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**pixiegirl** · 04-18-2013, 08:10 AM

Re: Hi! New to forum, newly diagnosed dog any advice pls

I'm quite new at this too, my dog, also a terrier (Airedale) was diagnosed last fall. He still isn't well controlled but we are slowly getting there.

What really interests me about your story is this: Connor was on a very small dose of steroids (temaril P) and Atopica prior to being diagnosed. At the time he was diagnosed he was covered with hot spots (and had been for over a year) and he was losing his fur. In the week or 2 after he went DKA and spent 5 days at the vet's he lost all his hair on his body (not face or legs).

I don't know if the combo of those drugs helped push him over the line to diabetes but both my vet and I have wondered about it a number of times (he started on the Atopica about 3 weeks prior to the DKA incident.

It was late November that he started on insulin. By mid Feb his coat started to grow back and now it seems thicker then it ever was. He also does not have a single hot spot and has not had any for months. If they were somehow related to the diabetes I do not know. He does take an antihistamine and some antibiotic every day (he had problems with the hot spots and staph).

I'd like to get him off the meds but my vet doesn't want too going into allergy season, he said we'll slowly do it in the fall maybe (I think he's being to careful but the fear is Connor will get hot spots again and we can't give him the steroid the only thing that was really effective in clearing him up a bit.

I'm sure others will have a lot of info for you but I do know it takes a while to get regulated and maybe George's health will turn for the better once his insulin levels are more stable.

We never really did find out what Connor is allergic to. Since you are feeding George chicken have you tried a different protein?

**jesse girl** · 04-18-2013, 08:47 AM

Re: Hi! New to forum, newly diagnosed dog any advice pls

hi an welcome its wonderful that you are giving all you can to your pup and there no such thing as to much info

its a difficult disease to get control of for some dogs and for those that are problematic more than likely there is something contributing to the erratic blood sugar which is usually related to stress on the body and the blood sugar can be a window to that

you posted the symptoms of hair loss and allergies

the steroids could have pushed your pup over the edge to diabetes but dogs with allergies can also may factor into it

here is the conundrum the steroids may have been involved with getting diabetes but you saw such a relief with using the steroids for allergies which was a relief for you pup

you do have allot of changes going on short term and long just removing the steroids especially long term use can have a big impact because the body was use to receiving them long term this can not be done cold turkey and must be done slowly as so the body can adapt but vets may want to move quickly because of impact of blood sugar

this is where the conundrum comes into play is it better to continue the steroids and try to regulate with them and that can be done but not a perfect situation and may require more insulin but not always or continue without and having severe allergy symptoms which more than likely is causing erratic blood sugar

is the hair loss symptom of diabetes allergies or something else going on or a combination of all

you could reintroduce a low dose of steroid probably have to give twice a day to work evenly with blood sugar once a day mat require different doses what you want to look for is some improvement in the numbers and hopefully skin and hair do better and maybe symptoms of allergies maybe give it a month and evaluate on the result whether to continue or not based on those results

my jesse is on a partially raw home prepared diet i did have to find her some supplements with vitamins and minerals especially calcium based on her intake of meat to give the food balance her fur was not good and she shredded allot no more as conners mom discussed about her pup

your wright constant changes can muddle the waters but do understand trying to find an answer i believe dogs with additional challenges can have numbers that they can have a good quality of life it does not have to be even close to perfect

**bonh** · 04-22-2013, 03:58 AM

Georgie Boy Passed Away 10-12-16

Hi
Thank you for your replies & encouragement. After changing his food and swapping the oats for pearl barley I have been getting much lower readings and even had to drop his dose of insulin. He looks a lot happier and started sleeping in his own bed rather than mine which would indicate he is feeling a lot better.

**bonh** · 04-27-2013, 03:42 PM

Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Hi
I am new to the forum & am currently battling to control my dogs allergies & diabetes. I am reluctant to put him back on the drugs (pred & atopica) which probably caused his diabetes but his allergies are really starting to flare up. I hate seeing him suffering from his allergies & am willing to give anything a chance and have been looking into non prescription alternatives. I have come across reishi mushroom extract online which claims to help with allergies but also to help control blood sugar levels. Has anyone had any previous experiences?!

**Rubytuesday** · 04-27-2013, 07:43 PM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Sorry, I don't have any experience with these. I sympathize with you though, I know alleges can be really hard for the pup and person. Many folks here have had to help their animals with allergy treatments and will probably have more info.

Do you home test? I wouldn't want to introduce something that might lower BGs without home testing.

Welcome, Tara

**stylynjm** · 04-28-2013, 03:52 PM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

have you blood tested? Are they food allergies or environmental??

**amydunn19** · 04-28-2013, 05:11 PM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

My Maggie has environmental allergies - we did the testing and there were 63 out of 64 things on her list. We have done allergy shots without much relief but if your dog only had a few things, the shots may be worth it.

I wouldn't do the mushroom or many of the natural remedies but only because her allergy list is so long. I bathe her often and she gets two Zyrtec a day. This week she had a really strong reaction and scratched her ear to shreds so I reluctantly gave her some temaril p. I know it probably contributed to her diabetes to an extent but it is a quality of life issue now. It is a struggle every day and I sometimes wonder why one dog has to endure so much misery but she actually seems very happy - she is constantly wagging her tail and dancing around.

One thing I found shocking: I figured Temaril would put her blood sugar sky high and it didn't at all. And she has had a prednisone ear drop too.

**Cebe** · 04-28-2013, 06:16 PM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

My dog has food allergies and I have had a lot of success by giving her limited ingredient kibble: CA Natural, Pinnacle, Hill's Ideal Balance, and hill's prescription d/d or z/d have worked. Z/D is ultra refined.

Have you tried these?

**stylynjm** · 04-28-2013, 07:52 PM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Same as Cebe,
Sissy has food allergies and restricted ingredient food has worked well. Now she is on Purina DCO( for diabetes) and doing well as far as allergies go.So sorry, it is a struggle!!! We also did some prednisone at first. Wish I had known then it could increase risk of diabetes!!! Hindsight is 20/20

**bonh** · 04-29-2013, 01:03 AM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Hi
Thanks for the replies. Yes we home test. Still checking at key points every day at the moment as I work from home so it's no problem.
Definately going in the right direction with his diabetes and he seems a lot better in himself but the allergies are now the problem.
We know he has food allergies but not 100% what they are.
He has a dust mite allergy and possibly a seasonal allergy.
He takes piriton 3 times a day, I bathe him 2-3 times a week in malaseb and rinse with cider vinegar. His anal glands have been checked. We have hard floors, wash all bedding weekly, steam clean sofas etc to keep on top of the dust mites.
I feed him a home cooked diet which I have been keeping a food diary & introduce one new thing at a time check how it affects his BG and his allergies. (This has hit a brick wall as he's now itchy & I have no idea if it's food or environment related)
I've got him wearing a little t shirt and socks at the moment which is protecting him from making anything really sore as he normally scratches his armpits and licks his front paws. He can go hours without scratching at all, then he'll have an hour or so where he'll just keep scratching & licking.
The only thing the vet has suggested is putting him back on the atopica or a topical steroid spray.
The immunotherapy probably wouldn't work for us as we believe he has multiple allergies.
From experience when your dog eats something they are allergic to how long does it take them to react and for the reaction to subside?

**amydunn19** · 04-29-2013, 06:07 AM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

You might try switching antihistamines. I tried using different brands and some brands work differently because of the active ingredients. Are you in the US? I assumed you weren't because I wasn't familiar with that antihistamine. I don't know f you have Zyrtec or Claritin but maybe you have a similar substitute. My dog does better on Zyrtec than any of the others.

Diet wise, when we did the food trial, we eliminated everything but the food my dog's dermatologist suggested. The main one was Royal Canin Rabbit and Potato. I think rabbit and venison were the least "allergic" proteins available. Maggie had no change on the food in allergies but her blood sugar dropped drastically. I was having to feed her multiple times a day to keep her sugar high enough. It just seemed to have no staying power in her system. I wouldn't know with home cooking how exactly to do a food trial.

Some have concerns with Atopica and long term effects but if your dog gets relief, the trade off may be worth it. My dog didn't improve on Atopica so I didn't continue to use it. She did have a prescription shampoo she was allergic to as well. So, I was bathing her in this product that was making her worse- Ugh!

Allergies are so frustrating. We changed everything in our house. We put new grass in our yard and eliminated mulch in our flower beds. We have air purifiers, no wool, no down feathers, nothing Maggie is allergic to but it is still miserable for her.

**pixiegirl** · 04-29-2013, 06:46 AM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Connor has allergies too and they can be so frustrating. But I agree with Maggie's mom, you should try switching antihistamines. We tried a lot of them before we found one that works fairly well (an Rx expensive one but still...).

Connor really only had slight reactions to his allergy testing but has both environmental and food allergies. He's eating Orijen dog food and is doing better (knocking on wood) with his allergies then he has been for years. We'll see how he does thru the summer.

I believe both temeril P and Atopica sped Connor's diabetes along.

**Cebe** · 04-29-2013, 07:04 AM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

You had a lot of messages to reply to but I still want to know if you've ever tried a limited ingredient kibble- with no other food eaten? It takes only a couple of days for Zoe to show a reaction to food and I can also examine the skin on her belly and under her arms for red spots which show up when she's having a reaction.

She still licks herself into hot spots but I've always attributed that to boredom and anxiousness combined. Exercise is the key to that.

Anyway, I have had a lot of luck with commercial limited ingredient foods and I recommend giving that a try. In other words, if you haven't already tried, I would focus only on the food and see how a change there helps.
Oh and I never try to integrate a new food. I just switch cold turkey. It can upset the tummy but if the prior food is causing allergies I want to stop it as soon as possible.

**bonh** · 04-29-2013, 07:52 AM

Re: Has anyone used reishi mushroom?

Hi
We used to feed him (before his diabetes) on Royal canin prescription diet and he did well on this but after a while he refused to eat it (he's always been fussy). We then tried him on hills z/d but this gave him diarrhea so then went to homecooked.
I guess I could switch back to the Royal canin as he is always hungry now because of the diabetes and just monitor his BG.

I have tried a few antihistamines - 1 didn't do anything and another just totally knocked him out for the day, he's currently on one that the vet prescribed, I'll ask her what others are available - although she was pretty adamant that antihistamine wasn't going to help him at all.

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Georgie Boy earned his wings Dec. 10, 2016

Georgie Boy earned his wings Dec. 10, 2016

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