Help Needed! Help: My Dexter is allergic to everything!

carrieg777

New member
Dec 10, 2012
2
0
Bulldog(s) Names
Dexter
Hi, I'm a newbie here, so I please redirect me if needed.
I'm posting because my baby Dexter (3.5 years old, male) is allergic to just about everything. Since he was a puppy we've had problems with finding foods that didn't make him sick, so we had him tested. He's allergic to beef, pork, lamb, spinach, tomatoes, green beans, berries, dairy, and corn. Along with the test we were given a list of foods that we could feed him. We had him on California Natural's Herring and Sweet Potato for a while. He did fine with it, but over time he just got more and more yeasty. He also has environmental allergies, so since he was 9mos old, he's been on steroids (which is why he weighs a solid 70-80lbs now!). But since the steroids mess with his immune system, he has regular rounds of antibiotics to help deal with the bacterial infections he gets. The problem became that it would cause the yeast to come back out of control after the antibiotic cycle. After some reading, we're beginning to think he has a systemic yeast infection and is now allergic to his own yeast (aka my dog is allergic to himself!)

Tired of the cycle and what it was doing to Dexy (the poor dog has bald patches all over his body and his skin is black pigmented, he also has pussy swollen toes that we tend to daily), we decided to take him of grains and go raw, which was about 5 weeks ago. He made the transition well and was having no stomach issues outside of a little bit of bile and bone vomit (but that's because he eats too fast). Then after four weeks, he started having diarrhea and more vomiting. We thought he had a stomach bug, because it was going around with humans and my husband had all the same symptoms. After a few days, we took Dexy into the vet and then got the third degree that the raw diet was making him sick. It was a new vet (our old one moved), and I wasn't thrilled with the lecture since I'd done plenty of research before starting. However, we couldn't get the diarrhea to clear up, so we switched him to boiled chicken for a while. We also had some cooked turkey from Thanksgiving in the freezer, so we added that in as well, since he we try to mix up his protein sources. I'm not sure if he had allergic reaction to something from the turkey (since we cooked it with olive oil and herbs...although that was on the outside), but his hair and folds are turning orangey brown. The yeast is coming back. We wash with Ketachlor regularly and we give him a bath once a week doing a vinergar/peroxide water rinse at the end. We also clean with the the same rinse throughout the week. But nothing seems to work. On top of it, his gas is beyond words. When he was on raw, his burps were bad, but little to no gas. We just switched him back to raw since we had better luck at the beginning with it, but I don't know what else to do about the diarrhea and his skin situation.

We're currently looking for a new vet (open to recommendations in Wisconsin, Madison-area if possible), and we've been giving him probiotics, vitamin e, fish oil, and digestive enzymes for about a month. I just don't know what else I can do to help my sweet boy. He just seems so miserable...it's killing me.

Thanks for viewing...and sorry this was so long!
 

bullmama

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Jan 28, 2010
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The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Hi there! Sounds like you are having a real tough time and so is your baby!

I did not hear you mentioned Benadryl at all, that is really helpful for daily maintenance on allergies. Also you may want to check into cyclosporine, I have never needed or tried to use it but I have heard others have great success with it. Yes constantly giving antibiotics will kill the yeast colonies but it will also cause yeast to come back and usually worse after. Usually they (vets) give a different type of yeast killer ending in ZOLE. Home cooking maybe an option for you to try as well. I think there will be some kibbles that would fit your dogs profile, looking at the ingredients is allergic to. If you check out the great products for EnglishBulldogs forum, you can find many different types of wipes that will help battle the yeast that are inside the folds. I found a great shampoo that fights yeast is called pharmaseb. Mal acetic ultra has a little bit of steroid in it, that can really help all that bacteria and yeast in the folds as well. Keep us posted!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk :)
 

Vikinggirl

Norwegian Rose
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Oct 8, 2012
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Wow, I feel so bad you and especially Dexter are going through this. Poor Baby. I thought my Blossom had bad allergies, she is allergic to Chicken, corn, grains, and salmon. We switched foods 4 times before we found Fromms Beef. So I know how frustrating it can be to find the right foods for our sensitive guys. Dexter seems to have a lot of allergies to different proteins. Is he allergic to all fish? Maybe the Fromms tuna? I don't have a lot of experience with dog foods, and especially allergies. You may want to ask Cowsmom, or Desertskybulldogs , as they have more experience with foods. Maybe home cooking would be better for your guy, with just the most basic ingredients. Good luck, I hope you find something that works for him that he can tolerate. Keep us posted
 

linwhite

New member
Sep 24, 2012
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Tallahassee, FL
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Guido Zamboni - EB, Zoltan - Shortybull, Zeva - Frenchie
For the yeast, try adding a tablespoon per gallon of apple cider vinegar to his water. That will upset the ph balance that allow the yeast to thrive. If he doesn't seem to like it, phase it in. It made a world of difference for my Allergy Queen Zelda (RIP). Also, I fed her Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream and between the 2 of them the allergy thing became minimal. She was even allergic to the grass in the yard and if she stuck her nose into a plant, hives city. You can even use vinegar as a final bath rinse to minimize the yeasty beasties on his skin. Good luck.
 

Sherry

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Jan 15, 2011
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I feel so bad for your situation. It's not easy watching your best friend suffer. Many vets swear by a rinse of white vinegar with water. two cups white vinegar to 5 gallon water. it's supposed to balance the ph . You can also change from regular water to distilled. Add 1 cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother in it to the water or the food, so long as he gets the vinegar in him. It's also good deterrent to fleas. And will also balance the ph level. I feed all my dogs a mix of Home made food to a Kibble that is grain free and potato free. Called Nutrisca the carb is chickpea . I get my food delivered from Pet Flow, I get lists of ingredients on all food they sell. It's delivered to my door on my schedule . You may benefit by looking at all the food they have to offer if for nothing else than to learn what ingredients are in each food.
Please keep us posted.
 

elearn

Bully lovin' gypsy
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Jul 31, 2012
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Northern New Jersey
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Herman
Can you put him on a bland diet of just chicken and rice for a few days, maybe soaked in some chicken broth? I think it takes a while for the food to leave his system, so maybe just starting from scratch for a while. Bland will help calm his tummy and vomiting down. Making too many switches can also upset his tummy.

Do you know what enviromental allergies he has? (grass/pollen, dust, dander, fleas?) I'm sure there are people here who can help solve some of these problems.

For the yeast, maybe try to avoid too many carbs like potatoes, tapioca, etc. Have you researched "yeast elimination diets" - there are some tips on what to do to help eliminate yeast, one thing is to avoid specific carbs/starches/sugars that feed the yeast.
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
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Southern California
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I honestly have no advice but I just want to applaud you. How much you love Dexter is apparent and there are some very knowledgable people here. I sure hope someone can help you.


[MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION]
 
OP
carrieg777

carrieg777

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Dec 10, 2012
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Bulldog(s) Names
Dexter
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Thanks to everyone for the replies. We're already home cooking his food now since store foods like Fromms and Taste of the Wild have things like beets and tomatoes in them...both he's allergic to. But I think adding in the vinegar to his water is a great idea. We use it to rinse him and wipe his folds, but so far, it's slow going. We tried benadryl twice a day, but it wasn't helping, and then we found the OTC brands are made with cornstarch--and he's allergic to those as well. We've been told about cyclosporine by the vet and we're looking into the side effects. Otherwise, we just keep trying new things a little at a time so as not to change so many variables. I just hope he doesn't lose all his hair before we have it figured it out.

On a lighter note, Dex will always be an only puppy because we're afraid he'd be allergic to any new dog we brought in the house. :D
 

cowsmom

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Apr 27, 2011
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Sarah aka cow
ok im no raw food expert but i think if they have diarrhea with it you are supposed to add more bone into the diet. also with yeast i would suggest a good probiotic such as culturelle or align or something that is not refridgerated. i have started using a great shampoo called duoxo ps shampoo. i soak her feet while bathing and i would suggest twice or 3 times a week bathing till its under control. duoxo pads are great for in between bathing. i also use chloraseb flush for in between. you can also add a vitamin to the diet as i think some raw feeders do that also. i would stay with the raw if you have had better success with it and maybe post in the raw food forum here about the diarrhea and any supplements to add. if you want to feed kibble i will look some up that he can eat.
 

Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
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I'm so glad Dexter has you. I've no advice to offer but I am grateful and happy he's got such a loving family to care for him.
 

lindzpac

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Jan 3, 2011
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plano, texas
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Rooney
I'm so sorry to hear about poor dexter!! But I work in dermatology (for people) and I have an English bulldog with allergy issues. I use hydroxyzine 25 mg 1-2 bedtime to help with itching. I use the MalAcetic wipes on his folds daily to help decrease yeast. When Rooneys ( my dog) allergies flare-- he's given Keflex 500 mg BID which helps to calm down the bacterial component-- especially on his feet. You may ask your vet if they can do a diflucan/ fluconazole ( oral anti yeast pill) for his yeast infections?!?
Good luck!
 

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