Possible Allergies?

[sarahk12]

Hi, I've had my male French Bulldog puppy for 1 month now, he is 4.5 months old. He is a nano and weighs 3.5kg.

When I first bought him he had slightly crusty ears which I didn't notice. Since I took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago (they prescribed us medicines for giardia) they also informed us that his crusty ears were due to some kind of allergy.

Now because we are giving him the giardia medicines and can't change his food, we can't work out if it is a food allergy or not.

Has anyone else had any experience with this? Both ears have a crusty edge and seem to be getting worse. He also has dandruff and less hair around his ears and eyes which makes me definitely think it is an allergy.

I would post a photo of his ears on here but I am not sure how to!

 

[Honeys Owners]

Which food is he on? Food allergies can definitely cause dandruff and crusty ears, and allergies can start popping up after 4 months of age.
If he is on treatment or has been on treatment of giardia it would be helpful to add a probiotic, preferably a doggy specific one like Herbsmith Microflora Plus or Proviable DC. If not, then some live sauerkraut from refrigerator section of some supermarkets or health food stores, or kefir.
Make sure you bathe him daily and disinfect his environment daily while he is being treated for giardia. A good disinfecting shampoo to use at end of treatment period would be a ketoconazole/chlorhexidine shampoo like Ketohex or Curaseb.

 

[2bullymama]

Definitely sounds like a food issue. [MENTION=3015]sarahk12[/MENTION] -- what are you currently feeding?

Giardia is a tough o e ... be sure to do as Honeys Owner stated with cleaning and probiotics.


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[Alice Kable]

I agree it is probably a food allergy.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

I'm more of the thought that many dog food "allergies" are really intolerances caused by an unhealthy gut. I'm all for probiotics and digestive enzymes, and think it's best to get them from food. Maybe you can pour some raw goats milk (Answers has a great one) over his current food? I don't have experience with giardia, so I'm not sure exactly why you are unable to change the food.

 

[sarahk12]

Hi, he's on Trainer (chicken and rice) for puppies. I have heard that a lot of dogs these days are allergic to chicken, is that something you have also heard of?
Thanks for the advice, I have started washing him weekly now as I was told that a daily wash wasn't good for the fur and his natural oils.

 

[sarahk12]

He is on Trainer (chicken and rice). Only today have I bought some Trainer gluten free for puppies (salmon and rice) as I want to test if it is the chicken causing the allergy. I fed him his dinner and mixed 50/50 between the 2 types of food as I didn't want him to have a bad reaction to the new food. Do you know what the other foods are that I should watch out for?

 

[sarahk12]

By the way, he now weights 4.9kg so is growing healthily, but still has very crusty ears and lots of dandruff. His paws are also a bit red and sore!
The vet today told us to continue the Panacur medicine to make sure the giardia has completely gone. He said it was fine to start mixing a new food in with the current food, but couldn't tell us what might be causing the allergies...

 

[2bullymama]

By the way, he now weights 4.9kg so is growing healthily, but still has very crusty ears and lots of dandruff. His paws are also a bit red and sore!
The vet today told us to continue the Panacur medicine to make sure the giardia has completely gone. He said it was fine to start mixing a new food in with the current food, but couldn't tell us what might be causing the allergies...

Just read your profile...Royal Canaine is not a good food.... go with a food switch to

Acana
Orijen
Fromm
earthborn Holistic
Zingature


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[Frenchie Grrrl]

How often are you bathing?

An iodine soak really helped Gus when he had red itchy paws. I eventually realized that it was caused by his shampoo and not rinsing his feet well enough. I also changed to a natural shampoo. Apparently, many dogs are allergic to yellow dye. Plus, many have harsh chemicals.

Keep in mind that it could easily be an environmental/contact allergy. Reducing the amount of chemicals he comes into contact would be a good idea. I've switched to natural laundry detergents and no longer use dryer sheets, in addition to changing Gus' shampoo.

I also took him off all flea/tick/hw meds. If you aren't completely comfortable with that, maybe you could at least take a break for 2-3 months, if you live in an area that gets cold.

Going raw, focusing on gut health, and taking a more natural approach, has cleared up Gus' allergy issues.

 

[sarahk12]

Really? What have you heard about it? The vet recommended it for his gut problems so I was mixing the Royal Canine gastro-intestinal with the Trainer chicken and rice. Now we are switching off the Royal Canine + Trainer chicken to only Trainer salmon.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will also look into these brands!

Just read your profile...Royal Canaine is not a good food.... go with a food switch to

Acana
Orijen
Fromm
earthborn Holistic
Zingature


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[2bullymama]

Really? What have you heard about it? The vet recommended it for his gut problems so I was mixing the Royal Canine gastro-intestinal with the Trainer chicken and rice. Now we are switching off the Royal Canine + Trainer chicken to only Trainer salmon.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will also look into these brands!

Just noticed you are in Italy, your only options maybe Acana and Orijen... try Acana single protein formula and add a daily probiotic


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[sarahk12]

Thank you!
And the probiotic, this comes in the form of capsules?

Just noticed you are in Italy, your only options maybe Acana and Orijen... try Acana single protein formula and add a daily probiotic


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[sarahk12]

Just managed to work out how to attach a photo, you can see his ears here. Photo taken today. They are probably at their worst here.

 

[Honeys Owners]

Probiotic for dogs is usually in powder or capsule form. If you can't get doggie probiotic try the live sauerkraut from refrigerator section of health food store or some supermarkets. Farmina grain free dog food is a good brand made in Italy if you don't want to switch to raw dog food or dehydrated raw dog food.

I have sprayed betadine into my dog's ears when they have gotten really crusty. Normally I used apple cider vinegar/witch hazel about 30%/70% or up to 50%/50% which is either wiped or sprayed into ear.

 

[2bullymama]

Just managed to work out how to attach a photo, you can see his ears here. Photo taken today. They are probably at their worst here.

OH MY! That looks like a fungus... and the vet didn't know what it is?
[MENTION=2100]Honeys Owners[/MENTION] [MENTION=188]Cbrugs[/MENTION] Any ideas?


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[Cbrugs]

Oh! I have never seen anything like that but it does look like some sort of fungus. I don’t even know what to suggest for something like that other than find a different vet.


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[2bullymama]

Oh! I have never seen anything like that but it does look like some sort of fungus. I don’t even know what to suggest for something like that other than find a different vet.


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Citty... remember on EBN the member had something like this on the toes? I can't remember the thread or same.. do you?


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[Honeys Owners]

Just managed to work out how to attach a photo, you can see his ears here. Photo taken today. They are probably at their worst here.

Could be demodetic mange (mites). I would give dog Nexgard monthly for a couple of months just in case.

 

[Cbrugs]

Citty... remember on EBN the member had something like this on the toes? I can't remember the thread or same.. do you?


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I do remember! I think it eventually started shrinking/going away on its own.


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