Epi4Dogs

Hi. I'm looking into using natural oils for Lassie's skin, she has dermatitis, which I see from the website happens to a lot of dogs with EPI. Oils including diluted essential oils and from seeds and nuts. I would need to apply it directly to her skin (finally got her diet right).

My other question also relates to diet.

If anyone has a game that will stretch her mind and doesn't need food treats to train her to understand the steps of the game. (I used to use food before her EPI kicked in. At the moment she likes ice cubes but really only used as a reward at the end of the game.)

Hello from Yorkshire, glad to hear you are keeping things under control, it’s not easy. Any people here have dogs with an itching problem, but mine had blisters that went raw. She had steroids and antibiotics.
How does the dermatitis present itself? What part of the body, is it inflamed or raw? As you know, it can have different causes. Often it is allergies, or it can be part of the auto immune condition. So what is the vet prescribing? Natural remedies don’t declare the ingredients, even oils will have preservatives or impurities. Some, like tea tree are astringent and sting delicate skin. They may be allergenic . I’m not very helpful here because there is no proper clinical evidence to support them, otherwise vets would recommend them.
Many people here have had proper allergy tests done , which can then resolve the problem, and I’m sure they will come online.
We’d all be delighted if you share your story and meds in order to help us help you, and other epi parents!

Hi and welcome to the forum. My jack russell had a hide a squirrel plush toy that he loved to find. But then one day the instinct took over and the whole thing was shredded.

https://www.thisdogslife.co/10-of-the-b ... bored-dog/

Yes , good to see you on the forum! The crew from England will help you with the products. They are very knowledgeable.

Hello are you seeing white flakes like dandruff we had this with Maddie it just went as the body repaired itself ...but alot of us use organic coconut oil i did add it to he food but started slowly with 1/4 tsp per meal and increased once she tolerated it some also us salmon oil but it didnt seem to suit her.
As for treats she loved playing so wasnt intrested in treats ...dogs do survive with out them it was even harder for us becuase when Maddie was DX we had a food mad other GSD ...i always found hiding there favourite toy was a hit with her i would lock them in the kitchen and then go hide th etoy somewhere silly in the house and in the summer in the garden.

I too found "hiding" things and asking my gal to "find it" was (for her) more rewarding than treats. she LOVED doing that (started by hiding something behind my back while sitting on the floor. Progressed to giving her a "whiff" of something, calling it a name, made her "sit" while i hid the items and then i would ask her to go (and i would use the name) of the item she got so good that she would not only find things for me, but items of other people, AND she knew the difference between sets of shoes... would bring me one and then i would ask her to go get "the other one" and she would

Regarding oils / topical... you can also try calendula oil... i used to grow these little flowers and make a balm out of them for hot spots... it was a nice way to help it heal naturally. COconut oil as a salve also is very good. BUT is your dog has sores/ hot spots you can always give a nice body wash rinse with baking soda and warm water- -kills many bacteria and softens the skin.

To fix dry intchy/flaky skin in an EPI dog... many of us give coconut oil in the food.. or supplement daily with fish oil... for some folks it take about 3 weeks before you see results.... but all 3 of my dogs (1 is an EPI dog) improved with these oils...

i also taught Izzy to put her toys away... to get me certain items.... and to "carry it" (she would carry something in her mouth when we went for a walk....) i always started off with a small item and just a few paces... but increased distance a little at a time

for your kind intro, and advice.

Putting together information, hopefully help (amazing how complicated her condition is). Many thanks for the idea of the find game. Hopefully she won't shread her toys.

Funnily enough I've been growing Calendula, a lot of them, and they're still flowering in the cold of November.

For the balm, may I ask what base oil used?

hi

i am sorry i late to this party

where are you, we are in Liverpool

games, where to start, the hiding game is a good one, Kara has always been to highly strung to play in the house, but outside she would play for hours, and a squeaky ball is a must , and a tug rope, and a ball launcher


I give you a huge welcomer

they do sometimes get a dry coat, and coconut oil is brilliant, however, if it is dermatitis there are various types, if the vet is involved I would ask

please ask anything