathing with any shampoo will kill fleas as they will drown.

Essential oils
There are many that will kill and repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. I would say that they do not work as well as poisons such as frontline but they will not kill your dog along with the fleas!

Repel Mosquitoes and they smell lemony or floral,
Citronella
Citral
Lemongrass
Geranium oil or Geraniol

Kill fleas and the have a very strong smell. The ones that have a P contain Phenols which are very powerful and carry risks of their own
Clove P
Cinnamon P
Thyme P
Cedar
Peppermint
Rosemary
D limonene and orange oil (also have risks)

Ticks are hard to repel or kill naturally. Inspection is key to natural tick control.

It is best to spray your dog daily with a mixture of oils as applying like frontline requires spreading agents to be used.

Patty – I had to look up “vermifuges”

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by USA.

[nationalguard88]

I have 9 acres in the country with a slough, old part of panther creek no moving water, a mosquito breeding ground. Ticks are a serious concern here. I don’t want to use chemical based products either, the reason I posted this??? So there is a problem and my boy needs protection. My house is tile and hardwood floors only. We have every type of tick here, especially deer ticks the size of a needle point, that carry Lyme. My doberman is an inside dog obviously, but he needs his exercise outside. I’ve read poor reviews on natural preventions working, but understand the reviews could be from irresponsible pet owners or dogs left outside 24/7. I’m looking for something to help for ticks, fleas, Mosquitos, while he’s outside exercising. I’ve researched about essential oils, but wondered if someone had good result with something specific. Thank you, Jason

[Sunnybeach]

I don’t use flea and tick meds! Thank god I have never had a issue! I don’t want my pets having those poisons! I would treat them if their was a problem!

[theBCnut]

I have used everything under the sun at one time or another. Now, I’m feeding my dogs half raw and I haven’t had a problem with fleas last year at all. If I have a problem this year, I’m going to make my own spray with essential oils that are know to be vermifuges and insecticides.

If you have carpeting, work diatomatious earth or borax into the carpet before spring arrives. If you don’t, vaccuum a lot, especially around cracks, crevices, and furniture.

[nationalguard88]

Hey guys. Was curious what you use to protect your pets? I have used frontline plus and K9 advantix 2 on my dogs in the past with no issues at all. I don’t like the idea of using these pesticides on my baby. With the spring eventually going to get here in Kentucky, I’d like your opinions on the best safe prevention for flea and ticks.
I know Patty Vaughn lives in Florida, so your input much appreciated as always : ). Thanks, Jason.

[shamrockmommy]

I have a 3 ½ lb chihuahua. She’s been an easy keeper for me, holds weight nicely on most anything.
The foods I’ve liked the best for her are:
1. Costco Cuts in Gravy, yes really! Her tummy is the best, poops are the best, she eats it and begs for mrs and she looks gorgeous (she has a thick, long coat).
2. Fromm grain free dry/canned
3. Newmans Own canned

They don’t eat much, that’s the thing, so it’s nice when you these itty bitty dogs, you can spend more a higher quality food and it lasts a LONG time!
If you can’t find anything in your area chewy.com ships right to your house. You have to spend $49 to get the free shipping, but I find I can load up on treats and chews and flea meds, etc and get right to the free shipping (though I have 3 other dogs of varying sizes and a cat 🙂

Good luck with your chi!

[Akari_32]

I’ve been bitten by fire ants and been left with dime to nickel sized welts. Then again, when I’m bitten by mosquitoes, they swell up to quarter sized. So maybe I’m the one allergic bug bites… lol

But anyways, we’ll take baby steps, to see whats really causing the itching, rather than taking all the factors away at once like last time, like a genius. I’ll start with grass, since thats the easiest, and we’ll treat the yard next weekend (mom works out of town during the week, and other people have planned our weekend this week– how nice). I’ll also be looking into a homemade flea repellant to help keep the fleas from getting on him in the first place, with out interfering or adversely reacting to the Trifexis. Both of those should yield pretty immediate results, correct?

Have you tried the Wellness CORE Wild Game, or know anyone who does?

[theBCnut]

Wellness, Evo, Innova would be my picks, in that order.

Fire ant bites always leave a pustule, not a welt, so I’m assuming he has a flea allergy, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t also allergic to grass. Put a kitty litter pan by the back door and rinse his feet/lower legs off before coming back inside.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys! Bentley is once again having itching problems as the weather stars to warm back up. We aren’t sure if it’s chicken, grains, grass, fleas or a combination of any of these. He’s constantly chewing his feet and tummy, and scratching his neck and chest, and his skin is bright red all over his body.

We’ve got a little (really little) problem with fleas in the yard, and he gets maybe 3 or so a day just from going out side. I wouldn’t think it’s enough to cause a problem unless he’s allergic to them. He’s on Trifexis, which kills the fleas after they bite. We have stuff to treat the yard, as well that we are going to try. He does get pretty decent sized welts, but that could be from fire ants (the dog is pretty stupid– he likes to play with ants), so it’s hard to say.

As for food, he used to be on the red meat Innova Prime before the recall. And before that we tried just about every brand and meat/grain combination all sorts of brands there is in the area, ending with chicken without grain, and non-chicken with grain, just to be sure. We finally settled on no chicken and no grain as it caused him to itch less and his skin looked better, and used $10 off any size bag Innova coupons, which is the only way we could have afforded it at the time. He’s been doing good since then so I figured I’d try him back on chicken, and he did good for a month or so, so I tried him back on grain. For the last 3 weeks maybe, he’s been on half and half, grain free and grain inclusive, with mixed protein sources, and it doesn’t seem to help much, but it has helped some.

We aren’t really sure on the grass allergy either, as it all started to die off for the winter when it occurred to us it could be grass/weed pollen and started taking precautions for that as well (wiping him down with a baby wipe after going outside). But now the grass is starting to grow back, so I’ll have to see about that.

So basically, we have all of these possible irritants back all at once, and we are back to where we were last year: he’s chewed his back legs almost bald, he’s scratching himself raw on his chest and neck, and his sole purpose in life is to chew the bottom of his feet.

Since fleas and grass are easy to take care of (sort of), I need some help on picking a food. The only catch is, it has to come from Pet Supermarket. It’s the only place close that isn’t a grocery store. AND…. Around here it’s pretty much either Natura or Diamond for (“good”) grain free. Lucky me. Being so close to the South Carolina plant (I live in Florida), I have my reserves about feeding Diamond products, but he’s been on most of the TOTW formulas and my other dogs have been on Kirkland with no issues. Here’s my list:

Wellness CORE Wildgame
Taste of the Wild High Prairie PUPPY
Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain
EVO Red Meat Small Bites
Innova Natures Table Beef and Red Lentils (doesn’t appear to be available here yet, but I’d like to hear thoughts on it)

He doesn’t like fish, and it makes his breath smell nasty, or else I’d be able to add the CORE Ocean Fish in there, too. I was looking at Blue Buffalo, despite what ever they’re going through right now, but I’m fairly sure all their grain free foods have chicken, don’t they? Any thing else to add that Pet Supermarket carries?

If you could just pick one, because the chances of mom rotating are slim, which would you pick? And what are your top three, if I can get her to? And thoughts or concerns about any of these? Any other tips as far as natural flea treatments, itching relief, and whatever else goes are also greatly appreciated!

[theBCnut]

If they were rice sized, it was definitely from eating fleas. No telling when though. They can take quite some time to get to the point where they are dropping egg sacs, but that’s probably what you found. That particular type of worm, while nasty, is not as likely to cause problems with the function of the intestines as some other worms are. You might want to look into foods that have montmorillite clay if you can’t find the Perfect Form or if it doesn’t work for him.

[Walk Like the Wolf]

Thanks for the response!

I kind of figured that it could be in part something to do with the amount of time he works on food overnight. I didn’t realize that was a thing in nervous type dogs though; interesting! Boy is fairly outgoing but a wee bit sensitive. 😉 I will definitely look into the Perfect Form. I’ll see if I can find it today in the local pet supply store.

Food intolerance wasn’t my first thought either since he’s had chicken in his diet before with no real noticeable changes. But it’s been a while. Chicken was never what I went for first I guess.

I found the worms myself. This happened twice and was likely the result of a run-in with fleas this summer/early fall. It was a baaad flea and allergy year. Oof.

[Walk Like the Wolf]

Good day!

I am hoping to get some suggestions about my dog. He is a seven year old super-mutt and I’m wondering if anyone has some suggestions with a recurring loose stool/diarrhea problem or has had success in this area.

My boy has pretty much always had some less-than-firm stools. Some days it looks better than others but pretty consistently for the longest time, he hasn’t had firm stools for the whole day. Usually his first poop is good and then it kinda gets smaller and looser. This is something I have brought up with my vet in the past and he has been given probiotics before and not much else. I will address this again next time I bring him in but am not open to trying prescription food in the event my vet tries to push that. I am wondering if any other tests should be run also, which I will ask.

He doesn’t have any accidents in the house, never has. He gets itchy skin occasionally but it doesn’t seem to correlate with diet, more changes in the weather and he reacts strongly to flea bites the couple of times we were unfortunate enough to get fleas (yuck). He is not itching currently. He is active and loves to go on walks, a bit slower in the wetter/crappier weather (has some arthritis in hips). He has hypothyroid as well which is being managed (soloxine once daily plus a half dose 3x week) as well as his weight (he was overweight when diagnosed and now has a non-tootsie-roll figure! 😉 ).

I recently switched my dogs from Earthborn to Orijen adult. He didn’t seem to mind the switch initially. I am feeding him two 1/2 cup servings a day usually with a small spoonful of wet; he was at 62 pounds when last weighed. Based on his steady weight loss I think we’re at a good place for quantity right now. NOW that all that’s out of the way…recently he’s gotten some liquid diarrhea and though loose stools are typical for him, this amount of liquid diarrhea is odd. I’m wondering if maybe he has intolerance to the first ingredient in Orijen adult which is chicken. I have read a lot about dogs who just don’t handle chicken very well. But I’m puzzled because the loose stool thing has been fairly consistent regardless of the food he eats (I have cycled many foods with my dogs in their lives; my girl has no problems with anything, ever…and my boy is always kind of consistent in not-as-lovely stools). I’m thinking maybe trying a different Orijen recipe (red meat or fish) to see if that stops the liquid diarrhea. If it at least gets things back to “normal” that would help, but then there’s also the issue of solving this chronic loose stool issue. As I mentioned, he is getting some probiotics with his meals. In the past I’ve tried pumpkin as well (he loves it) but I didn’t notice a marked difference; maybe it wasn’t enough? And if so, recommendations on amount to give based on his size?

I am doing a parasite check on Monday to make sure nothing’s weird there (he picked up some worms over the fall). But like I said, worms or not, regardless of food, his loose stools haven’t been solved long-term. Does this sound familiar? Any luck? Opinions on any possible condition I should bring up to the vet?

This is kind of a two-part question: 1) does it sound like allergies/intolerance to chicken, or some other ingredient (even though there’s no itching/vomiting…nothing weird going on except diarrhea)? And long-term loose stool advice?

(you know you MIGHT be a dog person when you talk this much about poop…) 😀

Sorry about the novel; just trying to be thorough! Thanks for reading!

[Scruffy312052]

I can’t address the type of food for large breed any more than I can for miniature breeds but I can tell you what I started doing about a year and a half ago.

I have 30 dogs. Most are American Eskimos and Long haired Dachshunds however, due to a couple of segregation errors on our part we also have several Cold Franks added to our mix. While the AKC refuses to recognize this cross as a specific breed we love them just as much as our Blue Bloods.

To address your query: I was a very strong proponent of Dry food. I’ve tried many and varied brands with a minimum rating of 3 stars. Over the years several of our pets had been plagued with a myriad of health problems: Bad Breath, loose stool, fur falling out, fleas, parasites etc… etc… before I researched K-9 Dietary needs. I started with consulting the three of our most trusted vets in our area as well as several trips to the University Of Georgia College Of Veterinary Medicine.

Oddly enough, their knowledge on the subject was nothing more than suggesting a variety of name brand foods and supplements. It was, quite frankly, a costly “hit or miss” solution with little or no improvement to the health of our pack.

I educated myself by reading hundreds of articles and forums such as this (Rudy’s). As a result, I concocted and changed their diet to a home remedy.

In less than four months there was a marked improvement. Coccidian protozoa; gone. Their breath was no longer foul smelling. No more signs of any type of worms wiggling in their stool. Their fur started growing back soft and fluffy and much to our relief, there are few if any fleas. As a bonus I cut our rather large K-9 pantry expense by 33%. I did, however, add an extra 30 minutes to my time while preparing their meal (mind you, I am feeding thirty).

NOTE: Should you consider my solution it is strongly advised that you consult your Vet First. Two of the ingredients I use may be challenged by some (but not all) authorities. *These two are: “Plug Chewing Tobacco and Garlic.”

Here is my Remedy: In a crock pot I cook 3 pounds of chicken backs and necks and one pound of chicken liver for a minimum of 8 hours on Auto. This causes the bones to break down to become malleable and easily digested. Thirty minutes before serving add 2.5 pounds of frozen or fresh mixed vegetables (make sure there is no or little corn) i.e. peas, lima beans, carrots, green beans and stir.

In a blender add two heaping tablespoons of minced garlic, 1/2 ounce of plug tobacco and one cup of broth from the crockpot. Blend on high for thirty to sixty seconds or until the tobacco is cut up into pieces that look almost granular. Add this to the crock pot and stir several times. Turn the crock pot off and let stand for thirty minutes.

Whatever type of dry food you are using reduce the serving amount by 60% and mix this on a 2 To 1 ratio of crock pot mix to dry food. Considering you have five dogs, freeze the rest of the crock pot mixture in pouches that serve five. Taking into account the size of my kennels, I obviously have no leftovers.

I have been feeding this mixture to my kennels for almost 1 ½ years and my pack has never looked or responded healthier.

* It is argued that tobacco will kill Coccidian protozoa and the Garlic will repel the fleas. I use these two ingredients only twice a month so you will need to reduce the amount to a proper ratio so as not to give your pets too much.

The benefits: less trips to the vet, more active adults, fresher breath, no more de-wormer medicine to buy (which, by the way, is not a healthy substance for your pet) less, if any flea remedies and coats full of luster. If you like, you can also drop to a one star dry food considering it is primarily used as filler.

[Becca]

I’ve been feeding my dogs raw for over 2 years. to make a long story short there has got to be something missing, one of my dogs is sooo allergic to flea bites. I have tired every natural or homemade product out there for prevention nothing works. I wont use the spot on poisons. there must be something to boost his immune system with food. here is what I feed them.
chicken back
ground duck bone in
ground turkey bone in
ground beef
green tripe
beef trachea
organ meat
liver
little amount of veggies
I have done so much research on digestive enzymes, probiotics then hear bad things about it. started giving salmon oil then find out its no good unless given vitamin e with it. now I’m thinking of trying Braggs organic unfiltered acv with the mother. I think my cat brings in the bulk of the fleas and he’s allergic too.

[Becca]

I’ve been feeding my dogs raw for over 2 years now. One of my dogs suffesr from sever allergies to fleas. I will not use the spot on poison and I’ve tried every natural and or homemade remedy that has ever been thought of, nothing works. I’ve done so much research it is driving me crazy, just when I think I have the answer I see something bad about it. I started giving my dogs salmon oil and found out that no good without giving vitamin e, I spent 3 days researching digestive enzymes and probiotics then I find out its a waste, if feeding raw. I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m going to try braggs organic acv with the mother. just looking for the missing link of why one of my dogs rips himself to pieces for hours when bitten by fleas. I think my cat bring in the bulk of the fleas he’s also allergic.

[hamjack]

If you don’t want to use chemicals I recommend this….

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/a/Diatomaceous-Earth-For-Flea-Control.htm

[nationalguard88]

Thanks Patty. I’ve used Heartguard plus in the past. My vet recommends trifexis, but I’ve read horrible things about it, and I don’t need the flea protection. I use other things for that.

[pugmomsandy]

I found one vet that recommended using Nyguard insect growth regulator for the yard. Can’t remember the website now but the vet had also recommended other natural remedies as well.

[theBCnut]

Yes, that would do it. Questions are all good.

[Harpers Mom]

Okay so for the garlic it would be a clove in the morning and a clove at night for 3 days then 4 days off correct? Sorry for all the questions.

[theBCnut]

1/2 teaspoon per cup of food for the ACV. And 2 cloves of garlic 3 days in a row then 4 days off. The garlic needs to be chopped up right before feeding. I’ve heard B vitamins make you taste bad to biting bugs…

[Harpers Mom]

We are planning to get stuff to do the yard and flea bomb the house on Monday, I will try the virbac! Pattyvaugh, how much vinegar and garlic do you add to the food? Harper is about 60lbs. I would love to feed raw, but the therapy dog organization that Harper is through does not allow feeding raw to the active volunteers. So we use Merrick and earth born holistics and rotate canned toppers.

[Susan]

Pattyvaughn-
I have always thought heartworm prevention needed to be a 30 day regimen. I give mine Heartguard and very seldom miss a dose. Please enlighten me so I can back off on the dosage. Here in south central Texas fleas and ticks can be a real problem, also. We have few freezes and sandy soil can add to the problem. My vet is very pro heartworm prevention and has always insisted once a month is necessary.
Thanks!

[theBCnut]

There are natural alternatives, but they require giving them 3 times a day. I give the monthly every 45 days and if you live where it actually freezes, you can stop giving it over the winter. I try to give Ivermectin and not give the ones with extra wormers, flea treatments, etc. I save those for when the big guns are really needed. For a week after you give heartworm prevention, you can give milk thistle to help the liver detox.

[theBCnut]

I live in FL too. And I remember a couple years ago when we had a damp fall, the fleas were really bad heading into winter. I did everything I could think of every 2 weeks for about six weeks before I finally caught a break. Find me some wood to knock on because I’m about to say something stupid. I haven’t had a flea problem at all this year. I don’t know if it is the raw food, the vinegar, the garlic, the whatever, but I have not had fleas much at all this whole year.

[RescueDaneMom]

I live in South Florida and the fleas are a killer this year! We have been battling an infestation too. I think the key is to keep from bringing them back inside. We sprayed a yard spray by Virbac on the grass in the back yard where the dogs spend time outdoors. You can buy it online from Petco and Amazon but it was actually cheaper to buy from the vet. If your problem is really bad like ours was, I would recommend spraying the yard where your dogs spend their time then bomb your house a day or two after. You’ll need to treat the yard again in 10 days for the next cycle of fleas, but that should get most of them. That is what worked for us.

[Harpers Mom]

I live in Florida and fleas are year round, we’ve never had a problem with them until recently though. I don’t want to resort to using harsh chemicals but all the home remind it’s I have heard of aren’t working. I’ve tried bathing in dawn, adding apple cider vinegar to the dogs water, flea combing for HOURS! I am out of ideas. I’ve heard adding a small amount of dietary sulfur to the food may help? Ideas please!!

[Brittany Mom]

I too have had dogs diagnosed with various cancers; one with hemagio sarcoma who died at 10 1/2; another with brain lesions who passed at 8 and 81/2; and another with mast cell and leukemia who passed at 14. They were all fed kibble all their lives; Eukanuba and California Natural. I now feed Bravo raw and Honest Kitchen. I believe it is not only the food but all the chemicals dogs come into contact daily, i.e., cleaning solutions we use in our homes, fertilizers in our gardens, flea treatments, etc.

[OhBichonPlease]

I had a similar issue with our older female Bichon Frise from the local shelter. She wasn’t likely abused and certainly didn’t suffer the way your dog seems to, but we definitely suspect some kind of neglect. Not only was her coat shaved down almost to the skin [probably due to matting], she had ticks and fleas and couldn’t even jump up on our low mattress because her muscles were weak and under-developed. [The shelter said she was 5, our vet says closer to 8]. She has had some weird behavior with toys as well – she doesn’t seem to know much play behavior even though she was living with other dogs and it has taken some time, patience and conditioning to get her to where she is now.
She is only interested in plush toys and now she loves squeakers… but she wasn’t like that in the beginning. No rope or rubber toys seemed to entice her and she would immediately drop an item if we started to tug back – no rough chewing. We got her a plush toy and she seemed to like carrying it around, hiding it in dark corners, and gradually got more bold until it squeaked in her mouth. Sometimes she licked and coddled it like it was injured. It was hilarious to watch, but she was terrified and suspicious for the most part. After that, she would run away to another room and stay there whenever we tried to engage in play with a squeaking toy. A few times we hugged her still and squeaked a toy and she struggled mightily to get away. After about two weeks of daily desensitizing sessions, she finally learned to love to play with her plush squeakers. A squeak is enough to get her to come to a room. She loves attacking her toys [prefers hedgehogs, bears and other brown woodland creatures] until the squeaker has died. She is learning the basics of fetch, but is still very polite with her toys. We don’t think she has ever really played before.
I wouldn’t get rid of the toys, but instead show that they are superfun by having all household members plays with it in happy voices for a few minutes a couple of times a day. Don’t push it, but let your dog know that it is okay to take joy in some little things!

[FreeholdHound]

This is a copy (couldn’t get the link) of report that was posted on a Greyhound FB page earlier.

ATLANTA —

Grieving animal lovers across the country are coming forward blaming a popular pet drug for killing their dogs. Channel 2 Action News has uncovered several cases in Metro Atlanta.

“It’s like a piece of your heart is being torn out,” said dog owner Beth Timms from Gainesville.

Her dog, Gizmo, died after taking Trifexis. The once-a-month pill made by Elanco is a combination pill for heartworm, parasites and flea prevention. Elanco is the animal health division of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

Gizmo was a healthy 12-year-old mixed-breed. Shortly after taking Trifexis for the first time, she suffered lethargy, vertigo, seizures and a 106-degree temperature.

“We had to let her go. We had to have her put to sleep,” Timms said. “I killed my dog.”

Timms emailed consumer investigator Jim Strickland after finding a Facebook page titled “Trifexis Kills Dogs.”

Owners from all over the country have posted on the page, blaming the drug for their dogs’ deaths.

The Facebook page led Strickland to a home in Sandy Springs, where a dog bowl still sits empty in the corner. The dog who once used it was a puppy named Bishop.

“He died. For no reason, no warning,” said Bishop’s owner Jenny Schmitt.

Bishop was a 16-week-old Vizsla, which is a Hungarian hunting dog. He was one of seven in a litter born in June from an American Kennel Club Grand Champion.

Three of Bishop’s litter mates are thriving in Florida. A fourth is a healthy puppy living Buckhead. None of them has ever had Trifexis.

Bishop and the other two litter mates, named Tucker and Jade, each received their one and only dose of Trifexis in September. Bishop and Jade died within three weeks. Tucker died in six days. Veterinarians ruled they all died of heart inflammation.

“I think Eli Lillly and Elanco need to ask the broader question, ‘Does this drug even need to be on the market?'” Schmitt said.

Elanco is headquartered outside of Indianapolis. Strickland went there to speak with one of Elanco’s top veterinarians. Dr. Stephen Connell insisted Trfiexis is safe. He said he gives it to his own dogs.

Connell said Elanco has dispensed 50 million doses since Trifexis hit the market less than three years ago.

“We don’t like the fact that it has killed any dogs. But with any pharmaceutical product, we understand that the very rare sensitivities, allergic events — those types of things are going to happen,” Connell said.

Elanco’s spokesman later said Connell didn’t mean to say the company doesn’t like that Trifexis killed any dogs, but rather the company doesn’t like hearing reports of any deaths.

Strickland got the numbers on reports about Trifexis made to the Food and Drug Administration. The latest figures are as of April 2013.

Pet owners have filed 2200 reports of the drug causing their dogs to vomit. There are 600 cases of lethargy, and 31 reports of dog deaths. That’s about one per month since the drug hit the market.

The warning on the Trifexis box states mild side effects. Connell admitted to Strickland that the company has gotten reports of dogs suffering seizures, but Elanco has found no link to any dog deaths.

A University of Georgia Veterinary School pathology report on Bishop’s death stated a bacterial infection likely caused the dog’s heart failure. It ruled his symptoms were not typical of drug toxicity.

Trifexis contains two drugs, spinosad and milbemycin.

“The spinosad is from the United States. The milbemycin is sourced from China” said Connell.

He added their Chinese supplier has had multiple inspections and is a non-issue.

He also addressed the deaths of the puppies.

“It is our opinion that there are other factors involved in this case,” Connel said.

Bishop’s owner doesn’t believe that.

“The three puppies that all died within the same week, all had Trifexis, all around the same time,” Schmitt said. “It’s a heck of a coincidence.”

[shilodakotamom]

I have been feeding Darwin’s for about 3 months now and my little ones seem healthy, well almost, I will explain more. I want to add something to the raw food to create variety, any ideas, or what do you use. Ok on the almost healthy part, this is not related to the food, but vaccinations I had them get in August. Their immune system broke down, we got fleas. Now we are on probiotics, and dietary enzymes along with the Darwin’s. Much better now flea wise. Just looking for something else to give a little more nutrition, and variety. Thanks

[RescueDaneMom]

I have a 7.5yr old Dane. Luckily the only thing I have found that he is allergic to is mango and bee/wasp stings. My sister has a dog that we suspected had a chicken allergy but it turned out that it was flea allergies. From the research I did at the time, the best thing to do is put your dog on a limited ingredient diet such as Nature’s Variety Instinct grain-free, limited ingredient diet. It comes in turkey, lamb, duck, and rabbit. Because the TOTW formula you are currently feeding is lamb based, I would choose one of the other protein sources to try. I believe if it is truly food allergies you should start seeing some improvement in as little as a week but it can take 4-6 weeks for all the symptoms to completely clear up. Once all of the symptoms are gone, you can add one ingredient at a time and watch your dog’s reaction to see what she is allergic to. That’s my two cents. Hopefully someone else with more experience with allergy dogs will chime in. Good luck!

-Caroline

[Jamie08]

When I first got my heeler (as an adult), he was thin and would not put weight on- he did turn out to have a pretty big load of worms, so I would start there! I have to worm him fairly regularly because he eats squirrels & rabbits that he catches, so I’m guessing ends up with tapeworms from their fleas (because HE doesn’t have fleas).

I’m on a budget but my dogs are on Merrick’s Whole Earth Farms, which I have found to be a great deal for a brand that’s rated 4 stars on here (was on sale at PetCo when I bought it last, 35lbs for $35). My dog is actually a heeler cross and is a little bigger, probably ~50lbs and eats 4 cups/day and looks great! Everybody here has lots of great suggestions, but I would definitely check about worms if he’s eating that much and still thin.

[pugmomsandy]

I rescue and the group only does immiticide back to back. Rarely they do the immiticide 30 days apart. If it were my dogs, I think I would opt for slow kill. Has your vet staged the heartworm disease? In the early stages with a small amount of worms, it’s less stressful on the dog, but still dangerous none the less. I’ve had 4 dogs in 4 years die from complications of heartworm treatment (pulmonary embolism). One is at the vet right now with complications. If you use topical flea/tick/mosquito meds, you can still also use essential oils like Sentry Natural Defense and Halo Herbal Dip.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/11/22/cheaper-safer-therapy-for-heartworm.aspx

[Dolly]

Hi BeachDog,

My pup had to have heartworm treatment after I took over her care at about the age of 10. My vet gave the injections a month apart, as she said this was the new ‘safer’ way to treat heartworm. As the previous post, she was given antibiotics and steroids, my vet gave me this as an option, and said it could help keep recovery smooth. It is a long, terrifying, two months, but it was what worked for me. My vet also suggested trying to treat with just a preventative and hoping the worms would die before they did to much damage, but I didn’t want to risk the long term damage the worms could do. I think this is a personal choice you should make on your own, weighing the risks. For a preventative I use heartguard. In my research and expeirience, heartguard and revolution are both very effective. Revolution has extra preventative for fleas/ticks/other parasites. I live in the north, so I like to use heartguard so I can only use flea and tick medicine when neccesarry. Good luck!

[Naturella]

Akari, thanks for the info. Our little guy wasn’t as itchy before, and nothing has changed in his diet, so I am guessing either the FURminator may have irritated his skin, or the flea/tick protection of Trifexis is wearing off and he will need the larger-sized dog amount now that he is over 10 lbs.

[Dfwgolden]

I have a 16 week old purebred Border Collie puppy out of working stock lines.
He’s an amazing pup in every way, intelligent, lively, loving, and very social.

However….

Ricky has since I got him had very loose stools. We have three other dogs two Golden Retrievers and a Chihuahua (Shh, don’t tell him I called him a dog!)
None of our other three ever had loose stools, Ricky also poops a lot!
Not like 4-5 times like some puppies do but like 8-10 times a day.

His potty training has been an extreme difficulty and is not progressing as it should.
We’ve tried changing foods and adding supplements.
He just has show no signs of improvement.

I am a big fan of the raw diet but am not currently able to feed that with my finances.
He is currently on Diamond Lamb and Rice Large breed puppy.
My other dogs eat Diamond with no problems what so ever, they have a nice shiny coat and have never been in better health.

What do I do about this? I just am all over the board here and don;t understand why he poops SO MUCH and why it is so loose.
He is 100% healthy (had a blood panel done and everything) he is on Revolution for fleas and HW.
He gets feed in the afternoon around 12:00pm and at night around 6:00pm
Then gets a small snack of food before I leave for school around 7:00am of so.

He is very active and shows know underlying issues what so ever. His coat is beautiful! No smelly breath, or itching ect.

I just am baffled.

[Samoan81]

My guess is the food…like chicken some dogs respond the same way to lamb. Lamb tends to cause skin allergies and yeasty ears…that’s my experience with it.
Protein levels are a bit low …whats the fat%…cal%—its also a Diamond Product..known for recalls. I would switch imo
Most important thing right now is for him not to gorge into food.
Remember fleas have a 28 day cycle…would use capstar to make sure. then a preventative.
Have you read up on satin balls for weight gain?
Have you tried bitter apple on his paws? Does he have chew toys accessible?