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Post by houseodessey on Apr 5, 2007 12:50:02 GMT -5
I didn't know where to put this but thought this was the most appropriate spot. My dog gets allergy attacks in the spring and fall and they tend to settle in his ears or in this case one of his ears. It happens suddenly; he starts violently shaking his head, then come the hives and within an hour, his ear is a bloody mess. Normally, I give him antihistamine and take him to the vet for cortisone/steroids but that gets expensive and the vet always tells me it's unnecessary as he'll get over it on benadryl and ear drops alone. Does anyone have a natural ear wash, perhaps with pain relief or a numbing effect that they can recommend?
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 6, 2007 8:19:38 GMT -5
Michelle, I will look for my notes. I had an Australian Shepherd for 7 years that was terribly allergic to insect bites of any kind. I put her on a partial raw food diet and tried countless remedies to help her along the way. In black fly season her ears would just balloon up. It was just heartwrenching to see her like that, so I understand the pain you are going through with your dear pet.
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Post by houseodessey on Apr 6, 2007 16:21:02 GMT -5
That's really nice of you. Did the raw diet help? I'm seriously considering beginning to cook for my pets considering the latest comercial food scare anyway.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 6, 2007 16:30:45 GMT -5
Yes, it helped immensely. I'll have to look for the links that correspond. Might not be tonight..have family for Easter here. But only til tomorrow morning..I was just sneaking a peek in here.. gotta go work on supper,
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 6, 2007 21:43:08 GMT -5
Found two articles with several different suggestions. This one is all natural. www.naturalrearing.com/articles/MarinaZacharias/Skin.htmAnd don't forget to look around her site. There's much more to it than just skin care!! The other one has closed their website, but I read through my printout. It was from golden retriever owner in Florida. They recommend conventional veterinary treatments such as steroid to begin with, then gradually changing over to other methods for maintenance. They said that they found Tea Tree Oil to be "GREAT stuff...It is antibacterial, antifungal, penetrates beneath the surface, takes the pain/itch away instantly...and TASTES AWFUL. I haven't found a dog that will lick a spot with (Melaleuca) on it yet." Hope this gives you some worthwhile suggestions for puppy..
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Post by houseodessey on Apr 7, 2007 14:36:07 GMT -5
That website looks great and I don't know why I didn't think of Tea tree oil. I use that on myself with great success. He's doing quite a bit better. I'm hoping to stay away from the steroids and such so I don't want to go to the vet, if I can help it. After reading even more on the pet food issues, I've pretty much decided to start cooking (or uncooking, haven't decided yet) for the cats and dogs starting next week. Thanks for your advice and efforts on Rudy's behalf.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 7, 2007 15:17:17 GMT -5
I have more links stashed. I will look through them. Especially ones about making your own petfood. I forgot to ask. What breed is Rudy and how old?? I've been a big breed owner/lover for many years, but DH wanted a small dog this time. My little (26 lb) border collie, lab X ?? is the best brat yet!!
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Post by houseodessey on Apr 7, 2007 16:02:53 GMT -5
Rudy is a mutt; he's 1/2 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 1/4 Pit Bull and 1/4 Chow. He looks like a black lab, but beefier. As an added bonus, he's got about 10" of ridge on his back and an underbite that makes him the cutest dog ever to me, but kind of ferocious looking to strangers. Right now, he cowers and runs off everytime I get up as he thinks I'm a) going to shove some more antihistamines down his piehole or b) treat his ear with cortisone ear wash. It breaks my heart for him to not trust me. Thanks so much for digging these links up. I knew there would be someone here who would have similar experiences with their pets.
Oh, and he's a 4 y/o.
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Post by bunkie on Apr 22, 2007 15:23:26 GMT -5
our huge 5 year old collie-mix girl dog has that ear problem every spring, tho now that she's getting a bit older, she doesn't seem to have it as bad. she would shake her ears so violently that she developed heatobas (sp?) lumps. our vet gave us Epi-Otic that is a cleanser for ears, and FLUSH THAT'S CALLED Malaseb that has medicine in it for the ears. both those worked great and quickly. if her ears were really bad we'd use the med one, if not, the other. also we used a natural concoction that is for ear mites (which she didn't have, but it worked!) that had oil of pennyroyal, oil of lemongrass, and oil of laavender in it. peace, bunkie.
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Post by houseodessey on Apr 22, 2007 18:22:38 GMT -5
Thanks, Bunkie. He's completely over it now and starting in on the flea allergies which are far less difficult to treat. We use the ear washes the same way as you and your family do. I hope that he grows out of this at least slightly as your dog did with age.
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