Itchy Pug

[punkmonkey]

Hi there,
My pup Dexter has been itchy for quite some time now.  At first I thought it was summer allergies but it's now winter, if you can call it that, and he is still itchy.  It seems to be more at his rear area and back and tail...his tummy isn't too bad and he is not chewing on his feet or anything like that and his ears are fine.  I finally took him to the vet today and we put him on prednisone for four weeks to alleviate his discomfort and then we'll go from there.  I realize it could be one of many things but thought I might get some insight here or even some tips on natural ways to treat him if the prednisone doesn't clear it up, but keeping fingers crossed this does the trick. 
Thanks!

[blanche]

First question I ask anyone with an itchy dog--what are you feeding him?  Give me the actual name of the food (don't just say "kibble").  Most of the itchy dogs we see in the rescue have food allergies or sensitivities.

[punkmonkey]

He's on raw food which I make myself and got the recipe from here.  The breakfast slop.  I've also taken all dairy out of his diet and he only gets wheat and grain free treats.  Also, I didn't mention he did have fleas in the summer which we treated and they are gone now but I think it may be a reaction to that because the itching is only on his back and towards his rear.  He's much improved already this morning with being on the preds

[blanche]

Hmmm.  That's odd.  It could be the protein you are using (if you aren't switching up proteins).  And he could have a dairy/egg issues.

I'd get only single ingredient treats (liver, etc).  If you tend to stick with one protein, then I'd shift to another.  And he might be like Tank and have multiple allergens.

Back end only isn't necessarily fleas.  Might be worth trying a Nizoral shampoo bath--can help relieve the itching and kill off any yeast if it's brewing there.  I'm pretty cautious with prednisone.  Yes, it helps, but can also cause it's own issues over time.

[tawn]

I can sympathize with you, punkmonkey. My pug Chewy is forever yeasty. He is raw fed (no chicken or beef), but his itchiness has been out of control lately. I feel horrible for him because he is obviously bothered. I'm not sure what else I can do in addition to the bathing and feeding.

Blanche, Chewy had a round of steroids a few months ago to try and combat his problems. Seems to be worse now! Poor bugger.

[blanche]

I can sympathize with you, punkmonkey. My pug Chewy is forever yeasty. He is raw fed (no chicken or beef), but his itchiness has been out of control lately. I feel horrible for him because he is obviously bothered. I'm not sure what else I can do in addition to the bathing and feeding.

Blanche, Chewy had a round of steroids a few months ago to try and combat his problems. Seems to be worse now! Poor bugger.

Tanya--
I can send you my whole long protocol of what I did with Tank.  He is allergic to a million foods, has seasonal, plant and contact allergies.  The one thing I did that really did help was buy crib sheets for all the dog beds and change them regularly so that he wasn't reinfecting himself with yeast and staph.  For a while I was washing crib sheets daily.  Now I only do it twice a week.

Plants--even the healthy ones--can be an issue.  Tank gets whole carcass for most of his meals cause he can't tolerate any vegs or fruits that convert to sugar as sugar feeds yeast.  I also give him no dairy, no eggs and very limited vegs.  He can't eat chicken or beef or salmon.  He is allergic to pumpkin and sweet potato as well.  No commercial cleaners here either.

And he has some contact allergies--wool being one of them.

Because Tank was such a high dose of pred for so many years before coming to me, he pretty much has to have some pred as his adrenals don't function normally any more.  He gets 1 mg of prednisolone every other day (down from the 20 mgs a day he was on when he came into rescue).  I avoid getting him wet as much as possible as yeast loves moisture.  If the itching is bad, he does get soaked in decaffeinated green tea (on my homeo vets advice) and I have applied the damp and warm tea bags to spots where he is very itchy.

If his itching is really awful and he smells yeasty, he gets a Nizoral shampoo bath which does kill off the yeast.

[Kathy]

Use the quote button top right corner of the post you are replying to... welcome to the chat.

[punkmonkey]

Use the quote button top right corner of the post you are replying to... welcome to the chat.

Thanks!

[punkmonkey]

Hmmm.  That's odd.  It could be the protein you are using (if you aren't switching up proteins).  And he could have a dairy/egg issues.

I'd get only single ingredient treats (liver, etc).  If you tend to stick with one protein, then I'd shift to another.  And he might be like Tank and have multiple allergens.

Back end only isn't necessarily fleas.  Might be worth trying a Nizoral shampoo bath--can help relieve the itching and kill off any yeast if it's brewing there.  I'm pretty cautious with prednisone.  Yes, it helps, but can also cause it's own issues over time.

I've just started trying some different things with him in realizing it may not be just a summer allergy.  He just went on raw a couple of months ago and the other changes I've made have all been in the past few weeks.  I'm only putting him on the prednisone to see if that clears up whatever it is and he's only on it for three weeks and then we'll see what happens.  If it doesn't clear up his itching then I'll be looking at alternatives, which is what I'm doing now and trying to be pro-active and ready when the time comes to know what my plan of action will be.  He is already on phenobarb daily for seizures so I definitely don't want him on another lifelong med if I can help it and if that is the only route it won't be preds.  The vet mentioned some others that are more expensive but not as hard on the body.  What is Nizoral shampoo?  Can I get that at any pet store??  That is definitely worth a try as well.   

[blanche]

Nizoral is a shampoo for humans and you can get it at Shopper's.  It's usually with the dandruff shampoos.  It has ketoconazol in it which is what fights the yeast.  My homeo vet AND my traditional vet both suggested it--but you have to know that Tank's yeast was horrific.

[tawn]

Blanche, I am willing to try every single method you recommend! I went out and bought some decaf green tea bags today. I'll be buying some Nizoral as well.

Chewy's stomach and 'armpits' are quite black. His ears are the worst though. I clean them daily with gauze but the discharge and smell never seems to go away. The yeastie beasties are a tough battle!!

[lmcpug]

I'm wondering if red (rooibos) tea would work as well.

If you google it u will see it has anti fungal, anti inflammatory properties.

I have about 3 or 4 cups a day and have noticed a vast improvement to my excema.

Might work on yeast itchies and/or any other tichies too.