[Amy W]

I am reluctantly replying because I sense you are really distressed and could use a few simple suggestions. I am making these purely non-professional suggestions going on these statements in the post: You annually take your pets to vet. Your vet has not found a reason for the dog’s accidents/soft stools. You spent all you had on a pet you loved who sadly, you lost. I am very sorry.

Assuming you will at least be going back for rabies this year, I would consider doing some investigation in the meantime. Keep notes. Does your dog get into stuff you don’t know about? Eat his own or other animals feces? Drink enough water? How much? How often? Does he gobble his food? How often does he poop? Particular times of day?

Perhaps gating him to an easy clean area, when you are not around, would be useful. Taking him for walks at times he seems to naturally need to go out. If he is not on a sensitive food diet, slowly get him on it and give him plenty of time to adjust. Is something causing him stress? Does he hate his crate?

When you schedule that annual, (you will obviously need a rabies at some point this year) take all of your findings with you and try to get a fecal exam done at that time. Probably about $30 or so extra dollars, but you will only have the 1 exam fee then. If there is another vet in that office, see if you can get a second opinion from that one. Or switch entirely. Of course, if things get worse, you will need to do something sooner. But you knew that.

Good luck. I know everyone here, including you, believes vet care is important. I’m sorry you are struggling right now.

[Amy W]

Yep. Just what I use. In conjunction with the larger picture. Things are finally going well, so I’m not changing anything for awhile:)

Good luck!

[Amy W]

I use Malaseb shampoo, twice a week. It is a prescription from our derm vet. (My dog is very yeasty, and allergic to her own yeast… in addition to her other environmental allergies:)

[Amy W]

I wholeheartedly agree with all allergy specific immunotherapy. I found a veterinary dermatologist at our local university, and with many patient months (8 so far) am seeing impressive results. We used to need 2 daily apoquel AND prednisolone just to calm down the allergies when we first got my dog. Now we are down to a prescription shampoo, her immunotherapy drops, and a half an Apoquel. I will hopefully ween her off the Apoquel altogether.

It’s a really hard thing to get a grip on, and I wish you luck! It is hard to be patient. Additionally, I would like to add that I have seen a big cost SAVINGS by doing immunotherapy.

Take care!

[Amy W]

Hi Kristen,
Sorry- I haven’t watched the forum for awhile. The Apoquel (I know it’s a little pricey), it did get things under control enough for me to get into a dermatologist (it took months to get in, so if you are considering it, make the call early.)

Keeping my dog on medication was not something I wanted to do long term. The Apoquel felt like a better choice than prednisolone. She is now doing immunotherapy drops through the dermatologist. This is not medication, but specific antigens your dog is allergic to with the goal of making him less allergic, or in some cases, not allergic. It is now starting to show signs (4 months later) and it will be ongoing. We are able to lessen the Apoquel now. I am happy with the result. Bathing my dog with prescription shampoo twice a week, and using ear cleaner and a weekly drop (from my dermatologist) also helped ALOT.

Good luck. It’s a long haul and you have to be patient. Get professional guidance, go slow to rule things out. You are doing a great job. I know you want this figured out “yesterday”:) I just want to help you have realistic expectations. I’m praying for ya!

[Amy W]

Hi Kristen,
I spent a year going though that. In hindsight, I wish I would have proceeded more methodically. I would first accept that a nutritious diet can do wonders, but probably not cure what you are dealing with in and of itself. Get your dog comfortable. If that means meds, do it. Then you can begin investigating limited ingredient diets, prescription shampoos, allergy testing, etc. I found it would have been much cheaper and less stressful if I had just seen a vet dermatologist right away. Also, realize it may be months or longer until you get it straightened out. I understand wanting your dog to live a long time without meds, but you don’t want a miserable animal. Patience and a methodical plan will be your best chance to control allergies and costs. I wish there was a simpler way. So many dogs suffer with this problem! Good luck!

[Amy W]

I totally agree with finding a dermatologist. Our university has a vet school/teaching hospital- you may find a dermatologist that way. I spent a FORTUNE trying to cure yeast and allergies before finding out about dog dermatology. Food had nothing to do with it.
Finally my dog’s yeast and allergies are more or less under control, and so is my vet bill! We have also started immunotherapy- she turned out to be allergic to her own yeast! Honestly, it is less expensive than you might imagine. Your dog will be relieved more quickly and you will save valuable time and money.

[Amy W]

Hi Ken,
I’m pretty new to the site too. My dog has seasonal allergies (watery eyes and nose) and also a chronic yeast issue. The vet says they feed off of each other, compromised immune from environmental allergies make opportunistic yeast more rapid spreading. I have a French Bulldog with lots of folds, so yeast has a great place to hide. Like you, I wanted to cut out all sugars, which feed yeast, too see if it helped. I chose a freeze-dried raw from this site (TruDog) which has been less complicated from a safety standpoint. They have Turkey and Beef ( which it looks like your dog is allergic to).

I do try to keep her off as many harmful meds as reasonable, but I have found that despite my best efforts, she still needs allergy meds during seasonal allergy times. We will see if after a good freeze, the yeast slows down with the other allergies. I regularly clean my dogs “folds” and ears, and soak her feet. That helps some with yeast.

I guess basically what I am saying is the whole allergy/food/environment/ genetic thing is complicated, and while I personally think cutting the sugar with a raw diet seems like a good plan for dealing with yeast, I am finding that if I really want to do right by my dog, just the diet won’t alleviate all of her issues. You might check out a freeze dried raw. There are a couple on the site. A little more quality control for my piece of mind. Good luck, itchy is complicated!

[Amy W]

Hi! I joined this site in July after adopting our family’s first dog. Trevor, all of the choices and information is intimidating and overwhelming! I have learned a lot reading these forums, and neurotically changed my poor dog’s diet 3 times in the process! Just know that the very fact that you are researching your dog’s nutritional needs shows that you are a great dog owner and will not make a “bad” decision. Thanks to all of you whom from I quietly take tips😊

[Amy W]

I recently adopted a gassy little bat-pig (Maddie) myself and switched her from ProPlan to Origen. She too has allergies, which have cleared up tremendously. I also have her on an allergy med, so I can’t tell you how much the food helped. Her coat was nice before, but absolutely glistens now. There is also less gas. I hear Frenchies are a notoriously flatulent breed, but the gas has noticeably diminished. My girl LOVES her food and stools are formed but soft. So far, I would say I am pretty happy with Origen. My dog looks great, seems satisfied after eating, and has tons of energy.

I’m a seasoned cat mom and new to dog ownership I am really enjoying learning from everyone.

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