Harvest mite

[Birker2020]

Our dog is at the vets this afternoon for examination, we think she's got harvest mite from the long grass when we visit Lari. The grass has seeded and is about 2ft tall. Her eye is sore, her ears itchy and she's got sore skin everywhere, we've been trying to stop her scratching with a cone and the E45 cream to stop the scratch cycle until the vet appointment which we brought forward.

Obviously we've kept her out of the long grass since.

She had a bath about 8 days prior with dog shampoo so don't think its that. We've put a flea comb through her a number of times but can't find anything, believe harvest mites are small orange critters. Her diet hasn't changed and there are no sprays she's been exposed to. She's happy, bright and been running around with her friends last night wating and drinking normally.

Horse has also had a reaction, he's been exposed to the same grass albeit it in another field but we think that's due to hogweed.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would think it more likely that she as had an allergic reaction to the grass/seeds tbh. I've had dogs react badly to long grass.

 

[Birker2020]

I would think it more likely that she as had an allergic reaction to the grass/seeds tbh. I've had dogs react badly to long grass.

Oh really? Yes thought it was weird we can't see anything in her coat.

This is the field so it's pretty long grass. Was also fertilised back in April/May time with little white balls, we walked across whilst it was being done. No reaction at the time to the fertiliser so it might well be the grass.

 

[skinnydipper]

She also looks like she has a meibomian cyst on her right lower lid, probably due to inflammation. I would ask your vet to have a look at it while she is there.

 

[Clodagh]

Oh really? Yes thought it was weird we can't see anything in her coat.

This is the field so it's pretty long grass. Was also fertilised back in April/May time with little white balls, we walked across whilst it was being done. No reaction at the time to the fertiliser so it might well be the grass.

I hope the horses weren’t turned out until the fertiliser had been taken up?
I agree with PAS, probably an allergic reaction to the grass.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I really would not take a dog anywhere near artificial fertiliser! I'd leave it a week at the very least and preferably a bit of rain too. I've known dogs get very sick/die after accidental exposure.

Poor lass, looks pretty sore, hope she recovers soon. What did the vet say?

 

[Birker2020]

I hope the horses weren’t turned out until the fertiliser had been taken up?
I agree with PAS, probably an allergic reaction to the grass.

The horses aren't in the fertilised field until after it's been cut.

 

[CorvusCorax]

The horses aren't in the fertilised field until after it's been cut.

Round here, they cut, then fertilise/spread.

 

[Birker2020]

I really would not take a dog anywhere near artificial fertiliser! I'd leave it a week at the very least and preferably a bit of rain too. I've known dogs get very sick/die after accidental exposure.

Poor lass, looks pretty sore, hope she recovers soon. What did the vet say?

We were halfway across the field before we realised he was fertilising it otherwise we'd probably not although it is a public footpath that runs down it where we were walking. It was months ago so unrelated.

Vet thinks it's an allergy to the grass, she says its not harvest mite. She put a scope down her ears which were sore and she took a scraping but thinks she's got a yeast infection. Says its common in her type of breed. She's ringing us to let us know what she's found under the microscope and she's given us a prescription for some tablets 1.5 tablets twice a day - Apoquel 16mg tablets which controls itching associated with atopic dermatitis. It works to control the enzymes in allergic reactions and gives relief within 4 hours. We ordered them about an hour ago.

Also asked us to give her a dilute hibiscrub bath twice a week, and gave us eye drops for her eyes.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yeah I've had to have mine on Apoquel for skin issues, you could look into Cytopoint injections every so often going forward, it's really helped my female.

 

[Birker2020]

Vet just rang to confirm she has a yeast infection in her ears.

She's going to give us drops which are a cleaner as well as an antibiotic.

As for the hay, not that it matters but you can fertilise with phosphorous I believe it is prior to first cut. I don't know if it was fertiliser, just assuming it was, little white balls - I'm not a farmer. It could have been an additive or soil supplement, not sure.

He did it because it was due to rain I think. Like I say it was April time and not relevant to Summer now.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yeah I'd call white balls 'artificial', round here, they put that or slurry down a day or so after the cut, for both grazing and silage cut fields, it's all go round here. Interesting to hear there are regional differences!

 

[Birker2020]

Yeah I'd call white balls 'artificial', round here, they put that or slurry down a day or so after the cut, for both grazing and silage cut fields, it's all go round here. Interesting to hear there are regional differences!

We were only saying the other day we weren't sure why it hadn't been cut yet as it's all seeded.

But maybe it's better for them like that because its lower in value being a retirement yard.

I'm not sure. I'm assuming it will be cut for hay, there won't be any shortage this year, they've got some off one of the other fields.

 

[skinnydipper]

Vet just rang to confirm she has a yeast infection in her ears.

Could it be her food allergies causing the yeast infection? Do you think it would be worth going back to feeding her the Purina Pro Plan HA that was previously prescribed? As a bonus it might help her skin too.

 

[[59851]]

Could it be her food allergies causing the yeast infection? Do you think it would be worth going back to feeding her the Purina Pro Plan HA that was previously prescribed? As a bonus it might help her skin too.

I was thinking this - I'd cut out any chicken in her diet, they really get fed on some crud that seems to cause allergy issues in dogs and cats eating the meat.

 

[Birker2020]

Could it be her food allergies causing the yeast infection? Do you think it would be worth going back to feeding her the Purina Pro Plan HA that was previously prescribed? As a bonus it might help her skin too.

Vet says its something to do with hay-fever, i.e seasonal. She was like this last Summer too.

Besides, she won't eat the purina on its own, she never has done even when she is starving. Most treats she won't touch, that's how fussy she is.

 

[Clodagh]

Vet says its something to do with hay-fever, i.e seasonal. She was like this last Summer too.

Besides, she won't eat the purina on its own, she never has done even when she is starving. Most treats she won't touch, that's how fussy she is.

I have hay fever, which feeds into other allergies. If I drink cheap red wine I get snotty, if I eat fake cream like elmLea I get really ill.
So I think what SD and Maisie are suggesting is her diet being good will help with her skin.
I may have said before that T gets skanky ears on cheap food.

 

[Birker2020]

I have hay fever, which feeds into other allergies. If I drink cheap red wine I get snotty, if I eat fake cream like elmLea I get really ill.
So I think what SD and Maisie are suggesting is her diet being good will help with her skin.
I may have said before that T gets skanky ears on cheap food.

I hear what you are saying. But I wish you were here in our kitchen trying to feed our dog either just plain purina or tinned dog food or a variation of the two. When she is very hungry (and you have added something with lots of flavour like a teaspoon of smoked mackerel or a few drops of fat from the sunday roast for example) then she will eat the biscuits, but other than that they normally get left in her bowl, if she is incredibly hungry she might eat them eventually.

She has gone four days when we first had her from Beagle Welfare and she turned her nose up at Chum, Chappie and everything in between. The only thing she will eat is chopped ham, chicken, turkey, beef, corned beef, luncheon meat. She won't eat any veg or rice even in very minute amounts.

She will eat those rolls pictured below but we were advised against feeding her that on this forum because they have lots of additives and fat in them. I've told OH not to give her luncheon meat, or corned beef anymore because of the fat content and we try to buy ham that has less salt in it as we realise that is bad for her kidneys. But when you have a dog that is that fussy that she turns her nose up at nearly every treat on the market, you can understand our frustration. We can't force her to eat. It is a mission and a half, the vet doesn't seem to think that feeding the chicken and turkey meat slices are much of an issue.

Vet said to bathe her sore spots twice daily with dilute hibiscrub, leave five mins and then wash off and we are doing this.

 

[skinnydipper]

Vet says its something to do with hay-fever, i.e seasonal. She was like this last Summer too.

Besides, she won't eat the purina on its own, she never has done even when she is starving. Most treats she won't touch, that's how fussy she is.

Yes, I remember she had problems last year and was treated for mites.

She seems to have had ongoing problems with allergies affecting her skin and her ears for some years now and I remember that the vet previously thought food was a factor.

Unfortunately allergies aren’t always restricted to one type and she could have food and environmental allergies.

I just thought it might be worth putting her back on her prescription food, in addition to the Apoquel.

If you do put her back on the Purina HA it is important not to give her ANYTHING else in addition. No toppers, gravy, cooked meats. No treats. Nothing.

I hope the Apoquel helps to make her more comfortable.

I am not a vet, and obviously her vet is the best person to advise you, but she looked to have a meibomian cyst, I don’t know if this was discussed at her visit. There are little glands along the eyelids which produce oil which helps to lubricate the eye. In Summer’s case inflammation of her eyelids may have blocked the opening of one of the glands and caused a build of the oil causing a cyst. Once she has completed the treatment for her eyes, and the inflammation has settled, if the cyst remains you could try holding a warm compress on the eye for a few minutes a couple of times a day and see if that helps to unblock the gland, this might take some weeks. If the cyst becomes a nuisance and irritates her eye then the vet might suggest removal under GA.

 

[AmyMay]

You don’t need to feed veg to dogs, especially one prone to yeast infections. And I certainly wouldn’t feed a dog food that was generally bad for them.

They eat, or go hungry. They’re wolf’s so designed to go for long periods of time without eating.

Our Jack soon learned that food went down, then got picked up again (when we first had him). He too went four days, and then never refused what I offered again.

 

[skinnydipper]

I hear what you are saying. But I wish you were here in our kitchen trying to feed our dog either just plain purina or tinned dog food or a variation of the two. When she is very hungry (and you have added something with lots of flavour like a bit of smoked mackeral or some chicken skin) then she will eat the biscuits, but they normally get left in her bowl.

She has gone four days when we first had her from beagle welfare and she turned her nose up at Chum, Chappie and everything in between. The only thing she will eat is chopped ham, chicken, turkey, beef, corned beef, luncheon meat. She won't eat any veg or rice even in very minute amounts.

While I was typing my reply there have been new posts.

Adding ANYTHING to the Purina HA totally negates any benefit from feeding it.

I'm just going to say that meals here have never been multiple choice.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I have never known a dog willingly starve itself to death.

Please don't think I am picking on you, I have to do this all the time at dog club and some of the people I have had to be very blunt with, the first time I have met them, are now good pals and have told me later that they now agree with what I said at the time.
There's no nice way of saying this but judging on the photo from the OP and others I've seen, she has enough reserves to fall back on if she didn't eat for a few days and restart on a healthier regime. Also, I know you've been told this before, and it's especially important if she's scratching, but nails. It will also help her move around better and prevent lameness from rocking back on her paws.

I know you think everyone always wants to get at you but it's nothing to do with that, you've posted asking for help with your dog and included pictures, and everyone is genuinely trying to help you with your dog.
I know how soul destroying skin conditions can be, I've been there, there are things you can do to mitigate and try to get out of the endless cycle.

 

[Clodagh]

I have never known a dog willingly starve itself to death.

Please don't think I am picking on you, I have to do this all the time at dog club and some of the people I have had to be very blunt with, the first time I have met them, are now good pals and have told me later that they now agree with what I said at the time.
There's no nice way of saying this but judging on the photo from the OP and others I've seen, she has enough reserves to fall back on if she didn't eat for a few days and restart on a healthier regime. Also, I know you've been told this before, and it's especially important if she's scratching, but nails. It will also help her move around better and prevent lameness from rocking back on her paws.

I know you think everyone always wants to get at you but it's nothing to do with that, you've posted asking for help with your dog and included pictures, and everyone is genuinely trying to help you with your dog.
I know how soul destroying skin conditions can be, I've been there, there are things you can do to mitigate and try to get out of the endless cycle.

This all the way. Tawny is just a nightmare and it’s so depressing when you get it under control and then ears/mouth wrinkles get smelly and sore again.

 

[skinnydipper]

I know you think everyone always wants to get at you but it's nothing to do with that, you've posted asking for help with your dog and included pictures, and everyone is genuinely trying to help you with your dog.
I know how soul destroying skin conditions can be, I've been there, there are things you can do to mitigate and try to get out of the endless cycle.

It's because we have been through it ourselves, some of us more than once, that we want to help.

I've had 2 with allergies, affecting them in different ways - one itchy, one gut. It's no fun.

You have to make changes, find out what works and what doesn't. Keep doing what you've always done and nothing will change.

 

[Birker2020]

I have never known a dog willingly starve itself to death.

Please don't think I am picking on you, I have to do this all the time at dog club and some of the people I have had to be very blunt with, the first time I have met them, are now good pals and have told me later that they now agree with what I said at the time.
There's no nice way of saying this but judging on the photo from the OP and others I've seen, she has enough reserves to fall back on if she didn't eat for a few days and restart on a healthier regime. Also, I know you've been told this before, and it's especially important if she's scratching, but nails. It will also help her move around better and prevent lameness from rocking back on her paws.

I know you think everyone always wants to get at you but it's nothing to do with that, you've posted asking for help with your dog and included pictures, and everyone is genuinely trying to help you with your dog.
I know how soul destroying skin conditions can be, I've been there, there are things you can do to mitigate and try to get out of the endless cycle.

I know you aren't picking on me CC. Unfortunately if she was my dog I think she would be starved till she ate but I am always over ridden in our household. She'd have her cone on for a few days too but its all I can do to manage her having 3 hours before its taken off again.

She had her claws cut at the vets, unfortunately she had one the vet cut too close to the quick and it bled, she had one of those lipstick type sticks to stop it bleeding, she had it prepared just in case. She said its a nightmare doing her claws as most of them are black claws so its hard to see the line.

So with her claw and the scope down her ear which made her scream she had a bit of a rough day. I felt so sorry for her I took her a tiny bit of pork crackling which I'd popped in a tissue in my handbag when we went for a carvery on Friday night. And as we expected she turned her nose up at it! She really is the fussiest dog ever! I mean what dog won't eat a tiny bit of pork crackling!?

 

[skinnydipper]

Are you able to cut her nails at home? You could take your time then, just trim off a sliver at a time and keep checking the end of the nail. Stop when you see a white circle.

If she doesn't like them clipped, try a nail grinder.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I know you aren't picking on me CC. Unfortunately if she was my dog I think she would be starved till she ate but I am always over ridden in our household. She'd have her cone on for a few days too but its all I can do to manage her having 3 hours before its taken off again.

She had her claws cut at the vets, unfortunately she had one the vet cut too close to the quick and it bled, she had one of those lipstick type sticks to stop it bleeding, she had it prepared just in case. She said its a nightmare doing her claws as most of them are black claws so its hard to see the line.

So with her claw and the scope down her ear which made her scream she had a bit of a rough day. I felt so sorry for her I took her a tiny bit of pork crackling which I'd popped in a tissue in my handbag when we went for a carvery on Friday night. And as we expected she turned her nose up at it! She really is the fussiest dog ever! I mean what dog won't eat a tiny bit of pork crackling!?

OK so again, I am going to do a bit of tough love here. I know how hard you have been working on your own health and fitness and diet, as well as advocating for a close family member. Reading between the lines, your OH could have been a bit more supportive in the past in terms of what is purchased and cooked at home, in order for you to become healthier. You have proven you can take control of your own health and you are fighting very hard in other areas of your life, now it's time for your OH to realise that his intransigence/unwillingness to change may mean his dog is in pain/uncomfortable. He will be helping his dog and you and overall, himself.
Loving a dog means you DON'T give it inappropriate food that may be causing health issues. Food = 'I love you/care about you' is a human thought process and it isn't healthy for humans either (again, I have experience, my mother is an emotional eater).
You have enough on your plate without an itchy dog.

 

[Birker2020]

OK so again, I am going to do a bit of tough love here. I know how hard you have been working on your own health and fitness and diet, as well as advocating for a close family member. Reading between the lines, your OH could have been a bit more supportive in the past in terms of what is purchased and cooked at home, in order for you to become healthier. You have proven you can take control of your own health and you are fighting very hard in other areas of your life, now it's time for your OH to realise that his intransigence/unwillingness to change may mean his dog is in pain/uncomfortable. He will be helping his dog and you and overall, himself.
Loving a dog means you DON'T give it inappropriate food that may be causing health issues. Food = 'I love you/care about you' is a human thought process and it isn't healthy for humans either (again, I have experience, my mother is an emotional eater).
You have enough on your plate without an itchy dog.

I hear

 

[AmyMay]

I just wanted to come back to the whole ‘dog is fussy’ thing. And this is a general observation, not aimed at the OP.

A client’s dog was diagnosed with diabetes two months ago. As a result both her dogs are now fed twice a day with absolutely no treats/snacks in between. The ‘healthy’ dog who was previously fussy, now isn’t. Quite simply I suspect because he’s genuinely hungry at meal times and is no longer getting the rubbish he was previously fed. He protested for a couple of days only.

 

[Andie02]

There is loads of advice on this site regarding itchy dogs

Itchy Dogs Part 1/10: Why is my Dog Itching? - Dogs First

The top 10 tips for itchy dogs before you call the vet Part 1/10: Why is my dog itching all the time - the most common question at DF! Here we answer it...

dogsfirst.ie