[ZOESPOP]

Hey Guys!

Zoe's STILL having itching issues, tried a "reputable name brand" Hartz anti-itch shampoo and followed with their spray skin/hair conditioner.......i LITERALLY watched the hives pop up all over her......it broke my heart and i immediately took the crap back to Walmart and got my money back. Had some suggestions about a shampoo called Soothe....only thing is there are SEVERAL shampoos out there with the word SOOTHE in the name.....mainly Epi-soothe and Derma-soothe.......so which one is THE ONE???

Also reading a lot about food/corn allergens and am gonna look into the ingredients to see if corn isn't the main one in her's and possibly do a switch. Been reading all these wonderful and diversified dog food choices, but it sounds to me (and i could be mistaken here) that a lot of you out there are in or near metropolitan areas where you have Petco's , Petsmarts' , or other pet-specialty shops where large varieties of different dog foods are readily available.

My problem is that in the small community  i live in, Walmart is about as good as it gets unless I want to make a 180 mile round trip journey to the nearest "city".....and i know in today's "internet-age" availability isn't a problem, but if i buy online, shipping is gonna cost me as much or more as the gasoline!!

What's a guy from a small town to do???

 

[Guest]

do you have any feed shops for horses or cows? A lot of those also carry dog foods...and usually the better brands.

 

[sharonL]

Maybe i am a little behind the times here but how old is your baby?  Was she having skin issues before the walmart shampoo? Were you having fleas?  Is she just scratching all the time or on and off? Is it at certain places like head/ears?

Sure it can be a food allergy depending on how young she is and how long you have been on your food, if you have switched food recently?  It can be environment something she is exposed to.  How long have you had her? The itch is hard to narrow down but give a little more info and lets see if we can narrow down some things.

 

[HannaBanana]

Earthbath is a great shampoo - I have an alergy ridden dog with the itchies and I use their oatmeal shampoo -  www.earthbath.com

On the food front - If you cannot find anything due to small community - get it online and have it shipped.   www.jbpet.com  and www.petfooddirect.com  has great selections of human grade kibbles.

 

[HannaBanana]

also want to mention you can alway home cook for the dogs.  

www.boxerlife.com

 

[ZOESPOP]

Sharon,

Zoe  is about 4 1/2 yrs old and has never had SERIOUS skin/itching problems........she DID have some MINOR hives when she was a puppy, but she hasn't had a breakout in years other than this last episode with the Hartz shampoo from Walmart. And NEVER a problem with fleas or mites.

When she scratches or licks at spots now, it's ALWAYS at her ribcage (which she tries to get at with her back feet) and she constantly chews and licks at her feet which i had read that that could be a form of O.C.D. for dogs, especially if she's bored.

(I will admit, she doesn't get the playtime and/or exercise that a boxer should have......she's not TRULY my dog, but a companion for my grandmother who just turned 76 and, of which,  i am her primary caregiver.....and  i DO hold down a full-time job also, so Zoe spends most of her time with her, and she (my grandmother) just doesn't have the stamina to keep up with a boxer......my grandmother DOES play with her.....fetch, tug-o-war and such and their bond is something to see, Zoe has become her "yiddle baby" as she calls her, and Zoe climbs up on her lap as much as she can, which is a LOT considering she weighed about 43 lbs the last time we had her at the vet (about a month ago)

When i DO get the time to wrestle with her (every other day or so), Zoe dives in wholeheartedly....and i got the bruises and scratches to show for it, but she's a SUPER SMART girl....she realizes that my grandmother and i are 2 different people and what she can do/play with me she can't do with my grandmother.

anyway...i ramble..... back to the itching:

her latest kick, besides her ribcage is RIGHT ACROSS HER HIPS.....the ONLY way SHE can reach it is with her tongue, and apparently that doesn't do the trick. when i scratch her, she'll stand in place and lick at the air (i mentioned this in an earlier post....it's almost like i've hit an erogenous zone and she's in in ecstasy.....so much so, that that's all she wants me to do now is scratch across her hips),  which i can understand.....if I had an itch that i couldn't easily reach.......ANY relief would be heavenly.

So THIS is my dilemma with the scratching: she seems to be doing it a LOT, but just those places i mentioned, not her ears.....maybe SOMETIMES her neck, but i think that's due to her collar, kinda like on a person, when you take off a  pair of pant/shorts that have an elastic waistband......it itches (but she never scratches to the point of breaking the skin....we keep her nails trimmed meticulously) and i just feel so sorry for her because i know if it was me.....i'd be going NUTS!!

and......after reading some of the food forum....i've seen several posts from people advising AGAINST allergic steroids, so i'm not gonna go there!

have turned on a humidifier for the dryness in the outside and inside air, but it only seems to have minimally alleviated the scratching.

so, im gonna check out her food ingredients and see if a corn allergy is an issue (the brand we NOW use, OLD ROY, says it's lamb & rice, but we ALL know advertising: there could be JUST ENOUGH rice in the mix that it ALLOWS them to call it lamb & rice and the main ingredient could be corn) and i'm gonna take aquagirl900's advice and check out my local M.F.A. and see if they have any better dog foods to offer....hopefully we'll find something fairly quick.

so Sharon, if you (or again, ANYONE else) has tips......any are greatly appreciate and Zoe DOES thank you (slurp!)

 

[sharonL]

Well that all sounds more like itchy skin. Which could be coming from the food.  Fiona does that sometimes..I can tell you what i do for her that has helped....One she eats Purina Pro Plan Sensitive stomach and skin.  I give her a raw egg once a week and once a month I bathe her in an oatmeal based shampoo....The feet licking can be a habit like people niting their fingernails......

 

[Guest]

Ol' roy has corn as the 3rd ingredient and it's brewers rice not plain rice as the 2nd...lots of fillers and allergins...

 

[Bumpy]

I would loose the Ol' Roy. Feed a better food with less fillers and grains. Try adding some fish oil or flax seed oil. An egg or two a week, And for bathing toss the Hartz. It's also not good in my opinion. Get a oatmeal based shampoo, it will help soothe the skin.

 

[ZOESPOP]

Just got a Christmas catalog from Doctors Fosters & Smith....has a lot of skin / allergy shampoos and supplements, has anyone gotten this book before? ordered from them and are they reputable? Thanks!

 

[Barbs2Ks]

Just got a Christmas catalog from Doctors Fosters & Smith....has a lot of skin / allergy shampoos and supplements, has anyone gotten this book before? ordered from them and are they reputable? Thanks!

I know Samsonsmom Willow has ordered from them, I just did, got their oatmeal shampoo and conditioner, a hoodie for Kiah (got the extra large and it still doesn't fit her chest too tight) which I will be returning on Friday.  They send a return label with the package for items you need to return.  So far ordering from them has been a great experience and returns are easy.

 

[HannaBanana]

Yes they are ok, I prefer jbpet.com   Lots cheaper IMO