Barney's worse
I can't get him to the vet until tomorrow morning, but I just feel so bad for him. He's obviously in so much discomfort from all the itching. All I can think about is how hard it is as a person to not itch something (like a mosquito bite) even though we know the reason not to itch, but the poor puppy doesn't know why he should stop itching... He now has a couple very sore spots--they almost look bloody--and I have no idea how he even reaches them with the cone on. One 'good' thing, though, is that I might know something that triggered this last attack, although it's hard to tell since it's allergy season and if he's allergic to something outside, this week's been particularly bad (my car is yellow with pollen)--but we've been feeding him different food for a month now and he seemed to be getting better with it--well, we ran out for a day and fed him his old food and then hubby put the new food in a spot I couldn't get to, so I had to feed Barns the old food for about 3 days and that's when he's been so much worse, so hopefully this means that his old food IS bad for him and I know more definitively now.
Think soothing, non-itchy thoughts for my poor baby |
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| So sorry that he is worse. Throw that old food away!!! |
Poor, poor Barns. It's awful to be itching and not be able to get relief.  Good news that you might have found a cause, though. That's very hopeful. Can you put caladryl or something on the itchy spots to help until you get him to the vet? Will the vet give him a shot? |
| Poor baby What's the new food that seems to be helping? We are just now switching to Eagle Pack Duck. |
| Poor PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you tried the velcro boots??? I can't remember, did you have him allergy tested? |
Quote: I can't remember, did you have him allergy tested?
Allergy shots may work if you've pinpointed the trigger. We think it's ragweed or something similar that trigger's Darby's allergies but it's never turned up on the blood tests. Skin testing is said to be best but it can be difficult to find a vet close by that does this test. He tested negative for yeast? Boots are a good idea too... we have to dress Darby up starting in August- http://oesusa.com/DarbyBoots.jpg This time of year she's perfectly fine- http://oesusa.com/EmmaDarby.jpg |
| Poor Barney. I hope he's over his itchies soon. |
| Poor pup, hope he feels better soon. |
| Poor Barns. It pains me to see them so itchy and miserable! |
| Thanks everyone. I'll let Barney know you care about him and his itchies!
Yes, we're throwing the old food away. We just hadn't before b/c hubby didn't like to waste such a large amount, but now he's come to realize that it might be one of Barney's triggers. Yes, he tested negative for yeast last time, but I'll make sure they test him this time. His paws never looked like those pictures of yours Jaci, so I'm pretty sure that it's not yeast, but maybe it is... Unfortunately, his feet are the least of his problems, so boots wouldn't work, unless you got some thigh-highs! He's been chewing on his back ankles a lot and and on his back leg 'knee' area, as well as just to the left of his bum. We switched him last month to Health Wise Chicken and Oatmeal, which seemed to be working, but it didn't come in large enough bags so we're now trying Nutro Sensitive Skin. Yesterday was the first day on it, so I have no idea if it'll work, but it can't be worse than his old food. I think I might try putting calamime lotion on him--do you think he'd lick it off though? |
| Have you considered trying Eagle Pack Holistic Select dog food?
It's said to be good for dogs with allergies... might be something to look into if you haven't settled on a food yet. It comes in 30 pound bags... they also make treats so you can avoid treats that might cause a flare up. http://eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Fish.html http://eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Duck.html http://eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_Treats08.html We had added The Honest Kitchen food as a noon treat and Panda had yeast appear again between two toes. We just finished treating it... it's starting to peel. http://oesusa.com/Yeast4-16-08.jpg These allergy kids can be so sensitive. |
| We looked at the Eagle Pack but (and I hate to say it) it was too expensive for us right now. We might have to go that route eventually if this new food doesn't help and if the vet can't help us out, but with the added expenses that this new baby is going to bring, we're just really at the edge of our limit right now. I hate that money has to be a factor in care, but I've heard good things about Nutro.
I know that ultimately a better food will be cheaper in the long run, though, so we might have to do that. As it is, changing to Nutro is double what we paid for his old food. |
| I'm sorry... the price is a definite draw back. I don't even
want to say what I spent yesterday when we picked up our order. 
Try the others and see if you can get a good result... there have been good reports with Nutro too  |
| I have just bought Summer nutro sensitive chicken and rice, as I think the wellbeloved is too rich for her. But need to change her slowly. I have Four Paws Medicated anti itch spray that I use for my yorkie when she gets "hot spots" Its got a bitter taste so they dont tend to lick it. I hope he feels better soon poor baby! |
| I still love Science Diet Z/D ultra. Nutro gives Yuks terrible terrible stool as did all SD's (but the one specifically for allergies). However, we will try Eagle Pack next if one day this doesn't sit well anymore. |
| I am sorry to hear about poor Barns. That has got to be a horrible feeling for him! Hope he feels better soon.
I understand the cost of food thing. We changed Oliver to a prescription diet, and it costs a bit over $2/lb. I think we were in shock the first few months. IMO, it really is worth it in the end. I don't have any experience with allergies, but have you looked into the Royal Canin brand? A few vets recommended that brand for Oliver's hips. It is a little less expensive than the S/D. We thought about switching him, but he is doing so well on the S/D I don't think we will. |
| That poor baby. I think we can all relate to itching and knowing not to scratch but the dog only knows it itches. One of my old dogs had allergies to fleas and as hard as we tried to kill the fleas the dog still itched. We finally resorted to steriod shots and it helped immensely. She drank alot more and had a few accidents but it was worth it for her and us. |
| Barney has an appt at the vet in half an hour. I've sent my assistant (aka hubby) and I'll let you know what he has to say. |
| Good Luck Barney, I hope they can gind you some relief!! |
barney1 wrote: Barney has an appt at the vet in half an hour. I've sent my assistant (aka hubby) and I'll let you know what he has to say.
WOw that would never work in my house - if there is an issue even with one of my husband's dogs I always have to go to find out what is going on. if he goes alone its not very informative if you know whaty I mean. |
kerry wrote: WOw that would never work in my house - if there is an issue even with one of my husband's dogs I always have to go to find out what is going on. if he goes alone its not very informative if you know whaty I mean.
Sounds VERY familiar. DH loves Phoebe but not good with that sort of thing. |
My DH would forgot what they said by the time he got to the parking lot. 
Hope Barney gets some relief! |
| I would end up having to call the vet back to ask all of the questions hubby forgot, even though I had written them down for him . |
| So....
Basically the vet said yes, Barney is miserable
They did a skin scraping to see if that could tell them anything. We're switching to Royall Canin brand (don't know specifics on what type). We have to bathe him once a week with prescription shampoo. We are starting him on an oral prednisone treatment. No more treats aside from carrots. Cam said that even under his armpits (barney's, not hubby's) were scabs, which I feel bad that I never knew about. And, that is so sad because I know he can't reach those spots to lick, so the scabs are natural and not from him licking himself
He said Barns was manic with his licking while they were at the vet, which in a way I was happy about, just to show the vet how intense he is about it. I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember or hubby didn't tell me. Let's hope all of this starts to help my poor itchy boy. Also...does anyone know if dog shelters will accept opened food? We just opened a 40 pound bag of Nutro on Wednesday night and now aren't going to be able to use it. It's still in the bag. I'd hate to throw it all away... |
| awww, barney baby...i am soo sorry....i hope the weekly spa treatment and your special diet help....have mom give you an extra carrot and tell her its from me with love!
xo, panda |
| Itching is the terrible and not even knowing why things itch is even worse. Poor barney. I feel for him.
Yes, shelters and rescues will take the food. Definitely donate it. |
| Some shelters will not accept open bags of food. If you had bought it at Petsmart you can return the unused portion and they will give you a credit.
Hugs and Kisses to Barney! |
| We had this when we went through our terrible itching with Dixie when we first got her. It was quite expensive, but seems to do the trick for her. It probably is the same thing.
http://www.royalcanin.us/products/produ ... aspx?ID=69 Remember it takes weeks for a new food to start to work. And yes, NO MORE TREATS except for frutis/vegetables. If this works then you can look at the ingredients and look for a comparable pet food store type. If the contents are the same there is no need to keep buying presription dog food. We then moved to First Mate, hypoallergenic. They deliver. http://www.firstmate.com/index.html |
| TASKER SAYS, "I'm here for ya Barney boy"
Itching is really a terrible thing. Every fall when we go through Taskers bought I feel so bad, The prednisone should REALLY help quickly, we have used it for Tasker and it was a miricle. The problem is you can't leave them on it forever. Tasker's allergies are environmental not food (thank goodness) and although we went through almost 3 years of shot and the very expensive blood testing I don't think things have changed much. The things that the test showed him to be allergic to really DON'T seem to bother him. So we have never really pinpointed what it is. All we know is it starts in August and ends around Christmas. I do use the stiff neck collar as opposed to the cone when things get really bad. HUGS to Barney. |
| Poor Barney!
I echo what Ginny said. The pred should help immediately, which will allow Barney's boo-boos to heal. Is your vet waiting for the skin scraping results before beginning the pred? The only reason I ask is that if Barney has some sort of infection, the pred's job is to decrease inflammation by decreasing his immune system's responses, which could be an issue if there is an infection already present. (For Oscar, we are currently balancing the use of pred for his IBD with a drug-resistant skin infection.) Also, has your vet added any antihistamines? (Boy, I'm sure all of our vets hate the forum.  )
Laurie and Oscar |
| i have been giving derby natural balnce duck and potato and it seems to be helping . i feel your pain |
| If you can find some food......like the oat and?....dog food, you can make up your own oatmeal in large portions and give you dog a glob of that along with the dog food. It helps cut the cost of the dog food. We do that with MO.........she gets a big restaurant size spoon of rice cooked in ground turkey. She'd prefer we use more turkey but mainly it's for flavor (maybe with a few carrots thrown in as well) and then follow up with a half cup of her regular food. That's per meal, we feed kibble 2 x a day and the third feed is just the rice before bed.
Poor Barney! I'm sure the vet is thinking scabies, but more likely allergies, especially after the "old food" incident. |
| Poor Barney. Contact Royal Canin and see if they will give coupons. I have had them sponsor some dog events and they do have coupons. I hope you boy feels better soon. |
 Found this in my notes
Royal Canin Coupons for Pet Food http://www.fabuloussavings.com/online/u ... oyalcanin/ Hope it helps! Coupons>>if I'd only remember to bring them with me to shop
Diane |
SheepieBoss wrote: If you can find some food......like the oat and?....dog food, you can make up your own oatmeal in large portions and give you dog a glob of that along with the dog food. It helps cut the cost of the dog food. We do that with MO.........she gets a big restaurant size spoon of rice cooked in ground turkey. She'd prefer we use more turkey but mainly it's for flavor (maybe with a few carrots thrown in as well) and then follow up with a half cup of her regular food. That's per meal, we feed kibble 2 x a day and the third feed is just the rice before bed.
Poor Barney! I'm sure the vet is thinking scabies, but more likely allergies, especially after the "old food" incident. SInce there is very little nutrition in rice aren't you concerned about an imbalance in her nutrient intake? |
| Thanks everyone!
The Royal Canin we're on is the venison and potato. Luckily Barney has a stomach of steel so we can just switch his foods cold turkey and not have to worry about weaning him off the old one. I hope it works. We've started the prednisone. We're doing oral tablets this time. Not sure what the advantage/difference is between having a shot at the vet's or taking oral prednisone for 5 days is, but that's the plan. He's also on antibiotics to treat his sores. The initial skin scraping came back clean, so we'll see what the in depth one says. He's definitely feeling better, though. He's not licking as much and now when he does, I can actually tell him to stop and he does, so then I can pet and praise him when he stops, whereas before it was just manic licking. Oh, and Barney weighed 90 pounds. I was like, ooh, that's great! (He's been as high as 98 pounds at the vet) and the vet was like, no, he needs to lose about 10 pounds. I know Barney isn't exactly svelte, but I don't think he looks bad. I can see maybe a few pounds to lose would be ideal, but 10 pounds seems like an awful lot to me...I can't picture him at 80 pounds... |
| ^^
That's how my husband feels when the doctor says Yuki is at the PERFECT weight since he easily can see another 20 on her.  I'm too much of a stickler though, and feeding Yuki anything more than the 4Cs she already gets seems insane even if I sometimes thinks she's skinny too. Guess she's just an athletic skinny gal for 58-60lbs. 
Glad to hear Barns feels better! |
| Steph - I'm glad the presdnisone is working it's magic on him and he's got some relief from the itching. Hopefully the new food will work, long term, and he'll get a permanent repreive.
Poor fellow. It's so hard when our babies are not feeling well. |
| I've been thinking of you and Barney and hope you'll find what works for Barney. Sending belly rubs to him! Give him a kiss on the nose for me too.
Marianne |
How's Barney today, Steph? Are the meds working?  |
| Well....
I think Barney's doing better--definitely not licking himself as much at all. However. I know that steroids can make dogs thirsty, which can lead to more peeing. I remember last time he was given prednisone, he could pee for like 2 minutes straight. It was amazing.
So he's definitely been drinking more water than usual, which I attribute to the steroids. So last night it's time for bed, but I had just taken him out a little while earlier and since it was super rainy, I didn't feel like taking him out again. He's always been fine with that. He can go days without peeing (well, not really, but he can last forever!). So I ask him if he needed to go out. He said no, so we went up to bed. The weird thing was he was SO excited to go up to bed. Usually he likes to take his time and make it seem like it was his idea to go to bed. So I get in to the bedroom and turn on the tv and I hear a splashing noise...Barney had just had water downstairs and I thought he was puking it up, since he'd had so much...nope, peeing!! And you can tell he's not happy that he's peeing there because he has that sad I'm sorry look in his eyes and he's wandering, so I have pee curly cues ALL OVER my bedroom carpet! I get him to stop and we run downstairs and I let him out and he pees for like another minute. So I go upstairs and clean up the mess. Lots of fun to be scrubbing carpets in the middle of the night 8 months pregnant! And I didn't sleep very well because I was afraid he's pee again (he didn't) and I was also afraid that somehow it might activate our one cat who had been peeing on the bed--that he might smell pee and want to start peeing inappropriately again (he didn't). So I'm tired! But, long story...I think Barney's doing better...just needs an extra last call before bed! |
| Glad he's better. SOrry about the pee |
| oh poor buddy. I have one word RAW. Worked wonders on Laika and seriously compared to the expensive food it is reasonable I have had her on it for well over a year now. |
| I'm glad to hear Barney is feeling better but I share you pain with the prednisone and extra drinking/peeing. Can you put a diaper on him at night? |
| Hopefully he won't need a diaper! I'm hoping that it was just an isolated incidence, and he only has a couple more days on the prednisone, so I'm hoping things calm down. It just means that whether or not he tells me, we're going out for a second last call! |
| What a terrible night you had!!! Jeez. Poor Barns too. Fingers are crossed that there isn't a repeat tonight! |
| Awww....bless both your little hearts. He didn't mean to do it.
Glad he's doing better, though. |
| I'm glad Barney is doing better, but that pred is a pain! Oscar's been on it for two months now (IBD), and the peeing is insane. At least now he's down to a fairly low dose, and we'll slowly wean him off it........
Now get some sleep!
Laurie and Oscar |
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