Dog food – Flea recommendations

[Buddy]

I have a large dog 85+lbs ( a doodle) who seems to always be scratching/licking…I’m wondering if it’s food related …I have him on Advantage on a monthly basis – but am I’m going to “De-flea” the house just in case…so two questions…recommendations for dogs with

“sensitive digestive system” scratchy skin and most effective method in combating fleas??

thanks

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[flowerpetal]

If you are not seeing fleas when you part your dog’s hair, nor flea droppings; I would wonder if your he has fleas. If you Doodle is a swimmer like many are, he could be washing it off.

I have had dogs with allergies to the grass in the back yard. We used some soothing, skin conditioning shampoo and that eased things alot.

Also, if there are fleas, by now they should be biting at your own ankles, as they would likely be on the floors in your house. For this, we have had success with Diatomaceousearth, a type of fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. The fine, sharp-edged particles attach themselves to and penetrate the waxy coating on a flea’s shell-like exoskeleton, causing the little bloodsucker to dehydrate and die. There is an over-the-counter manufacturer name which I cannot recall.

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[bsmomma]

I have had great results with a water bottle 3/4 full of water and 20 drops of tea tree oil! It’s safe for animals, kids and adults. It keeps the fleas away, makes for a great bug repellant and Lice don’t like it either! I try to do a light spray/misting all over the house 3 times a week and get the animals about 4 times a week. There’s also that pet store on Alki. They have a powder that you spread all over the house, sweep it around, let it sit for a while and then vaccum. Again pet and human safe. I’ve used that. It worked and I felt ok bringing the newborn back in the house. You can also put some under the couch cushions to keep the fleas away. They have a dietary suppliment that you can add to your dogs wet food (I haven’t used this) that is suposed to deter fleas because they don’t like the taste.

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[Lena]

Many itchy dogs do have food allergies especially if the itching is not seasonal (the estimate is about 40%). Fleas, mites, secondary infections, and other allergies are also possible. Most likely if you dog is on Advantage monthly, they don’t swim all the time and you are not seeing fleas or getting bit yourself, it is not fleas (although there are some exceptions to this)

Any food switch takes time so if you do decide to change the diet give it at least two months. It is hard to give any recommendations on diets without a full history but limited ingredient, high quality, with a new protein source they have not seen before, is often the way to go if you are thinking food allergy. Wellness makes a nice limited ingredient line called simple food solutions. Food allergies take a while to develop so the dog that is on the same food for many years can still develop an allergy.

Many dogs even without food allergies will do better on grain free foods , raw diets , or diets with high levels of omega fatty acids (many of these are fish based). There is also a diet called Avoderm which is made to help dogs with skin issues.

If you haven’t been to your normal vet I would set up a visit to rule out any health issues. I am a veterinarian who does holistic consultations but because I am a referral practitioner I recommend visited your general veterinarian first.

Here is my info if you are interested. http://www.lenamccullough.com/

There are many ways to treat and manage itchy dogs both holistically and with western methods but there is no one solution that works for every dog. Managing an itchy dog can be very frustrating and can take a lot of time and money to find the cause and proper treatment.

And if you treat the house for fleas the flea buster products work great and are very safe.

As for tea tree, it can be very toxic for cats – don’t spray it on them or use it on them without very careful instructions! Also you do not want to get it on any open or irritated tissue because it can burn and delay healing. It works great when used correctly but it is definitely not benign especially on cats. Many cases in the literature of cats dying from liver failure from tea tree.

Good luck!

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[KBear]

Have you seen any fleas or been bitten yourself? Our dog was itchy, too, until we changed her brand of food. Ask your vet for specific ingredients to look for or avoid. Also, if it is food-related, it’s really important not to give the dog scraps from the humans’ table.

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[digidoll]

I’ll ditto lenamegan on the possibility of food allergies. And, I’ll add that my itchy/chewy/hotspot-prone Aussie is much less so now that I’ve switched his protein source to fish rather than chicken. Same brand (and grain-free), but different protein formula. It’s been about a month since I switched, and I rarely catch him worrying at himself anymore.

Also ditto on the tea-tree oil (or any essential oil) danger to cats, but not from personal experience.

As for Diatomaceous Earth, that stuff is great, both internally and externally, and I’ve used it successfully for treating fleas and tapeworms in both dogs and cats, as well as aphids on my rosebuds. However, do be careful about inhaling it, as it irritates soft tissue – I am very sensitive to it, and found out the hard way by almost sending myself to the ER with breathing problems after dusting it around once. Animals can be just as sensitive.

Good luck! It sucks when our critters are obviously uncomfortable…

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[Buddy]

Thank you EVERYONE!!

Heading out the door to my favorite pet store..I’m going fish based this time, it’s the only one I haven’t tried…love the tea oil suggestion too.

No, I haven’t been bit, but last night while reading I did swat at something very, very small :) thanks again!

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[Buddy]

oh, just read about that tea oil might not be so good…I have cats as well, so will hold off on that until I talk to my vet.

thanks again all.

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[Semele]

We use Bug Off Garlic for our dog as a natural bug deterrent. it repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. You can check it out at the following link: http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/148/2

Absolutely love this stuff!!

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[JL]

My poodle Oscar was bitting his paws a lot and also throwing up randomly. My vet switched him to Hills presciption diet-Z/D ultra allergen free. He stopped throwing up instantly and seldom bites his paws. I also use a hypo-allergenic shampoo called earthbath that I buy at Next To Nature in the junction. My Rott was on this diet for years…it is very expensive but my hardwood floors were getting ruined so all in all we are both happy.

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[Kimberley]

I’d be sure to consult your vet, also the folks at Mud Bay are very helpful when you have an allergy riddled dog to feed. We found out that our dog is allergic to fish, and the granular form of Bug off Garlic makes his skin flare up, so I switched to tablets. We also add flax seed oil to his food and have gone grain free. He still has some issues (which are irritated when he rough houses with Semele’s dog every Wednesday, but we figure he can live with that trade off ;O)

Once you’ve ruled out fleas, and checked to see if the food works, make sure to check with your vet if you’re still having issues (that’s our next step to finally clear up our dog’s skin).

Oh – we were able to get a liquid from mud bay that we added to our dog’s water – it cut down on his scratching.

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[hopey]

Hi Buddy,

I’m a labradoodle breeder, so I’m pretty familiar with their digestive quirks. :) All of the advice above is good, but personally I would recommend a non-grain kibble. I feed my dogs Orijen brand which I get at the pet store at Westwood Village whose name I can never remember. They also carry Orijen at Next to Nature, but the store at Westwood participates in Orijen’s “buy 12 bags get one free” program, so I get it there instead.

If you’d like to talk more about labradoodle specifics, drop me a line. Click on my username above, it will take you to my website, which has a link to contact me by email.

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[Buddy]

Hopey…omg….went to your web-site. I’m in too big of a hurry and couldn’t find where to click and leave a message….I want another doodle! I will try again later today.

I appreciate everyone’s input….info from my vet is most likely the “safest” but hearing from other experienced dog owners is so helpful and so many interesting “tips”

k

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[bsmomma]

I know that the tea tree oil (if the oil is put directly on to the animal)can be harmful. That’s why it’s 20drops of oil to a 3/4 (about 2 cups of H2O) spray bottle. You only mist the animal. I did some research and that little amount of diluted tea tree oil won’t harm animals. It’s just enough to get the smell on them so the fleas don’t even try to hitch a ride. :) But obviously it’s a good idea to check with a vet first.

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[ws4ever]

Thanks, hopey, for labradoodle information. I plan to get a doodle when my beloved aging dogs are here no more, and it’s a comfort to know there’s a local breeder. More on topic, my curly-coat retriever is much less itchy on lamb-based food, which is not so spendy at Costco.

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