Home About Erin Featured Blog Roll Advertise

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Itchy Ginger!


This is our little Lhasa Apso Ginger!  She just turned 6 years old this year and has been the best little doggie in the world!  Now, I have to admit.  I'm not much of an animal person.  I can't help it.  I think they are adorable but I don't tend to gush over them like real animal people do.  I get it from my mother.  She is the exact same way.  But when I brought Ginger home the day after Christmas for my 5 year old and 3 year old, that all changed!  She was a puppy and it was like taking care of a baby again!  So, needless to say Ginger and I bonded!




Here she is with Kailey, home sick with strep throat, back when Kailey was in kindergarten.








The funny thing is her coat is forever changing!  When she was a puppy it was a chestnut brown, then it was a light brown, whiteish gray and now a dark grey!  The vet's office can't believe it is the same dog!




6 years later we are here!  Poor baby has horrendous skin allergies!  She itches all the time and her little belly is a bright red.  It is so sad!  She also gets constant ear infections!  So this is our daily routine!  Allergy pill, antibiotic and ear medication.  If I don't set it out like this, I will not remember it!  I'm begging all my blog friends out there!  If you know anything I can do to help our suffering dog please leave me a comment.  We also do cortisone shots, and baths with oatmeal shampoo.  I hate to see her ALWAYS so itchy!  Hope you can help!

11 comments:

  1. I have no idea. Wish I knew something to help!
    I have a Kailey! We spell her name Kaleigh!
    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My four legged furry girl was Itchy Isabelle and I know just what you are going htrough. All the same symptoms! Our vet suggested we try homemade dog food or Nature's Variety Raw Dog Patties. We do both today. It's been almost 2 years with no meds and no problems. Most people aren't willing to do the cooking or spend the money for the raw patties but she is a whole new dog and no vet bills anymore! Email me if you want my recipe. Good luck! Sue

    ReplyDelete
  3. So sorry about your little doggie. I wish I knew how to help.
    I wanted to say "Thanks" for visiting my blog, shabbyshae.blogspot! I can't figure out how to install an email program so I can just email people rather than leaving random comments. lol
    Glad ya like the flower pins! I'm having a great time making them. I just posted the new Gray one this morning. :D
    Thanks again! I'm always tickled when "real" bloggers come for a visit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish I could help but you're doing all the right things. Our dog has/had the same problem for several weeks this summer. I could tell when he was getting itchy because his skin would turn all pink so I knew it was time to give him his Benadryl. Some websites say to give fish oil, the omega kind. Our guy is getting better now that the allergen (whatever it was) is apparently not in bloom or growing any longer.

    I can say I understand how hard it is. Our guy scratched so hard, he left large gashes on his head and he had to wear an e-collar 24/7 for several weeks.

    I hope the dog food Sue recommends above helps.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I work at a veterinary hospital and we've seen really good results with Atopica. Maybe something to ask Ginger's doctor about? We also have clients that have had their pets tested to find out what their allergies are. They can be given injections to desensitize them or you can use the information to make changes depending what she's allergic to. Sounds funny, but we've seen dogs that are allergic to humans :).

    Good luck, Lori

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've never had a dog with allergies but I have a cat with allergies. It's not as severe as Ginger's but she kept getting sores near her mouth..come to find out, she was allergic to plastic. I changed out all her plastic feeding dishes to ceramic ones. I suppose it's like people with allergies..trying to find out what is causing it?
    I agree with Sue, I would probably start with the dog food first and see if that helps. I've known people who have develop allergies to food over time..maybe its the same with dogs? Poor little thing..Hope she gets better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  7. my papillon does the same thing (itching), she's not even three and every 6 months she will have an itching episode where she'll itch one or both sides until she has a scab, and then we use the topical cream and the cone. Lately though it's been worse, it's non stop.

    Sorry I can't help, I was surprised to see that others have the same problem! Hope she gets better. I thought the one person's idea about the food was interesting...worth a try! Good luck to your little furbaby!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Poor baby! Our oldet furry baby has allergies as well! Sometimes she itches so bad on her neck she gives herself sores! We have to leave her collar off or it makes it worse.

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow . i didn't know dogs could change color!
    our basset hound has to be on allergy meds too for itching. it has made a big difference!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We had a dog who started getting ear infections and chewing on his feet (a sign of skin allergy). We put him on a special diet of rice, boiled chicken, and beans (you can find good allergy diets for dogs on the web). He was a whole new dog, and it was so worth it to get rid of all those meds. The food may be expensive, but you'll save it on the meds.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Our two Scottie dogs have allergies, too, which cause them skin issues. We did give them shots for a while, but once we started giving them salmon oil (specifically Grizzly Salmon Oil) with each meal, they improved immensely. They are also on vet-prescribed (read: expensive) salmon/potato food. These things have helped them very much.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you!!!