Friday, June 3, 2016

D.I.Y. Dog Allergy Hacks

*Always consult your veterinarian prior to self-medicating your dog. I am not a veterinarian or medical professional so use the Purple Stuff and the Anti-Itch Spray at your own risk. I am sharing these recipes based on my personal experience and those of my colleagues. There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.
Pierre the Westie meme "Got Allergies"
   It is the time of year when dogs everywhere are raising a united hind leg and scratching their annoying itch. I would be afraid to know how much money we have sent to combat the misery of itching over the years of being pet parents. We have bought sprays, ointments, shampoos, powders, you name it and we’ve tried it. Our vets have given steroid shots and pills. Most of them work for a time but at what cost both monetarily and health wise for your dog?
   I try very hard not to put chemicals in or on Bentley and Pierre. *The exceptions are their heartworm preventative and required immunizations. For allergies, we tried the new Apoquel® and it was incredible. Bentley’s itching stopped within hours and we were all so happy! Then, I read one too many reports on how dangerous it can be to use long term.
   What is the pet parent of an itchy dog supposed to do? I found this DIY recipe on Planet Paws Facebook page from Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker. It was super simple to mix and spray. It does need to be kept in the refrigerator but that makes it feel even better to Bentley.
Apple cider vinegar, green tea box, distilled water, lavender oil
Ingredients
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brewed green tea
1 cup distilled water
5 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)
Instructions
Mix together in a two cup container. Pour liquid into a clean spray bottle. Shake well before spraying your dog and never spray near their face. I spray some in my hand to rub under Bentley’s neck.
*****
   This mixture only smells while it is wet but I spray Bentley outside. It keeps him from itching for several hours. He usually gets sprayed in the morning and again in the afternoon. It would be nice to have it keep the itch away longer, but for a chemical-free solution that works, I don’t mind.
GBGV dog and Basset Hound dressed and standing like humans

   Our second problem that we have conquered thanks to a DIY recipe is ear infections. Six months ago I began using The Purple Stuff in Bentley’s ears according to a recipe from my friend, Emma from MY GBGV Life. I am incredibly proud to announce that Bentley has been ear infection free this entire time. We have spent the last 8 years treating an infection about every 3 months.
   It has gotten to the point that I tell total strangers about this magical mixture. Just think of me as The Purple Stuff Paul Revere of ear infections.  I even sent the link to my last post on the subject to my doctor for his pup.
  *Always make sure that your dog DOES NOT have an infection when starting this treatment.
Gentian Violet, Boric Acid, Alcohol and Purple Stuff
The Purple Stuff
Ingredients
16 oz. isopropyl alcohol
Preparation
   Mix ingredients in the alcohol bottle and shake well. It is important to shake solution every time you use it to mix the Boric Acid Powder. You can use a baby ear syringe or a plastic squirt bottle to put the solution into your dog’s ears. Refer to my post; Combating Ear Infections for complete instructions.
   I hope these two easy DIY recipes puts a smile on your face and wag in your dog's tail.
light brown paw prints

32 comments :

  1. Hope Bentley feels better! Sending POTP!

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  2. These sound like great natural remedies! Thank you! Our paws are crossed for Bentley.

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  3. We just cleaned our ears with the ear wash on the 1st as we do every month. It is a miracle Many people are afraid to try it, but if they do, they love it. So glad your ears are doing so well like mine are! As for allergies, Mom is the only one who sometimes has trouble around here, thankfully not us pets!

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  4. we still look for the violet stuff here... my dad said he will ask the owner of our pharmacy-store if he can mix it for us, he is probably better with such a diy project than my staff :O)

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  5. OMD these sound like EXCELLENT recipes fur being more comfortable... KROGER we see KROGER...THAT is somethingy we miss in Pencil Vane E Ah... there are NO Kroger stores here.

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  6. I just copied these and filed them under Dog Stuff on my computer. Hopefully I won't need them but they sound great.

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  7. They sound like great recipes to help the dogs. Jan has used ACV and water on Buddy's itches.

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  8. I think it's so great to find all natural solutions to common issues like these. We had fleas one year, and luckily caught them early enough that just using watered down apple cider vinegar to rub down the dogs daily took care of it. It not only repelled the fleas but helped with the itching from the bites as well.
    Sending good thoughts Bentley's way, hope he is feeling better soon!
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  9. Yes we much prefer to go natural if we can.
    sending some good thoughts for Bentley
    hugs
    Mr bailey, hazel & Mabel

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  10. This post is such good timing to read. Have a friend whose dog has allergies - I'm going to forward this along to her. Hope Bentley feels better!

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  11. How long does the anti-itch stuff keep for? Do you mix in the tea hot or cold?

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    Replies
    1. I boiled 1/2 cup water and added the green tea bag. I allowed it to cool to room temperature before I mixed it together and refrigerated it. I would discard the mixture after two weeks.

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  12. Thank you for sharing these!! Both Tut and Sophie are allergy prone, and I'm starting to think Penny may be too.

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  13. Ernie has allergies and they're really kicking in this year. We wonder if that spray would work on cats...though we would leave the lavender oil out because it can be toxic to cats.

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  14. I love homemade natural stuff.

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  15. Great pic and wonderful tips! I'm all about natural items when/if possible! Sharing and Pinning! Happy Weekend!

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  16. I call allergies nightmares BOL, thanks for sharing and have copied the ear one for Layla as its good to keep on hand :)

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  17. I am havin' Ma bookmark this for when she forgets (hint: happens all the times...☺) to gets my regular itchy stuffs! It is always good to have some natural stuffs on hand. Ma wishes she had somewhere she could put that purple ear stuffs in my ears without me shakin' purple stains all over everythings! it sounds like a really good plan for ears!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  18. Ugh. Allergies are the worst and I'm always up for non chemical solutions so I'll try with Shermie. We also tried Apoquel - and I do use it in short doses for Sherm when he's super uncomfortable. I also read that long term use is questionable and now it's just one dose when he's super itchy - thanks for posting this as he bites around his tail typically so I'll try mixing this up!

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  19. I've heard of the purple stuff but not the allergy spray, sounds interesting and hope it helps.

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  20. I love DIY solutions. I'm absolutely going to try this allergy remedy. Ruby is very itchy at this time of year. In fact, she is sitting right here with me, itching as I type. Better go make up this solution!

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  21. As a lover of essential oils, we love any non-chemical recipe and will add these to our arsenal of DIY fixes. Thanks for sharing❣️Happy weekend.

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  22. Cute photo Bentley! We are lucky that so far we have not had these troubles!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  23. Excellent information for doggies with allergies.

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  24. I'm going to have to make some of that spray for Nelly. It seems like this is going to a rough summer for her if I can't figure out a solution.

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  25. Anything with lavender and natural sounds great to me. I just got a new ear cleaner from my vet for my golden and it's a wonderful cucumber smell. :)

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  26. Wonderful post, I need to pin it for future reference!!! :)

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  27. I wonder if my mom could use this on her dog. Bandit tends to itch quite often.

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  28. What a great DIY anti-itch spray remedy! I much prefer natural remedies when it comes to stuff like this. I'm so thankful that my dogs don't have allergies, but who's to say I won't adopt another one who does have allergies ;)

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  29. What size dog is this portioned for?

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