Another Newf with Allergies Problems

[ardeagold]

Interesting, I'm allergic to bees and have an epi-pen but never had a problem with the honey. Call me lucky

Maybe you're not allergic to honey bees?

When I worked at Hopkins, I found that I was allergic to yellow jackets (the little tiny black and yellow things that get nasty in the fall). They were doing a study on allergic reactions to bee stings...but wouldn't let me in the program because it was too risky. I was told to beware of any "bee pollen" products or honey. Now...I'm not allergic to honey that I know of, but I think it's because I'm allergic to a different type of "bee".

 

[Varmint]

Originally posted by NewfMom:
my 2 cents worth

What has worked very well for us is Chlorhexiderm shampoo and Gentocin on the hot spots.

I completely forgot about this combo! Works for alot of dogs! (oh yea - Gentocin is also a wonderful thing to have around the house. It is the best against poison Ivy! for people that is!, just don't tell your Dr your using a vet product for yourself!

)

 

[Blacknewfs]

My rescue girl Marin has nasty allergies too - manifesting in hot spots and chronic yeast infections of her feet and ears. She's been with us a year now and doing very well. We switched her diet when we adopted her and saw all sorts of health improvements, although her allergies did not change. Although food allergies are difficult to prove or disprove, we are pretty sure that environmental allergies are the culprit, and we know this is the worst time of year for her. We manage her allergies year round with antihistamines....Chlorpheniramine Maleate 12 mg twice daily (although this time of year we should probably bump it to three times daily). I keep her ears clean using baby wipes, and rinse with a Burrows solution if needed, which is rare now. IF she gets a hot spot I wash it with Hibitane soap and it is dried up and healing within 8 hours - she only gets them if I don't properly dry her after her daily splash in the lake. IF her feet itch, which they rarely do now, I wash them with Nizoral shampoo (the anti-fungal stuff for people) and that takes care of it.

I hope you can find a solution for your boy that is gentle on his body and works as well for him as this regimen works for us. Allergies are so tricky - what works for one may not work for another. I'd start with the least intervention possible and work your way up.

Good luck.

 

[Leslie]

Okay Donna, now I'm curious and I'm hijacking this post. I'm only allergic to honey bees. Been stung twice, once as a kid (found the allergy) and once on my first day of college (great first impression). I eat local honey all the time. BUT, I'm allergic to strawberries but don't always react so I used to eat them. Doc said no no no because the next reaction will be the worst one. Does the same hold true for honey? Do I have to give it up? Man, I hope not.

And Frank, I'm really sorry Nami is having these troubles. I would recommend colloidal silver but chlorhexiderm worked wonders on Bailey's hotspots. She stopped scratching after 2 or three days (but we also changed her to raw and started a whole bunch of other stuff). I'm assuming you've had yeast scrapes done. Bailey was loaded with yeast. Itchy itchy itchy. We treated that with castor oil and it worked wonderfully.

[ 07-26-2005, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: Leslie ]

 

[ardeagold]

Leslie, I'd doubt you have to give up honey if you haven't ever had a problem!! I just remember clearly what the Docs said to me...no bee "products" (including honey)...even though I'm allergic to yellow jackets. Do they even MAKE honey? Perhaps they were just being cautious...it was the time (the 80's) when bee pollen products were popping up everywhere!

And now my interest is really piqued...Castor Oil for yeast? Oral or topical?

 

[janices]

It depends on cross-reactivity. Honey depending on the source made from, ie, flowers. http://allergies.about.com/cs/cross/a/aa052801a.htm

Honey is in this list: Birch Pollen - almonds, apples, apricots, buckwheat, carrots, celery, cherries, coriander, fennel, Hazel nuts, honey, kiwi, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, pears, peaches, peanuts, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, spinach, walnuts and wheat

If allergic to component of the pollen can also be allergic to similar component in other plants, called cross-reactivity. Honey seems to show up in a Miscellaneous list. See things like sunflower, dandelion listed as cross-reactive similars or other pollens that bees can pick up and make the honey from. Bee venom and wasp venom also similar.

 

[Leslie]

Thanks Janice. I just don't want to be on a suicide mission

We treated Bailey with a supplement called P1120 or something like that. It's a derivative of the castor bean and it's oil. Our holist recommended it. It worked wonders for her. She had yeast everywhere! Her itching stopped within 3 days and her hot spots were completely dried within 2 weeks. But we did use the chlorhexiderm shampoo every day (but didn't start that until the 3rd day) and used the chlorhexiderm flush in her ears (along with grape seed). It turned our "frito" dog into a sweet smelling little chubbamuffin.

 

[Giddyuppy]

How's yer boy, Frank?

Oddly enough, my Joseph developed an allergy to PROTEIN which meant NO more rawhides...cow hooves, etc...and switching to as low a protein food I could find. He got ALL of his hair back just as tho nothing had ever happened to it.

Give Nami a few

for me. OH...and here's one for you, TOO!

 

[tsunami]

THANKS GIDDY! I needed that!

Nami Update - He is still broken out and raw in a couple of places but the meds seem to be putting it under control (or at least masking the symptoms) to where he can get some sleep without bouts of explosive scratching.

The Chorohexadrine shampoo and Gentocin are both helping his skin from the outside. The areas we had to shave are drying up nicely although he looks like a patchwork quilt in a couple of spots.

Main issue is still cause. I don't want to have him on massive exotic narcotic for the rest of his life if I can avoid it without knowing what is causing it. (Also, as hot as it has been he is getting to be a real S**T about staying out of the water. He's obeying but is very obviously not happy about it.)

Thanks for everyones suggestions and support --- It really helps to know there are so many backing me up....

Frank & Tsunami