Kevin is a HOT MESS!!

[ConnieM]

Hi Everyone, my name is Connie, I'm new here and have an English Bulldog named Kevin. Currently he is a hot mess!
We have been trying to heal him for a couple years now I think. He always has red inflamed feet, an eye infection and his chin and jowls are red. He also has alopecia. Usually we can throw an ear infection in there but this time he doesn't have one. The vet has given him antibiotics several times and he is currently taking Apoquel. When we adopted him he was on a raw diet but then he wanted what our other dog was eating, so I switched him to kibble. When we lost our other dog, I put him back on raw. As much as I love the raw diet, I was in a battle with my vet because she wanted to try a hydrolyzed diet to eliminate any form of protein as an allergy. He just finished a month of antibiotics for the third time in a year and a half.

I can't afford to keep giving him medication that doesn't seem to be working and I want him to have a better quality of life. Which got me here. After a quick search within the group, I decided to order Nustock and Quercetin. He is currently 89lbs, do I just give him the same dose as a human? I am going to also grab some pre and probiotics because I am sure he needs those. Once this bag of food is gone, I plan on switching him back to raw because he has had massive gas and diarrhea since switching to the kibble. Is there anything else should I be giving him? Any other advise? Ideas on what could be happening?

 

[2BullyMama]

Welcome!! Yes, get him back on raw, so sad vets just don’t have the nutritional knowledge to understand raw is best.

@helsonwheels … what is the dosage for Quercetin?

 

[Cdebhie]

Welcome!! Yes, get him back on raw, so sad vets just don’t have the nutritional knowledge to understand raw is best.

@helsonwheels … what is the dosage for Quercetin?

 

[Cdebhie]

Welcome!! Yes, get him back on raw, so sad vets just don’t have the nutritional knowledge to understand raw is best.

@helsonwheels … what is the dosage for Quercetin?

Connie, i know nothing about poor Kevin's probs, but i just wanted to say how sorry i am. Poor Kevin (and you!) I hope you can get to the bottom of it and he'll start feeling better. Hang in there and best wishes!

 

[ConnieM]

Welcome!! Yes, get him back on raw, so sad vets just don’t have the nutritional knowledge to understand raw is best.

@helsonwheels … what is the dosage for Quercetin?

I misread your post, sorry. Yes I want him on raw but it going to be expensive. We also have a chi who is on raw but doesn’t want to eat the raw, she wants what Kevin is having!

Connie, i know nothing about poor Kevin's probs, but i just wanted to say how sorry i am. Poor Kevin (and you!) I hope you can get to the bottom of it and he'll start feeling better. Hang in there and best wishes!

thank you! It’s definitely been a marathon with him. Hoping I can get him in a better spot soon

 

[Cdebhie]

I misread your post, sorry. Yes I want him on raw but it going to be expensive. We also have a chi who is on raw but doesn’t want to eat the raw, she wants what Kevin is having!

thank you! It’s definitely been a marathon with him. Hoping I can get him in a better spot soon

Me too! That's miserable. Hugs from our Vera.

 

[2BullyMama]

I misread your post, sorry. Yes I want him on raw but it going to be expensive. We also have a chi who is on raw but doesn’t want to eat the raw, she wants what Kevin is having!

thank you! It’s definitely been a marathon with him. Hoping I can get him in a better spot soon

Look into dehydrated raw like The Honest Kitchen see if that is more reasonable for you

 

[helsonwheels]

Welcome my Canuck neighbour.

Like @2BullyMama mention is to follow. Quercetin for pets is the same as humans. I think human version is cheaper. Since your dog weighs nearly 90lbs you can give him a capsule a day. Photo attached is the brand I use cause it’s higher quality n from Canada.

Kevin definitely needs to be on raw. 89lbs is also too big for an EB. Raw will help him build muscles n lose the fat. I would start with 1 .1/4lb per day. Your vet seems to like your wallet. Hydrolyzed diet Totally stay away from kibbles with Kevin’s issues. Little Chi when hungry will eat raw. To build back the gut flora is organs. Raw liver it top 1/4cup per day as his treat will work n the raw diet will also build his gut.

For the ear infection, get Oil of Oregano. I’ve attached a link so you know which one to get. This one is certified n has 75% Carvacrol the higher the better. Get some mineral oil at your pharmacy: 1/2 TEAspoon of mineral oil and 2 drops of the Oil of Oregano. Mix it well as OOO stings if the ear is inflamed why it needs to be mixed properly. If you have dropper, suck in the mixture in the dropper n use it in the ear. DOUBLE YOUR RECIPE if it’s both ears. Insert n rub the ear so the oil seeps deeply inside. Raise his head a bit as it helps.

Keep us posted, Kevin has got this!

https://www.amazon.ca/Oregano-Oil-CERTIFIED-ORGANIC-Mountain/dp/B0018KL0YG/ref=sr_1_16?crid=9SJ32ZM99A8E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k2iJgrJ4QCqQUhp4HEQ6zkvQL_ajW4DrLFmISGos0nBEs0PjWWw168l4RgUzWDAmtShT-kbx3dKpNcfNNfz-eDo_i3uPP9KuCfpEIZ3Pd_VhyHl3GD_AggPlpcqDGsxBEe_CDcHww6swxRTR3WWgiEeMlu7s2nRuOpbIiNUiEnfH4ydYytbUzNnnsodenjTKI66xS5VW3Dpnlis4KRHtulMdK2yg0R6pjd8vQCtwzQ7WV--fcrXfYDBMN9AVSqoe3H57cE3K2fQKCmZCQq1i_A.uwfWai6eT6fH4L0vjqgc6QAqW8pD5umkYJOKxE-yekQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=holista+oregano+oil+carvacrol+93&qid=1727490463&s=hpc&sprefix=holista+oregano+oil+carvavrol+93%2Chpc%2C136&sr=1-16

 

[kaosthe3rd]

Sorry to hear about poor Kevin and his issues, but you're not alone! Our 5 year old male (Tigger) has had constant foot issues where they get so swollen he can hardly walk. We had him on Apoquel twice a day, prednisone, Benadryl twice a day, we've exhausted all of the antibiotics and he's now immune to all of them, tried foot soaks, Nustock, the HP diet, basically if I found anything that could possibly help I tried it!
We finally broke down and took him to the dermatologist for a blood allergy test and found that he was allergic to the soy protein in the HP food. He was also allergic to apples, carrots, celery, strawberries, nuts, cats and dust mites. They provided a large list of foods we could use and we have already seen a huge improvement on his feet and his (finally) lack of licking them constantly - and it's only been 3 days. I would strongly suggest seeing a dermatologist for testing, our blood test with the visit was $400, much less than we've spent on all the other stuff we've been trying!
The Prednisone also has caused another skin issue for Tigger so we had to take him off it as well. Apparently taking too much will cause an overgrowth of calcium in their body which manifests itself through his skin. It's awful looking but should clear up in a few months. Hope some of this helps Kevin, and good luck!

 

[ConnieM]

Sorry to hear about poor Kevin and his issues, but you're not alone! Our 5 year old male (Tigger) has had constant foot issues where they get so swollen he can hardly walk. We had him on Apoquel twice a day, prednisone, Benadryl twice a day, we've exhausted all of the antibiotics and he's now immune to all of them, tried foot soaks, Nustock, the HP diet, basically if I found anything that could possibly help I tried it!
We finally broke down and took him to the dermatologist for a blood allergy test and found that he was allergic to the soy protein in the HP food. He was also allergic to apples, carrots, celery, strawberries, nuts, cats and dust mites. They provided a large list of foods we could use and we have already seen a huge improvement on his feet and his (finally) lack of licking them constantly - and it's only been 3 days. I would strongly suggest seeing a dermatologist for testing, our blood test with the visit was $400, much less than we've spent on all the other stuff we've been trying!
The Prednisone also has caused another skin issue for Tigger so we had to take him off it as well. Apparently taking too much will cause an overgrowth of calcium in their body which manifests itself through his skin. It's awful looking but should clear up in a few months. Hope some of this helps Kevin, and good luck!

He wasn’t allergic to any protein? Did you get Dust mite covers? That was suggested to me. I am switching him to a beef diet that will just be beef, organ and bone. He had all the issues before switching him to the hydrolyzed food, but I didn’t realize the raw we were giving him had veggies in too. I don’t even know if we have a dermatologist in town for animals. I still need to get some pre and probiotics for him but hopefully we can start to manage it. Although, I am not sure about next summer if it’s like hayfever or something.

 

[2BullyMama]

Dust mites live in kibble so if you still are feeding kibble be sure to place in freezer until you need it… freezing kills the mites. Praying for some healing

 

[ConnieM]

Welcome my Canuck neighbour.

Like @2BullyMama mention is to follow. Quercetin for pets is the same as humans. I think human version is cheaper. Since your dog weighs nearly 90lbs you can give him a capsule a day. Photo attached is the brand I use cause it’s higher quality n from Canada.

Kevin definitely needs to be on raw. 89lbs is also too big for an EB. Raw will help him build muscles n lose the fat. I would start with 1 .1/4lb per day. Your vet seems to like your wallet. Hydrolyzed diet Totally stay away from kibbles with Kevin’s issues. Little Chi when hungry will eat raw. To build back the gut flora is organs. Raw liver it top 1/4cup per day as his treat will work n the raw diet will also build his gut.

For the ear infection, get Oil of Oregano. I’ve attached a link so you know which one to get. This one is certified n has 75% Carvacrol the higher the better. Get some mineral oil at your pharmacy: 1/2 TEAspoon of mineral oil and 2 drops of the Oil of Oregano. Mix it well as OOO stings if the ear is inflamed why it needs to be mixed properly. If you have dropper, suck in the mixture in the dropper n use it in the ear. DOUBLE YOUR RECIPE if it’s both ears. Insert n rub the ear so the oil seeps deeply inside. Raise his head a bit as it helps.

Keep us posted, Kevin has got this!

https://www.amazon.ca/Oregano-Oil-CERTIFIED-ORGANIC-Mountain/dp/B0018KL0YG/ref=sr_1_16?crid=9SJ32ZM99A8E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k2iJgrJ4QCqQUhp4HEQ6zkvQL_ajW4DrLFmISGos0nBEs0PjWWw168l4RgUzWDAmtShT-kbx3dKpNcfNNfz-eDo_i3uPP9KuCfpEIZ3Pd_VhyHl3GD_AggPlpcqDGsxBEe_CDcHww6swxRTR3WWgiEeMlu7s2nRuOpbIiNUiEnfH4ydYytbUzNnnsodenjTKI66xS5VW3Dpnlis4KRHtulMdK2yg0R6pjd8vQCtwzQ7WV--fcrXfYDBMN9AVSqoe3H57cE3K2fQKCmZCQq1i_A.uwfWai6eT6fH4L0vjqgc6QAqW8pD5umkYJOKxE-yekQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=holista+oregano+oil+carvacrol+93&qid=1727490463&s=hpc&sprefix=holista+oregano+oil+carvavrol+93%2Chpc%2C136&sr=1-16

Thank you for your help! He is still very itchy and licking his paws. Hopefully soon we will get it under control. Tomorrow I am getting some dust mite covers for his beds too

 

[ConnieM]

Dust mites live in kibble so if you still are feeding kibble be sure to place in freezer until you need it… freezing kills the mites. Praying for some healing

I had no idea! Where else do they live?

 

[Manydogs]

I had no idea! Where else do they live?

Dust mites live in carpet,need to vacuum often. Damp mop floors,Put toys in plastic and put in freezer overnight.
A dehumidifier might help rid of dampness,which mites like.After all that, If you have time,have a cuppa!

 

[2BullyMama]

I had no idea! Where else do they live?

Carpets, fabric furniture… vacuum like twice a week to help lessen