Toby keeps scratching

[Ann]

Toby has been scratching and chewing at his tail and his hind area. He doesn't appear to have fleas and I have been rubbing this area with an aloe vera cream I got from the vets. It doesn't seem to be fixing it. HELP

[joni]

Have you tried ChlorhexiDerm Shampoo?  Your vet or PetSmart should have it.

[Ann]

Hi Joni
No I haven't tried that shampoo thanks for that advise I will see if I can find it. I have been using an oatmeal shampoo as I was told that it would not aggrivate his skin. I must admit I do like using more natural products. Toby is such a good dog he will be scratching and I will tell him stop he looks up at me give a little wiper and stops. He just seems to want to please. I really hate seeing him so stressed.
It's great to have you as a member. I would like to have more people come and talk about these health problems and what ever else that has to do with shorkies. So if you have any friends please tell them Toby and I would love to talk to you.

Thanks heaps
Ann

[joni]

Hi Ann: You are welcome. You have a very nice forum here. Thank you for inviting me to talk.  I love dogs...my family loves animals.  We raise and train them. 

Is that Toby on the banner?  He is so cute!!  I love the Shorkie breed. They are the best of both worlds!!  Talk with you soon, Hugs, Joni

[Ann]

Hi Joni

Yes that is my little cutie on the banner. He is so easy to train as he just wants to please. The only problem I have with him is that he is a little too friendly. When people come to visit he just goes crazy and jumps all over them. I have tried all sorts of thing but nothing seems to work.
I was also brought up with lots of animals. I love animals too but unfortunetly we don't have the room for a lot of animals here.
I do enjoy talking to people about Toby as I know I can find out a lot.

Seeyah Ann

[eepuni]

Ann,

a few weeks ago we woke up to find sadie rubbing her butt on the ground and trying to bit at her butt.  we called the vet and she told us that sometimes puppies/dogs get an inflamed anal tract, and they need an anal flush.  But giving them a teaspoon unspiced canned pumpkin does the job.  We tried that and it worked. 

[Ann]

That is very interesting, I Certainly didn't know that and that you could use pumkin wow. This is certainly some thing that I will keep in mind. Thank you

[cherokeeangel]

I had to take Cherokee to the vet for her scratching (she was scratching her belly though, not her butt :-) so I doubt the pumpkin would work for her). She is on a pill (antihistamine rx) she takes a quarter of a pill a day. She started on a half pill then moved down to quarter. Makes her pee a little more than normal..(the half pill really made her pee a lot!!) It has really helped her a lot. I hope she is only going to be on it through this season. She has been on it all season. I have tried to take her off of it but that does not work. She also can't eat food with food that has corn in the top five ingredients for two reasons (first it makes them too hyper and is not recommended and second for allergies) so I feed her Royal Canin. I hope you find something that helps. I tried lotions, sprays, the sticks like deoderants, and everything in between the pill is all that helped her.....even benedryl did not help her (doseage of course that was appropriate for her size).
Best of luck.....I forgot the name of it if you need it let me know I can call my vet and get it.....
My other dog has dilated cardio myopathy so we have a pill time in the morning and at night...(he is putting me in the poor house with his meds (60 bucks every 25 days!!) but he is worth it!!

Cherokee's Mom

[Ann]

Yeh I know what you mean the dog I had before Toby was a Kelpy cross shelton collie. He lived till he was 16 years. We did not have to take him to the vets at all except when he was due for his yearly injections but when he got older around 13 to 14 years he developed cushings desease and the treatment cost us $500 dollars a month it just about broke us. He was just was like one of our kids so we had to do it. When the day came that he had to be put to sleep we new we couldn't do any more. I couldn't stay with him when the vet gave him the injection but my husband and son were and they said you could see the relief on his face.

[cherokeeangel]

I know what you mean of course, I am not mentioning his $220 EKGs or his kidney tests to make sure the meds are doing ok on his senior body. I understand, they are our children. I guess I did not word that correctly, it is not so much the meds that are breaking us as the tests.....but the meds are not helping LOL. They are a small piece of the puzzle. Cherokee has her own with the itching and her little shirts to keep her warm when she gets her hair cuts......she will shiver until she adjusts.
Well better hop off of here........
Cherokee's Mom

[Mai Tai]

I was wondering if anyone here ever considered pet insurance.  I am considering it, in case of the problems you are discussing here.  I have 5 children, two with disabilities and it would be almost impossible for me to cover large vet bills in these cases.  From what I read though, a lot of these pet insurance companies are just scam artists.  Any opinions or ideas here?  My poor sister's Cockapoo developed an immune disorder that required her to have a complete blood transfusion twice to the tune of $3,000.  My sister took the money out of her daughter's college fund.   You know, our pets are our family members.  I would love to have some kind of cushion or plan in case this happened to me or the little Shorkie I am getting on October 15th, when he is 12 weeks old.