Skin Disorders

I have a 3yr old Frenchie, we have battled with itchy, yeasty skin for as long as I can remember.  For a while she was on Apoquel & Cytopoint which we have stopped. She is being fed raw (we switch between beef, pork & turkey) with goats milk ice cubes and cheese as treats. She has lost about 6lbs since the change to raw and that’s even with giving her double the recommended serving.  we have removed all “perfumes”, no candles, plug ins etc from home, changed laundry detergent, clean our home with natural ingredients, only give bottled water, she’s bathed with Lucca, and we put shirts to cover skin afterwards. We have her on the Adored Beast first we gave her yeasty beast protocol, then leaky gut protocol, now back on yeasty beast.  Please help us heart broken parents, it’s I will add her picture in comments.  Thank you so much for your time 

-Daisy’s desperate mom

Dr. Steve's Advice - The inability of a dog to hold its weight on raw signals a 'carb dependency'. That same dependency exists at the microbiome level, since the species most responsible for producing metabolites that control our immune system need carbs in the diet to function. Without carbs in the diet, they die off, even when you give them as a probiotic every day. Please make sure 1/6 of the food in the dish consists of vegetables, beans, berries or even cooked whole grains. 

You may be reluctant to use carbs because of the yeast on the skin. In those posts, I explain how a skin problem could get attributed to yeast, yet not be due to yeast at all. In brief, the priming of the systemic immune system by dysbiosis and a leaky gut means ANY irritant on the skin will turn from a mild, even subclinical, problem into a conflagration. The problem, though, is not usually the irritant. It is the excess response to it.

Leaky gut protocols won't work if the food source to support an ideal microbiome is not present, which means plant material is necessary. Bacteria use the soluble fiber in the plant material to manufacture butyrate, which helps seal the gut. No plants means no butyrate which means lots of holes. 

Once you have plants in the diet, you can also supply a probiotic already mixed with its favourite foods, to expedite it getting established, so it can begin the work of normalizing your dog's immune system. For that I would recommend https://gussysgut.pxf.io/c/4643206/1738316/19832

Along with those two changes, I would suggest Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) by Gold Standard Herbs. Together, all three changes should start to improve your dog's skin within the first couple of weeks. How long it will take to resolve your dog's issues is up to them. If just the face is involved, I would use Halscion from the same company at the same time.

Hopefully this helps you out. It should. Please get back to us with what you tried and how it went

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My pup has been sick with a serious skin infection since March. She had her teeth clean and had a cytopoint injection at the same time. She has always had skin issues but after sedation I think it got worse. She had been on kibble her whole life until April of this year. I tried Dr. Harvey’s Allergy food. She still had problems so I starting making her food at home. Never did get better. I had a Nutriscan Saliva/ Cell Bio test and found out she is allergic to turkey, chicken and white fish. Now she is on All Provide raw beef and pork only. She gets Four Marvel, Pea, Bromase Enzyme,L-Glutamine and a soft chew vitamin. She also takes 0.1 Levothyroxin because she has hypothyroidism. I don’t know what else to do. There are only traditional vets in our state. I’m afraid to go see a my vet for fear she’ll put her on antibiotics again. In the last year she has been on three rounds of it for ear and uti infections. Thank you for all your advice and I hope to hear from you soon. Here is a photo of her this morning. Oh, she also threw up this morning. 

Dr. Steve's advice - since your pup is on a real food diet and still has skin issues, it means she is truly allergic as opposed to just having runaway inflammation tendencies. Four Marvels is for runaway inflammation.
I think the two main things I would try are to keep the diet the same, but add in Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) by Gold Standard Herbs and a Lactobacillus probiotic. Please continue to avoid kibble and canned foods for her. You can read about what Cessorex does and the theory behind the probiotic use in these topics: #Cessorex and #skindiseasedogs, but the upshot is that allergies are first and foremost a problem with the microbiome. As long as you are feeding a real food diet containing at least 1/6 fruits and veggies (avoiding grapes), then the stage is set for helping good guy bacteria (i.e., probiotics) thrive. When they thrive, the produce a compound that calms the immune system down (in both animals and people) called propionate. Cessorex helps compensate for that lack of propionate while supporting the colonization of the gut by the good guys. Cessorex also helps markedly improve the quality of circulation to the skin so all that dryness and lichenification showing in that photo goes away.
Hope this helps. If you try this approach, please let us know what happens

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I have an almost 5 yr old Chihuahua mix with really bad environmental allergies affecting her eye area. Her semi-holistic vet recommended putting her on steroids eye drops which I declined cause I don't want to have her on meds indefinitely. She's fed a part baked and freeze dried diet, she gets the regulars: omega 3 fish oil, probiotics, sardines, colostrum.  I'm wondering if you can give me a recommendation for her? Somethib i can add to her food or if one of the gold standards herbs would be good for her?   Here's her photo so you can an idea of how irritated her eye area gets. 

Dr. Steve's Advice - my go-to for inflammation around the eyes is Halscion (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Halscion-85g-p647327436) from Gold Standard Herbs. It usually helps a lot. 

Note that baked foods still would be expected to have a lot of inflammatory AGEs (advanced glycation endproducts). You can only avoid those with raw, freeze-dried, and moist cooked foods (like you would make yourself or get from the refrigerator of a usually boutique pet supply store). If the Halscion works, but not enough, consider making a more complete move to those kinds of diets

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We are hoping you can help Spooky to stop being a donut hole.

Spooky came to us as a stray in 2014, we don’t know her age but assume she is around 13-14 due to the dental disease she already had. She is very active and eats well.

Since about 2017 she has had a series of health issues - bladder stone (2017 - treated w/ Hills SD), ongoing seasonal VERY itchy skin condition (2017 - present, started after Hills food treatment - have tried antifungals, antibiotics, steroids, misc skin creams), asthma (2018 - treated w/ cordyceps, have Flovent, only use when she’s flaring), IBD and chronic pancreatitis (2021 - changed to rabbit and duck diet). 2021 ultrasound showed some kidney degeneration that has not shown up in labs yet. She has a heart murmur that seems to be situational (BNP levels fine). One vet also thought perhaps she has feline hyperesthesia. Last year she had a full dental extraction and her itching seemed to subside after I added colostrum to her regimen.

We had hoped that no teeth would equal no more seasonal allergy sores, but this February she had a major breakout of eosinophilic granuloma bumps all over her torso and hind legs (eosinophils were at 10,000!). Regular vet checked her for other causes of the eosinophilia and determined it was definitely the skin so we took her to dermatologist.

Dermatologist declared flea allergy, declined to do ANY skin testing and insisted on steroids and flea poisons. That didn’t sit well with me so I took her to a local holistic vet who did a blood test for environmental allergies. She did come up positive for several allergens (oak, scale, horsefly - NOT FLEA), and we have been offered immunotherapy (quoted cost of $10 a day, vet thinks only 50% chance of being effective!). 

I started her on Dr. Judy’s PEA and the granulomas finally subsided, but the itching did not. We added a surgical suit to keep her from going after her hind legs. In desperation I ordered a 5Strands test that basically said she was reactive to literally everything she was eating, almost all her supplements and everything I was putting on her skin, cotton (the surgical suit) (also NOT FLEA). I changed her food and removed as many of the reactive things as possible. She’s wearing a bamboo baby onesie now.

I came across your group and decided to give Cessorex a try. It’s been a month, and I can’t say for sure if it has made any difference. I also bought her an earthing mat since she is indoors only (fights w/ other cats). She is currently on a freeze dried pork diet (Primal), gets Cessorex, quercetin, Adored Beast Felix Flora, Dr. Judy’s PEA, ubiquinol. 

She’s still frantically scratching at her face and overgrooming any time I remove her “clothes” and waking us up in the night trying to groom. 

If you have any other suggestions we would be grateful. Would you try the immunotherapy? Is the 5Strands test accurate? 

Dr. Steve's Advice - I like the steps you've taken so far. Cessorex may not be strong enough to deal with over-the-top itching in your cat, though. I would suggest you add Cool the Blood from Kan Essentials (Rx needed) or 'ImmunoBalm' from Gold Standard Herbs (no Rx necessary). You can source a genuine version from Aleksandra Topic at aleks.topic.1@gmail.com. It treats a similar Chinese medical diagnosis to what Cessorex addresses, but is perhaps more useful when itch is absolutely out of control. 

Regarding the 5Strands test, I personally don't subscribe to it Nor do I really do blood testing of any type. Probably only intradermal skin testing holds any hope of identifying allergens that might respond to immunotherapy. Even then, as you said, the response rate is low, and meanwhile, the injection of antigens can drive your cat wild. 

Why don't I test for allergens? Pretty much all allergies are traceable to an issue with Leaky Gut, where the immune system gets primed from too much exposure to bacterial antigens and then sends the whole immune system into a tizzy. Any inflammation going on at all suddenly gets ramped up. As doctors, we'd go to the site of inflammation, and mistake whatever is causing it as the actual problem. The reality is that without that leaky gut priming the system, that inflammatory response may not have even appeared on the radar. Inflammation is not all or nothing, in other words. There are plenty of episodes that are subclinical, visible ony under a microscope. We shouldn't mistake those that do suddenly show up on the radar as being the actual problem. Rather, we should also look to see if anything is 'fanning their flames' from within our system itself.

I'm glad you made the move away from kibble. It's also possible that if you moved to actual cooked or raw diets, you'd see inflammation drop down another notch. Something to consider if the above doesn't help.

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Shade, 3 yr Australian Shepherd presented with sudden Ataxia and fever after I returned home from a trip.  Traveled to a neurologist within 2 days, who called her a mystery as all vitals were good. 

He doubted Encephalitis, however I agreed to the Spinal Tap which to his surprise, came back positive.   We opted to do all the test to determine cause, all negative.  Just a side note....we had horrible winds for a solid 3 months prior to onset, not sure if something there caused this.  We live extremely rural, farmland.

Originally this was idiopathic, now DX as Mediated Autoimmune.  She has been and currently raw fed.

She is MDR1...one gene. All genetics great!

On 10Mg..Prednisone BID which is making her crazy   She weighs around 43 pounds.  Starting Atopica next week and tapering Prednisone. 

Supplemented with Adored Beast Chaga drops, Love Bug Probitics, Turmeric a few times a week. Was on Mushroom support as well for 30 days along with 2 types of antibiotics.   She responded quickly!

Any advice or other supplements would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you so much for this page!!  She is a intact female, no other health problems ever.  This was a shocker!

Of course the million dollar question...anyway to know when this is resolved or go the full 9M?

Dr. Steve's Advice - I'm glad your dog responded quickly. For immune mediated CNS disease like meningitis and meningoencephalitis, I use a herbal formula called Augmented Bupleurum and Kudzu Clearing Formula, which you can often find on Amazon if your vet doesn't want to carry it. I've found it to work as well as immune suppressant drugs and to be curative.

I would say if you were to try it, start the herbs then after 5 to 7 days, instead of switching to Atopica, begin gradually weaning off the pred. If you get off the pred with no symptom recurrence, then that is promising, but I'd still continue the herbs for a month or so before trying to reduce their dose (if you want to - some people just keep going at a low dose). 

If you can't get off the pred, then those herbs aren't going to work for you, and you'd go with the Atopica. I've never seen that happen, though.

Note that it's been my experience this kind of thing can sometimes happen every six months, and for sure is a very common problem in August. I'd make sure to have some of the herb around next July and just start her on it prophylactically until late September. I'd do the same the following year. If it doesn't show up again in a couple of years, then you're probably free of it.

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My Mini Sheltie is 9 years (11 lbs) and she’s had a chronic gagging / hacking reflex for years that happens almost every time she drinks (even when she takes just a few sips). And about half of the time she gags up some water onto the floor. Her trachea was checked with a scope at the University of Florida Animal Hospital, they said it looks to be normal in structure, no signs of collapsing, no tumors and normal blood tests. Her vet has noticed inflammation in her tonsils during the last two dental cleanings and thinks it’s likely attributed to allergies and also thinks this “might” be the cause of the gagging but is unsure. Lulu also has a combination of food and environmental allergies and pink skin syndrome as well as occasional hot spots and inflammation on her paws. We haven’t done any specific allergy tests because our vet doesn’t believe they are reliable but we have her on Apoquel for allergic disease which does somewhat help with the pink skin. We’ve tried hydroxyzine and something for reverse sneezing to treat the gagging but they haven’t helped. The vet prescribed Science Diet Derm Complete (for skin allergies) and I add Omega 3 oils and a daily probiotic to her food. We’ve been on this food protocol for a few years. 

We are also careful to not feed her snacks that could aggravate her allergies. She loves frozen green beans and cucumber bits. I also wash her paws after returning from outdoor walks or ramps around the backyard. Although all of this does seem to slightly improve the pink skin temporarily, the gagging continues. I understand living in Florida makes allergies a common problem for pets but I’m still very concerned about the gagging and not having had any luck in treating it. I can’t help but think we are possibly missing something.

Dr. Steve's Advice -Sometimes an intolerance of liquids can be the mildest version of a sort of laryngeal paralysis. Lar Par is believed by nutritionists to be caused by AGEs, which are pro-inflammatory compounds abundant in kibble. I understand why you might feel locked in to the hypo-allergenic diet. Just know it may be as much the cause of your problems as it is a palliative measure. To understand my own perspective and approach to dogs with multiple allergies including those of a food and environmental nature, please check out the abundant posts at #skindiseasedogs

Meanwhile, from a Chinese medical perspective, your dog appears to have Damp Heat, which is an inflammatory tendency driven by the consumption of processed foods. One of the cardinal signs of Dampness is an inability to ingest water without bringing it back up. It's certainly the top rule out anyway. There are many formulas that can help, but an easy gentle one to test the theory is Three Seeds Combination by Kan Essentials. You can get a bona fide version from Aleksandra Topic at      aleks.topic.1@gmail.com. Dose according to the table at https://nphc.ca/using/dosage. Give that amount twice daily. It may help her skin, too. If it does, even somewhat, you'll know that the processed food is at the heart of everything, and that to cure your dog, a change will be needed. If it doesn't work, circle back, as I have another idea that might work. 

Click here to read the whole thread. 

Hello. My dog suffers from itchy skin allergies. We have tried appoquel cytapoint injections. She’s currently on cessorex and gussys gut on a homemade diet of brown rice, ground turkey, spinach, carrots, peas, zucchini, and sweet potato. Is there something else I should be trying. We tried frozen raw food and she was disgusted by it

 Dr. Steve's Advice -  If the diet is too carb-heavy, then it can drive inflammation. The rice, veggies and sweet potato altogether should make up no more than 1/3 of the diet.

If you're following that rule, then a lack of response of an itch to real food implies an immune system issue. Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) calms down systemic immune excess (i.e., allergies) and supports the local immune system in the intestinal tract to heal up Leaky Gut. Where it sometimes needs help is in stimulating the local immune response of the skin to clear up whatever mild infection it is fighting. For that we reach for Lift the Qi from Kan Essentials (Rx needed and give two or three times at least the dose that is on the label) or 'Galvanex'  from Gold Standard Herbs (no Rx necessary). 

Note that if Apoquel and Cytopoint (two immune suppressants) didn't help, then it raises the chances that a local immune stimulant like Galvanex will. Often inflammation due to immune deficiency seems to affect the belly, groin and axillae (armpits).

Hopefully these changes get you where you want to go. Note that as long as week to week, you're seeing improvements, then you should persist with whatever protocol you're using.

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Hi there. I’m new to this group. 

My golden retriever started getting black skin on his belly for a couple of months now. He is licking it daily. No sores. He is on cessorex  and was wondering if there is anything else he should be taking. I feed him kibble food. Carna4 fish. He is allergic to chicken, oats, corn, white rice,pork. I had done an my pet allergy test. Thank you Ann.

Dr. Steve's Advise -  you're looking at lichenification, which is a common problem in kibble fed dogs. I understand the diet needs to have novel proteins, but I'd still encourage you to try to source a real fresh food diet that will fit the bill, so you can hopefully stop progression. It's really the first step

If kibble has to be continued, I sometimes find Dispel Damp and Nourish the Skin from Kan Essentials can mitigate the problem. It's more likely to resolve the issue if your dog goes off kibble. You can source Kan Essentials products from Aleksandra Topic using the instructions she provides here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1420037418560133/

The pigment will take time to fade, but if the skin feels a little rough to you, it should start to become more supple after a few weeks of the diet change and the herbal recommendation.

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Wow wow Thank you Dr Steve we have nailed it with golden standard herbs 

Cessorex x2 1/8 daily 

Halscion 1/8 daily 

My girl Rubybell has improved out of site no more itchy or skin brakes or allergic reactions 

I have four marvel si Miao wan I had started her on, not sure if I need to continue?? 

Pics Before treatment “eyes” and three weeks after treatment with golden standard herbs - it’s just a huge WOW what excellent products they are 

We thank you so much Steve .

Dr. Steve's Advice - this is such a nice post to receive. No word of exaggeration - I get 200 requests for help a week, and they are a lot to go through. Having someone post about how well things are going is a breath of fresh air!

Now that the Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) and Halscion (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Halscion-85g-p647327436) have gotten rid of your dog's blepharitis (i.e., skin reaction around the eyes), you can cautiously discontinue the Si Miao San. You probably will be able to get rid of it with no backlash, if it wasn't taking care of the problem in the first place. As a rule of thumb, though, when taking away a component of a mix that is working well, do it gradually, just in case it's helping more than you think! Find the lowest required dose of the product to maintain the improvements you're seeing. If your pet is on a fresh food diet of some type, though, then the Si Miao San is likely not doing much.

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Hello Dr Steve! 

I am very new to the group hoping I can possibly get help with my 13 yr old dog Charlie.  He has had a skin issue for the past 3 years. Our vet wasn’t sure what it was, so we were referred to a dermatologist, which took over a year to get into. 

She said it’s possibly a very rare autoimmune skin disease in labs that there are only 7 cases that have been reported. 

She called it ‘Proliferative Lymphocytic Infundibular Mural Folliculitis/Dermatitis’. 

He is severely itchy, he gets hard crusty patches on his skin that over time fall off and he’s left with a bald patch. The hair usually grows back within a few weeks. He’s very dry/dandruffy but we don’t pull the crusty hair/skin off, we let it fall off so we don’t create sore patches or open wounds. 

She had prescribed Prednisone and Cyclosporine, but after research, we decided against it due to the many harsh side effects it would have on him, our vet agreed. 

It seems to be somewhat seasonal, flaring up the most from Sept-Jan, it still exists through the other months, but not as severe. I’m not fully convinced it’s a rare auto immune disease…I’m wondering if it’s an allergy or intolerance to something in his diet or to a seasonal environment issue. 

We have him on a limited ingredient salmon kibble, we’ve cut out treats, added CBD oil, mushroom powder and a probiotic powder. He is also on glucosamine and we add Camelina oil to his food. 

I’m interested in the Cessorex powder I’ve read about in these posts, I’m willing to try anything to help. 

I’d appreciate your input, it breaks my heart to see him so itchy and uncomfortable in his golden years…

The photos attached are from his chest and belly, the last photo is what the hair looks like when it falls out from the crusty area with skin attached.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  sorry for the long wait for a reply. Absolutely whenever we suspect a primary role of the immune system in creating skin lesions, Cessorex is the place to start. I'm hoping you busted a move and just got some to try.

Cessorex treats Shao Yang disharmony, which frequently worsens in the fall months, so that fits what you're seeing. If the inflammation is very severe, you can team it up with 

Cool the Blood from Kan Essentials (Rx needed) or 'ImmunoBalm' from Gold Standard Herbs (no Rx necessary), to more quickly help reduce lesion formation. You can source Kan Essentials from Aleksandra Topic using the instructions she provides here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1420037418560133/

I'm also hoping you read through the skin disease posts and saw reference to the importance of getting some probiotics on board, including Lactobacillus and/or Bacteroides to help regulate the immune system; and Bifidobacterium to help heal the gut wall that is invariably leaking in immune mediated skin disease.

If you see improvements with the above, then the next step is to find a real food diet that is at least as well tolerated as the salmon diet (which after all does not seem to be helping all that much anyway). Moving away from processed food to a real food meat-and-vegetable diet will provide fodder for the probiotics, but will now reduce the impairment of lesion formation and the heightening of the tendency to inflammation that are an inevitable byproduct of feeding any factory-made food, regardless of brand and whether the food is 'veterinary recommended'.

Hopefully you do see that progress. Please let us know how the condition turns out. Since it is a rare disease, reporting on your experiences will matter a great deal. Hopefully in a few weeks, you have some good news to share!

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I adopted a dog who was neglected and had hair loss/bad skin. Her hair has grown back except for still thin in her front legs, front armpits, chest and neck. she has excess skin and there is a naked patch between her neck flaps that gets damp/sticky and this weird white gunk (and it smells). Her whole body smelled but it has gotten better minus when this area acts up. Any ideas on how to help? I’ve used colloidal silver which was helped but not stopped it. she is now eating a raw diet and getting omega3.

Dr. Steve's Advice -   when the ventral neck is involved of a dog fed raw, my default protocol is:

- Cessorex      (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) from Gold Standard Herbs

- Probiotics (Lactobacillus or Bacteroides) such as Gussys Gut (https://gussysgut.pxf.io/c/4643206/1738316/19832)

- Making sure those probiotics have a food source, by making sure the diet contains 15 to 30% plant material such as vegetables, berries, etc.

You can read about the logic behind all that in the posts located here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/search/...

Bathing is of course potentially helpful, too. Maybe using a oatmeal based shampoo. Add 1/4 tsp of tea tree oil to the bottle to give it some broad spectrum antimicrobial coverage.

These changes should accomplish something for you.

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Hi Dr. Steve, My dog is a 7 year old spayed Irish Terrier and she’s had stubborn allergy/skin symptoms most of her life. The last year or so her eyes have been the biggest issue. Her eyelids always look inflamed and almost milky. She has constant thick discharge coming out of them that will scab over and sometimes glue her eyelids together. The whites of her eye are always red. She also has hair loss around the eyes. 

The dermatology vet thinks it’s from environmental allergies. We’ve tried medicated drops and they only give temporary relief of course. 

She’s very, very itchy everywhere. She’s constantly either rubbing her face on the furniture or she has her face buried in her groin area biting licking chewing. Her groin is all black with hair loss and very hot to the touch. 

She’s also high strung with lots of anxiety. 

She eats freeze dried raw or lightly cooked food and has for years. 

We have tried Cessorex a few times in the past and it brought no relief. Do you have any other suggestions that might help her, especially with her eyes? Thank you so much for your time!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I take it your veterinarian has tested for and ruled out KCS? That is step one for eyes that look like that. Please confirm with them if you're not sure, especially if the medicated drops were something like Tacrolimus. If they were, you have to approach this as a KCS case, continuing the drugs until your dog is free of eye inflammation; but also Cessorex and the recommendations in the next paragraph until the itch everywhere else has subsided. Once skin symptoms overall have been conquered, if you started easing very gradually off the Tacrolimus at that point, you'd see the eyes looking much better eventually, even off the ointment. Note that in bad cases, it can take the combination of Cessorex, probiotics and the ideal diet at least a few weeks to BEGIN to start working, so patience is called for in addition to a comprehensive protocol.

For inflammation centered particularly around the eyes, I often resort to Halscion (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Halscion-85g-p647327436) from Gold Standard Herbs. Continue to feed as much real food as possible. Even some freeze dried diets are pro-inflammatory, depending on exactly which one you're using. Also add in a probiotic like Lactobacillus or Bacteroides such as Gussys Gut to help regulate the immune system, and ensure the diet is 1/6 to 1/3 plant material to ensure their survival. Halscion can be tried instead of Cessorex, if its not a KCS issue and the inflammation in the rest of the body is not too bad. Otherwise, you can use the two together.

Lastly, if the skin around the eyes is especially inflamed, and Halscion isn't resolving it, consider adding in  'ImmunoBalm'  from Gold Standard Herbs or Cool the Blood from Kan Essentials; or especially 'Galvanex' from Gold Standard Herbs or Lift the Qi from Kan Essentials if your veterinarian suspects much of the damage to be due to secondary infections from allergies. That would be more likely if the drops that were effective were only anti-infective and not anti-inflammatory or immune suppressing.

Hopefully this algorithm helps you figure out an effective strategy! Let us know what eventually works, as I'm sure you can solve this.

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Hi Dr. Steve! 

I previously wrote in this group regarding my 6 year old mini poodle with severe allergies. Unfortunately, all that you recommended offered no relief.

We are considering moving to the UAE as there is less environmental allergies there and I am unsure as to what to do with his food. He is currently on raw rabbit. I will not be able to travel with the raw food as the UAE is very strict with importing food. 

Given his crazy situation is there a cold protein in dry food you recommend that I switch him over to or what can I feed him for 2-3 weeks until I am able to source raw food and have it shipped…? We hope to move on January or February so I am trying to prepare now in case I need to make any changes to his food. 

Picture for attention of Lincs skin.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  

I'm sorry to hear the struggle is unrelenting and not responsive to drugs, herbs or diet. Have you had your dog worked up by a dermatologist, or at least had skin biopsies done to determine more clearly the nature of the problem? Have things like Scabies been ruled out, which would necessitate anti-parasitics to be sure? I presume the answer is yes to all of the above, but I mention them just in case.

As for cooling kibbles, I don't really practice food therapy in that way. You could connect with Dr. Judy Morgan's Naturally Healthy Pets and have a consult with her. I think Chinese Food Therapy is her specialty and she might have some specific brands to steer you to.

Meanwhile, I'm impressed you'd move all the way to the UAE to help your dog. That tells me how dedicated to her well being you are. I salute you for that, and I'm sure your dog does, too!

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Hi Dr. Marsden, I took over fostering a sweet 2 year old dog a few days ago that came with all sorts of skin issues. The first photo is from when he first arrived at the shelter in October and the other two are from now. He has had numerous rounds of antibiotics (Cefpodoximie and Clavamox), as well as prednisone, an antibiotic shot, fluconazole, and anti itch vax. He’s also had medicated baths. A skin scraping was done and both mites and a fungal infection were found. He also had ear infections. Prior to getting him a few days ago, he was on kibble and then hydrolyzed canned food.

As you can see from the photos he has come a long way already and I’d like to see if we can resolve his remaining issues holistically if possible. I am in the process of weaning him off prednisone.

Following your advice for treating skin issues, I started him on Small Batch gently cooked Turkey (which is compatible with the findings in a Glacier Peak Sensitivity test), Gussy Gut, Cessorex and vegetables/berries. For the first time after eating Small Batch he is not swelling so that seems like a great sign.

I was wondering if given his current condition of still partial hair loss (no fur on his underside or on the inside of his legs), really warm and damp skin on the hairless areas, very yeasty smell, fur not feeling healthy, some amount of itching and licking at himself, and redness at times, is there anything else I should add to the mix to help the healing process along?

Also should I be bathing him with something in particular?

Thanks so much for your help!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  good for you for giving that little dog a home! I'm so glad that Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434), real food, and Gussys Gut has made such a difference in your dog's skin! To help relieve intense itch and inflammation while maybe drying some of that Dampness, you can add in Cool the Blood from Kan Essentials which you can source through Aleksandra Topic by following her instructions here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1420037418560133/ or 'ImmunoBalm' from Gold Standard Herbs (no Rx necessary)., 

Something else you can use in addition or instead is Lift the Qi from Kan Essentials, or 'Galvanex' from Gold Standard Herbs. This would be more useful if there was some overgrowth of yeast or bacteria on her skin

If in doubt, you can use both formulas together with Cessorex to have a complete effect on the skin. It should take you to the next level as long as you continue the probiotics and real food diet at the same time.

Hopefully this helps you out and please continue to let us know how things are going!

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Hello Dr Steve Marsden! 

I’ve come down to this as my last hope after months of research. My husband thinks I’m letting this consume my life. 

I would like to know what you recommend please.

I have 5 dogs, 2 cats and 1 lizard. One of my dogs started having seizures out of the blue. I can only relate timing to a recent move and negative relationship (at that time and no longer an issue), so I blame myself for the cause. I got Stella by her being abandoned at my workplace. She was barely old enough to be away from her mother and was probably in need of nutrients I was not at the time aware of. She was a few years old when the seizures started and was at the time on kibble, premium kibble as I thought was the best. After I moved, she can from outside and was acting like she didn’t feel good. I thought I noticed her throat (under chin) was slightly swollen so I thought she was bit by something although no visible sign of one. She seemed fine. After days, week possibly, she was withdrawn not eating, hiding under bed, not interested in walking or rubs. She started shivering as if cold. I tried to warm her in my arms and blankets. I told her if not feeling better by morning I would take her to dr. I was awakened at about 2am to her seizing. I drive 45mins to nearest er. On the way she had a few more seizures, she was in full body seize and very vocal. The dr later told me they had a few other dog at the same with seizures and Stella was worst and was hard for dr to watch also. I was told to be prepared she probably wouldn’t make it. With gods help, she pulled through. She was having multiple grand mal cluster seizures. After transferring her to be watched to daytime vet the next day, she was released with multiple meds, particularly phenobarbital. I vistes my new vet in my area to make sure she was under care of a Dr. This dr (I love dearly) changed some of her meds to cross blood-brain barrier (his words) I had to use a glove to administer along with phenobarbital. Today, she is only on the phenobarbital 15mg twice a day and large seizure free ever since, minus what I believe are some focal seizures. She gets her levels check annually and is at level 19 and 17 last year. She is 7 yrs old, spayed and I think a min pin.

What’s new- she has always had itching but it has become progressively worse. I switched her food, many times, to more raw each time trying to avoid certain ingredients. I have allergy tested, gut tested, mouth swabbed and hair tested, in an effort to find the similar allergens. She is taking herbs such as omega 3 liquid, quercetin, beta sitosterol,proviable dc probiotic. I have also home cooked and tried goats milk, bone broth , allergy treats, shampooing multiple times a week, sardines implemented in diet, etc. I took her to vet a few months back and they said there is nothing wrong, just allergies. They tried to give apoquel, cytopoint to which I said no and ultimately agreed to prednisone. This gave her Gi issues and she still itches just not as bad I guess. I took her off the steroid. She had only been titered, no other preventative for about a year or so. She battles with good Gi and not so good sometimes (more good)  with raw, raw freeze dried and gently cooked. Her issue is heat and red ears, tummy, chewing at feet and legs. She gets hot to where I take her temp; No fever tho. She has dropped some weight I believe due to the raw diet. Her appetite is big and she plays a bit with other dogs, and lives walks. I can tell she is not feeling her best due to the inflammation heat, redness and itching. She sounds like she has nasal congestion also. She moans (her vocal way) to how this is affecting her. This is also taking all of my attention and happiness, and that if my household. Can you please tell me what you recommend as the conventional vets have no clue? Thanks in advance!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  your dog is looking good in the photo, so you must be doing something right!

I don't see any reason (even with the history of seizures) not to approach your dog the same way I advocate all chronic skin problems in real-food-fed dogs be approached, namely:

- some sort of "Shao Yang" formula to calm the immune system and promote a happier gut

- a real food diet that MUST have at LEAST 1/6 to 1/3 of its volume taken up by plants (such as vegetables, berries, cooked whole grains, etc.)

- a Lactobacillus probiotic and probably also some colostrum to help it 'take root' in your dog's microbiome

Regarding the Shao Yang formula, since your dog is prone to seizures and has had GI issues on prednisone, I'd probably recommend starting with Halscion (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Halscion-85g-p647327436) by Gold Standard Herbs. It should settle the stomach, protect against seizures, but begin to reduce the itch. If you see that over the next few weeks, you can try to accelerate itch relief by adding in Cessorex. The two together should slowly heal your dog's allergies. If the current 'breakthrough' itch subsides, then lower the pred dose until you see a little itching again, and continue to treat until it, too, disappears. Eventually you should be able to 'stair step' your way off the pred and have an itch-free dog.

There are other formulas that can augment the effects of Halscion and Cessorex, but I would try them first to see where you end up.

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 This is my swest girl Sadie. She is almost 11 months old and a purebred blue Weimaraner. 

I recently found this skin tag looking lump on her head. It’s gotten bigger within the week and I noticed this morning it had bled a little bit. It is really loose like it’s going to fall off. She does get dry skin/fungal bumps sometimes that I use a shampoo to treat but nothing that looks like this. Is this anything I should be super concerned about?

Dr. Steve's Advice -   my own Weim has one as well. If it's looking like it will fall off, the problem may solve itself. To know for sure what it is, you'll need your vet to look at it. I just can't guarantee an accurate diagnosis from photos and videos. 

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 Hi, Dr. Steve.

I wanted thank you for all of your advice and give you an update on Brittany, and ask a quick question. I’d gotten your advice on her skin issues, as well a full CCL rupture. We switched her diet to Dr. Harvey’s allergy food (salmon recipe) on March 15, 23. I started her on Cessorex for the skin about a week or so later, and after she ruptured her CCL I started her on Voltrex (April 20th). We were able to find an integrative that was 4 hours away and took Brittany to see her May 15th. I’ll include a picture of the difference in her skin after seeing her. Her diagnosis was TCVM Diagnosis: Liver Yin Deficiency, Shen Disturbance; Western Diagnosis: Allergies, Torn ACL of LPL. She gave us a skin serum she formulated to use twice daily, started her on Jing Tang Tendon Ligament formula, and showed me some massages and ROM exercises to do at home. She suggested acupuncture, and we were able to find someone local to do that. 

My issue now is, within the last month and a half she has become scared of thunderstorms at almost 10 years old. She’s also terrified to go to the new vet for acupuncture. That part isn’t necessarily abnormal because for the last two years she’s been crying and pacing at her regular vet until the vet comes in the room, and then she calms down. But she seems fearful throughout the acupuncture session at this new vet. I thought she’d get used to it, but we’ve been to 4 sessions and she starts crying and trembling as soon as we pull into the parking lot until we leave. I guess I’m more surprised about the sudden storm fear than the behavior at the vet, but I was wondering if any of the herbs I’ve got her on could be contributing to the anxiety. I would think it would be a constant behavior if that were the case, but I wanted to check in and see if you think I should back off of anything.

The top picture of the skin was a week prior to seeing the integrative vet, but the skin looked just as bad the day we saw her. And the video is her walking. She still does a hop jog if she’s trying to get somewhere quickly, and I can tell she’s putting most of her weight on her back right (un-injured) leg. She will groan a bit here and there when moving, so I think she’s probably achy on some days. If you know of anything natural that will help with that it would be appreciated. Currently giving her Dasuquin and Dr. Dobias Feel Good Omegas.

Dr. Steve's Advice -   that is a little bizarre, especially given the support she is getting. There is a homeopathic remedy for 'anticipatory dread' that I think you could try called Gelsemium. I would get the 30C strength. Try it one to two times a day, and then the day of your next visit, if maybe a couple of times before you get in the car.

The photos suggest the skin is much better. What was in the salve that they gave you? It may be a clue to what your dog needs in general.

Regarding her mobility concerns, you could look at trying Lumbrex, which has some of the same herbs as the Jing Tang product, but then additional actions that the JT formula does not. Since it is a Kidney tonic, it may help reduce her fear. Meanwhile, if you didn't see a lot of benefit to the Cessorex and Voltrex, you could try stopping those

Hopefully those ideas help, 

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Hello Dr Steve, hope you can help ,

my dogs (6 yr old border collie ) perianal region & skin surrounding it was treated back in September for infection due to him over licking, he was sedated ( anal sacs were full ) shaved and given oral antibiotics which didn’t make much of a dent in it but did clear the normal skin up . Vet prescribed some Flamazine cream & Isaderm and it seemed to clear. Fast forward to Dec it returned ( but not as severe ) , sedated and culture & sensitivity done ( results below ) while waiting for results told to use Isaderm again ( Christmas period) , then given oral antibiotics for 2 weeks , not much change , so using chlorihexadine wipes & flamazine again ( we are aware that flamazine will only cover E. coli ) and using a medicated powder to try to help dry it out a little as low tail carriage means not much air flow in the area - is there anything else you can suggest ? He has to be sedated every time as he won’t let the vet look. 

I am suspicious that the results are just faeces that was left on his anal area and not accurate results, a bit of a red herring. 

Below are photos :

First two from initial infection in September ( 2nd after sedation , clean/ shave etc…

Third is from today & fourth are the culture & Sens results 

Hope you can help with a few suggestions 

Thanks in advance

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I take it your dog is eating a kibble or some other form of processed food? If so, that is the first step - to change to any kind of real or fresh food diet. Processed foods create a vascular condition called endothelial dysfunction, which then goes on to create chronic inflammation and non-healing wounds (if it happens to involve the skin). Changing the diet will likely help dramatically.

To counter endothelial dysfunction, we need to use so called Blood movers. At the same time, given that this is not a resistant bacteria you're dealing with, but just overgrowth of fecal bacteria, we need immune stimulating herbs. You can achieve both effects if you pair Lift the Qi; and Dispel Stasis from the Palace of Blood, both from Kan Essentials and available online if you're in the US (e.g., from Amazon).

You can get both formula effects in one bottle by using Bu Yang Huan Wan Tang from Natural Path Herb Company. Your vet would need to order this for you.

If your dog is already on a fresh food diet without any processed foods going into the dish, then I would start with a formula called Cessorex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Cessorex-85g-p647327434) by Gold Standard Herbs

Rather than using Isaderm (which could set your dog up for the same problem in the future by suppressing the immune system in the area), try wound healing astringent topical herbs like Witch Hazel, Calendula, and Comfrey, to which maybe a few drops of tea tree oil are added. This will create a genuine wound-healing yet antimicrobial salve. Gold Bond Medicated powder is another idea. In fact, all the things advocated for #doghotspots are fair game, so please look at those posts

Here's hoping this helps you out, so you can put an end to this frustrating cycle

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