As some of you know from Chi Chat a few days ago, Bella has been itching her ears A LOT and their was a little bit of a smell. After talking to a few people on chat I thought that maybe she had a yeast infection. So to the vet she went. The vet said that she had no infections and he believed it to be allergies. She got an allergy shot and he said that if it clears up in a few days and she stops itching then we have it figured out. Then he said to bring her back every 3 weeks for another shot!!! That could become very expensive. She is doing better now so I guess it really is allergies. I am going to the pet store today and going to get some hypoallergenic shampoo (or whatever I find that may help her). I will update everyone as time passes. I wanted to update all that I was chatting with about this and I am hoping that someone may have an idea for how I can help her without an expensive shot every three weeks. Does anyone have any natural remedies or ideas that I may try?
She is eating Purina Beneful...That is all that she has ever had, not sure what to feed her. She for sure has itchy skin and she has watery/goopie eyes a lot of the time. I was just reading the "what do you feed your chi" thread for some ideas of different foods to try. I was gonna go out today and get something different. Do you have any suggestions or like what to look for the food to have in it or not to have in it? Thanks for the reply!!
Oh I'm sorry to hear little Bella is under the weather! We cant have that!
I dont have many suggestions for treatment I'm afraid! But I guess I would tend to agree with Jessie (and not just because she hsa a very cool name!) that it could be her food. Since I live in England we wont be able to get many of the same foods so I cant suggest any particular brands either. Sorry! But there are certain dog food ingredients that are known to trigger allergies. Wheat, maize, beef, dairy. So I would think your best bet would be to go with a good quality hypoallergenic dog food. Over here you can get a few brands that just eliminate all the common allergy foods from their food. I am sure if we can get them over here you guys will have a fair few brands that are holistic.
I have heard of, and actually myself once tried for my Shih Ztu with ear problems, that Homeopathy can sometimes help.
Is Bella insured? Will her insurance cover the cost of the jabs she has to have?
I hope you find something that helps, and please let us know when you do. Update us on how she's doing. I would imagine others will give you more input and better help.
Poor Bella..The only experience I have had was with my pug, Charlie.. We did buy an oatmeal based shampoo to bathe him in to help with the skin itching. It did appear to be helpful to him.. In fact, he actually began to enjoy taking a bathe once he learned it would make him feel better. I can't remember the exact name of the shampoo right now, but I am sure your vet can give you a recommendation. My vet was the one who advised me to use the oatmeal based shampoo on Charile... I hope Bella gets lots better soon.
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Hey JB, I do recall the chat about this. The allergy shots can get pricey, specially when you pay for the office visit and the shot. I have some oatmeal shampoo simply called Vet Solutions Aloe & Oatmeal Shampoo. I believe I got it at the vet, but you may be able to find it at the stores as well. Works really well.
Let us know how Bella is doing and what you find to help treat her allergies.
I am going to move this thread to the Chi Health section.
Purina Beneful has ground yellow corn for the first ingredient, followed by many other fillers and barely any meat (all by products). Corn is #1 allergen in dogs, followed by wheat. I would definately switch her (gradually, take 14 days to switch her food) to a better food. Some foods that I would recommend are:
-Timberwolf Organics
-Wellness
-Solid Gold
-Innova
-Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul
-Natural Balance
Some of these are sold in special stores, feed stores, and doggy bakeries. I know that Petco carries Solid Gold and Natural Balance. Pet Supermarket carries Wellness. If you can't get any of these, I would try Blue Buffalo from Petsmart, or Nutro Ultra. With foods like these, you actually feed a lot less of them than you would the Beneful.
I would almost bet that her allergies would clear up after you switch her food
Also, I would use a soap free, hypoallergenic shampoo for baths.
Thank you everyone for all your advice. I will update you in a few weeks and see how the new food and hypoallergenic shampoo does for her. You ladies are great!!
Dogs are unconditional LOVE!
