Raleigh, Archie, Gus

[scoora]

So it was Blue Buffalo Hamish turned out to be allergic to?
Archie and Gus have been eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy dry food but they eat Wellness or Merrick canned food.
The last 2 days Gus seems to be pretty itchy too. Gus has poop problems off and on, too.
Just seems strange both have the same issues. Just that Archie's are worse.

[scoora]

Patti, I think of you and Tipper, too.

Addy, Thanks for telling me about your experience with a trainer. I feel like an idiot for jumping into it without finding out more but her website just made me think I was doing the right thing. I didn't even know about prong collars before this. I want to call her this week. Probably won't do any good but oh well.

Leslie, Thank you for that information. I will definitely check her out. I was thinking of buying some books (what my husband wanted me to do in the first place). I haven't told him what the vet said, yet.
I just thought this trainer used commands or something like that, not collars. I was just so stupid for jumping into this so quickly.

[goldengirl88]

Vicki:
I just realized I called you Valerie in a post. Forgive me I am so sorry, my mind is scrambled lately, and probably just posted to Valerie and had her name in my brain. Blessings
Patti

[labblab]

Dear Vicki,

I'm so sorry that both Archie and Gus are having GI issues now. It does make you wonder if it might be worms or some sort of parasite that they've passed between them, but I'm hoping the vet took a stool sample on Friday with the plan of checking out that possibility.

Also, I so wish you could be kinder on yourself re: enlisting that first trainer. I don't think you did anything at all that was stupid, even if you decide to go an alternative route. We all make many choices by trial-and-error, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. If I had a dollar for every decision I've ended up changing, I'd be a billionaire by now!

As far as the prong (pinch) collar, I do understand why you've now decided against it, especially with your vet's warning about tracheal issues in pugs. However, it may not always be a bad choice for every dog and every situation, so I don’t think you did anything wrong by considering the option when the first trainer presented it to you.

I've attended many training classes through the years with my dogs (since I seem to need so much training myself!). Pinch collars have been offered as options at every class, so I don't think it's unusual that you found a trainer who uses them. I've used pinch collars at one time or another with all my Labs, and still use it for my youngest when we are out walking. Obviously, since I use it, I do not consider pinch collars to be abusive when they are fitted and handled properly (e.g., you do not use them to drag a dog around!). They look horrible, but unlike choke collars (which I do not think are safe), they have rings that prevent them from closing beyond a specific degree of tightening. Supposedly, when the prongs tighten, they mimic a mother dog's nip pressure at the neck of an unruly youngster. Trainers have always had me test the collar on my own arm or leg to see how it feels when tightened. When sized properly, it does not seem painful to me when "snapped" tighter on my own body, but it is indeed an attention-getting quick pressure (and for that reason I understand why you would not want to use it with a dog or breed that is vulnerable to tracheal issues).

I do not rely on the collar as an alternative to positive reinforcement for most training purposes, but when walking my dogs, literally it has saved me from being dragged into the street in front of cars or pulled down on my face on the sidewalk. I am a small person and when my 70-pound ball of energy makes a split-second decision to chase a squirrel when we're out walking, the prong collar has been a life-saver as far as interrupting the sudden lunge. So once again, I do not in any way discount your vet's warning or your own preference, and I don't doubt that a person with Saskia's skills and intuition would handle the lunging differently. But I hope people don't view me as an abuser of my dogs because I use prong collars . And I sure hope you find a training style that is a better match to your needs and preference. But I don't think you did anything that is stupid.

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

No, you are never stupid. As the old saying goes, ignorance can be cured with education but stupid is forever. We learn so we ain't stupid.

Do check the feed and try to find one that has different ingredient. ie if what they are eating has chicken and corn, find one that has beef and oats - change the ingredients to see if something they are eating is contributing to the itching. I had a pup who was allergic to guar gum found in most canned foods - she would get violently sick after eating it and it took me forever to pin that ingredient down. But once I did and stopped buying food that had guar gum, she didn't get sick any more.

[mcdavis]

So it was Blue Buffalo Hamish turned out to be allergic to?
Archie and Gus have been eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy dry food but they eat Wellness or Merrick canned food.
The last 2 days Gus seems to be pretty itchy too. Gus has poop problems off and on, too.
Just seems strange both have the same issues. Just that Archie's are worse.

Well, it was around the time of their recall so we were never sure if it was problems with the food or an allergy, but as soon as we changed his food he was fine.
Have you started a new bag of food? I remember reading about one brand, I think it was Orijen, that had changed the recipe and a lot of dogs had problems with the new version of the food.

[Budsters Mom]

Rosie is on Blue Buffalo Basics Salmon and Potato Formula. It is a limited ingredient feed designed for Dogs with food allergies and sensitivities. Buddy was on it too, since I seem to attract little allergic dogs! I took Rosie off of the turkey and changed to salmon when she was scratching continuously. You mentioned feeding your pups the "Wilderness Formula". That feed is not a limited ingredient or novel protein formula. It is grain free and higher in protein. If my pups were having these problems, I would want to get stool samples first to check for parasites, then consider changing the feed if the stool sample is clear.

The skin issues could definitely be food related. Mites are another possibility. They are microscopic little buggers which cause intense itching. Puppies ofter arrive with them, like Rosie did. If you examine really closely, their eggs look like small flecks of dandruff. Rosie is black, so I could spot them easier. You might want to ask your vet to check that too. I hope you get the babies sorted out soon. Poor things, poor mom. xxxxx

[scoora]

Patti-No need to apologize. I know you have a lot on your mind.

Marianne-Archie had a stool sample done about a week and a half ago. It was negative. Also, thank you for everything you said about the collars. It makes me feel better. What you said is what the trainer told me about them and she put one on my arm and showed me how it works. It did help to keep Archie from pulling too much on the leash when I took him out with it on. I just wish I would have checked into everything first so I wouldn't have wasted $410. I don't work and I haven't explained to my husband yet about what the vet said.

Leslie-I am thinking of trying a different food. They also get canned food mixed with dry. It seems like it could be tough.

This is the third bag of this kind of food that they have eaten. I don't know if I want to switch brands or try the limited ingredient formula.

Kathy-I will have to mention mites to the vet. It's funny how you described the mites. Raleigh is black and we have noticed white flakes on his back. It is in an area where he had a lump removed a year and a half ago. We figured it is dry skin.

Archie gnaws on himself sometimes that he bleeds.

Mites wouldn't have anything to do with soft stools and diarrhea, would they?

Archie has been on hamburger and rice since supper on Friday. I thought I'd see if it would make a difference not eating chicken. Today he went 3 times. They first time was the firmest but not as firm as Archie's normal used to be. Then after that each one got a bit softer.
I am going to start giving him chicken and rice and see if it is different.

If it is a food allergy, how long does it take to get out of their system? Can I expect his stools to ever get back to normal?

Thanks everyone for your help. This is so confusing and frustrating.

We live in the Lehigh Valley. They say it is one of the worse places for allergies. Raleigh has had allergies most of his life but he hasn't ever gnawed himself like Archie does.

[scoora]

A thought went through my head. Since Archie had a reaction to his rabies shot (seizure) I wonder if these currant problems could be caused by the shot?

[labblab]

It's always possible that Archie could be having some carry-over issues from the vaccination, but since Gus is having most of the same problems on-and-off, too (even though not as bad), it seems more likely to me that it is something infectious, dietary and/or environmental that is causing them. And it can sure drive you crazy trying to figure it all out!

My Peg has had soft stools off-and-on her whole life, no matter what food she is getting. And she always starts itching horribly around the end of October and it lasts until spring -- just the time of year when you'd think there wouldn't be any outdoor vegetation that would be bothering her. The only thing I can figure is that it corrsponds to the time of year when we are running the furnace and really drying out the air in the house. The dryness doesn't bother Luna at all, but Peg's skin does seem to dry out really badly during the winter. Even as I'm writing this, she's scratching the daylights out of herself over on the couch and gnawing on her leg.

Marianne