Need Pug owner Advise ASAP

Dog Food Advisor Forums Diet and Health Need Pug owner Advise ASAP

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #87385 Report Abuse
    Tara M
    Member

    I am new to this and looking for help. I have 2 pugs.
    1 male 10 years old approx 30 pounds and 1 female 4 years old approx 32 pounds. She is ver short/ lower to the ground with short legs then my male and is more over weight.
    They both like Ceasers and Might Dog food but I have been hearing these are not good. They both have severe itch problems. I took them to the vet and she has to give them a shot for itch and a shot for this bacteria on skin. I have to bathe them with a dandruff shampoo to help. They get a foul smell in their ears and I am always cleaning this yucky wet wax out.
    Is this because of their food? Any suggestions. They are not big on dry food . They like wet food.

    #87386 Report Abuse
    anonymously
    Member

    It sounds like environmental allergies, I went through this with my dog and did not have good results till I took her to a dermatologist. Wasted a year going back and forth to the regular vet.
    She is stable now x 4 years, we see the specialist once a year. They can still have occasional flare-ups even with successful treatment, and it can take up to a year to see results, however I saw improvement right away .

    Regarding diet:I had a small breed that loved Mighty Dog and lived a long life.
    PS: You could try soaking a quality kibble overnight in water (fridg) and use the canned stuff they like as a topper, or mix a little in.
    Nutrisca is a good kibble for a small breed (imo) and is a limited ingredient food, especially the salmon and chickpea., check chewy.com

    Environmental allergies.
    excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
    “Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems”.

    Mail-in hair and saliva tests do not test for allergies and tend to be inaccurate. Food sensitivities fluctuate. Food allergies are rare.

    Consider making an appointment with a dermatologist:

    By Klaus Loft, DVM
    Angell Dermatology Service

    Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

    Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

    Top pet dermatological issues

    Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

    •Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
    •Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
    •Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
    •Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
    •Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

    All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

    Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

    Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

    IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

    The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

    ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

    This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

    When it’s time to see the vet

    Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

    •Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
    •Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
    •Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
    •Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
    •Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
    •Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
    •Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
    •Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
    •Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
    •Sudden depigmentation of skin

    Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

    #87387 Report Abuse
    anonymously
    Member

    Also, they need to lose weight, do not free feed. Serve them measured amounts twice a day, if they don’t eat within 10 minutes, pickup, store in fridg and offer at the next meal time. I would start walking them for an hour a day, it doesn’t have to be at a fast pace, especially if they have been inactive and show signs of fatigue, a leisurely walk will do. Go in the morning or evening when it is cool.

    PS: Have plenty of fresh water available, if they are not water drinkers add a splash to their meals.

    #87391 Report Abuse
    theBCnut
    Member

    My dog with food sensitivities had the exact same symptoms. Try getting a food that has very different ingredients. If your dogs’ normal food uses chicken and rice, try beef and potato, or venison and sweet potato. I had to do an elimination diet for mine to figure out what he reacted to since there were so many things, but once I got him off of the foods he reacted to, he quit having any symptoms after about 3 weeks and I saw a lessening of his symptoms within 2 days.

    #87393 Report Abuse
    Susan
    Participant

    Hi, gee they do need to loose some weight, maybe when you start them on another new brand with less fat…. Start looking at 4-5 star grain free, limited ingredient wet food with the fat around 2-4%…look at Canidae, Wellness, Holistic Select & Taste Of The Wild…. These brands will be dearer then the Supermarket food, so maybe do what I do, I buy lean turkey mince & lean pork mince & I make rissoles that I bake in the oven at 50gm per rissole & peel & cut up a sweet potato & boil then. I freeze meal size sections…

    What’s happening is your dogs are sensitive to an ingredient in the food they’re are eating & their immune system starts reacting & then they get yeasty ears & skin & smell & itch until you remove these ingredients they are sensitive too, they wont get better until what ever is causing the problem is removed… Start bathing weekly baths in Malaseb medicated shampoo the Malaseb kills any bacteria on their skin….My boy can not eat supermarket wet foods or kibbles with chicken, corn, barley, wheat, maize & gluten meal….. Please read the ingredients & write them down & when you look for another wet food make sure none of the ingredients are in the new food even change the protein, start feeding a new protein they haven’t eaten or eaten much off…. Within 2 weeks of changing diet & weekly baths they will be itch free & not smell real yeasty.. Good-Luck
    http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
    http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx

    #87421 Report Abuse
    InkedMarie
    Member

    please get your dogs to lose weight. I used wellness core reduced fat for a dog we adopted but if I needed a weight loss food now, I’d go with Annamaet lean. Your dogs current foods are very poor quality. They will eat less on new food!

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.