Labrador with allergies

[christy]

I have a way to get rid of wandering jew..... chickens!!! Ours have eradicated it from our yard.... do you know anyone with chickens who will lend you them for a few weeks? They will dig up the roots and get rid of it.

The ear infections are another symptom of allergies.... mainly the contact sort

ETA: I forgot to add, humidity makes it all worse. Especially the ears. Skin issues which cause a moist like symptom on the skin, can become yeast infections very quickly.... most ear infections are yeast based. If you get something called 'Malaseb; it is a shampoo with the chlorhexidine in it. If you dilute it 1:40 you can use it as an ear wash to help kill that yeast in the ears and you can use it in the bath for his feet as well! We used it on our lab and for ears to prevent ear infections.

HTH!

[sunshine_sieben]

Christy,
That is sooo funny that you just said that. i was just looking into the idea of renting some chickens with a pen for a month or so, just for some education for the kids. Unfortunately, on the Gold Coast, we are not allowed any chickens in the backyard in properties smaller than 800 square metres. I doubt ours is that big. Our yard is pretty big, but not quite that big. I'd be willing to just keep them illegally for a while, though.
Would be a great way to get rid of our lawn grubs, too.

Yes, I know, the humidity is a killer. And it's been shocking, here on the Gold Coast. That's why having a bucket on his head is a double-edged sword: it gives his legs a chance to heal, but it makes his ears so much more prone to infections because of the reduced airflow around his head. Plus, it must be soooo uncomfortable.

Last time he was at the vet for his ears, he actually had to have a operation. His ears must have been so itchy that he was shaking and scratching them so much, that one of them blew up like a balloon. They did a test of the discharge in the ear and from memory it was a bacteria, not a yeast. We clean his ears out every other day to keep it in check. But it seems like we're fighting a losing battle.

Mmmm, I have some more chicken questions for you, but I might open a new thread for that and post the link in here.

[~Kim~]

SS I wish I could tell you but it was so long ago I can't remember. Hope he gets some relief soon.

[sunshine_sieben]

Thanks to everyone for our replies. The bucket is doing the trick. His legs have healed up and the hair is growing back. I've also been to a large pet shop where they've suggested something called "Stop-itch lotion". And I went and bought a clam shell pool. So I've been doing the routine with him, also carefully brushing him to get rid of all the dead undercoat. He seems a lot more comfortable now. I'm not quite game enough to take the bucket off completely, but I did for his dinner and he didn't even attempt to scratch anything. Well, he was too busy with his beef tongue.
I have also changed his diet to mostly raw food. I know that they say to make changes like this gradually. But I thought, as I had been giving him meaty bones and offal a couple of times a week anyway, I could make the switch quicker.
We'll see whether that will help.
Having very humid days with 45 degrees (in the sun), doesn't help, though.

Thanks for everyone's tips. I guess when the vet was so unhelpful and only suggested a dermatologist, I lost hope. When I told him that we could not afford it, he just gave me this judgmental look...

Sasa

[sunshine_sieben]

Christy,
Now look what you have started! I have been utterly obsessed with wanting to get some chickens since your post about them eating wandering jew. Not really for their weed control effect, but just in general.