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Allergy to Straw?

Discussion in 'Health & Nutrition' started by AGK, Jan 12, 2019.

  1. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    Is it possible? I have this issue every single winter with this dog. I end up bringing him inside for a few weeks and treating him with Corona. It heals up, he goes back outside and within a week or 2 looks awful again. The only conclusion I can come to is an allergic reaction to the straw in his doghouse. Only thing that is changed in his environment. Only have the issue during colder months when there is straw in his house instead of cedar. He basically starts to eat himself raw. Has had me boggled for many winters.

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    YellowJohnJocko likes this.
  2. Holocaust

    Holocaust Match dog

    Id say that's for sure what it is.

    Know a fella(you do too) who has to use pine year round because his dogs cant handle cedar or straw.
     
    AGK likes this.
  3. DISCOIII

    DISCOIII Big Dog

    Is your straw coming from a place with chickens or cats I have had the same problem it even looks the same also I was told that my dogs were sweating in the box this information came from my vet.
     
    AGK likes this.
  4. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    I'd use either the pine or the cedar but I don't feel confident it's very warm bedding in our harsh winter months. I'm looking into having a 10'x25' building to attach my runs to so I can do indoor/outdoor runs. That way I can heat the building and stay away from having to use straw at all. So far I'm looking at about a 5 to 8000 dollar date to do the building. Been looking a lot into the many amish builders in my area.
     
    DISCOIII likes this.
  5. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    Since it has happened for multiple winters and only to the same dog I would guess it was the straw as well. A cheap check would be to switch from straw to orchard grass hay. They will burrow a hole in the middle and it packs well.

    I had something similar once but it was to a number of dogs. The straw had bugs/mites or some sort of pest. They were eating the dogs up.

    I switched to the orchard grass hay. I know some guys who save money by using pine straw treated with sevin dust.

    Good luck.

    I like that brindling.

    S
     
  6. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    Now that you mention it, I get my straw from a local place here called Nickle Plate Feed Mill. They have like 4 or 5 cats that just roam around inside the building. Very possible they lay and piss on the straw bales. As far as chickens, never seen them there but I'm sure where the straw comes from is highly likely to have farm animals like chickens that come into contact with the straw but I don't know for sure. I've always just chalked it up as an allergy to the bedding but never really got others opinions on it.

    It's only an issue with my dog Charlie. The rest do fine. I hate having him in my house. While he is a great housedog when inside, Him and my real housedog Lil Miss Geach are my yards arch enemies. They do not tolerate each other at all. Both methodically wait until either I make a mistake or someone else does and they will capitalize on it. They have had 4 encounters with each other over the years. About 8 years now total they have lived on the same yard. It never works out well for Charlie. Lol he takes a vicious beating every time. LMG is a whole lot of bitch. He has no mouth, she has a vise and he don't outweigh her by very much.

    Last encounter was a little over a year ago. My parents came to my house when I was at work. Why on earth they would let him out of his cage when LMGs cage, right next to Charlies, was empty, I have no idea but that's what they did. Geach was upstairs laying up on my bed. Until she heard his cage open up, then she was in the dinning room. My parents had a full blown fight going on for 35 minutes before my daughter came home from school and ran and got one of my neighbors for help because both my parents were panicing. I came home about 15 minutes later to a very chaotic scene in my home. I've never heard so much terror in my mothers voice than the voice mail she left me while it was going on. 1 incident erased 22 years of my mother being around my dogs. She never comes here anymore. I try to tell her that she is the only one that has changed as the dogs have always been like that, she just never seen it first hand before that. Changed her whole perspective of my dogs overnight. Kind of sad actually as she has always been very fond of every dog thats come through here over the years.

    Sorry, went in a ramble. Lol.
     
  7. Vicki

    Vicki Administrator Staff Member

    Perry Mason has the same issue with straw, he gets red and raw with patches of hair missing.
     
    AGK likes this.
  8. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    I started calling around to try and locate some of that Orchard grass hay Slim mentioned. Not having much luck in my area. I have found someone who sells it that is about an hour and 20 minutes from me. Would like to find something a bit closer though but I'll make that drive if I absolutely have to.

    Worst case scenario, I have to keep him inside until early to mid March. I'd really like to avoid that though if possible.

    I'm sure he would just love that. He's rather comfortable indoors.... Lol

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    Last edited: Jan 12, 2019
    YellowJohnJocko likes this.
  9. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    Rambling is always worth the time. LOL

    I was at a guy's house a few weekends ago that kept two in the house. The male has no issues with the female but the female is looking for the next opportunity.

    The male actually ran loose outside with a little Beagle puppy. It may not happen but I am assuming at some point the Beagle will end up in a bad way. Hopefully not but it sure looks that way to me.

    I have never kept one of my dogs in the house but we have an English Bulldog that would scratch to a sign post if asked. If she were a bulldog I would say fight crazy but since she is not a real bulldog I will call her dog aggressive. LOL

    I'd give the orchard grass hay a try if being in the house is a bit much. Sometimes the hay packed down serves the dog a little better.

    Best of luck.

    S
     
    Carolinacur and AGK like this.
  10. DISCOIII

    DISCOIII Big Dog

    That was a good ramble the reason why I asked about the cats was after two seasons I wanted to get to the bottom of it as this was a quality dog just like yours and after four vets and all took skin scrapings it came down to a fungus spore from a carpet at a out of state hunt. So I called my friend about this matter and he told me the carpet came from a house with cats but he was not having any trouble with his dogs. So again I went to another vet and was told my dog had a low immunity which was a first for me now I know this dose not have anything to do with your dog but I fill on my dog he went through two keeps and two series of steroids those two years and I believe it lowered his immunity as after a year off and a lot of antibiotics he stayed clean. Your bulldog by the picture looks so healthy it can't be low immunity so it has to be like Slim said mites, fungus , even dirty straw I won't by straw that smells like mildew one reason is when I buy straw it is 25 at a time and it may sit in my barn for a little while, but my barn is cemented and dry.
     
    AGK likes this.
  11. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    or.......

    He is just smarter than you and chews his ass raw knowing the reward is the comforts of inside living. LOL

    Just saying.

    Best of luck.

    S
     
    kiwidogman and AGK like this.
  12. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    Lol I can't see that being his truth.

    Smart is not something he has ever been known to be. :))

    He'll be my main house dog soon enough either way. LMG is 10 and Charlie is my next oldest at 9. The rest are all 5 years or under. When she passes on, he moves in permanently.

    This probably was going to be his last winter outside. Our winters are just too brutal IMO to keep them outside in our cold after 10 years of age..
     
  13. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    10-4.

    Does that brindle pop up much with him/relatives?

    S
     
  14. YellowJohnJocko

    YellowJohnJocko Big Dog

    Try the grass hay, I hate straw it smells and it's messy. Grass hay costs more and is feed for horses but it is all I'll use. The shavings are not enough warmth at all.
     
    AGK likes this.
  15. slim12

    slim12 Super Moderator Staff Member

    I use orchard grass hay. It packs down really well and once I get it packed in they burrow it out and I feel like they stay pretty warm.

    We had a beagle that ran the yard for a number of years. My wife bought him a kick ass igloo type house and kept it packed with hay. He would immediately rake him a pile just outside the door and curl up out front. If it rained pretty hard he might come out from under the car/truck and use the house.

    Sometimes they just roll like that.

    S
     
    AGK likes this.
  16. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    It does.

    Here is Charlies mother Karma being bred to her half nephew Ch Sap Sucker

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    Another relative Nightcrawler

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    I bred Charlie only 1 sucessfull time his whole life. It was when he was about 3 or 4 years old. The bitch was a red / red nosed dog. All 7 pups came out looking like Charlie. I only have pictures of these 5 offspring though.

    Miss Shakes

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    Zena

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    My bitch Ella

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    A son Ajax

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    A daughter whos name escapes me currently.

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    Chainyanker has had quite a few off his family of dogs that are this color brindle.
     
  17. YellowJohnJocko

    YellowJohnJocko Big Dog

    Look at the mouth on Ajax! :-O

    Nightcrawler is a good lookin sucker!!!
     
    AGK likes this.
  18. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    Ajax was stolen from his owners yard in buffalo about 3 weeks after that picture was taken. Never recovered.
     
  19. YellowJohnJocko

    YellowJohnJocko Big Dog

    That really fucking sucks.... Dog theives are scum.
     
    AGK likes this.
  20. AGK

    AGK Super duper pooper scooper Administrator

    I agree. Vile human beings.
     
    YellowJohnJocko likes this.

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