# Pumpkin, Infection, and Scratching



## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

My parents have a boxer and my little brother just told me that "Charlie can't have any people food" and when I asked why he said that she has an infection from scratching. He texted me saying that she has to eat pumpkin. I am trying to get more information out of him such as WHY she is scratching, where she itches, what they have fed her, etc. But, for a kibble fed, year old boxer, what uses would pumpkin have that would help relieve itching. 

I asked here only because I know you folks better and I would love to have any useful information to help get the idea of raw feeding in there in case she has allergies.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

He says that the infection is from one of her feet that she tore up by biting at it. It is both of her front feet and her ears.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

With ears and feet my first thought would be yeast. 
ACV and of course evaluating diet(if they are at all willing) would be a good first suggestion. (but I know your kinda SOL to get them to listen!:frown

I can't imagine why pumpkin would be being used though!:wacko:


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I don't know either. I guess she has been itching for a while but she finally made herself bleed the other day. She chewed open one of her front feet and now she has an infection in that foot so they went to the vet this morning and got some stuff. I don't think they knew it was infected when they took her. 

The thing is, my brother, who I was talking to, is only 12, although he is very intelligent. I'm going to talk to my mom tomorrow to get some more information on what's going on. I feel like, with the help of this forum, I could figure out what's wrong with her from 1200 miles away sooner than the vet could. It sounds like allergies to me and we all know that the vet will prescribe a prescription diet if this doesn't clear up and stay gone.


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## BeagleCountry (Jan 20, 2012)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> But, for a kibble fed, year old boxer, what uses would pumpkin have that would help relieve itching.


Best guess on the use of pumpkin is that the anal glands were full when they went in for the appointment to have the paws and ears checked. Either the vet didn't state or your parents missed that the pumpkin is for a limited time as needed to empty the anal glands. It is the fiber in pumpkin that causes the anal glands to empty.

If the situation with the paws is new it could be a grass allergy that is caused due to damp, new grass this time of year. Wiping the paws every time the dog comes in with a mild vinegar and water solution may help. Raw feeding and grain free kibble both do wonders for yeasty ears. Try to get them to gradually transition to a grain free kibble. The best product I have used for yeasty ears is Zymox Otic. It is better than anything I have purchased from a vet and the various formulas found on the 'net.
Amazon.com: Pet King Brand Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution for Pet Ears, 1.25 Ounces: Pet Supplies

One way to get raw feeding into the conversation is to mention that dogs getting raw food do not show the same sensitivity to an allergen when it is raw food as they do when it is in the form of kibble. My thought, no proof, is that the enzymes/amino acids are dead in kibble. In raw they are alive as nature intended.


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## dustinshaw98 (Feb 22, 2012)

Can you switch your dog to raw meaty bones? Try it for a week. All the allergies will disappear. I assure you that. He won't smell, too.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

I can't think of anything pumpkin would do. I agree I would say it would be a yeast infection too and to use ACV. If she has been biting et paws and they're now infected you might want to suggest for them to put on disposable booties or something to help it heal faster. We had to do that when Duke ripped off part of his upper paw pad. I've noticed Duke scratches more when he needs a bath too. A bath could help get out some of the allergens that might be bothering her.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

dustinshaw98 said:


> Can you switch your dog to raw meaty bones? Try it for a week. All the allergies will disappear. I assure you that. He won't smell, too.


It's not Jess's dog. It is her parents dog, both her dogs are raw fed she knows how amazing it is.....as she stated that is why she posted this in the raw section!:thumb:
(sadly I don't think they are going to be willing to go raw with her......hopefully Jess's mom will go grain free though and try what ever else Jess suggests!:smile


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Pumpkin is usually recommended for upset stomachs or diarrhea. It has no benefits to allergies. Sounds to me like your parents boxer has allergies and they are trying to figure out if its food or environmental. She needs to be placed on an elimination diet for at least 12 weeks. Allergies are quite common in boxers, I always recommend Addiction Kangaroo & Apples for the elimination diets.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

When we were still on dry food, Rebel constantly licked big sores in his feet. I even got a biopsy done once because it started looking so nasty. He was pretty much in a baby sock strapped down with an Ace bandage all the time.

At the time, I attributed it to nerves and not enough exercise. However, since we started on raw food he hasn't done it. So now I do believe it was an allergy.

And I can't imagine pumpkin doing a thing to fix it.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

the only use that i know of for pumpkin is to bulk up loose stools. and, it was already stated that it's a temporary fix.

sounds to me like either:

grain allergy
environmental allergy
something in the kibble reaction
fungus or yeast.

unless they change the food, they have condemned this dog to itch....take the environment plus the food and you get itchy paws. 

even if they don't go raw, they could choose a better quality limited ingredient food, no?


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

BeagleCountry said:


> Best guess on the use of pumpkin is that the anal glands were full when they went in for the appointment to have the paws and ears checked. Either the vet didn't state or your parents missed that the pumpkin is for a limited time as needed to empty the anal glands. It is the fiber in pumpkin that causes the anal glands to empty.
> 
> If the situation with the paws is new it could be a grass allergy that is caused due to damp, new grass this time of year. Wiping the paws every time the dog comes in with a mild vinegar and water solution may help. Raw feeding and grain free kibble both do wonders for yeasty ears. Try to get them to gradually transition to a grain free kibble. The best product I have used for yeasty ears is Zymox Otic. It is better than anything I have purchased from a vet and the various formulas found on the 'net.
> Amazon.com: Pet King Brand Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution for Pet Ears, 1.25 Ounces: Pet Supplies
> ...


The protein structure of a meat is very different after heat is applied, that is why typical vet allergy tests aren't totally accurate (they are based on cooked foods). 

But I agree with the others, pumpkin won't do anything for allergies. Whatever is causing allergies will still be there with or with out the pumpkin.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

dustinshaw98 said:


> Can you switch your dog to raw meaty bones? Try it for a week. All the allergies will disappear. I assure you that. He won't smell, too.


She's not my dog.

I'm talking to my mom (texting) right now. The vet thinks it was being caused by the chicken in the kibble (Pedigree) so they have switched her to a lamb based food from Canidae and the pumpkin was to help her stomach with the switch of kibble. 

That makes much more sense now but I would love to see her put on raw... I'm going to suggest everyone's ideas for her paws and ears to her to see what she will be willing to do. I appreciate everyone's input!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> She's not my dog.
> 
> I'm talking to my mom (texting) right now. The vet thinks it was being caused by the chicken in the kibble (Pedigree) so they have switched her to a lamb based food from Canidae and the pumpkin was to help her stomach with the switch of kibble.
> 
> That makes much more sense now but I would love to see her put on raw... I'm going to suggest everyone's ideas for her paws and ears to her to see what she will be willing to do. I appreciate everyone's input!


Well that is a great, and huge, leap!!:thumb:
Even if it is grain inclusive Canidae that is still such a huge leap!! And with my previous issues(well my dog's) I would say it could easily be chicken based kibble!!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I just sent her a picture of Dude eating one of the bones from the calf and I am hoping that she will ask about it and will maybe complain some more about having to spent $27.99 for a ten pound bag of Canidae... She isn't feeding a small dog. Hahaha. Raw would definitely be cheaper for her!


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## sandra0606 (Dec 22, 2011)

I don't know about pumpkin but for dogs with allergies it's best to feed raw meat.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> She's not my dog.
> 
> I'm talking to my mom (texting) right now. The vet thinks it was being caused by the chicken in the kibble (Pedigree) so they have switched her to a lamb based food from Canidae and the pumpkin was to help her stomach with the switch of kibble.
> 
> That makes much more sense now but I would love to see her put on raw... I'm going to suggest everyone's ideas for her paws and ears to her to see what she will be willing to do. I appreciate everyone's input!


since she's kibble based, her stomach acids may not be that of a raw fed dog...so she could probably handle a probiotic....


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

It may not necessarily be chicken btw, Pedigree is a horrible food and a number of ingredients in that can cause issues. A higher quality chicken based kibble may not pose a problem.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

sandra0606 said:


> I don't know about pumpkin but for dogs with allergies it's best to feed raw meat.


Well yea, as has been stated before, I am a raw feeder. However, because Charlie is NOT MY DOG, I am attempting to use this allergy to cooked chicken to my advantage. If she HAS to itch for a while until they figure out exactly what is causing it, I may as well make good use of it.



LilasMom said:


> It may not necessarily be chicken btw, Pedigree is a horrible food and a number of ingredients in that can cause issues. A higher quality chicken based kibble may not pose a problem.


Yea... I thought I would just continue to let her think that it's the chicken since it got her switched to Canidae. I almost said something but apparently the vet recommended the lamb formula of Canidae so... I'm not going to argue with that.


As an update, I spent last night talking with my mom some more to tell her that feeding even just a couple of raw meals a week would not only be good for Charlie but would help save on money that would otherwise be spent on Canidae. She is paying $28/10 lbs for Canidae at one of the only places she can find it and I suggested that she buy a whole chicken and cut it up into quarters (or however much Charlie would need per meal) and feed that a couple of times per week instead of kibble and eventually work up to being able to have something better for teeth than just chicken in the future.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

That sounds like a good plan.

I can't believe the vet recommended canidae, that is so surprising lol.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

LilasMom said:


> That sounds like a good plan.
> 
> I can't believe the vet recommended canidae, that is so surprising lol.


Yea, me either. When I asked her what the vet told her to get I was expecting Science Diet or something but my brother had said that she had to drive a bit of a distance to get it... She lives one exit down the road from a Petsmart where she could get SD so I knew he had recommended something else. She had to go to an all natural pet store because no one else has it. When she said Canidae I was more than pleased. 

They do have a little mix that Nick and I found December of 2010 (and would have right now had we not found her the same night my mom banned me from her house because I planned on moving to WA) named Truffles. She is a chi/doxie mix. A little cream and white piebald thing. They named her Truffles just as something to call her while they found her owners but they never did... the name stuck. Haha. 

Anyhow, Truffles, from what I gather, is still on Pedigree. I'm hoping to officially convince my mom to keep Charlie on this better food with at least two raw meals per week and maybe when she sees the benefits in Charlie, she will want to switch Truffles to the same kind of diet. Some raw and Canidae kibble is better than all Pedigree!


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

Even Canidae by itself is worlds better! The raw meaty bones will be even better. I am going to try to convince my mom to do raw meaty bones a few times a week. 

BTW I love the name Truffles, and she sounds so cute.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I don't know if anyone cares but it sounds like Charlie is doing much better on the Canidae. I HAVE told her about the recall but I don't know what she will be doing about it. Personally, I'm not TOO worried about it. I am definitely keeping an eye on all of that though.

Nick and I will be driving down to California sometime this summer (hopefully) and both boys will be going with us so it will be a perfect opportunity for her to see two raw fed dogs eat their meals for an entire week! I'm hoping that maybe seeing our dogs eat their raw meals will encourage her to do the same. Being told raw is great isn't the same as having someone right there next to you feeding their own dogs that way and being able to experience it on someone else's dogs firsthand.


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