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Comfy Cone?


Guest Sunset123

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Guest Sunset123

We're having a bout of what I think is allergies. Arrisa bites her back end and gets scabby. She doesn't do it if I'm watching, only when I'm sleeping or out of the house (she knows I don't want her doing it). I have her in shorts, but they're not protecting her too much because she can still bite over the fabric, stick her nose under, and recently, she's been biting just past where the waistband hits. I'm getting fed up and I don't like leaving her alone because I come home to find her skin raw.

 

I'm trying everything to calm her skin (I apply Sulfodene, she's taking a homeopathic remedy, she's on antihistamines, and I wash the area with an aloe and collodial oatmeal shampoo), but I think I might need to put her in the 'collar of shame' so she can heal. I refuse to put her in a plastic one, but the comfy collar doesn't look bad.

 

I'm wondering, though, since she's so long, won't she still be able to reach her butt with the comfy collar on?

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Guest Sunset123

Try the Bite-Not collar. They're very comfy, but the back and tail should be out of reach, because it stops them bending their neck round. Not so good for front legs/paws, but otherwise they're pretty good!

 

Is that safe for her to wear unsupervised?

 

You may need some help with steroids. After the calming down a warm bath with Selsun Blue or Head&Shoulders may work. My drugist suggested T-Gel shampoo (coal tar) for my Dalmatian's scabby butt.It worked.

 

Yeah, this week I'm going to take her in to see a vet tech to just get another good set of eyes looking at it, and failing that we'll make an appointment with her actual vet.

 

Arrisa's scabs are the end result of her biting her skin raw, not the thing that's making her itch in the first place, if that makes a difference.

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Can't help with the e-collar as have no experience with any of the new types.

 

but I do have a greyhound with several allergies that went though terrible skin issues until we sorted it all out. If you haven't been investigating food allergies, i'd strongly encourage you to do so. He has environmental allergies as well but once we identified the food allergies(we did the testing) and got him on a food that didn't cause issues the other allergies calmed down immensely. We also give fish oil regularly as a supplement. I still have to give him benedryl for about a week in june due to some grass that comes up then but other than that we haven't had any issues.

 

During the worst of it we did have to go to strong meds along with daily baths but everything calmed down pretty quick with the meds(I forget what...sorry this was nine years ago and we haven't needed anythign since) and the food change.

Good luck!

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Guest Sunset123

Can't help with the e-collar as have no experience with any of the new types.

 

but I do have a greyhound with several allergies that went though terrible skin issues until we sorted it all out. If you haven't been investigating food allergies, i'd strongly encourage you to do so. He has environmental allergies as well but once we identified the food allergies(we did the testing) and got him on a food that didn't cause issues the other allergies calmed down immensely. We also give fish oil regularly as a supplement. I still have to give him benedryl for about a week in june due to some grass that comes up then but other than that we haven't had any issues.

 

During the worst of it we did have to go to strong meds along with daily baths but everything calmed down pretty quick with the meds(I forget what...sorry this was nine years ago and we haven't needed anythign since) and the food change.

Good luck!

 

I'm wondering about food allergies, but it seems strange to me that this would happen after many months of no issue with the same food. I haven't changed anything in her diet. Arrisa's on daily fish oil, too.

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Try the Bite-Not collar. They're very comfy, but the back and tail should be out of reach, because it stops them bending their neck round. Not so good for front legs/paws, but otherwise they're pretty good!

 

Is that safe for her to wear unsupervised?

 

Actually, I found it worked very well without the strap that goes round the chest, so I had no problems leaving it on 24/7. :)

 

 

Yeah, this week I'm going to take her in to see a vet tech to just get another good set of eyes looking at it, and failing that we'll make an appointment with her actual vet.

 

 

Oh gosh, yes, if you haven't already seen a vet, you should certainly do so. Itchy skin can be due to so many different things. I'm sorry, I assumed you'd already gone that route. I wouldn't be messing with restraints etc without seeing the vet first. :)

 

 

 

 

 

I'm wondering about food allergies, but it seems strange to me that this would happen after many months of no issue with the same food. I haven't changed anything in her diet. Arrisa's on daily fish oil, too.

 

Well, as someone with both allergies and food sensitivities I can tell you that they can pop up after months or years eating the same stuff. I became sensitive to malt and yeast at 40-something years old after a lifetime of not having any trouble with them! And in fact, my sensitivities are the things that cause wild itching, not the true allergies.

 

When you're looking at her diet, don't discount supplements in your search for the culprit. It may even BE the fish oil that's doing it.

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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I had great luck with the comfy cone on a terrier mix I fostered for all breed rescue last winter. It worked great. I don't know about greys, but this was a determined terrorist who could figure out a lot. The cone went pretty far out from his face. He dealt with it far better than the original e-collar. It does have to be slipped on to a non martingale collar so you need one of those if you don't have one.

 

Someone else on here ordered one from Amazon a few months ago but I don't know how it worked for her. If I had to rate my terrier experience on Fox 4 News here as deal or no deal I'd say it was a deal. They sell them at Petco but they are cheaper on Amazon.

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Guest Sunset123

 

Oh gosh, yes, if you haven't already seen a vet, you should certainly do so. Itchy skin can be due to so many different things. I'm sorry, I assumed you'd already gone that route. I wouldn't be messing with restraints etc without seeing the vet first. :)

 

 

What I forgot to mention is that she had a bout of the same kind of thing back in January/February. It cleared up and she was fine for months. At that time we saw her vet immediately but it was kind of a waste of time and money. He had no answers. He ruled out anal gland and fleas and gave her a steroid shot which didn't really help. I'm debating whether to go back to the same vet or to try a different vet or the veterinary dermatologist.

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Trouble with skin issues is that they are difficult to diagnose and treat. But if she's scratching till she's raw, I'd go to the vet. If you're not happy with the one you saw before, try a different one, but they all have to start at the beginning and eliminate causes one by one. I'd tell whoever you see that she had it before and steroids didn't help, and you may be able to skip a step. :)

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The plural of anecdote is not data

Brambleberry Greyhounds My Etsy Shop

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Guest Sunset123

Trouble with skin issues is that they are difficult to diagnose and treat. But if she's scratching till she's raw, I'd go to the vet. If you're not happy with the one you saw before, try a different one, but they all have to start at the beginning and eliminate causes one by one. I'd tell whoever you see that she had it before and steroids didn't help, and you may be able to skip a step. :)

 

Yep, we're seeing her vet on Wednesday. Unfortunately for delicate little Arrisa, a little scratch with the teeth is all it takes to break the top layer of skin. I don't think she's scratching very aggressively at all and the itches aren't so urgent. She can go all day without scratching if I'm awake in the house. Kind of a weird thing to explain to the vet. :/ "Yes, well, my dog is made out of rice paper..."

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Poor baby girl! No help, but I'm glad to see her smiling face!

 

Don't discount a food allergy because *you* haven't changed food. The way companies work now, the food could have changed formulas and it could be bothering her.

 

Give Arrisa her a kiss from me and her sis!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

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Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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Poor baby girl! No help, but I'm glad to see her smiling face!

 

Don't discount a food allergy because *you* haven't changed food. The way companies work now, the food could have changed formulas and it could be bothering her.

 

Give Arrisa her a kiss from me and her sis!

 

Ah, yes, this is very true as many GTers will agree, when a favorite food of many changed the "source" of some ingredients. The formula was exactly the same, but when the source changed, it wreaked all sorts of havoc with many, many dogs! Having an itchy dog myself, it's very tempting to try everything at one time in an attempt to give them some relief! A muzzle with a stool cup may be a temporary fix for keeping Arrisa from chewing/biting herself raw - if only when you are away from home.

Sure hope you get some answers! Hope Arrisa feel better soon!

Linda, Mom to Fuzz, Barkley, and the felines Miss Kitty, Simon and Joseph.Waiting at The Bridge: Alex, Josh, Harley, Nikki, Beemer, Anna, Frank, Rachel, my heart & soul, Suze and the best boy ever, Dalton.<p>

:candle ....for all those hounds that are sick, hurt, lost or waiting for their forever homes. SENIORS ROCK :rivethead

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Guest Sunset123

Poor baby girl! No help, but I'm glad to see her smiling face!

 

Don't discount a food allergy because *you* haven't changed food. The way companies work now, the food could have changed formulas and it could be bothering her.

 

Give Arrisa her a kiss from me and her sis!

 

That's a really good point that I hadn't considered. I'm thinking hard about it, but I don't believe the itchy timeline corresponds with opening a new bag. Since we just have Arrisa and she only eats 2.5c/day, a 40lb bag lasts us a really long time, and we just opened a new bag last week or so. I have been thinking that I ought to wipe the slate clean and try a bland rice and hamburger diet for a week without any of her supplements or anything to see if it clears anything up. It might not be a bad idea to try transitioning to a new food, though.

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Guest sheila

I had a dog that developed seasonal allergies in the late summer. This didn't start until she was about 8 or 9 yrs old. I would take her to the vet to get an injection of benydryl and she would be fine within an hr of the shot. I usually only had to do this once or twice during the season and the vet tech would come out and do it right in the lobby which saved me from having to pay an examination fee. I just paid for the shot itself.

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Guest Sunset123

I had a dog that developed seasonal allergies in the late summer. This didn't start until she was about 8 or 9 yrs old. I would take her to the vet to get an injection of benydryl and she would be fine within an hr of the shot. I usually only had to do this once or twice during the season and the vet tech would come out and do it right in the lobby which saved me from having to pay an examination fee. I just paid for the shot itself.

 

Yeah, I tried to make an appointment with the vet tech and they told me that this was outside of the purview of the techs. Annoying.

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