Nicola is Sonny the Lurchers owner and here she explains their story of Sonny and his irritated skin
Itchy Paws
“Sonny is now a 4 year old lurcher, but his itchy paws started when he was about a year old. His toes are kind of webbed with hair growing between and he just started to lick and nibble them until red raw and hairless on top. The once white hair now stained brown.
Allergy tests
We took him to see our vet who suggested it was an allergy to something (most likely from his springer spaniel gene!) and referred us to a dermatologist for diagnosis. Iin the short term using antihistamines and a newer drug called apoquel to prevent the itch/lick cycle we were trapped in. After various diets and tests it was concluded sonny was allergic to a list of 11 environmental allergens including grasses/ plants, wool, house dust mites and ironically cats!
Without easily being able to remove most of these from his life and not wanting to constantly be on tablets, we opted for immunotherapy- a monthly injection to combat the worst of his allergies with the apoquel as a back up if he had a flare up.
For the next 2 or so years this all went fairly well on the whole with flare ups perhaps 4-6 times a year.
Unsettled behaviour
Unfortunately during this time, Sonnys behaviour also changed. He had some negative experiences out of our control and began reacting to other dogs and some people.
We enlisted the support of a couple of behaviourists to help but despite best efforts, there was no real improvement. Then in February 2016 we met with a fantastic behaviourist who put us on such a positive road to success which among other thing included 2 key changes to Sonnys life. Firstly to change to a raw diet, and secondly to include some Dorwest supplements each day.
Diet change
The diet came first and the changes to his general behaviour were easy to see- along with his lovely coat, clean teeth and good poo (sorry!!).
Advice from Dorwest
Then we got in touch with Dorwest for advice on what products would suit best, and were recommended Garlic & Fenugreek Tablets and Green Releaf® Tablets to be given daily.
Pleasingly I can mix these in with his food each day and he happily eats them out of the bowl. Unlike the other medication which needed to be precisely delivered to the back of his throat for it to stand a chance of staying in there- no option of hiding those in a bowl of tripe!
Long term relief
We’re about 6 months in to our winning combination of injections, diet and herbal medicine and Sonny’s feet are back to white. He is itch free and so much happier for it.
Our work with the behaviourist continues but Sonny has come on in leaps and bounds in these short months. I do believe part of this progress is because of his previous stress levels- being itchy and irritated meant he just wasn’t in a good place to be interacting and learning.
In honesty before trying the Dorwest tablets I was a sceptic- I never thought something herbal would be able to compete with a prescribed drug but seeing the difference with my own eyes has convinced me I was wrong!!”
Contact Dorwest on 01308-897272 for advice on the use of their herbal medicines and dietary supplements
6 thoughts on "Overcoming Sonny’s itchy skin"
My 9 year old lab is always shedding and scratching the vet found no mites hes flead every 4 weeks .is there some thing you could recomend? Thank you.
Hi Denise – For itchy skin, we would recommend our Skin Duo – Garlic & Fenugreek Tablets and Green Releaf Tablets. The Garlic & Fenugreek tablets are perfect for supporting sensitive or compromised skin, with high levels of antioxidants and compounds to help maintain the body’s defences against infections and parasites. Whilst our Green Releaf Tablets contain naturally soothing, cleansing and pH balancing properties to help maintain healthy skin. We recommend using both products together to maximise results. These should also be used for a minimum of 3 weeks as it typically takes this time for skin to regenerate. For his shedding, we would recommend our Omega Star oil. This is a blend of omega 3 & 6 and Vitamin E and helps to nourish and soothe the skin while supporting quality coat growth and shine.
My lovely Whippet Megan has been diagnosed with dust mite allergy. My vet has given me advice on keeping the home as dust free as I can, but has not done a thing to help my poor dog with the itching.
My other concern is that my other Whippet, Lottie, is now also itching and so am I, Skin scrapings came back clear, but I have my doubt about the diagnosis. now. So is there a shampoo you could recommend in case its a parasite of some sort. There is no evidence of fleas.
Hi Mary – we offer two shampoos, Oatmeal Advance is pH neutral and great for irritated skins as it contains colloidal oatmeal and is very gentle on the skin and our Pennyroyal Shampoo which is quite strong (but can be diluted) this is effective at cleaning dirt from coats and also creating a hostile environment for parasites. I would urge caution with regards to using the Pennyroyal shampoo if your dog’s skin is irritated. It might be best if you gave our advisors a call and they can talk you through our skin condition products, we have two licensed herbal medicines for the treatment of skin conditions, Garlic and Fenugreek tablets and Mixed Vegetable tablets. If you’d like any further information please either give us a call or drop us an email and we’d be happy to help you further. – Ben
Hi
It sounds as if they are very irritated, it is always best to consult a vet if you are concerned. But please do contact one of our advisors on advice@dorwest.com and they will be able to help you
Thanks, The Dorwest Team
Hi, my four year old Bichon chews his feet, sometimes he cries out when biting them. What supplements would you recommend?
Plus I live in Ireland. Can you post to Ireland?
Thank you.