# Scratched raw nothing helping. Please help



## Shiba Biba (Sep 23, 2011)

I have a 2.5 yr old shiba who developed HORRIBLE allergies after he turned a year. Thankfully seasonal.

My problem is this year it reached a boiling point when I went out of town for 2 days. He managed to scratch himself into 2 types of infections. I just started the raw diet a week ago and he seems to be adjusting fine.only he won't stop itching his snout and feet. Raw completely raw and bleeeding. Ill tell you what we've tried since his alergies emerged. 

Benedryl
Claritin
Hydroxyzine
Chloraphenaramine
Prednisone
Vetalog injections
Zyrtec
Last but not least atopica [which scares me bc its so heavy duty but also after a week no sign of clearing anything up so Im in process of weaning him off)

His yeast/bacterial infections from a month ago never completely cleared up despite antibiotics, steroids, allergy pills, medicated wipes, mdicated shampoo. Still red and bald. He couldn't even get his nails cut for 2 months his feet wereso infected. I was vacuuming scabs from my carpet for weeks :-( tmi sorry. 

Have also triedsoaking feet in epsom salt. Last night he had a medicated shampoo bath.

Right now he's on xanax for feet chewing and chloraphenaramine for allergies and e collar.

I guess I'm waiting for the raw diet to kick in. Please help if anyon has experienced this before. 
I want to cry bc I can't make him stop itching/licking/biting. 
He's so itchy scratchy and its breaking my heart he's so uncomfortable and pink I've been to 2 different vets a total of 3 times in sept alone. Don't even ask how much I've spent!

Sorry if thi is hard to understand my comp is broken and I'm typing thisall on a phone

I'm so frustrated and appreciate any input. All allergy pills seemed to have worked for a short period of time. I know u need to wait 2 weeks for full effects. But he's even scratching his chin bloody on his e collar. I don't know what else to do. Please help


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Man, I am so so sorry. It sounds awful. Xanax is a pretty potent drug, too. 
My dog takes chloraphenaramine for allergies about a thousand times less than yours and i can't see any difference at all.

If it's environmental, I am sorry to say that raw food may not help any. 

I am sure folks here will have lots of good suggestions. I am sorry I do not - i think if my dog were that severe, i would look for an allergist - https://www.acvd.org/


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

My dog also suffers from allergies but thankfully we've never experienced such an episode. He started having outbreaks when he also turned one year. I feel for you and your shiba. Have you taken him to a specialist? Have your vets conducted intradermal testing and allergen-specific IgE serology? I would take him to the emergency vet hospital if he was in that much distress. You could also take him to Welcome to the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois.


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## Shiba Biba (Sep 23, 2011)

Thanks for ur quick replies. They concluded feet = anxiety typically. Face= seasonal . And I can do my best to make it better unil the first frost. Allergies here are horrible this year they said. And bc he keeps itching ontop of itching it never gets a chance to heal. Last year injections worked but he's only 27lbs and I know steroids are not good for the body his last injection made him throw up 8 times and be rushed back. This yr prednisone didn't work. Claritin worked for about a month. He's seen at least 5 different vetrinarians. Has had skin scrapings and everything under the sun. Just can't seem to get relief for long enoughb to heal. Just seems like this year nothing will work. Anyone seen improvement with allergies with raw diet?

Ayes of course he has been to animal hosp. They have him steroids.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Shiba Biba said:


> Thanks for ur quick replies. They concluded feet = anxiety typically. Face= seasonal . And I can do my best to make it better unil the first frost. Allergies here are horrible this year they said. And bc he keeps itching ontop of itching it never gets a chance to heal. Last year injections worked but he's only 27lbs and I know steroids are not good for the body his last injection made him throw up 8 times and be rushed back. This yr prednisone didn't work. Claritin worked for about a month. He's seen at least 5 different vetrinarians. Has had skin scrapings and everything under the sun. Just can't seem to get relief for long enoughb to heal. Just seems like this year nothing will work. Anyone seen improvement with allergies with raw diet?


Yogi, has food and environmental allergies which include...certain grasses, weeds, trees, etc. He's only been on raw three weeks but have seen a faster recovery time from environmental allergies. Also, we have not been giving him any medicine for the first time since April.

How are you keeping it together...five vets??? I would be livid! I went to my vet twice concerning the matter and made it clear if there wasn't an answer and the test administered did not resolve the issue of what needed to be done...I was taking Yogi to NC State University College of Vet Med. I do not have the patience or will I waste time not getting results. 

Have you taken him to a dermatologist? My next was going to be the dept of dermatology-allergy focus at NC State. Luckily, we have everything under control now...pretty much...but if the time arises we will be there.


ETA: I should correct myself...Yogi is temporarily on Temril P since Monday because I did a raw test with pork...one of his high allergens. I should have listened to my instinct/gut feeling but tried it in the raw state and he had a full blown breakout.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i don't have any answers or suggestions for you....but you have my sympathies for all you and your baby have been through.

give raw a chance to help with some of it....i am sure that feeding a balanced raw diet will help with some things.....

welcome.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Has anyone suggested anything topical to stop the itching?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

What has anyone or vets suggested for the anxiety/feet licking? How much exercise does he get? Does he get stimulated while he is left at home alone?

I own B.T's who are prone to OCD and if left untreated their anxiety issues will become big problems down the road. There are things you can do to help besides the drugs but it is work. Hope you find something for the allergy/face issue but I think starting the raw diet is a big step in the right direction..Good Luck!


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

A couple of things:
1- Have some patience with the raw diet, I know it's hard, I have been there done that. Zoey my chi has horrible food & environmental allergies. She has been on raw for 14 months, it took about 2-3 months before I really started to see a huge difference in her itching/scratching. Now she is completely off of antihistamines. Zoey my chi is actually off of 6 of her 7 long term medications.
2- Sarcoptic Mange can cause the itchies and common areas are the feet & face, Ziva my min pin was having chewing/itching and bald spots, she had several skin scrapings and only on one of them did we see PART of 1 mite, it is EXTREMELY hard to find them on a scraping. She just finished being treated for it, and is no longer itching and her hair is growing back.
3- Are you giving any kind of Fish Oil/Salmon Oil supplements? That helps with itching, and any time you are supplementing with those you should also be adding in Vitamin E.
4- Are you rinsing off the dog when it comes in from outside? Even wiping him down with a cool wet cloth will help get the allergens off the skin.
5- A lot of people have had really good success with adding Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar to their dogs diet. I know it has helped with both Shellie & Ziva. As well as adding a probiotic.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I definitely would take him off whatever he's on, it's not doing his system any good. Also take off that e-collar. Have you tried soaking his feet in a betadine solution mixed with warm water? The poor thing must be miserable, why have a collar that stings ya when your miserable....


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

whiteleo said:


> I definitely would take him off whatever he's on, it's not doing his system any good. Also take off that e-collar. Have you tried soaking his feet in a betadine solution mixed with warm water? The poor thing must be miserable, why have a collar that stings ya when your miserable....


I think e-collar meant elizabethan collar. You know those big cone ones, not the shock kind.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

lauren43 said:


> I think e-collar meant elizabethan collar. You know those big cone ones, not the shock kind.


That's good, I was having a hard wrapping my head around that one!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

> 3- Are you giving any kind of Fish Oil/Salmon Oil supplements? That helps with itching, and any time you are supplementing with those you should also be adding in Vitamin E.
> 4- Are you rinsing off the dog when it comes in from outside? Even wiping him down with a cool wet cloth will help get the allergens off the skin.


i think the dog has been on raw for only a week....and fish oil/salmon oil supps don't always help. sometimes they hurt.....especially with dogs who have other problems. i would suggest waiting until the dog is fully transitioned onto raw before adding supplementation....

the only reason i suggest this, since this is a 180 from what i used to suggest is because bubba has had his second turn with salmon oil and is once again losing his fur and scratching up a storm. so now i know that salmon oil, pure that it is and i only buy pure alaskan salmon oil can be a benefit or a problem....

we are now using olive oil whilst we wait for coconut oil....to arrive....the olive oil works fine....

but again, i wouldn't add in anything, since you've been on raw for short a time.

the suggestion about wiping your dog down is excellent...that's what we do here, too, for our pug...


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

magicre said:


> i think the dog has been on raw for only a week....and fish oil/salmon oil supps don't always help. sometimes they hurt.....especially with dogs who have other problems. i would suggest waiting until the dog is fully transitioned onto raw before adding supplementation....
> 
> the only reason i suggest this, since this is a 180 from what i used to suggest is because bubba has had his second turn with salmon oil and is once again losing his fur and scratching up a storm. so now i know that salmon oil, pure that it is and i only buy pure alaskan salmon oil can be a benefit or a problem....
> 
> ...


Salmon Oil/Fish Oil helps with inflammation and allergies which is why I suggested it


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

I am SO sorry for you and your Shiba. You mention anti-biotics-they can add to allergy problems as they kill both good & bad bacteria. I have only had one dog with any allergy problems of which I was aware. My APBT has a flea allergy & in just 24 hours, from the time I noticed him scratching, the tip of his tail was raw and hair was missing , hair was also missing on his legs, rear end & most places that he could reach & bite. When I awakened to let them out that AM I saw him and actually screamed-I had no idea what it was. I called my vets office, and she wasn't in that day. But, I said that I would see whoever-her dad thank goodness. He immediately said flea allergy & that the fleas can become used to whatever medication is given over time in the area. He gave me a pill to give him as soon as we got home, a new medication for fleas to begin right away. I didn't know about the allergy because he had always been on a flea preventive/killer. 

Do get rid of the fleas-whatever you have to do, the dog is suffering, and then go to the very best diet for him. Are there allergy tests for dogs yet?

To the Forum-please do not tell me to try something else , I did, all of them I think with my dogs after I had begun RAW but wasn't convinced about the preventive. They did not work I got tired of having my house sprayed with even worse poisons and the yard and they did not work and frankly in those days I kept my home in "pristine" condition  and got chills at the thought of bugs in my home. Yeck! Now, I don't give a damn.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

cprcheetah said:


> Salmon Oil/Fish Oil helps with inflammation and allergies which is why I suggested it


i know...and i used to also.....until i found that not all dogs respond well to salmon oil/fish oil.....plus the dog has only been on raw for a week...

plus this dog is on so many medications, i wouldn't know where to start to get this dog off the meds....vets. gotta love them.


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## Shiba Biba (Sep 23, 2011)

Thanks everyone. He's only on chloraphenaramine and xanax now. But the e collar is the only thing really helping now. But all it takes is 30 secs to scratch and its all back to square 1. 

I'm trying to detox him!
I asked vet about raw diet. She said she's not a fan and lots of dogs get sick.
10 days later and only had diarrhea 1 time which was today. Which I can only attribute to all he pills and I gave him a little too much apple yesterday tring to distract him from scratching after wiping him off [ I think the medicated wipes burnnnn bad] :-(
He's not a fan








I have olive oil... how much should I give him? How does it help with inflammation?? Thanks again


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

Italians use olive oil for Everything, inside and out. I remember as a young child I got the measles-the high temps, drugs or whatever caused my long braids to thin and much of my hair to fall out. :O( My grandmother would sit me down & massage my pitiful thin hair & scalp with olive oil. I don't know if it helped or not but my long braids did grow back <LOLOL>. I use it on my dogs when they get the itchies-it seems to help.


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## mischiefgrrl (Oct 28, 2010)

I'm sorry your little guy is going through this. I went through the same thing with Tanis, but his scratching wasn't limited to paws and snout - half of his body was bald and bleeding. The raw diet did cure most of it, but he does still have a bit of seasonal allergies and will rub his nose on the carpet. 

For his feet, take him into a groomer to get a full pedicure where they scrub his paws completely and clip the nails. I have to do this for Tanis every couple of months otherwise he will start chewing on his paws again. While we were in the first weeks of raw and his skin was still healing, I also gave him a bath in Selsun Blue to relieve his healing skin and get all of the scabs off. Worked like a charm! It's been almost a year now since the switch to raw and all of those itching, bleeding, infection problems have been gone completely since the switch.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

in all honesty, i'd allow the raw diet to do its thing....it will help with much of it....

you can put olive oil on his fur....and i personally would not use medicated wipes....just a warm washcloth or linen that has been wet with water and used to wipe him down....

olive oil to me is like windex was to the greek father in my big fat greek wedding.

i use it on my skin and my hair.....i'm on a very strong pain medication transdermal patch and believe me, my hair was feeling like it was falling out...so i treat my own hair with it, after i cut it off....it was almost down to the bottom of my bottom....and now it's almost shoulder length. i gave myself treatments with olive oil and my hair is growing back....and thickening again.

it is working on my pug who started losing his fur. apparently neither of my dogs can get salmon oil...they lose their fur. we've tried twice now...two different brands, same result.

for you, however....i would use the most mild shampoo you can use if you bathe him....and i would use a very light coating of olive oil....on a wet cloth to wipe him down....to get the olive oil deep into his skin....which is how we do it and our dogs are growing their fur back.

i don't know what it will do for the environmental allergies, but keep this in mind. allergy medicine and chloraphenaramine, whilst effective will have diminishing returns as your dog gets used to the meds....xanax...i don't even know where to begin for xanax.....it's barely suitable for humans.....i can't imagine a vet giving it to a dog...so i'll just shut up about this one.

i think the best thing you can do for your dog is to listen to the advice you've been given here...the selsun blue, the olive oil on the outside, the raw diet needing time to do its thing.....and that's the biggest thing....the raw diet.....it needs more than a week....and no fruit. no veggies. no grains...no nuthin'....until the raw takes hold.

give him a piece of chicken for rewards....he'll love you for it.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

My dog had chewed, licked the hair off her paws, legs, sides, chest, I was frantic, took her to an allergist found out what was causing it and changed her food to raw. After six months and lots of support from the group her system came around. The allergist explained to me that her immune system was over reacting and had to settle down and that took time. Once her system was healthy and she was eating a good raw diet she would heal. She is great now, almost three years has passed. No itching, licking or chewing now.

She was allergic to mites, grain mites are found in kibble and there are many types of them, 6 of them she was allergic to. He said now that her system is healthy its stronger and won't overreact. So raw stopped food issues, the vet asked what she was on food wise, and when I told him I changed her to raw it was end of discussion, he said that since I had done that he didn't have to worry about food, dogs are rarely allergic to meat.:usa:


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## Shiba Biba (Sep 23, 2011)

Chocx2 said:


> My dog had chewed, licked the hair off her paws, legs, sides, chest, I was frantic, took her to an allergist found out what was causing it and changed her food to raw. After six months and lots of support from the group her system came around. The allergist explained to me that her immune system was over reacting and had to settle down and that took time. Once her system was healthy and she was eating a good raw diet she would heal. She is great now, almost three years has passed. No itching, licking or chewing now.
> 
> She was allergic to mites, grain mites are found in kibble and there are many types of them, 6 of them she was allergic to. He said now that her system is healthy its stronger and won't overreact. So raw stopped food issues, the vet asked what she was on food wise, and when I told him I changed her to raw it was end of discussion, he said that since I had done that he didn't have to worry about food, dogs are rarely allergic to meat.:usa:





Thanksso much! So is it good or bad that I switched hhim over las week. I thought I might have been making things wrse for him by switching him now :-( hopefully soon I can post pictures of him healthy and not pink/missing fur! Hope he stops itching soon.


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## cavalcadegsmd (Feb 1, 2010)

I have fixed the foot licking problem. It is almost always yeast causing an itch just like athletes foot. Switching to a raw or a high quality diet is the ultimate fix, but some problems can get worse as dog detoxifies. Here are two things that have worked for me in a similar situation.

1) Listerine (plain old brown kind) or store brand that has been laced with gentian violet. 1/4 teaspoon per bottle of Listerine. Oyt this in a little squirt bottle (I buy them at Sally's Beauty Supply or buy a plastic ketchup dispenser) and cover the area 2-4 times a day. BE CAREFUL THIS STAINS.

2) There is a wonderful product called MicroTek. It comes in shampoo and spray. It is not cheap but it works wonders. It is well known with horse people, but labeled for dogs also. It's not holistic, but you won't need to use it for very long. One off the active ingredients is Triclosan which is controversial. 

Good luck. I know how this is driving you both crazy.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Also during her time without hair I bathed her once a week with soap that would clean the skin, something cheap would be like head and shoulders or Selsen Blue I used something called Vet Solutions with Sebozole kills anything on the surface of the skin and exfoliates. I tried a bunch of them that one seemed to work the best for my beast.

Apple cider vinegar works good too, so does the Listerine, but they lick everything the vinegar was good for her tummy.

good luck it will take a while but once she clears you will be happy that you did what you did, watch for any infections that might start with no hair in some places this can happen. My vet gave me a ointment to put on her also to nip anything in the bud. Be persistent and you will be rewarded.


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