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I have 3 dogs Patches 15 yr (Akita/Samoyed), Misty 14 yr (Akita/German Shepherd), Sammy 8 yr (Chow). 2 Bengal Cats: Willy & Ginger 5 yrs. 4 Birds: Barbie, Sidney, Emma & Petey. 1 Bunny, B.B. who was found in a Costco parking lot. and 1 chicken 5 yrs. Pippin.
Our Sally dog passed Sept. 2nd 2009 who was at least 14 years old. We got her from a rescue.
Pet ArtistClick on any picture to see full size:
Sounds interesting….I’ve forgotten about Watership Down…
Next time I go to Borders I’ll check it out!
Thanks!View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Oops…I hit the "return" key… sorry.
Our cats are indoors at night and during the day they go in and out as they please. At times our chicken, Pippin walks in. It’d be o.k. but, she does poop a lot! So, when we see her we just scoot her out. She just wants to hang like the rest of us!
My husband Doug and I are going to a Classical concert this afternoon. It’s with the Rio Hondo Symphony, a local orchestra in the area. They’re playing Pictures at an Exhibition which is one of my husbands favorite pieces. I like it too.
I’ve been "digitizing" some old cassette tapes that Doug as far as recorded 30 plus years ago. He sounds pretty good with various bands. Yes, we’re ol’ rock n’ rollers but are very eclectic with music. We like it all as long as it’s good.
Anyway, got to get ready for the concert…
Sure glad Tucker is doing a bit better… I think you may have an idea about him being allergic at your sisters… maybe he’s getting other treats there?
**Does the vet think possibly food allergies? Sammy’s on Lamb and Rice as well as Chicken and rice because of allergies.
Take Care….Irene and SammyWow! Your Temps are COLD! I think today we’re hitting about 71. Pretty much in the low 70’s till Friday which is suppose to be 79. I do know with Sammy the cooler temperatures help with his itching.
Your Kitties are Awesome and HEALTHY LOOKING! We have a small house too. Our yard is bit larger than the neighboring yards but still, living in the city it’s all relatively small. Our birds and bunny are outside in a large aviary. It’s 9′ wide by 14′ long by 9′ high. During the day the chicken is loose in the yard but then at night she goes to her coop that is 8’x10′. Our kitties as well as the dogs have 24/7 doggie door access to the house.
In my "inspiration" page on my website are pictures of the pets we had at the time. Since then our Merry (chicken), Sally (cocker mix), China (black cat) & Sophie (marbled tabby cat) have passed. Sally was 14+ years, China & Sophie were 18 years old when they passed. I don’t know how or why Merry died? She was having problems and I had to give her baths & put antibiotics on her rear end. Didn’t think I needed to take her to the vet at the time…
*I’m wondering if Tucker needs to take antibiotics internally ? Maybe secondary infection from the licking and scratching? I know, it’s a horrible cycle if you don’t treat the one problem it all seems to be never ending.
Sammy is doing much better now that the temperature has dropped to the low 80’s to high 70’s. He still is itching but so much more controlled. He always gets a secondary infection….
**Another thing possibly to ask your vet… Could Tucker be having a yeast infection? Sammy gets that too but not like the other… At times it’s difficult to tell if he has the demodectic mites or a yeast infection. Most of the time it’s the mites…
Sammy takes the ivermectin every other day, hydroxizine twice a day. Antibiotics twice a day if it’s getting a bit out of control. and…. Deramax for pain. There have been times when his paws bleed from the itching, licking, infection…. I sure hope Tucker isn’t having that!
Wish they had good insurance for pets. The only type that’s available are for HEALTHY DOGS! I guess it’s good for emergencies but???????? They don’t accept animals with pre existing problems… there go my dog and cats!
Give Tucker a Pat on the head for me! Best of Luck… Sammy & Irene
*The last picture is of Misty, Sammy & Willy… when we work in the front yard at times we’ll put a fencing around the open gate to let the dogs feel that they’re part of the process… Willy likes to hang with them.View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Sounds like you were in our area… the Sierra Mountains? Our land is on the Western side of the Sierra’s. We have 5 acres… we were going to build a house almost 2 years ago until the Economy Tanked!.. so we spent ”$s building the infrastructure…315′ driveway, pad, well, pump, tank, septic system, and electricity! Didn’t realize it could cost so much to make "raw" land liveable! We did the above thinking we were building a house…I actually paid for the house plans too!
Anyway, our home is in Sunny Southern California, Whittier to be exact…kind’ve by Disneyland…
Our "hot" weather I think is what Sammy has problems with… we and he just deal with it though many times my heart aches for him… he does suffer when it gets out of control.
Glad Tucker takes the ivermectin without problems. I use to use the syringe and put it in Sammy’s mouth and then give him a treat…. well, I felt guilty and started the ice-cream…oh well.
We’re kind’ve Music people… though not professionally. My husband is a Studio Musician and fills in for people. I play guitar and piano. My husband plays guitar, bass, mandolin and banjo. Oops, my husband fixes guitars and gives lessons. ( he use to be a guitar Tech for Fender) That’s pretty much our hobbies besides my being an Artist….Did ya click the external link?
The picture you’re referring to is a painting of our Misty. I found an old picture of her and thought I’d design a painting around her. Came out real cute. Your Tucker looks similar to her.
Keep me posted on Tucker! I feel a camaraderie with you from our dogs. I understand your feelings and worries when it comes to the itching… I still go through it everytime!
If it’s a mite problem hopefully, you’ll see a difference within a few days. You are keeping up with the hydroxizine? Did the vet feel you need antibiotics?
Best of Luck…..IreneView External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Hi Tucker!
I forgot to mention about how I give the ivermectin to Sammy. As I was giving it to him just a few moments ago I thought about you…
I soften about 2 – 3 tablespoons of vanilla ice-cream and mix the ivermectin in. Sammy LOVES it!
Just to let you know!!!!
**The Thumbnail picture is of my husband, Patches, Misty and Sammy on our land by Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Forest…View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Thanks about my Chibi… sure sounds like Tuckers symptoms are very close to Sammy’s. Winter is a good time for him. We do give him a Summer cut every month because for whatever reason his hair grows longer than an inch and a half he starts itching! So we keep it short…this was through trial and error process., Now if I see him itch a little more than usual and he just begins to lick at his feet then, I know his problem has started. I start with the Hydroxizine, it always seems to calm but then after a few days or so he starts licking more and itching more then I know it’s time for ivermectin… after a few days of that along with the hydroxizine and his licks and scratches aren’t totally drying then i know it’s time for the antibiotics… With the combination of all 3 it seems to really calm his itching and licking down considerable….
Hope Tucker makes it through winter unscathed!!!!
Irene *** the little thumbnail picture is of our Misty. I found an old picture of her when she was a puppy and thought it’d be cute to put her in one of my paintings. I liked it so much that she’s on my business cards!View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
I guess the vet suspects some sort of mites for him to give Tucker ivermectin?
I guess it’s more prone here the mites (Southern California) being that we have "hot" weather most of the time. It’s weird too that we have had relative humid weather at times… That’s when the itchy’s started with Sammy a short time ago.
Winter is the best time for him. For the most we haven’t had to give him any meds related to itching, and infection.
I did purchase Nature’s Specialties/Quick Relief, Neem Shampoo…
*Aids in the relief of Itching, Hot Spots, Yeast, skin Irritations Due to Flea and or Tick infestation *Cleans, Deodorizes & Conditions, *Non Toxic/Biodegradable.
We used the oatmeal bath because I wanted to use it up… next time around I’m going to try the above. I liked it because it mentioned "yeast" which Sammy gets related infection too… he’s always getting skin scrapes (the vet shows me under the microscope) the mites and he also shows me the yeast when it flares….
I’m sure hoping Tucker doesn’t have to deal with this type of problem.
Unfortunately, all we can do for Sammy is treat symptomatically because we can’t get rid of the "allergens" nor mites that live in our daily lives.
Has Tucker developed secondary infection? Hopefully, his problem is just a seasonal thing.
As far as Sammy goes when he first started the ivermectin treatment years ago, we notice as always within a couple of days a big difference. Of course he’s had Prednisone which really helped the itching (not the cause) but, it’s really BAD to give heavy steroids on a consistent basis. That’s why he’s on Hydroxizine with the ivermectin. Antibiotics if it turns to secondary infection. For now, his problem is relatively calm but still there. At least he’s not licking his fur off, and doesn’t have sores on his feet.
Keep up the good work…they’re WORTH IT!
*if you have time check out my website and forward it to your Pet Lover friends if you think it’s worth while.
Best of Luck to you and Tucker and please keep us informed!
**Picture of our "Chibi" a domestic pig I rescued…He lived his 9 years at a friends Pig Sanctuary in Ohio… (passed away last year)View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Sammy didn’t have any side effects… He’s had in the past had prednisone till we read up on it and told the vet we didn’t want him on it if at all possible. I think that’s what started him on the "chunky" side….
Sammy was so bad with chunks of hair missing and sores from him scratching and licking… He looked like Road Kill!
Did your vet do a skin scrape and see demodectic mites? Sammy’s had it so much that I know the tell tale signs when HE gets it… he even gets yeast infections! That’s a different antibiotic he has to take but Thank Goodness that doesn’t happen often!
For now Sammy’s doing well. I just gave him his meds a couple of hours ago and he just has minor licking on one foot now. It was getting pretty bad his belly was inflamed… I’m glad that I have a supply of meds for him.
I sure hope Tucker isn’t suffering with this Chronic itch. Sammy sure did till we now know his symptoms and can treat it in it’s early stages.
Best of Luck to ya and please give us the update on Tucker!
Sammy and Sammy’s MomView External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Thanks for the info… will talk to our vet about atopica… I checked on Reviews for it…. The consensus seems to be seems to be 1/2 and 1/2… Worth looking into.
Do you have Tucker on it? Please give me an update on the results. People I’m reading, say it works for a week and then dwindles after. Not sure if they’re treating the "cause" of the problem.. Atopica seems to help symptomatically.
Sammy’s doing pretty good with the meds he’s on….no major flare-ups. Guess that’s a good thing… Speaking of meds…got to give them to him…
Best of Luck and Please keep me informed!View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Hi Again!
Sammy is taking "ivermectin" for the "demodectic mites" he gets from having a Compromised Immune System. From the itching and scratching he ends up with secondary infection so he has to take antibiotics for it.
*Maybe a skin scrape would be in order to see if your Pup has the mites?
Sammy did go to a dermatologist and had the allergy tests..yes..he’s allergic to everything!
I was told the hydroxizine has a low-very low dose of steroid… It seems to work o.k. if Sammy takes it BEFORE the itches get out of control… that seems to be the case for him.
Yesterday my husband gave him an oatmeal bath, put Aloe Vera on his hot spots,then some spray for itching and then we proceeded with the Meds. He was so much better last night.
The Flare ups seem to happen mostly when the weather gets hot. We do get the Santa Ana Winds here in Southern California that KICK up a lot of Allergens!
Hope this helps… Keep me informed… you may have a different solution from your vet!View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
Hi! My Sammy has a similar problem, he’s 8 years old. He’s had a severe itch ever since we rescued him about 7 1/2 years ago. He’s been to the drs. countless times and to a "dog" dermatologist. Found out he’s allergic to everything including "human dander!" Because he has a compromised immune system from the allergies he gets what is called "demodectic mites" that burrow under his skin causing secondary infection, itchyness and sores. When his flares up (mostly in the heat or humidity & heat) he takes "ivermectin" which is prescribed from the vet. It’s also used I’m told though in a smaller dose for heartworms. Along with that majority of the time he gets a secondary infection which he get antibiotics for. We try to stay away from "prednisone" because heavy steroids is really bad. He does get something called hydroxizine which is an extremely low dose of steroids, kind’ve a heavier dose of benedryl. That seems to work if treated when the symptoms start.
*Demodectic mites are parasites that are around all of us and everywhere. People/animals who’s immune system is NOT compromise slough it off.
At the moment Sammy has had a mild summer with the problem but….now has started again with his itching. So the first thing I do is to make sure I’m current with his Frontline Plus to make sure it isn’t "flea" related. Now, he’s on ivermectin, hydroxazine, and antibiotics. It seems to be a never ending viscious cycle.
I’m hoping your Pup doesn’t have the same problem or if he does a milder one.
I hope this post helps a little.View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
We’ve lost a few from Old Age but up to date now we have: 3 dogs, Patches, Misty & Sammy, (Sally crossed Rainbow Bridge Sept.2nd) 2 Bengal Cats, Ginger & Willy (Lost China 18yrs Dec.24,2008 and Sophie 18yrs. 2007), 3 Cockatiels, Barbie, Sidney and Emmy, 1 Parakeet, Petey, 1 Rabbit, B.B., 1 Chicken, Pippin (Merry Passed away at 5yrs old)
I’ve Rescued 4 Farm Pigs in which 1 lived at our house for 3 1/2 months. Our dog Patches Mothered the Injured Piglet Boo Boo and taught him to use the doggie door.Prior to that I taught him to use the potty box. Boo also use to sleep with my daughter in bed.
Boo Boo the Pig is a wonderful story I’d like to tell sometime on how we rescued him and 3 other pigs & got them to a Pig Sanctuary in Ohio where they lived out their lives in a Safe Home.View External LinkClick on any picture to see full size:
