# Worried for my little girl.



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Gemma went to the vet's this morning because we thought she had an ear infection and possibly a UTI. Turns out she did have some sort of inflammation in her urinary tract because her white blood cell count was way up, so she has been prescribed oral antibiotics. However, she did not have an ear infection. It might be something worse. 

She has been itching her ears like crazy lately and she has scratched her ears so bad that they are scabbing and red, and she is also itching around her eyes and her neck and I'm noticing a little bit of hair loss around her eyes and on her neck. The vet said it could either be a food allergy or she could have skin problems and we'll need to see a specialist. I am so badly praying it is due to her eating beef on and off for the past 2 months and not something serious like Color Dilution Alopecia. Gemma did not respond well when I fed her raw beef for a week and this Acana Ranchlands that she's been getting since we haven't been able to get a hold of Grasslands has beef as the main protein. She is being switched back to Grasslands today (finally got our order in after 6 weeks) which is lamb. Do you think it could be related to eating beef even though all these itching and hair loss symptoms have just recently started over the last week or two? She's been eating Ranchlands on and off for about 2 months. She had a few weeks of breaks from it where she had canned ZP and raw. Now I've been feeding her Ranchlands everyday for three weeks and recently started giving her raw pork or chicken for dinner for about a week. I'm just going to feed her Grasslands alone for a few weeks and see if her problems clear up. She never had problems before when she was eating just Grasslands.

I'm so worried right now. I hope it is just an allergy.


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

poor Gemma I hope she gets better, I'll keep her in my prayers. I'm sorry I can't help you with your beef question 'cause I know nothing about that. Get better little Gemma!


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## Rocky (Jan 25, 2010)

Poor Gemma. It could be an allergy even though I know many dogs who started liking and biting their paws before they started scratching their face and ears. But maybe it's different for gemma.

Have you checked her for acarodermatitis? I read that dogs often scratch around the eyes and ears then. 

I would defo change her back to Grassland if you think it might be because of the beef she is getting. I think it can take quite some time though (about 2 weeks) until it gets better but for some it will be quicker.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

miuccias said:


> poor Gemma I hope she gets better, I'll keep her in my prayers. I'm sorry I can't help you with your beef question 'cause I know nothing about that. Get better little Gemma!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


Thank you. I hope she does, too.



Rocky said:


> Poor Gemma. It could be an allergy even though I know many dogs who started liking and biting their paws before they started scratching their face and ears. But maybe it's different for gemma.
> 
> Have you checked her for acarodermatitis? I read that dogs often scratch around the eyes and ears then.
> 
> I would defo change her back to Grassland if you think it might be because of the beef she is getting. I think it can take quite some time though (about 2 weeks) until it gets better but for some it will be quicker.


The vet checked down her ears with a scope, but I don't know if that also checks for mites? I would have thought she would have ruled that out too since I told her we had a stray cat in the apartment for two days. I actually thought it was mites to begin with for this reason.


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## Rocky (Jan 25, 2010)

How about fleas?? If you got a stray cat at home she might have brought fleas with her that you didn't notice yet? Just making guesses here though.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Rocky said:


> How about fleas?? If you got a stray cat at home she might have brought fleas with her that you didn't notice yet? Just making guesses here though.


Nope, she definitely has no fleas on her either. The vet checked into her ears with the scope and said there was no inflammation inside so the redness and scabbing we are seeing is just due to her scratching herself so much because she is itchy for some reason. Mites would cause problems inside the ear, right? Inside her ears are perfectly fine. It's just the outer edges that are all scabby and red.


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

Aw. I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope she gets better and they find something not serious that they can clear up quick. Poor Gemma!


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

I would definitely take her off of all beef products and only give the grasslands. Nothing else, even treats, to see if it clears up. I hope she gets better soon. We'll pray it's just allergies. 


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Maybe after being on the antibiotics, all will be fine. Tootsie has allergies and she never had them as a young puppy. i think she started showing signs of allergies around 8 months or so but i cant remember her exact age. It may be food, it may be environmental. i hope Gemma feels better soon


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Poor little Gemma! I hope she feels better soon and you guys can figure out what's wrong! Hoping it's just an allergy too.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

Poor sweet Gemma! I hope she feels better soon. Toby and I send our love and lots of healing thoughts. 


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks, everyone. I'm taking away everything but her Acana Grasslands from her diet. I even took away her bully sticks today. If she's not improving in a few weeks, that probably means it's something worse than a food allergy. I really, really hope that's all it is.


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## LBChi (Mar 12, 2012)

Guillermo had the same symptoms, itching and a little hair loss. I suspected the ranchlands switched to wild prairie and I am also giving him nupro in 1 week he has improved. 
Good luck I hope gemma gets better soon.


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Poor little girl.

Jaxx was allergic to Acana and his hair is finally starting to grow back where he lost it due to the allergy. I haven't figured out what part of it he was allergic too because he has never had a problem with beef but very shortly after I switched to Orijen I saw tiny hairs growing back and he stopped itching constantly. 

I hope that changing to Grasslands helps and she feels better soon!


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## Lisa T (Sep 3, 2010)

Thinking of you and one of my favourite little girls Gemma, hope she gets well soon. X


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## heartagram (Aug 4, 2012)

Sorry to hear little Gemma is unwell  I'm sure it's nothing too serious, best wisheees ♥
It is such a struggle getting the diet right when there are problems, I share your pain!


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

Did your vet swab her ears and look at a culture under the microscope? Lady had an ear infection and that is what they did to diagnose. However, she had some gunk down in her ear they could see with the scope. Maybe your vet didn't see anything that would prompt him/her to go further. Hope she gets better soon.


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## ♥♥clio♥chi♥chi♥♥ (Aug 9, 2012)

Get better soon lil Gemma 
Ill be praying for you 
hopefully its just an allergy fingers crossed 
So sorry I cant help with the beef thing my dogs dont eat raw xxxxxxxx


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## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

I hope it's nothing major. Sorry that Gemma is not well, and get better soon!


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Aww poor little Gemma. It sounds like an allergy. Zoey had a reaction when I tried to switch her to Orijen 6 fish. Her eyes started watering so bad. The vet said it would take 8 weeks to go away and that's what it took. Please keep us posted.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Hope she feels better soon! I also hope that it's just a simple allergy. I hate switching food with undesirable results!


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

Is she doing any better today? How is her itching?


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

Hope little Gemma is feeling better today!


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## Lisa T (Sep 3, 2010)

Hi Caitlin, how's Gemma today, any better ? X


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

Chico had scabs in his ears about a month ago.... scared me to death! First thing I thought of was Mites....seemed to come about suddenly (maybe a week?) he was scratching them till they bled! I took him to the VET and was told it was allergy.... Antibiotics and Antihistamines.... it took a couple of weeks but he is all clear now.... I think it is GRASS as I can walk him on pavement and he does fine... but I can set him down in grass in he just goes nuts, reverse sneexzing... and then scratches for an hour after getting back in the house.......


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## MiniGrace (Oct 31, 2011)

Ear mites cause gunk in the ears that looks like coffee grounds sort of. Also I think they can be seen with a scope. I bet it is the beef in her food. I hope she feels better soon. It is upsetting to see your little one in pain.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Caitlin, Acana has two limited ingredient foods: Lamb & Okanagan Apple and Duck & Bartlett Pear for Dogs that suffer with alergies. I had Lulu on the Duck & Barlett Pear for a while because I think she is alergic to Lamb. I think the more exotic the meat the less chance of algergy (or so I learned in my research). If I were you I would choose one of the limited ingredient foods and feed only that food--nothing else--no raw, no treats--nothing for at least 8 weeks and see if the itching stops. It took a while (and several threads haha) for Lulu to get over her itching, but it does go away. In the meantime, Lulu was much older--4 yrs--and much larger--6 lbs--but get others opinions on the use of Claritin and Zyrtec for the itching. I used Claritin on the advice of my vet to ease Lulu's itching. I tried not to give unless her itching was really bad, but our pets need relief just as we do. I know that there are others on the forum that have given antihistimines for itching related to alergies. Benedryl is an option, but my vet said the side effects are not as bad with Claritin.

Edit--BTW--I would break up the Claritin pill into a piece so small you could barely see it to give Lulu.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thank you to everyone for all your concern and suggestions. Gemma is still itching, but it has only been not even 3 full days on her Grasslands now. I'm going to keep feeding her Grasslands for the time being and see if she improves over the next month. She's already pooping less than she did while eating Ranchlands, so that is a good sign that beef may have just not been working for her. If this formula doesn't work, I will probably give one of those limited ingredient formulas a go since Acana is the only good quality premade kibble I can get here in Sweden. I just wish those formulas were grain-free.

I also picked up some salmon oil today and am going to add it to her food everyday. I read that it's very good for skin and coat among other things. Maybe that will help with her itching.


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## ♥♥clio♥chi♥chi♥♥ (Aug 9, 2012)

any news on lil Gemma 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Wow, Gemma really loved her salmon oil tonight. She even licked her bowl clean with the antibiotic gel in it and all. She hasn't been licking her food bowl clean since I started mixing in her antibiotics but I think the salmon oil masked them. I'm glad she likes it!

By the way, does anyone how much salmon oil I should give her? The bottle says 1 tsp for dogs 1-10kg (2-22lbs), but it seems like 1 tsp for a dog that's 1.2kg doesn't make sense if you give the same to a dog that's 10kg. I gave her about 1/2 tsp tonight. Should I up it per day or is that enough?


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## ♥♥clio♥chi♥chi♥♥ (Aug 9, 2012)

aww glad to hear shes on the mend and taking her meds xxxxx


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## BlueJax (Jun 25, 2012)

A half a teaspoon sounds like a good dose for Gemma. My dogs love the taste too and it makes their coats look amazing. I hope Gemma's itching gets better soon. Sounds like you have a good plan of action going so I'm sure it will.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks, ladies. 

She seems to be doing well. I think she is scratching less and she only has a couple scabs left in her ears now. Today is her last day of antibiotics for her suspected UTI, although I haven't seen much improvement in how often she's peeing. Maybe she's getting ready to go into heat?


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

Aww poor Gemma. I have no idea about foods allergies in pups but I hope you find some answers and your little one gets well soon.


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## Jennmay (Dec 31, 2011)

Oh and Holly was the queen of pee right before and during her heat cycle.


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

I am just seeing this thread tonight...I am so sorry wee Gemma is having some health issues...I pray the meds work and everything clears up quickly for her.....


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I am with Kathleen!

So sorry she has not been well!

Sure hope she is better, which will make you feel better, soon!


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## stephanie.f8291 (Aug 29, 2012)

I too am just hearing of this. I am glad Gemma seems to be feeling better. Lots of get well wishes from us that she keeps getting better,


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I hope she continues to feel better. You might consider a kerotolux shampoo although I doubt if you can get it over there... Amazon.com: Keratolux Shampoo 16oz: Pet Supplies.

Have you changed laundry detergents recently? Is it possible they sprayed the grass outside for weeds or something else? That can cause symptoms like you are seeing.


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## 4bsingreece (Apr 11, 2012)

Awe poor little Gemma! I hope she is feeling better since this original post. Are they any other signs she is going in to heat?


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thank you all for the well wishes. She's still itchy today. The only other sign of her going into heat would be that she is licking herself a lot. But she's been excessively peeing like this for 2 weeks now so I think she would have started her heat by now, right?

Is it possible for her to be allergic to clothing materials? I just realized this started happening after she started wearing her acrylic sweater.

I've never heard of that shampoo but Gemma doesn't have any of those symptoms it is described to treat. Would it still help? She has no rash or flakiness of any sort, she just has redness and a little hair loss from scratching so much and a few scabs in her ears from her own nails. By hair loss, I mean thinning of the hair on her neck. There's no actually pure bald spots, it just seems to have gotten a bit thin on her neck and under her eyes.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

Sorry Caitlin! Poor lil baby. I have no idea if it's heat, allergy, or something more serious. I can share that Miya is an itchy girl. I know that many people on here swear by bathing once a month at most, but my vet said that if she's itchy, to give her a bath weekly! That did seem excessive to me as well. So what we've done is, once a month she get's lathered with coconut oil, shampooed, and conditioned. But ever two weeks she gets just a conditioner bath. Doing this in combination with brushing her and feeding salmon, fish, and coconut oil has worked very well for her. Also, I am using Happy Tails Shampoo and Happy Tails Fur Butter conditioner. LIke I said tho, if dry skin isn't Gemma's issue, this may be completely irrelevant. I hope she feels better soon.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

I think you may be onto something about the acrylic sweater. Keep on mind I am new to this and have only recently started the clothing thing (much to hot here for clothes on the summer). I have bought Lady items that are made of various materials (cotton, cashmere, wool blend and acrylic). I noticed the acrylic gives her really bad static hence making her itch. I am not sure if this is because she is long hair but her fur turns much like human hair with static electricity. Does Gemma's fur get static electricity? Maybe it is hard to tell will a short coat.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

To help soothe the itchy areas I make rosemary water. Put some rosemary (I have fresh, but dried would do) in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Let it cool then store in the fridge in a sealed container. You can then dab it on the sore spots or use as an all over final rinse after a bath. I also rub coconut oil into Harley's sore spots.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

I will look for some good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. We could use some anyways regardless of whether she is having dry skin issues or not. I can't tell if her skin is dry but it doesn't really seem like it because her skin feels fairly moist to the touch and she has no flaking or dandruff.

I'm going to stay away from her acrylic sweater for a little while... She doesn't really like walking in it anyways so we'll just stick to her hoodie from Auntie Elaine.

That rosemary tip is very interesting. I'm all for natural remedies so I may as well give that a go. I've been meaning to stock up on some dried rosemary for cooking anyways so I'll get some at the store next time and try using it on her neck and outside her ears where she itches the most.

I also read that it can take 8 weeks for the old food to get out of her system. Is this true? If so, it's only been 6 days since she's been switched off of her beef food and only 4 days on salmon oil so maybe I just have to wait a while to see if there's any improvement.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

When Harley first showed sign of allergy the vet recommended an exclusion diet for 10-12 weeks, so yes it does take a long time to be totally out of their systems.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Wicked Pixie said:


> When Harley first showed sign of allergy the vet recommended an exclusion diet for 10-12 weeks, so yes it does take a long time to be totally out of their systems.


Very good to know. Thanks, Stella!


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