Poor itchy Diesel

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CC

Completely Boxer Crazy
Sigh...Diesel has had a lot of skin, ear, and toe issues over the years and has been really good for a long time, but that seems to have come to an end lately. His poor belly has raised red hives on it right now and also some black marks (which I think is yeast). His ears also itch, have lots of gross brown stuff in them, and smell yeasty off and on - we use some steroid ear drops when they seem to flare up and it seems to get it under control quickly. He also constantly licks/chews his feet and I've noticed a whitish gooey substance between his toes.

Our vet has looked him over and done swabs many times. He often notes yeast and bacteria from these itchy, icky spots (I think the bacteria is from licking). The vet is kind of at a loss - he thinks it's allergies, but Diesel has been on the same (raw) diet since birth and I never give him anything with grains. He sometimes steals things and eats them, but this is rare. His bedding hasn't changed, cleaning products haven't changed, although we have moved a few times - but his symptoms haven't really changed.

His symptoms just seem to happen sometimes, for no apparent reason, and sometimes they get quite bad. I have tried homeopathy, benadryl, and he's also been put on antibiotics - nothing really seems to help, he often shows improvement, but there's no conclusive link to any treatments he's been on as far as I'm concerned. We gave up on the homeopath after about eight different treatments.

I just don't know what to do for him. It breaks my heart to see him itching so badly (and he's in a bad phase right now) and I don't know what to do to help him. I am suspecting it's a systemic yeast infection, and I have read a lot about remedies and things I could try for him - but I don't know which I should try. Or if it's even safe to try anything in conjuction with his BCM meds.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice? The vet thinks we should consider trying a vet kibble for allergic dogs and/or look at putting him on a permanent steroid (which I do NOT want to do and actually may not be able to do because of his heart meds). I've tried eliminating things from his diet over the years and it doesn't seem to change anything, so I really, really doubt it's a food allergy.
 
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simmons

Boxer Insane
Sorry I have no experience with this but wanted to say I feel terrible for poor Diesel :( What about his treats? Do you think that could be an option? Have you thought about going to another vet for a second opinion? Personally I wouldn't put Diesel on a vet brand dog food, those are usually terrible.

Do you think he could be allergic to a meat source in his Raw diet? Maybe try cutting back one thing at a time and see if that helps?

Not sure if I helped at all, sorry

Hopefully someone has some advice for you....sending (((((hugs)))) to Diesel
 

angleheart

Completely Boxer Crazy
I don't know how old Diesel is, but allergies can develop anywhere from roughly 1-4yrs of age. If he is beyond this age range and has had some allergy issues in the past, maybe he now has some new ones or his existing ones have worsened. I would recommend an appointment with a specialist...a dermatologist that deals in skin conditions, including allergies. He may recommend allergy testing. It's not cheap, but it's worth it in the long run if you are able to help him and when you add up the money spent on vet visits and medications every year to help him through the flare ups, it probably is about the same cost in the end and he might be better off if the therapy they develop for him works. Good Luck, I know how hard is to see them miserable as my friends Boxer is currently going through the same thing :)
 

catcrazy56

Boxer Insane
Foreman has this too it gets worse in the winter when we heat with wood he get the Surlan drops for yeast infections in his ears on his feet and on his tummy where he gets hot spots sort off. My fet gives me a foot soak for him too try adding some fish oil to his diet in the winter
 

CC

Completely Boxer Crazy
Diesel's 5 1/2 now, but he has been having these outbreaks off and on for years.

I just don't buy that it's allergies, because why then would he be fine for months and suddenly have a flareup? I have tried rotating him off certain proteins for months at a time, and have never seen any improvement or worsening of his symptoms at those times, so I am just really skeptical that it could be anything he's eating. His treats are also grain free - we only use dried duck breasts, liver, or similar meat only treats.

I do notice that when he gets into things with sugar he gets worse - he licked a plate on the coffee table that had frosting on it a day before his most recent outbreak, and I have also noticed that anytime we break the rules and let him have a sugary snack, he usually breaks out. Even if I make veggie/fruit mix for him and it has too much fruit. So I feel comfortable saying sugar causes him to get worse - which is what makes me think it's yeast. As long as I don't let his system get out of whack with sugar, he's pretty good. And most of the reading I've been doing points to yeast problems.
 

SherylM

Completely Boxer Crazy
If you think its yeast, check this producted out...Cycles of Life Genflora. Its an amazing supplement to combat yeast. We recommend it at the store where I work and we always get positive feedback from our customers. Cylces of Life has a wesite you can check out their products on.
 

CC

Completely Boxer Crazy
Well, he's been having coconut oil with his meals and no more fruit for about two weeks now. He seems to be doing a little better, but still itching. We'll keep this up a little longer and if it doesn't fix it, maybe we'll try the Geneflora stuff. It's so tough to know what's up. Our vet always just wants to blame his food and put him on some icky kibble, and I know that won't help!
 
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