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Thanks all for the suggestions. I will try them all and see which one works.
She has been on no grain food forever and when this flared up I switched her to nature's Variety Limited Ingredients Lamb which she doesn't really gobble up but has resigned herself to it. She is my 2nd Bichon and I know they can have bad hot spots but it has been so long since she has had any trouble and this seems really bad. She got oatmeal bath today and seems to be a bit better.
it could be a seasonal allergy if shes been fine for a while and suddenly flaring up again.
yep vet mentioned that too. But she only is outside for 4 walks a day. We don't let her roll around in the grass or anything like that. she is kinda spoiled grand dame all fluffy and beautiful. could she just get allergy from walking in the air?
with severe allergies even 1 seconds contact can cause a reaction, just brushing against soemthing even without nociting, the feet on the grass ect...the reaction doesnt nessicarily have to be localized t the contact area.
also fall is prime for airborn allergens, pollen for example...while these allergeis typically show as runny nose and itchy eyes some dogs will get a skin reaction to airborn allergens..
in the home the likes of mold, dust mites (every house has them) are highly common, things like dust and dust mit allergies are unavoidable wuthout somestrong air filtreation and daily vauming with a hepa vacume...dust mites in my expereince seem to increase in the fall, as the heat comes on and the air starts drying out we humans (and pets) produce more dander...the stuff dust mites feed on so the population tends to increase in the mid-late fall.
another one thats VERY common (and given the localization of her issues) have you chaged detergents, softeners ect lately...
if you find her allergies seem to be worse spring and fall id say definatly a pollen allergy (which is airborn)...
otherwise id say its probably something shes laying on.
Sam was on to the "pill game" and would magically eat anything around the pill, but manage to spit the pill out. Mama had to crush it up, and mix it with hamburger and rice, added hot water for "gravy" he ate it all up.
As Sam got older, I fed him less dog food, and more hamburger/rice mixed with a cup of dry (Science Diet). He also could not tolerate dog treats, he loved pig ears and bully sticks, but those seemed too rich for him, or something as he was older.
I think there is a book out on caring for geriatric dogs. They really do need specilized care as they get older.
dogs should not be given extra salt even in small amounts theres enough salt in peanut butter naturally, you dont need to be adding salt...bad for the kidneys liver and heart!
Baloney. I'd like to see some empirical evidence of this.
Our puppy had an allergic reaction to some new dog treats - she had a pink rash on her belly. I gave her a Benadryl and the rash cleared right up. I didn't think any more about it.
A couple of weeks later, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (she was asymptomatic and at the vet's for another reason entirely) and put on antibiotics. It makes me wonder now if the rash was somehow related to her UTI - maybe the rash was an early symptom of UTI that I mistook for a food allergy.
At any rate, I coat her pills in peanut butter and she licks them right up.
the medical issues associated with high salt intake in humans and animals is WELL documanted, high blood pressure, tendency towards kidney and bladder stones, ect...
its not exactly rocket science or some medical mystery...salt in high doses causes health issues in ANY species, especially animals that dont sweat (its hard on the body to remove exces salt in creatures that dont sweat...)
and comercial dog food (and most HUMAN foods) have so much salt added that tossing in some more isnt a good idea...dogs dont need it, cats dont need it...infact humans dont realy need it...theres more than enough in the comercial stuff we eat already.
just because you like the taste doesnt mean its good for you...
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