5-year old Golden Retriever Skin Problems

[PrasadR]

We have a 5-year old golden retriever female, neutered 70-pound female named Caramel. She is usually highly energetic, friendly, and eternally hungry. She currently eats Stella and Chewy dry dog food, generally either lamb or venison. She is vaccinated for rabies, bordatella, and canine distemper (she was recently boarded while we were on vacation). During normal times, she is enthusiastic, has a regular 3-5 mile walk per-day (sometimes two), and is happy to spend the rest of the day observing the goings-on in our kitchen. However for about 1 year now, Caramel has been having skin problems. It started with a bad ear infection about 1 year ago; Her ear looked pretty bad and I felt rather worried and I brought her to a vet, who prescribed a dose of antibiotics, which we gave her to completion. Since then, she has developed skin problems under her belly, in all of her extremities (paws, front 'elbow' pads, snout). In each of these areas, she has lost fur and repeatedly scratches and bites, causing sores and/or redness, and in some cases causing bleeding (particularly in her front elbow pads). She recently caused her outer gum to bleed by repeatedly scratching her face. She has periodic flare-ups, and in between flare-ups she is back to her usual playful self. But during flare-ups, she loses energy and does not want to go for her daily walk. We have suspected that the problem is due to diet, and have switched from the Wild Earth brand, to home-cooked vegetarian food (rice/lentils/vegetables) to her current diet of Stella and Chewy (but no fish or chicken, as she doesn't appear to like it). I am currently treating her sores with a rag soaked in epsom salts. She appears to make things worse by biting/chewing so during flare-ups she wears a cone.
She is such a lovely dog, but her skin problems are getting worse and have me extremely concerned. Can someone please help us? We are happy to bring Caramel to a local vet associated with this forum.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Prasad!

Thanks for making your first post. I'm super sorry to hear about Caramel's chronic skin/ear challenges as well as her periods of low energy (and these are directly related).

However for about 1 year now, Caramel has been having skin problems. It started with a bad ear infection about 1 year ago

Yes, unfortunately this is an all too common phenomenon.

Can someone please help us?

Yes! I'm running right now to do an interview at 1 (it's 12:59) but will come back to your post after it.

And maybe we'll see you tonight at 8pm ET on the webinar.

BTW-Where are you located?

 

[PrasadR]

Thank you very much for your reply, Dr Jeff. We are located a bit south of you; we are about a half hour from your office in Weston (assuming your office is 49 White Birch Rd, Weston, CT 06883).
By the way, we do suspect it is diet; perhaps we have somehow induced allergies in her by feeding her the wrong thing in the past. We are now trying Open Farm Freeze-dried raw, which I rehydrate before serving her. She has perked up a bit since I started that (just yesterday). She still scratches at her extremities periodically, although I am sure that these things cannot be fixed overnight.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're very welcome Prasad!

There's a few things to know. The first one is that you absolutely did NOT induce allergies by feeding the wrong diet.

Allergies and ear "infections" are clues to an underlying energetic imbalance. Diet may be a trigger but is not the cause.

Here's a bit more about the energetic basis for dis-ease and what you can start doing (and you've already started!):

The Return to Wholeness and Homeostasis

As the legacy of Decartes comes to an end, the principle of dynamic equilibrium is being rediscovered and gaining prominence in veterinary medicine.

www.holisticactions.com

A great place to start learning more is the HA! 101 course.

Then perhaps watch or listen to vet dermatologist Dr. Stephanie Chalmer's wonderful webinar about allergies.

She dives deep into the true cause (which is an imbalance in the inner terrain):

A Way To Connect Modern Veterinary Medicine And Ancient Wisdom: An Introduction To Terrain Theory - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

Once you've gone through the 101 course then perhaps schedule your July HMDM call with either me or Dr. Christina.