Wordless Wednesday - Tucked Paws

At least they're no longer pink or pathetic!

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Feeling Much Better

Life has been busy with non-dog-related activities, namely too much work. But Cabana has been doing really well, and sometimes, it amazes me how easy she is. She has matured into such a great dog with very few issues. (Well, we just have one ongoing struggle that I will blog about one of these days.)

Over the past few months, Cabana had been itchier than usual. I thought it was due to food allergies, and it mostly manifested itself in her gnawing at her poor pink paws. After removing the food/treats that I thought were the culprit, the itching persisted, which made me realize there were seasonal/environmental triggers as well. A couple weeks ago, I started Cabana on Allerplex, an all-natural allergy supplement for humans. I've been putting two capsules in her breakfast and two in her dinner (I just drop the whole capsules in her bowl, and she eats them up without the slightest reservation). After a week, Cabana's itching stopped completely.

What I didn't realize before was how much Cabana hadn't been her usual self. I would take her to the dog park, and she would barely play with other dogs, even her most favorite friends like Bodhi. She used to run and romp endlessly, but lately, she might play half-heartedly for a few minutes, and that would be it. But I had thought she was just growing up and wasn't as interested in that kind of play. It never occurred to me that her low energy level was related to allergies.

But since we started the Allerplex, the difference is incredible. Cabana is SO much more playful! I had no idea how much the allergies had been slowing her down before. It's so great to see her return to her happy self. Unlike Benadryl, Allerplex doesn't cause drowsiness. It doesn't really have any side effects, except one. Allerplex contains fenugreek, which is similar to curry powder, so now Cabana smells a bit like Indian food!

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Something Fishy

While we were away at Seven Oaks Ranch last weekend, after a couple days there, I noticed that Cabana was scratching herself a LOT. She began chewing her paws frantically, stopping mid-step to scratch her belly with her back paws, and thumping the floor loudly while trying to scratch her front legs with her back legs. I had never seen Cabana scratch herself this much and with such vigor and intensity.

I immediately thought the water in the pond was the culprit. I had hosed Cabana off after she had been in the water, but I hadn't given her a full-blown bath. Thankfully, I brought doggy shampoo with me, so I gave her a thorough bath. But still the itching continued.

The second day there, I took Cabana to a dog park in the area. It was a very nice park, fully fenced, well maintained, with friendly dogs and people. But Cabana would not play.

In fact, at one point, every dog in the park came up to her, almost surrounding her, and she barked at them! It was like they were asking her what her problem was, and she was telling them to go away and leave her alone. Cabana has gotten more selective about who she wants to play with, preferring familiar dogs that she's known for a while. But I still felt that her behavior was quite unusual.

Finally, it occurred to me what was causing her itching and her anti-social behavior. The new treats that I had been giving her so generously!! They have mussels in them, an ingredient Cabana hasn't had before. I should have clued in much quicker, since last month, I had stopped giving her salmon kibble, due to itchy paws. Maybe Cabana is allergic to seafood in general. I still think Ziwi Peak is a high quality brand, but we'll avoid the fishy varieties.

I bought Cabana some Benadryl and have been giving it to her for the past 3 days. The itching has subsided somewhat, but the effects of the allergy are still lingering. I'm amazed at how long it's taking the mussels to leave her system. Hopefully, she won't be uncomfortable for too much longer.

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Update on Itchy Paws

Over the past week, Cabana's itchy paws seem to be less itchy. I've seen her biting on them a little bit, but not with the same intensity. It seems more like a boredom thing now, while before, it was more of a desperation thing.

Unfortunately, I don't think drinking apple cider vinegar helped her. I didn't try spraying it on her paws, as some folks suggested. I was worried it would leave residue on the carpets, but I suppose it would have been easy enough to wipe off any excess before letting her walk around.

I think the culprit was Cabana's food. It's kind of a long and convoluted story, but basically, a few months ago, I had switched Cabana to Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato. It's a grain-free food and seemed very high quality, which it may well be. Because it was grain-free, I just figured it wouldn't be highly allergenic. I guess I was wrong.

Around the same time that I was slowly switching Cabana to the new food, some good friends of ours moved to Hawaii. They gave us a HUGE container of Kirkland dog food, which Cabana has eaten in the past. Because I didn't want to waste the Kirkland food, I had been mixing it with the new food, 50/50, since mid-December. But in the last couple weeks, since we had finally made a dent in the amount of Kirkland, I started giving Cabana 75% of the new food, 25% of the old.

The transition was so gradual that I couldn't tell that the new food was the problem. I think when the ratio changed to mostly new food, the allergy signals became apparent enough that I finally paid attention.

Of course, it's all guesswork, but the pieces seem to be fitting together, in my mind anyway. Interestingly, over the past few months, I had been noticing that Cabana didn't seem as playful anymore. She would play with other dogs at the park, but only for a few minutes and not with much gusto. I just thought she was growing older and losing interest in that kind of play. But this past week, after removing the new food from her diet, she seems much more her old rambunctious self. Hooray, I'm glad she got her youthful energy back. And I'm sure she's relieved that I finally figured out the problem...or at least I hope I did.

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Tuesday Topics #43 - Itchy Paws

Over the past few months, I have noticed Cabana spending a lot more time licking her feet. We've been to the vet for other reasons, and he mentioned that her paw pads are really pink. I asked him if I should change her food, and he said he didn't think it was bad enough to warrant that. He said it could be caused by so many factors, like allergies to grass or pesticides, and that I should give her a bath with oatmeal soap, but that was about it for suggestions.

Still, it seems to be getting worse, so I've been looking online for answers. A lot of sites talk about mixing a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into your dog's food. Not only is it supposed to be helpful for allergies, but it also aids in digestion, watery eye discharge, and helps keep fleas and ticks away.

So before I switch Cabana's food, I decided to give the apple cider vinegar a try. Cabana definitely notices it when I put it in her food. She eats much slower, seeming to be puzzled by the taste. I don't think she likes it, although she still licks up every single drop, so it can't be too distasteful. But I feel a little bad for her--I hate to put a damper on the two brightest spots in her day (mealtimes).

I've been giving Cabana the vinegar for about 3 days now, but she's still licking her paws a lot. Has anyone else tried this remedy with any success?

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