# Need Help



## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

I'm new here and running out of people to get advise from and nobody seems to be able to help. So all the help and advice is appreciated. 
Firstly I have been feeding raw for many years now. All my dogs eat it and love it. We now have a soon to be 3yr old French Mastiff. I have been feeding raw to him since he was a puppy. Over the last Month and ahalf he has started to itch and grow slight yeast sores on the inner hind legs and pit areas. We have taken him to the vet had him checked and tested for various things and what came back was a fungis from the skin scrape. The vet had prescribed some medication and said it could be allergies. We figured it was maybe from being at the cabin rubbing up against trees and such. We gave him some meds and it cured it up with a fungal shampoo. During the medication we fed raw still. After the medication was finished his simptoms returned. We picked up some more meds and quite raw all together and now looking for a alternative to cure this skin problem. I hate kibble but as of now I'm down to trial and error. I prefer raw and If anybody can help me out on what to feed to help get rid og the kibble please help..I cant' continue meds also. It will kill my Boy
Also I primarily feed chicken in the diet I feel that he has a allergy to chicken. My other dogs have no issues with this only my Mastiff. 


Thanks
Mike


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Exactly what were you feeding him when he was on the raw diet? What makes you think the problem is diet related? What makes you think he has a chicken allergy? Thats kind of like a cow being allergic to grass. I doubt seriously that the problem is diet related (depending on exactly what he was eating.)


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Sounds like a yeast overgrowth, I would give Acidopholus or another probiotic, and Apple Cider Vinegar (mix with food) to him every day. Make up a solution of 50% Water/50% Vinegar and spray on his spots/sores. Has he had his thyroid levels checked? Low Thyroid can cause skin infections just as allergies can.


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## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

The reason I think chicken is because his diet mostly was chicken. He loves it. Wouldn't eat anything else. A little red meat from time to time but that hurt his stomach a little. We tried tripe with him and no go. chicken was his main meat source. I have not clue. This is something that just happened to appear. 
His thyroid has been checked and bloodwork done and nothing wrong. The only thing that came to was a skin scrape that the vet concluded could be from diet. 
The vet prescribed some medication which cleared up the sores but once off he then broke out again. I don't know!! I really don't want to give up raw on him but his excess of yeast overgrowth seems to not go away.
For the chicken he was on necks and backs.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Ruudog said:


> The reason I think chicken is because his diet mostly was chicken.


You are making a lot of assumptions here. If you had been feeding him a lot of pork, you would blame that. For now, forget chicken as the dog's problem.



> Wouldn't eat anything else. A little red meat from time to time but that hurt his stomach a little. We tried tripe with him and no go.


He wouldn't eat anything else because you didn't insist he did. Determining the diet is your responsibility, not his. You decide what he eats. We have ways of taking charge of our dog's diet. He definately needs more variety in his diet.



> His thyroid has been checked and bloodwork done and nothing wrong. The only thing that came to was a skin scrape that the vet concluded could be from diet.


"could be" is not very convincing to me. Sounds like he couldn't find a problem and had to say something so he said, "diet".



> The vet prescribed some medication which cleared up the sores but once off he then broke out again. I don't know!! I really don't want to give up raw on him but his excess of yeast overgrowth seems to not go away.


Then don't give up raw. It's not the problem. However you do have a big problem with the way you feed raw.



> For the chicken he was on necks and backs.


Chicken necks and backs are not a nutritious diet for a dog the size of yours. You desperately need to check out my web page at the link in my sig. It should get you redirected into feeding your dog a better way. You are feeding WAYYYYY too much bone, not enough meat and I don't see organs mentioned at all.

Go read my site then come back and ask questions.


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## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

I have read your site and thank you for your info and commments. From what I read I do feed fish, organ meat, and pork etc. I feel that i'm a little out from what you have exactly but close. When I said earlier that I feed chicken I meant the main of what he eats is chicken. I do understand what you have wrote and agree with it totally. Also one thing that I do is watch his stools and like you said they dont come out dry and white and they do go powdery after a day or two.
I guess what i'm saying is that this is frustrating and want to figure this out.
One thing I have noticed also is his skin is very greasy. I will add a few things back into his diet to make it more of what you say.
One question. When you feed pork do you feed it with the bone in it also? just wondering about the smaller bones..

Thanks again.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would say that it isn't the diet since this dog has been raw fed the same diet pretty much his entire life.

I would be more inclined to think that its environmental. One of our dogs has always been itchy but has been fed raw since puppyhood. Within the last month or so she has started to chew holes in herself, but nothing has changed in her diet. We tried just putting a cone on her but she got around it. So we have come to the conclusion that she needs medication help so she is on low dose prednisone right now. Hopefully we can taper her off of it when the season ends. I don't know what else we could do for her....


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Ruudog said:


> One question. When you feed pork do you feed it with the bone in it also? just wondering about the smaller bones..


The pork I generally feed is Boston Butt pork roast. The grocery store cuts it in half for me and each of my Great Danes gets half of the roast for a meal. Occasionally I will feed pork ribs (They had that tonight) but with all the bone you are feeding, I wouldn't feed that until you got more meat in his diet. I'm not real sure which small bones you are talking about unless its the small bones in the country style pork ribs. I usually cut those bones off the meat and throw them away.


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## moon (Jul 15, 2010)

Hello, I'm new here but I hope you don't mind if I chime in... Does your dog play in a creek or pond/lake? Because of the unusual heat this year our lake had more than the usual amount of algae etc... our dog got a fungus on his skin and the vet said he was allergic to something - and said it was his diet... 

But then our son brought his dog to visit and swim in the lake and she ended up with a skin fungus as well! 

We don't feed the same foods...

So we began thinking about the lake - we water our lawn from the water in the lake and I had noticed a lot of mushrooms started growing on the lawn! I know they're not the same fungus as that will infect a dog's skin - but I thought it interesting... 

So now we give the dogs a bath after swimming and with the apple cider vinegar (as someone else posted), they have cleared up! 

Anyway - just a thought.


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## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

Moon I have the same problem I think. I feel that the lake and the pool we have at our house is causing this. this has been a issue since we first attended the lake. So as of now I'm going with that and taking precautions to varify it.
Also, rawfeddogs thanks for your info. I attended the butcher shop today picked up a varitey of food and i'm going to change a few things up and go the way you say in your post. Picked up some pork, chicken necks and backs, beef and organ mix and run it with some fish.
Thanks again


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## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

Just a question with the vinegar. earlier it someone said mix food with vinegar and make a solution to spray on his skin. Could someone please explain exactly what to do. I mean by adding to the food, how much etc. Apple cider vinegar and regular vinegar. 
thx


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

The 50/50 solution you basically mix 1 part water to 1 part ACV (if you can find it Bragg's ACV is the best to get), I believe Kroger has it or you can order online. Just mix in a spray/squirt bottle and apply to areas there are problems. I normally add about 1/2 teaspoon to my little 4# chihuahuas meals, and 1 teaspoon to my 11# poms meals, I know someone who has a bulldog who gives him a couple tablespoons. But you want to work up to that, don't just add 2 tablespoons at once.


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## moon (Jul 15, 2010)

I do exactly like cprcheetah with the 50/50 Bragg's apple cider vinegar! Except Jake wouldn't eat it in his food or water... So I put a few drops full strength (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 tsp) on a little bread and wrap the bread in cheese for a treat - just don't squeeze the cheese around the bread (it takes a little practice not to squeeze the vinegar out - lol) He swallows it whole.

I'm old now - but My grandfather in the late 1800's early 1900's used to wipe apple cider vinegar on his horses who had skin fungus issues - my dad said they stank but then they had beautiful skin!

p.s. don't spray it on any open sores where he's scratched himself - it will sting.


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## Ruudog (Jul 16, 2010)

Well I picked up some acv and started puting it in his food. He doesnt like it but I'll try the bread thing now. I made a solution up and sprayed it on his legs and pit areas. The areas turned red for a short time then went away. Over the last few days it seems that the the areas have become worse. I have some fungal shampoo i'm going to use and that seems to take it down. It's definetly a yeast overgrowth as its brown and sticky. kinda like what they get in the ears..
How often can I spray his legs with the acv solution. Also, how long can I put it in his food. Is there a time frame. 
Thanks for everyones help.


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## moon (Jul 15, 2010)

Some people keep feeding ACV to their dog forever by putting from a few drops to a teaspoon in their water, but I worry about his teeth with the vinegar so I only give him acv when he has problems. I sprayed my boy's legs twice a day with the solution. The antifungal shampoo is a good idea as well. I would pat the wet sticky areas with a little hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball to help dry them up. 

You can also give him a tablet of Acidophilus every couple of days or feed him plain yogurt to help with the yeast. And salmon oil caplets to help boost his skin (2000 mg per day for a sick dog) But if he still doesn't seem to improve in a day or two I'd take him to the vet.


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