Dog suffering from allergic rash

[Bock]

Hi all. I'm asking this for a friend of mine. The dog is a mini schnauzer, and she has a reddish black allergy rash in her arm pits/ along her groin. They've taken her to the vet but didn't get any solutions to the problem other than antihistamines. They can't identify what the allergy is from, and they're afraid to give the dog too much of the antihistamines.

They're wondering if there are any creams or remedies that could help relieve some of the irritation?

[Catherine]

First, what causes the allergy. I would bet it is food related. Have them try adjusting her diet. Look at foods and see what they contain.
Try for the simplest food or better try making food for the dog for the next while.
Chicken is usually the most bland. They could make a simple stew with chicken, potatoes and some veggies. they could add some basic dog vitamins and then see if the dog improves. I would take weeks, but the rash should start to improve.

If it is not food then it is chemical(something they use around the house) or it is plant(less likely since it is winter). Did they start using something new around the time the rash started. Did they bring home anything new(blanket, chair, rug).

This link has some natural remedies that sound good.
http://voices.yahoo.com/natural-home-rem...27745.html

When the hamsters had skin problems I used a bit of vegetable oil on their skin. It did sooth the rash. When I started to give them food supplements they stopped having rashes.
I think it was the brewers yeast and the wheat germ oil that had the best effect.
For a dog fish oil might be a good thing as well.
The real goal should be to stop the rash from happening.

I hope the dog improves. keep us posted.

[Bock]

Thank you so much!! I've sent her what you said, and asked her to please keep in touch.

[Catherine]

I think a lot of rash issues are food related. They will just have to try different things until they figure it out.
I hope some of the remedies mentioned help. Giving antihistamines is not a good long term solution. It doesn't fix anything and you worry about side effects.
I hope the dog gets better.

[Tobi]

I agree with Catherine. Many allergies are food-related.
If you can find a food with meat or fish among the top of the list of ingredients, a carb. like brown rice, and no additives/preservatives (except Vitamin E) that might be a good idea.
I found one like that for my dog, but that was from Liverpool UK. I ordered online. It was a very good dry food, and the company had won an award.
I also fed real cooked meat/fish/eggs with vegetables as well as the dry food. Apart from a few slices of apple now and again, my dog never ate anything else. She never suffered with any allergy all of her life.

Another thing to consider is Household Cleaning Products. We take them for granted, but there are heavy chemicals involved -even in laundry powder.
Steam-cleaning things instead (with just water) is a hygienic alternative, works well, and involves NOTHING but water!

Also have a think about yearly booster inoculations. This can stress the immune system terribly. Although it's important to make sure your dog is protected, it may be that the yearly boosters are damaging or not needed. A dog can retain immunity to things like Distemper for a few years!
The only way to be able to tell safely, is to speak to the vet about Titer Testing, to test for immunity. It costs more than the injections -but it is healthier for the dog.
Some diseases -like Leptospirosis- do not 'titer' well, and may have to be repeated yearly. Also I don't know about the law concerning Rabies vaccinations. I know they are mandatory, but don't know where the law stands about Titer testing for this. You would need to discuss this with the vet.

For a lotion, you could try natural Aloe Vera...either from the plant leaves, or as a gel. To extract it from the plant leaf, first wash the leaf well in water, then cut it open, and scrape out the gel-substance from the inside of the leaf. This can be used straight away, directly on the skin.

[Catherine]

Good suggestions. I agree, most allergies are food related. I think there are way to many chemicals in our pet foods.

I now use a hypo-allergenic laundry detergent for myself and my animals. I think we are both better off.

You are so right about cleaning products. They contain some serious chemicals. I find vinegar and baking soda will clean most things.

Rashes are a reaction to something. I am sure with time and observation they can find out what the dog is reacting to.

[Tobi]

Yes vinegar and baking soda is a good cleaner. It stinks a bit though (pooh!) but the smell goes when it dries. I got rid of some mould on natural grass matting with apple cider vinegar, and the smell definitely went after 3 days.
Vinegar is a good multi-purpose cleaner which is healthy and really cheap, and won't cause reactions in pets.

[Catherine]

Apple cider vinegar would smell nicer than the regular white vinegar.
I just had a thought. I put herbs into wine vinegar for flavour and fragrance. What if I added a few herbs to my cleaning vinegar. It would still clean, but it would smell fragrant. Do you think it would work. Would it still be good for cleaning? It should be.

Baking soda is really the only abrasive cleaner you would ever need. I makes my sinks look like new.

We would all be healthier if we would move away from using dangerous chemicals in our homes. They are not good for us and I am sure they are not good for our pets.

[Tobi]

The herbs might make a pleasant aroma if steeped in the vinegar. Personally I hate the smell of apple cider vinegar as much as any other! But I think that's just a personal thing. It is a healthy alternative, and the smell definitely fades quickly.

It is possible to make herbal tinctures with vinegar! They don't last as long as the ones made with alcohol, and should be stored in the fridge, but it works just as well.
Good aromatic herbs to use for cleaning would be things like lavender, and rosemary. Lavender is not toxic for most animals. Rosemary is OK but can raise blood pressure.

[Catherine]

I used rosemary to treat mites in the hamsters. The mites came from the rescue quail and they were easy to treat, in the quail. Dwarf hamsters are much more fragile and I read up and found that rosemary repels insects. I made a tea of the leaves and rubbed it into the hamster fur. The mites jumped off and after two days there were no more mites.
Cleaning with vinegar and rosemary would be a good way to fight bugs or prevent bugs.
The lavender would give a nice scent. I grow lavender so I will try it next year. If winter ever ends.