Does anyone add a supplement to boost immune system? If so what do you use?

I have a 2 year old bitch who seems to be allergic to fleas. I use the drops on her but if I go a month and not use it she itches terrible. The others do just fine. It is just her.

The other thing is just before her heat she will get tiny pimples on her chin. If she scratches and they get infected we are in trouble.

Which also has me worried that should I even be breeding a bitch which seems to have a weaker immune system? Or, shall I just be boosting something for her. Her mom is not like this at all.

Any help appreciated.

Donna.

Dogs with allergies have over active immune systems, that's why they react and shouldn't be boosted.

So what should one do please?

I wouldn't compromise her immune system any further by giving unnecessary vaccinations (do titers) or flea meds. Maybe you can try some 'holistic' products for fleas instead?

As far as the immune system, I give my dogs Vitamin C daily and give them a good pro-biotic daily and feed a good food with no grains. Knock on wood, all are healthy, don't get KC even when exposed to it, don't have bad ears. Can't hurt!

I agree with C for immunity. I start pups at 8 weeks of age for this reason and for collagen and by one year of age give 1000 mg daily.

Dr. Pitcairne's books recommend 125 mg per 25 lbs of weight for pups at 8 weeks of age.

You may want to consult a holistic vet for your specific issues.

I recently read about a product that is all natural and as good as Capstar for fleas. It is given orally. This company also makes food grade diatomaceous earth products for ridding fleas from the home and coat.

I can't remember the name but do a google search. This is of course in lieu of using all the topical stuff like frontline, etc. over and over to prevent fleas.

I think it would be unethical to breed a bitch who has allergies. We are supposed to be bettering the breed, not passing on problems. I had a lovely chocolate years ago who was allergic so she was spayed and lived in my home to be 13. I am sure you have others to breed

I agree with Ellie - please don't breed a bitch (or dog for that matter) with allergies. The heartbreak goes on for generations. $250 per month for my girl who requires these meds every day for the rest of her life. Is she worth it, absolutely. Spayed her as soon as she was diagnosed.

The OP didn't come back yet. Chances are she will breed and that's the reason an overabundance of allergies are seen.

I pay $375 a month for all of the medications for a bitch who I'm glad I never bred. The dermatology vet bills have reached a total I don't look at anymore in my spreadsheets.

I'm glad I never bred her earlier. The allergies didn't begin until over age 3, diagnosed as she reached the LH surge during progesterone testing. I cancelled the breeding and investigated with a dermatology vet. Then I spayed her a few months after loads of testing. She was allergic to environmental things and not food ingredients. A good thing I cancelled the breeding because she became much worse with time and medication trials.

If she does breed this Lab it would be a travesty. It does continue on for generations and can skip a generation or 2. I now know where my girl got hers from 3 generations back from a heavily used stud dog.

Ethical breeders don't breed any dog with allergies or other conditions that are genetically passed on. I hope she took your advice but doubt it. You both tried to tell her. I hope she comes back to thank the breeders that answered her honestly.

So a dog itches when it has fleas - sorry, but that's not allergies - it's fleas! Get rid of the fleas in the yard. When girls are in season their hormones are messed up - I have seen bitches whose ears get gunky during their cycle but at no other time - that's not allergies either. The pimples on the chin is like teenage acne - again, caused by the hormones and that doesn't necessarily mean she has 'allergies'.

Agreed, there are other reasons for itchiness and staph related bumps on chin during heat cycle and gunky ears. However, a trip to a canine allergist is in order to be sure the underlying issue isn't allergies. Why take a chance on passing this misery to another generation and their owners?

Did you read all she said? All her other dogs are fine. They apparently don't react to the fleas the way this girl in particular does.

Terri is right, a specialist is needed. If OP wants to breed her she should make sure it is or isn't allergies. She said nothing about gunky ears by the way. The bitch is only 2, how many heat cycles has she had, maybe 2 or this is the 3rd at maximum? I prefer to wait to breed until at least 3 heat cycles for the bitch to have a mature reproductive system.

Once again, she didn't claim any gunky ears. She did claim pimples on the chin that if she scratched at 'we are in trouble'. Being In Trouble sounds like a large problem.

I've seen ears get a little bit gunky as you call it, only once in a pregnant bitch. It cleared with a natural product.

She can't seem to control these problems tho. Sounds like allergies to me. If the chin is staph is it good for a bitch to whelp a litter with a staph infection of the chin? There is a chance it can be transmitted, especially when she's cleaning or moving her pups with her muzzle.

I would just bring my bitch to the vet for beginners instead of asking of a list. Rarely does a DVM or VMD post recently so what did she expect? No cure alls. She got differing opinions, what you should expect from different breeders.

To "Allergies", I'm curious to know more about your comment, "I prefer to wait to breed until at least 3 heat cycles for the bitch to have a mature reproductive system."

I didn't realize the reproductive system changes after the first heat cycle. What would physically change after the first, or second, heat cycle? Not being sarcastic, honest. I really am curious.

Thanks!

You are full of shit breeder how long have you been growing up to be a specialist on any of it

I agree with "Allergies" and would compare it to teenagers. Is their cycle normal the first year or few of their menses and do they even ovulate in early cycles? Mine wasn't regular when I began at age 13. It sounds the same to me.

The same with an older bitch. Does she ovulate the same amount of eggs at 1 to 2 or 7 or 8 as she did at 3 or 4? Some do, many don't.

Ask Dr. Hutchinson or your repro vet. I remember hearing him at an expo he did. He was speaking about alot but also the ages that were too young and too old for breeding at that particular talk. It was a good amount of years ago.

I know he isn't board certified in theriogenology but breeders use him for good reasons.

I tend to breed my girls for the first time after their finals. I wait to do finals until they're between heat cycles so subluxation isn't a problem from the hormones. So they're usually nearing 2.5 years when I breed unless they're being shown heavily. The longer a breeder waits the more of a chance something could show up that might affect a breeding.

I had not replied because I have been busy and do not get a chance to check into the forum daily.

While treating the chin acne that got infected from scratching I asked my vet to tell me weather or not she should be bred as I was also concerned about the flea reaction. The vet did not say no.

What I am doing is growing her out. Showing her etc. I am in no hurry to breed. I only breed when I want a pup.

So, some feed special foods supplements etc. What happened to the days we used to feed our dogs and all would be fine? Seems like so many kinds so many different lines that require this or that..... All I would like is to be told A plus B works the best for a dog that has hormones and now from learning from this forum, an overactive immune system, to feed ___________ and give __________. But get accused of being unethical???

So, I ask. For this who feed raw. If their dogs were fed regular dog food. Maybe they would come up with many issues also. Then they could all be pointed at as having "allergies".

What is the best to feed in dry? I cannot feed raw. Just do not have the stomach.

Good idea for who said to take to another vet who specializes in such issues. I will do what ever it takes.

Thank you.

Donna

Most dogs that -have allergies- are allergic to things in the home and outdoors including fleas, ticks and sometimes flea and tick treatments together with or without other allergies. It's not allergies to many foods the majority of the time although I know others will disagree. I am going by what the dermatology vet told me about current seminars he had attended. The speakers all had current information that 85% of allergies are from grass, trees, dust mites and a bunch of problems other than food.

For the food allergic dogs, there's grain free. Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach and a bunch more foods claimed to work for allergic reactions.

Did someone diagnose your dog as having a weak immune system? You seem to be looking for a cure all for that. Did she have puppy strangles as a youngster? What other then what you described points towards a weak immune system?

The reason some ethical breeders get upset with dogs that have allergies being bred is because things can be allot worse then what you have. There are dogs that have such severe, uncontrollable allergies that they've had to be PTS. They have reached a point they're ripping themselves apart and have no quality of life anymore even after the owner spends sometimes 100's of dollars a month on scripts and special foods. That's where it comes from in my humble opinion. Once you see something like that breeders resent others that ignore allergies and breed anyway. The descendants of those dogs can be much worse then the bitches or stud-dogs in their pedigree that have had allergies. Most of the time it is passed down.

So try to understand why breeders who care react. They may have been through a heart-breaking experience. We all have but some are worse then others.

Regarding breeding her, your 'vet did not say no" but didn't say go right ahead, Yes, breed her. It sounds like the vet doesn't know for sure either. A specialist might have all different answers for you. Don't expect a quick fix or the costs to be cheap. That is where you might get some of your answers, at a skin amd allergy specialist, probably a Veterinary Dermatology specialist or at least an Internist.

There's no quick fix but a specialist may have some answers for you about immune systems & allergies. That is the route to try to get help for your girl.

Donna, let's look at this rationally. Your girl has an allergic reaction when she's exposed to fleas. Your vet didn't say that you shouldn't breed her because it's not black and white. Some dogs will never get fleas and fleas can be prevented. Do you yourself find it too inconvenient, troublesome or expensive to control? There's a good chance some or all of your puppy buyers will have to deal with these same issues and will they? If they don't provide the proper level of care flea bite dermatitis can cause serious illness.

As far as the chin goes, there are several things that could cause this and you should really get a diagnosis and try to nail down a cause before you make any decisions. This may be a temporary condition or a chronic one. A canine dermatologist is your best bet for answers but you might only get an educated guess as to the cause.

My suggestion is to wait until she's at least 4 before deciding if your going to breed her. Many breeders breed too soon and there's really no need for it unless your plan is to get as many litters out of her that you can. At age 4 a lab is more suited for motherhood and most serious illnesses usually show up by then. You will also know by then if her chin issue is a chronic or a temporary one. Don't buy into the notion that she won't have enough eggs left as many breeders experience very large litters at that age and older (include me).

If you try to *fix* her immune system by supplementing then you will have to rely on your puppy buyers to do the same and this is unrealistic. You may ease her symptoms but your not going to fix her genetics with supplements. Let her eat a normal diet and wait it out, gather more information and see how it goes. It doesn't hurt to try different foods but there is no magic diet, not even raw. Look for simple recipes and pay attention to the ingredients.

Oh "Reason" I wish I knew your name so I could chat with you.

No, Fleas never had been a problem. I think she was actually scratching fromm the chin acne not the fleas as I guessed. I guess that because I had not done drops in 3 months. I dislike doing drops at all.

Vet kept shaking her head because she never had any redness anywhere all. Her skin all over is clear.

You would never know she had a heat as she licks and licks to be clean. Could be another reason the chin got infected.
Now while in heat I wash her face nightly.

Stress does cause her to lick more at her vulva. Usually after a dog show. She is a great girl. Wish I could read her mind.

I will go to another vet for an opinion. I also need more education obviously.

Thanks for yours, :)

Donna

Your very welcome Donna.

Here is a good article on Canine Bacterial Pyoderma. It may (or may not) be too technical for you to fully understand but muddle through it as I'm sure you will pick up some useful information to help you. Good luck and Happy Holidays!!!

http://www.virbac.co.za/sites/default/files/CPD%20Canine%20Bacterial%20Pyoderma.pdf