Hair of the Dog

 We have been doing very well dealing with Teddy's tendency to get hot-spots.  Knock on wood, but we have not had a single spot all summer.  Her allergy pills are expensive.  At the vet, they are well over three bucks per pill.  I had a large refill from an on-line pet pharmacy this spring for $2.49.  This time, I found a source for them at $2.24.  I will look for a lower price next time around.  I am so thankful for Internet pet pharmacies!

Because I am always aware of side-effects and also want to keep costs down, I've got her on a  minimum dose that seems to be working.  She gets a half pill (8mg) every other day.  On the off days, she gets either a Benadryl or Zyrtec.  Both are safe for dogs.

In addition to her meds, she gets a tablespoon of "The Missing Link."  Their skin/coat formula was recommended by a vet at a seminar I went to years ago.  The lady was a canine immunologist so allergies were her thing.  Some people say this formula has too many things in it and they don't think there is enough of any one ingredient to make a difference.  All I can say, is that we are using it -- and my dog's skin and coat does look better.  A bag lasts close to two months but sets me back around $29 when tax is included.

Along with meds and supplements, we rinse her off after every swim.  Every three times, she gets a shampooing.  I used to use dandruff shampoo but I think that dried her fur out too much and caused itching.  I use a mixture of Neutrogena Rainbath, dog shampoo, a small bit of dandruff shampoo, and a little bit of Povidone Iodine.  I dilute this with quite a bit of water.

She gets combed every time she gets wet.  As for flea/tick preventive, I give that every month -- but I give a half dose.   She is on the low weight end for the dosage and this works fine.  With most things, I find I save money by buying the largest dosage and cutting it in half.

In order to be sure ear infections from swimming don't cause trouble, we use a vet solution to clean them every couple of days.  She hasn't needed a daily cleaning so far.  We do check her ears for gook every day.  As for grooming, we're sticking to every six weeks and not letting her coat get too full/long.

As for food, I have been adding an egg a day to her diet.  I am also giving her chicken skin along with her regular meals.  When I made her veggie slop, I add oil to it.  I figure all the extra Omegas can only help.  Since she is not fat, eating extra fat causes no additional weight gain.

We have had to spend serious money to treat skin allergies.  It's tough to pay so much for prescriptions and formulas -- but it is cheaper than a single vet visit and it makes us all feel better.  Other than skin issues, this dog is never sick.  She has been quite an expenditure -- between orthopedic surgery and skin allergies... but I love her and she is my baby.  All this is the reason why we only want to have one pet at a time.  It's easier to treat everything if there is only one animal to deal with.  At one point we had a dog and two geriatric cats.  Now that was tough on the wallet!