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Post by John84 on Jun 27, 2004 10:00:05 GMT -5
Hi,
My 10 month old's black coat is turning grey in some areas. Could this be because of the 'Revolution' we give him monthly as I noticed his coat turns grey on the area we apply it on? Revolution seems so widely used by so many for flea control.
Could it also be from the fact that we wipe him down with a moist cloth almost daily and apply dog perfume on him. We do this cause we can only bathe him 6 times a year as my vet instructed due to terrier hair being so fine.
Would diet be the problem? We mix pedigree canned food with the dry food.
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Post by amyjo on Jun 27, 2004 10:34:59 GMT -5
John - I don't know about the revolution - I never used it - but if it is changing the color of your dog's hair - I would wanna find out WHY...that just doesn't really sound good ya know?
Anyway 6 baths a year is excessive in my opinion. My dogs get one or two and usually only if they have actually gotten into something nasty or are exceptionally dirty.
I hose them off on occasion or they go swimming but I rarely use shampoo on them. I find that brushing handles most of the dirt and keeps thier coats nice.
In my opinion doggie perfume is not a good idea. Depending on what is in it - it would contribute to dry flakey itchies....
If you find your doggie smells a little "doggie" it usually isn't coming from anything on the fur - the odor comes from inside the dog and has alot to do with what they eat.
The best diet to get rid of doggie odor is a raw diet - but if you don't wanna go that way - look for a higher quality food with as few fillers as possible. Some folks here feed Canidae (sp?) with great success.
Hope that helps!
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Post by Willow on Jun 27, 2004 10:50:38 GMT -5
I'm sure the revolution is the most likely culprit to the coat changing color. Usually, a black dog will turn red, though, where the pesticide is put on, not grey.
Has your dog had fleas in the past and that is why you are using a monthly flea preventative?
Any chemicals put into or on the dog is potentially harmful and has side effects. Not only to the dog, but to anyone who comes into contact with the chemical by petting the dog etc., so if there is no need to use the Revolution, I would discontinue its use.
My dogs both had a very bad reaction to Revolution last year.
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Post by Brooke on Jun 27, 2004 13:40:25 GMT -5
I think you can get away with bathing as long as you go about it the right way. I give Kuma and Peeka baths about once every two months. They roll in the grass a lot . But it requires a lot of extra care and time if you are going to bathe more often. I would never consider bathing more than once a month and thats only if its absolutely necissary. Then again, I use moisturizers and some really good conditioning conditioners on them as well and I try not to bathe them at all in the winter. You just have to spend a lot of time rinsing when you do this so that it isn't gunkey or slimy in some areas. I use K9 Advantix and haven't had any problems. I would never do a yearlly flea treatment that requires a shot though. I'd always go with the monthly application. It's a lot better than the dog having to deal with the reaction for a full year. At least this way you can stop applying the treatment if you are seeing things you aren't liking.
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Post by John84 on Jun 27, 2004 22:01:51 GMT -5
We have been using revolution as a suggestion from the vet. Not sure if he has or has had fleas but he scratches quite often.
Also, what do you mean by 'raw diet'. Strictly raw meat?
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Post by Brooke on Jun 27, 2004 22:17:09 GMT -5
Yep.... It would include raw meat and uncooked bones. Great for the teeth, skin and coat.
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Post by John84 on Jun 27, 2004 22:36:57 GMT -5
Thanks, but what about for treats?
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Post by Brooke on Jun 27, 2004 23:26:02 GMT -5
The scratching could be from lots of different things. Dry skin which can be of course conditioned. It could be also because you may not be getting all the soap out too. Kuma used to scratch all the time but I started paying more attention and REALLY rinsing her down...and she doesn't have the problems anymore. It could also be allergies to lots of things. From the food you feed, the flea treatments, the soap you use... it's a tough call. As far as treats... I'm not sure what you meant by that. Did you mean feeding meat as treats? Or did you mean what kind of treats can or should you feed a dog?
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Post by John84 on Jun 28, 2004 1:17:13 GMT -5
Sorry, shoulda been a little more specific. I meant is their certain treats you should give a dog when they are on a raw diet or will any do?
Also, is there any way you can tell if the scratching is from fleas or ticks?
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Post by sibemom on Jun 28, 2004 4:37:15 GMT -5
To check for fleas I do just what the school nurse did when she checks kids for head lice. Because your dog is black it will be a little harder to do a visual, so take a white straw and part the hair with it, do this in several places especially around the neck and tail area. If the little buggers are there you will see them jumping onto the straw. My Sibe is very light colored so it is very easy to see if the fleas are present especially the eggs. I have never had a dog with fleas yet and Blade had a bad reaction to the frontline so I stay away from the chemicals, I use a natural flea and tick collar and it seems to be working great. It even repells the skeeters which are of abundance this year and mamouth in size They swarm around him but do not land, and there are no bites around his face legs etc... As far as treat go, as long as you are not giving in great quantity you can use the conventional ones. You can also dehydrate low salt, turkey hot dogs, cut into small circles. I do this in the micro and they seem to be a favorite around here. I also buy a treat from Wal Mart called Hollywood Stars, inexpensive, small, soft and only use it for training. It is liver based and not to much junk in it. As far as the scratching goes I would supplement your dog with 1000mg of Salmon oil and 400mg of Vitamin E daily. If you treat the dry skin from the inside it works best. I give Blade a bath about 1x every 2 to 3 months and I use an oatmeal based shampoo, along with a good conditioner. The trick is to make sure you are rinsing enough like Brooke said. I also take him to the groomer twice a year right at the time of the big shed Raw will definatly help with the doggy odor and stop the itching along with the supplements. Your dog probably is allergic to the grains in the dog food like mine was, and the one to stay away from is the barley. Canidae is a good kibble, but raw is best.
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Post by amyjo on Jun 28, 2004 7:10:55 GMT -5
John-
If you are interested in the Raw Diet I would encourage you to check out the Rawfeeding Forum - the link is in the upper right of the screen.
It is a simple 'clean' diet and there really isn't much to it once you get in the groove but they can help you avoid newbie mistakes and get ya started right!
Basically you would start by feeding chicken quarters (cheapest and easiest) for about a week to ten days and then branch out from there.
Oh and I forgot - about the treats... a treat is just that at treat - so what ever you use is fine. Doesn't have to be raw - but mine have gotten a little pickier about what they consider a "treat" - now it usually takes cheese or a little piece of beef stick or something...milkbones just don't cut it anymore!
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Post by Willow on Jun 28, 2004 9:50:46 GMT -5
The other list "The Truth about Vaccines" is great too, because my dogs skin problems did not clear up until I did several things.
Rawfeeding No Vaccines No HW, flea or tick preventatives (which all cause skin problems) Consulted a good classical homeopath and gave my dogs the remedies she prescribed. The TAV list owner is a wonderful classical homeopath who really knows her stuff. It took my dogs about a year, but the end result was nothing short of amazing!!! Also, once a dog is treated homeopathically and not with drugs, once the condition is gone, it is gone for good....as long as you don't go back to feeding kibble, giving chemicals etc.
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