Help! My dogs skin is red raw from scratching constantly!

[excuseme]

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We do not have to prepare our own raw meals as a completely"balanced" meal for each feed. Feeding raw balances itself over a period of a few weeks as long as a good variety of products are used.
The Natures Menu products can be bought weekly or as required, also some of their products are made as a "complete" feed too.
You just need to be aware of some products they have with RICE in.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Thanks @excuseme for the info, I'm just going to see how she is on grain free first and possibly take her to the vet AGAIN and see if anything else can be done. One of our clients had their dog allergy tested and he's allergic to all-sorts!
Including beef, chicken, lamb, salmon, white fish, rice...and I'm sure there were more! Yikes!
What are you feeding Bax now, @Shalista, I know, we only have small under-counter fridge and freezer which barely fit our own food in!

 

[excuseme]

You may find that the test results are associated with cooked and processed meat products.
[ Processed food has been cooked. Cooking alters the food's chemical structure, destroys much of its nutritional value. It is very possible that reactions to the raw and un cooked product would not be the same.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

I don't think the vet has told her that, she's feeding raw! God knows what but she is.

 

[excuseme]

In my experience of raw as long as there is a variety including some edible bones and offal, including gristle and fat, it will balance itself over a few weeks. Wild dogs and wolves do not have "balanced" meals every day. I'm sure she will be fine.

Maybe the vet was not aware about raw and cooked feeding!
Please read below.

Myths About Raw: Is my vet really qualified to be giving nutritional advice?

 

[Shalista]

yeah my brother had a dog that was allergic to most animal protein. i think he could have like one but i forget which it was. he'd get all scratchy if he had meat.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Thanks @excuseme, dog food is just mind boggling because there are so many types/brands!
Awwww, poor thing @Shalista...I suppose that might be where the dreaded vegetarian dog diet might come in?...

UPDATE:

So, since the cream is being applied twice daily and her cone stays on there's a big improvement but I think as soon as I let her have the cone off it'll get bad again.....

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Oops I've just realised that's the opposite armpit to the one I showed you to start with, they're both similar looking though.

 

[Shalista]

Bax is actually vegan by my choice. since i went i thought it would be a bit hypocritical of me to not have him go to. he's doing really well on it, biggest difference ive noticed in an increase in number of poos per day.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Oh wow, it's good he's doing well on it and presumably he likes it I bet some dogs would turn their noses up at it!...not Rox, she'd eat it...she eats anything!

 

[Shalista]

Bax's fur is really shiny on it to but im cheating the stuff he's on is marketed as allergy dog food dogs with bad coats so it's got all kinds of extra oils and vitamins and minerals in it for good coats.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Oh that's good, what's the name of the brand?

 

[Shalista]

Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin

https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Reci...&sr=8-8&keywords=nature's+recipe+healthy+skin

IDK if it's the BEST and i'm sure someone with entirely to much time on their hands will go to great lengths to explain to me why THIS brand is bad, but its cheap, i can buy it on amazon, its vegan (even though the label says it's only vegetarian) and Bax loves it. Good enough for me.

 

[Shalista]

Nature's Recipe Healthy Skin

https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Recipe-Healthy-Vegetarian-15-Pound/dp/B003VIWOES/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1540505367&sr=8-8&keywords=nature's+recipe+healthy+skin

IDK if it's the BEST and i'm sure someone with entirely to much time on their hands will go to great lengths to explain to me why THIS brand is bad, but its cheap, i can buy it on amazon, its vegan (even though the label says it's only vegetarian) and Bax loves it. Good enough for me.

If you're worried about allergies this might be a good place to start and then slowly reintroduce meat one protein at a time?

 

[Janer]

Have you tried a child/baby long sleeve t.shirt on Roxy? It may stop her trying to scratch or at least if she does it won’t touch her skin. I have used them on both of mine. That’s my Roxy modelling a short sleeved one lol she loved wearing one and would push her head in.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

Thanks @Shalista, that might be a good idea!
@Janer that is so cute! I have put long sleeves and baby grow vests on my Roxy but she has them on for a bit then manages to pull them off!
She seems a lot better right now, no red patches anywhere, and I've just bought some DermOpt products (shampoo and spray) to try.

 

[Janer]

Oh that’s great that the redness is gone, it’s such a relief when the things you do to help them work x

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

It is yeah, I think a bit part of it was putting the cone on for a week just to break her scratch cycle and allow the skin to heal a bit.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

UPDATE:
Hi, so since I started this thread, I have taken Rox to the vet because I was just at my wit's end with it all.
It went very well, she was prescribed a steroid cream for her armpits and Apoquel tablets (two per day for a week then one per day thereafter) for 3 weeks to see how she gets on, we've got about a week left and then we go back to the vets for a check-up. Her armpits are so much better now! Made me realize how bad they were, the skin is now so much smoother and she seems a lot more comfortable
The vet gave me two options really, go on Apoquel and see how it goes or try allergy testing but she said that testing can sometimes end up with having to go on Apoquel afterwards anyway with more expense so I went with the Apoquel, any opinions or suggestions are welcome but I am super happy with this because before now I've just been fobbed off with steroid tablets, which is not a long term solution, so happy to finally be trying something different and potentially long term!

 

[Caro Perry]

I'm glad she's feeling better. Those photos did look so sore.

I think I'd go for the allergy testing if it was Harri. It might turn out to be something that is easy to avoid. Not only would it be cheaper long term but apoquel is an immune suppressant and dogs need a healthy and effective immune system. If the allergen is not identifiable then of course that changes things.