The itchies have my dogs

It has been a long itchy time for our Golden Annie.  LONG...

Three weeks ago I finally took her to the vet since all I tried did not help.

Since October she has had a slew of hot spots and has had to wear a cone pretty much the whole time.  I did what I could which is to cut the hair away from the hot spot, clean it well and put the cone on till it has healed.  One would heal, I would take the cone off and within days a new one appeared.  Repeat this over and over.  I took her in for baths with the groomer since it was too cool to do it at home.  I had hoped that maybe the cleanliness would help but it didn't.

She itched all over.  At night while we watched TV she would come up and rub her tush on the sofa which made her look like she was doing the rumba.  All we needed to do was add some good music.  Just touching her she would start the scratching with her skin crawling under your hand.

I would spray her with Relief, a topical spray that is suppose to sooth the skin but that did nothing.  I started giving her Benedryl which helped because it makes her drowsy but doesn't last long.

The holidays were tough.  Wearing her cone gives her a satellite dish look about her which we can laugh at but the itching isn't funny.  Aside from my Love and I, who wants to have a large dog rubbing  her body on any passing person?  Our poor Annie was miserable.

Over the years Annie has had many skin issues.  In the past it was seasonal....Late Summer / Fall and then a brief Spring fling.  There were many times I would bring her in because her belly was so red and irritated that she was prescribed antibiotics and steroids which always did the trick.  Hot spots have been a problem in the last three years.  Disgusting and ugly.   The last one was on the cheek of her head.  I couldn't figure out how she could even get one there.  I dutifully cut the hair away to promote healing and checked it daily to make sure there was no oozing.  The hot spots seem to take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to be healed with the drying of the scab to be around week three.  Hair regrowth doesn't come back for several months.  

This has been by far the worst she has ever had.   Our visit to the vet we talked a lot about the causes of potential skin problems.  A)  Fleas.....no fleas on her at all so we can't blame this on the cats.  B) Seasonal allergies....this has lasted 3 months!....not sure, but this is what I first suspected.  The vet. tech. said they have had a bad year for seasonal allergies for dogs.  C)  Food allergies.....

Years ago with our previous vet who retired (darn....) we tried the food change to rule this out.  I put Annie on Lamb and Rice food....I tried several brands over the course of 4 months.  At the same time we did antibiotics and a dose of steroids and she was clear in less than a month.  I kept her on that food for many months but it was so expensive that I found a different food of high quality and she seemed fine on it all these many years.  It was only this past August that I thought I should put her on a Senior food because of her age.

I had already changed her food right after Christmas just to rule out a food allergy.  She had only been on it for one week when we saw the vet.  He gave Annie a steroid shot but since she had no sign of any bad rash on he did not give her any antibiotics.  For two weeks she didn't itch.  One day after the two weeks had passed and I had told the vet she was fine....what should happen?  She started getting itchy!!!   About this time I noticed in her food bin the old food at the bottom mixing in with the new food.  I asked my Love why he didn't completely take out the old food because if that is the problem she can't be eating it.  Oh.....So....is the itching back because she was eating food that was causing the problem?   Great.

I went down to the pet store and bought a new bag of dog food, trying Duck and Potato this time by Natural Balance.  $34 dollars for about 17 pounds of kibble!  Now we have to wait to see if the mixed food upset the skin and started the scratching or rule it out as food related.  Next step will be back to the vets if she stays itchy or gets worse.  Prescription medication?  Oh I hope not.  In the meantime I will get her bathed again and keep my eye on her closely.  We don't want any hot spots surprising us.

Now to really stir the pot.....Stewie who never, never gets itchy started getting itchy five days ago.  What gives?  I gave him a bath today since he can fit in the kitchen sink.  He is itchy on his tush.

And the cats....they are doing just fine.   No fleas, no scratching...nothing.  Lucky kitties.

Jesse

Jesse from Ellen Frasheski on Vimeo.


       For most of my life there has been at least one dog in our home except for a few short years while I was in college.  Growing up we had at one time a boxer named Humprey, two Miniature Poodles named Pepe and Charlie and then an Akita German Shepard mix named Nikki.

             When my Love and I had been married for a year and finally bought our first home I begged for a dog.  I had fallen in love with Shetland Sheepdogs after going to the Golden Gate Dog Show in San Francisco.  After that day I read up on Shelties to find out all I could about them.   My constant talk finally got the green light to get one.  I called the Northern California Sheltland Sheepdog Association for help on finding a breeder.  After a few calls from that connection I found one nearby.  Our first Sheltie we named Heidi.   She was 10 weeks old and I was in love.  I took her to dog school were she was smart as could be.  Shelties are truly an intelligent breed and learn quickly.   Heidi lived till the age of 12.


         When Heidi was around 7 we bought another Sheltie we named Tess.   I loved those two very much.  Two little dogs who followed me everywhere whether at play with our girls, cleaning house or doing yard work.  I would walk them tandom with the stroller around the neighborhood when the girls were young.  I was stopped often by children thinking they were "baby Lassie's".   When Heidi died I was blessed to still have Tess.  Sheltie's are extremely loyal to their owners but primarily to the one who trains them which was me.   Tess just picked up the slack without Heidi and became closer to me.    She was always alert keeping her eyes on me.   Tess was quite devoted to me and I to her.   When I was 7 months pregnant with R. Tess  suddenly developed  serious anemia and passed away at the age of 7.  I was shocked and distraught.   My "Little Shadow" as I had called her was gone.


          Months went by and though we had another dog who we all loved, our merry Golden Retriever Dixie, I felt lost without my shadow.   So when R. was three months old we found another Sheltie and brought him home.  We named him Jesse.   I have a thing for the runts of the litter.  Like Heidi and Tess, Jesse was the runt as well.   I was told I was crazy to get a puppy while I had a three month old baby.  I would pick R. up and pick Jesse up with the other arm to take him outside to housetrain him.  It really was easy to me.  Evey two to three hours I was breastfeeding R. and when I was done I would take Jesse outside.   As I said, Shelties are smart!  Dog school was a breeze where he was the smartest in the class.  R. and Jesse grew up together and though Dixie and R. bonded the most, Jesse was always nearby or in the mix.   


         Jesse's puffy tail with the white tip whipping around and around as he would "attempt" to herd R.  Well we know you can't herd a child but try telling that to Jesse!  


         When you own a dog you try not think of how long they will be a part of your life.   It is never long enough.  That true companionship where they come with you on vacations, go on hikes or walks, having them in family photos, simply being a part of the family.  

         Yet time marches on and that friend begins to age and slow down.  Walks become harder till they can't keep up.  One of the last trips Jesse was with us to Lake Tahoe and part way through our hike we had to carry him.  He just was too tired.  He began sleeping more and not always getting up with ease.  His breathing became labored with panting more.  The night he passed away I had made plans to take him to the vet the next morning.  He ate his dinner like normal though he was not steady on his feet and really just wanted to lay down.  His look on his sweet face was sad and I felt awful seeing him this way.  We went into watch some TV with R. and my Love on the couch along with our other dog a Chihuahua mix named Stewie and our Golden Annie on her dog bed.  Jesse came in with us and lay by the door.  He watched us for awhile and then we thought he was asleep.   When we got up later I called the dogs to go outside.  My sweet Jesse did not move.  I felt his little body and knew then he was gone.   Gone, gone from us.


          The peace I felt was that he died with his family near him where he was watching us.   He didn't have to be put to sleep which I had dreaded to have to do.   He was with his doggie friends and people family.  We all said our goodbyes to him that night.  


         I miss having a Sheltie.  It has been two years since Jesse died.  We have our Annie and Stewie who we love very much.  We play, walk and hike together and those two are just the best buddies to each other.  While I would love to have another Sheltie we just can't right now.   And you may ask why I need or want another dog let alone a Sheltie.  Until you have had one it is hard to explain that would make much sense.   Their sweet almond shaped eyes that melt when you look at them.   Their happy little gait and the way they run.  Yes they do bark but they bark for good reason!  When someone comes to the house, when they are playing but I never minded.   Yes they need to be brushed and often but what a glorious coat they have.   Yes they have teeth that seem to get dirty real easy even when they have bones to gnaw upon.  But my heart will always love them.   That loyal relationship of trust and friendship is like no other.


         Missing you Jesse...and all my doggie family....Heidi, Dixie, Tess....