Simparica Trio - following on from my itchy dog post!

[MerryMaxmas]

Anyone using Simparica Trio? Following my itchy dog post a few days ago I've been looking at what changes my dog has had over the last few months - today will be his 6th month on Simparica, previous to that I had used Stronghold Plus spot on, my vet suggested switching to Simparica as its a chewable tablet rather than spot on, his itchy skin has definitely been worse this summer which I put down to much drier, hotter weather, plus stress from rupturing his cruciate ligament and surgery, but now I'm wondering if the change of flea treatment could be partly to blame? ?

 

[Clodagh]

Does he actually have fleas?

 

[MerryMaxmas]

No, he's not had fleas for a long time, there's no sign of fleas or bites.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Grass mites? They have been super bad this year. Appear to be fairly regional.

 

[MerryMaxmas]

Possibly, that was my thinking, it has been much drier and warmer this summer so it wouldn't surprise me, in which case as the weather gets colder and wetter I hope his itchiness improves ?

 

[Clodagh]

I was actually thinking that I would avoid using chemicals unnecessarily in a sensitive dog.

 

[MerryMaxmas]

I was actually thinking that I would avoid using chemicals unnecessarily in a sensitive dog.

Yes I am wondering whether flea treatment is not really helping him, other than flea treatment/wormer he isn't on any other meds, maybe I should trial him without it and see if it improves ?

 

[Andie02]

I would ditch the Apoquel and the flea treatments. Apoquel and steroids only masks the problems. Most, but not all skin irritations and yeasty manky ears stem from poor gut health. Start by giving a good probiotic and look at the food ingredients. Food that is poor quality /full of fillers and carbs i.e. cereals/grains, sugar beet, potatoes, carrots, feeds the yeast that can cause itching in some dogs. Try a food that is high in proteins and low in carbs and preferably no grains.
Anything toxic can compromise the immune system which results in poor gut health. These problems can take several weeks/months to leave the system.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I only give parasite treatments if I am travelling (as it's a necessity) or if I see evidence of parasites.

 

[Andie02]

I was actually thinking that I would avoid using chemicals unnecessarily in a sensitive dog.

Having recently seen the huge amount of dogs suffering with itching/allergies on other sites I find it horrifying, there has to be something in general causing these problems. Years ago this was not heard of. I would avoid anything toxic wherever possible with any pet.

 

[MerryMaxmas]

I would ditch the Apoquel and the flea treatments. Apoquel and steroids only masks the problems. Most, but not all skin irritations and yeasty manky ears stem from poor gut health. Start by giving a good probiotic and look at the food ingredients. Food that is poor quality /full of fillers and carbs i.e. cereals/grains, sugar beet, potatoes, carrots, feeds the yeast that can cause itching in some dogs. Try a food that is high in proteins and low in carbs and preferably no grains.
Anything toxic can compromise the immune system which results in poor gut health. These problems can take several weeks/months to leave the system.

He's not on Apoquel right now and I don't really want to put him back on it. His food is not the best as he can be fussy, so is currently on Tesco senior dry and tinned ? What would you suggest as a good probiotic?

 

[MerryMaxmas]

Having recently seen the huge amount of dogs suffering with itching/allergies on other sites I find it horrifying, there has to be something in general causing these problems. Years ago this was not heard of. I would avoid anything toxic wherever possible with any pet.

It is definitely an issue that has increased over the years ?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Having gone through it with a dog who was made very uncomfortable by life in general, my own research has shown me that there can be a strong genetic element too.

 

[Andie02]

He's not on Apoquel right now and I don't really want to put him back on it. His food is not the best as he can be fussy, so is currently on Tesco senior dry and tinned ? What would you suggest as a good probiotic?

The one that I use is https://www.thepetcarefactory.com/es-rq1d-80mv-advanced-probiotic-plus I haven't tried any others, both dogs are aprox 12kgs each, I have found that 1 and a half each every day works well for them.
Our dog that had the skin irritation issues and manky ears, I also gave her Stinky Stuff food supplement daily and still continue to do so. If she does have an occasional paw licking episode which is very rare I use Aromesse Dermacton Pet Nat products, their ear products are kind and soothing.

The Dogs Naturally magazine has some very useful info on the subject though the lady recommends feeding raw, which we didn't really want to do, she is in US. We have managed our dog without feeding raw.
In the last few days I have come across a site called DogsFirst in Ireland, Dr Conor Brady a cannine nutritionist, he also recommends feeding raw. There is also a huge amount of interesting info on his website, and is well worth reading. He does consults online, a lady who I have been talking to online who's dog has really bad problems has recently done a consultation re her dog with him. She will keep in touch with me to let me know how her dog is doing with his suggestions.

The food that you are using is nutritionally very poor which will not help with his issues.

 

[druid]

I would ditch the Apoquel and the flea treatments. Apoquel and steroids only masks the problems. Most, but not all skin irritations and yeasty manky ears stem from poor gut health. Start by giving a good probiotic and look at the food ingredients. Food that is poor quality /full of fillers and carbs i.e. cereals/grains, sugar beet, potatoes, carrots, feeds the yeast that can cause itching in some dogs. Try a food that is high in proteins and low in carbs and preferably no grains.
Anything toxic can compromise the immune system which results in poor gut health. These problems can take several weeks/months to leave the system.

While I'm an advocate of good quality food, there are some dogs for whom apoquel or steroids are the only relief they will get from skin problems. You can't just group all skin problems together. Diet is a huge factor in health and skin problems can certainly be reflective of issues with nutrition but there are many, many other factors at play. Genetics, environmental exposure and parasites can all contibute.

Yes I'm a vet and often get frustrated at owner lack of compliance with treatment plans for skin issues leading to prolonged suffering. (Oh and Conor Brady who is vehemently anti-vet actually recommends me to his clients for several veterinary issues )

 

[MerryMaxmas]

The one that I use is https://www.thepetcarefactory.com/es-rq1d-80mv-advanced-probiotic-plus I haven't tried any others, both dogs are aprox 12kgs each, I have found that 1 and a half each every day works well for them.
Our dog that had the skin irritation issues and manky ears, I also gave her Stinky Stuff food supplement daily and still continue to do so. If she does have an occasional paw licking episode which is very rare I use Aromesse Dermacton Pet Nat products, their ear products are kind and soothing.

The Dogs Naturally magazine has some very useful info on the subject though the lady recommends feeding raw, which we didn't really want to do, she is in US. We have managed our dog without feeding raw.
In the last few days I have come across a site called DogsFirst in Ireland, Dr Conor Brady a cannine nutritionist, he also recommends feeding raw. There is also a huge amount of interesting info on his website, and is well worth reading. He does consults online, a lady who I have been talking to online who's dog has really bad problems has recently done a consultation re her dog with him. She will keep in touch with me to let me know how her dog is doing with his suggestions.

The food that you are using is nutritionally very poor which will not help with his issues.

The food that you are using is nutritionally very poor which will not help with

The one that I use is https://www.thepetcarefactory.com/es-rq1d-80mv-advanced-probiotic-plus I haven't tried any others, both dogs are aprox 12kgs each, I have found that 1 and a half each every day works well for them.
Our dog that had the skin irritation issues and manky ears, I also gave her Stinky Stuff food supplement daily and still continue to do so. If she does have an occasional paw licking episode which is very rare I use Aromesse Dermacton Pet Nat products, their ear products are kind and soothing.

The Dogs Naturally magazine has some very useful info on the subject though the lady recommends feeding raw, which we didn't really want to do, she is in US. We have managed our dog without feeding raw.
In the last few days I have come across a site called DogsFirst in Ireland, Dr Conor Brady a cannine nutritionist, he also recommends feeding raw. There is also a huge amount of interesting info on his website, and is well worth reading. He does consults online, a lady who I have been talking to online who's dog has really bad problems has recently done a consultation re her dog with him. She will keep in touch with me to let me know how her dog is doing with his suggestions.

The food that you are using is nutritionally very poor which will not help with his issues.

Yes the food he is on is not good, I'm actually looking into food that is nutritionally better, hopefully that will go help to alleviate his itchy skin ?

 

[skinnydipper]

Yes the food he is on is not good, I'm actually looking into food that is nutritionally better, hopefully that will go help to alleviate his itchy skin ?

If food allergy is suspected you can either spend years dotting about randomly changing foods in the hope you hit lucky OR you can do the job properly and start your dog on an elimination diet and find out precisely which foods your dog reacts to.

In the last few days I have come across a site called DogsFirst in Ireland, Dr Conor Brady a cannine nutritionist, he also recommends feeding raw.

If you are changing to raw because of food allergies you need to know which proteins your dog is allergic to.

You could do this by following a raw elimination diet - start with an animal protein that you know your dog has never eaten, some sites sell exotic novel proteins, add nothing else, no supplements, no veg, nothing. If the dog has no reaction then introduce another protein.

 

[Andie02]

Yes the food he is on is not good, I'm actually looking into food that is nutritionally better, hopefully that will go help to alleviate his itchy skin ?

I did a lot of research. As previously mentioned we didn't want to do the raw route, we have found that Orijen 85% protein works well for our dog along with Forthglade Just Range wet food. The Orijen that we have used is the 6 Fish, the Regional Red and the Tundra all without problems. Even the Forthglade with veggies throws her out of kilter whereby she tries herself to flush it out of her system.