Help allergies & diet

Ruby Red · 11-18-2009, 11:13 AM

I would really appreciate any help and advice please, I hope you’ll forgive the fact that it’s about Jakey but allergies seem to affect all dogs/breeds. Very briefly, for the last 3 1/2 years he has been suffering with excessive black wax discharge from one or both ears. It regularly becomes infected and in the past the vet has treated the infections with surolin and otomax. I have been managing to hold the ear infections at bay through using a dilute version of AC Vinegar – however this doesn’t stop the wax building up – the only thing that stops it is predisolne – steroids. At the moment his left ear is very bad with wax and blood from where he scratches it/rubs it along the furniture. His skin at the moment is not too bad as I have been managing this through constantly changing his diet and bathing him anytime he has been out [grass/mud ph of earth affects his skin too].

Now we have another problem – for the last 6 weeks he is not tolerating raw food at all – he has almost constant diarrhoea. I have kept him on a plain diet – rice, scrambled egg and fish/beans, pulses, and he is fine on this, but if I add raw or give him a plain raw meal he has bad diarrhoea again – no matter what the meat/fish source.

So now the left ear is very bad [probably as a result of the cooked diet], the skin is ok, but the diet has gone.

We have seen 3-4 conventional vets – have had food testing done [various high allergies to meats, grass, carrots, broccoli, dust mite] and we have done elimination diets and had him on de-sensitising injections for over a year. We saw the best holistic vet in London for over 2 years, spent well over a thousand pounds on consultations and treatment which has included various cycles of homeopathic tablets – arsen alb, thuja and lycopodium, vit e, colloidal silver – both orally and in the ear, Vetri-DMG liquid, zinc, proplis, plus countless other herbs and supplements that I don’t even remember now. Ultimately nothing has worked. His blood test/thyroid levels are all fine and within the normal range. The only option left for him is a drug called atopica –the research I have done on the ingredients makes me very fearful of it and I don’t want him on that.

I’m just off-loading I think because I know there aren’t any answers for my poor boy, but any advice on his diet would be appreciated – do I keep him on cooked forever more now? [and just pray that it doesn’t affect his skin long term and exacerbate the ear problems too much], and just by any remote chance - does anyone know anything natural that works in the same way as a steroid? [very unlikely I know].

daisy'smom · 11-18-2009, 12:04 PM

Poor Jakey. I hope you can find some answers.

Doreen · 11-18-2009, 12:46 PM

You know I am too new to this special diet for dogs, so sorry, I can't be of any help. I hope someone will come up with an answer for you!

JoeV · 11-18-2009, 01:00 PM

Wow, I hope you get a good solution for Jakey. I wanted to write back to you b/c of the Atopica you mentioned. Our vet put Lucky on Atopica after two attempts to treat her hives (allergy breakout) with steroids - the steroids got them 95% gone and as soon as she was off them, they popped right back out. We were giving her Atopica every day for almost 60 days straight and she has been good, but not 100%. For instance, she'll break out one day out of the blue and then they'll all be gone in a day or two. I called the vet and said I don't want her on it everyday any longer so we reduced it to every other day. However, I want her off it completely b/c like you said, I am wary of not enough testing, etc., but the vet strongly believes in it. I think it may be helping some, b/c if she gets them, they go away quickly - but that's just it, she still gets them from time to time. So, I don't see the need to keep her on medicine. Not only do I want to get her off Atopica for health reasons, but also b/c it costs a fortune. 60 days on Atopica cost us over $350 and is still costing us a lot to keep her on it every other day. It is crazy. So that is something to keep in mind. I understand it may work differently for different types of allergies - this might work better for Jakey's ears than Lucky's hives. Who knows.

Spyglass Sally · 11-18-2009, 01:34 PM

Gee, Stephanie, it sounds like you’ve really been through the ringer! I’m so sorry. Allergies are so tough to deal with – so many different ways of manifesting and who knows exactly what is the problem! Some folks believe in allergy shots to desensitize and animal to the allergen, but I’ve read arguments that you don’t really want to desensitize an immune system – that can lead to cancer long term. The real problem is an immune system that’s become sensitized to an allergen – maybe secondary to a toxic build up or overwhelming of the system – and the goal is to get the body detoxified so the immune system can be healthy again. In a healthy immune system, the inflammatory reaction (common to all allergies) will be brief, with healing through detoxification. But when that doesn’t occur, the inflammation grows into allergic symptoms such as rashes, hives, colitis, etc.

For “Allergy ears” Dr Pitcairn says to soften and dissolve dark, waxy , oily ear discharge, flush and massage the ear canal with sweet almond oil, which is also soothing and healing to the skin. If it’s also painful, alternate with aloe vera juice or gel massaged into ear. If ears are producing a mostly dark, smelly material, clean with the almond oil then (next day) start with this treatment. Put 2 bags green tea in a mug, add boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. When cool, flush ears twice a day.

Dr Pitcairn also says about a third of all allergies are caused by substances in the foods. If you find a diet that doesn’t cause problems but returns when you go back to the original diet, “you can assume your pet is allergic to one or more of the ingredients in the daily diet”. That much I think you already know. He says the most common allergens: beef, wheat, milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, fruits, tomatoes, carrots, yeast and various spices and additives. Dr. Goldstein says the four most common food allergies are red meat or meat by-products, dairy, wheat and yeast. He says to put them on a diet of chicken, rice, carrots and distilled water. Each week add one of the foods that might be the problem and see if you get a reaction.

I really appreciate your feelings about synthetic cortisone - the "reliever of all symptoms and curer of none." As far as alternatives, there are several I know of. When given in sufficient does, Vitamin C acts like a natural antihistamine to control allergies. Quercetin and B-complex vitamins are also useful to that end. Adrenal extracts have been used in human medicine since 1931. The adrenals cortex secretes corticosteroids and the extracts contain small amounts of corticosteroid, therefore they are a “natural cortisone” and used in cases of allergy and inflammation. The dose depend on the quality and potency of the product. Dr. Goldstein believes that adrenal supplements are a very important part of the therapy for a dog with allergy problems, because of the inflammation. He frequently uses Drenatrophin from Standard Process Labs; Miladrene from Miller, although there are many more. He also says he has gotten “dramatic results” with Pet Health Pharmacy – derived from soy, the natural cortisone acts like a synthetic one but without the side effects. Orally, he also recommends Betathyme (Doctors Mutual) that contains a plan derived form of cortisone and a Chinese herb called Kai Yeung, both labeled for people. He gives a 30 lb dog one Betathyme twice a day and two Kai Yeungs once a day. Also, he gives the antioxidant enzymes AOX/PLX by Biovet and says that four tablets of AOX have the same anti-inflammatory effect as 2.5 mg of prednisone (the most common form of cortisone).

Homeopathic remedies that were recommended in my readings were Calendula (marigold) and BHI’s “Allergy” for allergy related skin problems and a spray called Eco-VM (by Imhotep) and Traumeel (by Heel) and Aloe Vera for red spots. For inflammation of the ear, BHI’s “Ear and Inflammation” orally and Dr. Goodpet’s Ear Relief topically are remedies I've also read about.

I know you’ve already tried a ton of stuff, so maybe this is redundant. I hope not all of it and that something in here may be useful to you. Let us know!

Ruby Red · 11-18-2009, 01:55 PM

Thanks Joe for your reply -

Quote:

Our vet put Lucky on Atopica after two attempts to treat her hives (allergy breakout) with steroids - the steroids got them 95% gone and as soon as she was off them, they popped right back out.

Jakey is the same - once he is off the steroids it all starts back up again.

Re: Atopica
Joe the reason I have been holding back on atopica is because the main ingredient is something called 'cyclosporine' it is used in transplant patients to suppress the immune system so it doesn't reject the new transplant. Whilst the amount of cyclosporine in atopica would be lower for our dogs than in transplant cases, my concerns centre around lacking of testing/information on its usage in relation to dogs and the possible long term side effects. Not to mention that in suppressing the dogs immune system you make is vulnerable to other infections.

Poss side effects in humans:

Quote:

Cyclosporine is a drug that reduces the body's ability to fight illness/disease (an immunosuppressant), leaving patients vulnerable to infection or other problems (including cancers such as lymphoma). Using other drugs that treat organ transplant rejection along with this drug may increase these tendencies. Cyclosporine can also cause high blood pressure and kidney problems. The risk of both problems increases with higher doses and longer treatment with this drug. Psoriasis patients who have had certain previous treatments (e.g., PUVA, UVB, coal tar, radiation therapy, methotrexate) are at increased risk to develop skin cancer. Therefore, cyclosporine must be given only under close medical supervision. Because different brands deliver different amounts of medication, do not switch brands of cyclosporine without your doctor's permission and directions. Laboratory tests (e.g., kidney function tests, blood tests) may be performed to monitor your progress.

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-9108...+Oral&source=2

On one web site I found, it suggested that cyclosporine shouldn’t even be used in humans for any longer than a year!

The vets here all rave about it too because they have NOTHING ELSE TO OFFER, and they make a nice little packet out of it too!

Ruby Red · 11-18-2009, 01:59 PM

Sally, thank you so very much for taking the time to write this for me - I really was at a loss with what to do next for him. Today has been such a bad day for him and I just feel so helpless. I'm going to copy what you have written and go through it very carefully and spend some time researching everything. Many, many thanks again!

nikita&memo · 11-18-2009, 02:19 PM

Stephanie, we're in the same boat! Memo was at holistic vet yesterday as i posted....lots of black wax buildup...not infection, just inflamation...determined it was food allergy....vet prescribed Synotic drops for his ears. I've been doing some researching, i'm also terrified of this problem only getting worse. Here's what i found...i don't know, it may help you out....and i'd like to see what the others have to say....
Pet beds with cedar chips should be removed and dogs with allergies shouldn't be near cedar....makes sense to me as every time Memo is on his dog bed is when he does seem to be itching feverishly.

and here's something else i found,
Yucca

Yucca is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps the immune system function normally. It helps resolve symptoms without side effects common with steroids. Yucca is given daily for allergies. Yucca Intensive, a concentrated liquid medication is a powerful product that is safe for cats and dogs with allergies. It can also be given in food or applied directly to areas of itching skin.

I was also told by holistic vet to eliminate carrots, eggs, dairy.
I've been giving Memo acidopholus, oil of oregano, b12, ACV...i took away the fish oil...so i'll be replacing with flax oil.

AussieGirl · 11-18-2009, 03:48 PM

Stephanie - so sorry to hear you have having such troubles with Jakey! Hope he is feeling better soon - allergies suck!

Ruby Red · 11-19-2009, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikita&memo

......Pet beds with cedar chips should be removed and dogs with allergies shouldn't be near cedar....makes sense to me as every time Memo is on his dog bed is when he does seem to be itching feverishly.

and here's something else i found,
Yucca

Yucca is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps the immune system function normally. It helps resolve symptoms without side effects common with steroids. Yucca is given daily for allergies. Yucca Intensive, a concentrated liquid medication is a powerful product that is safe for cats and dogs with allergies. It can also be given in food or applied directly to areas of itching skin.

I was also told by holistic vet to eliminate carrots, eggs, dairy.
I've been giving Memo acidopholus, oil of oregano, b12, ACV...i took away the fish oil...so i'll be replacing with flax oil.

Thank you so much for this Eli, I am going to spend the weekend researching all this information.