Zinc biscuits-WOW!!

[Ratboy]

After a really bad year for poor Molly, coat and ear wise (She had to have surgery to drain a hematoma, and to prevent a new one), she looked BAD. Her ears were half bare, as were her eyerims, and she had baldish patches on her side with shiny blackish skin under it. She was scratching like hell, and I had tried everything else I could think of, different foods, supplements, etc. I found an article about Canine zinc-responsive dermatosis online:

Canine zinc-responsive dermatosis - DVM

The patches on the dog in the pics and Molly were almost identical, so I ended up ordering zinc buiscuits:

Zinpro Dog Biscuits - 4 lbs

At first, the only thing I noticed was her coat really seemed to blow big this spring, there was hair all over, then as the time passed, her coat came back in, and for the first time in at least 5 years, 100% of the hair came back on her ears! The spots around her eyes came back better than I think it ever has, and she has a full, shiny coat, easily the best in her 10 years. Before the biscuits, she scratched all the time, but really bad in the winter, but I haven't seen her do any scratching at all for months now. I gave her 4 of them a day, until I had some money issues and cut her down to one or two, and it seems like that's enough to keep her skin issues in check.

I wish I would have tried them a lot sooner. If you have a dog with unsolvable skin issues, and about the only thing they offer at the vet is prednisone, give ZInpro a try!

 

[smkie]

THat's incredible. I am so glad you found the right answer and hope your thread helps others!

 

[bubbatd]

Interesting !

 

[smkie]

THis ought to be stickied.

 

[Ratboy]

Now if I could just get her over her nervousness, and put a few pounds on her, she would be all set. I have given her all kinds of extra food, and she hasn't gained an ounce. King has gotten some of the extra stuff, and he gained about 4 pounds over the last six months. Being skinny is good for her hips, since they are pretty creaky at this point. King shows no signs of any arthritis whatsoever, not even any clicking toes, something all my other dogs have had before 9.


She was a mess at the vet a few days ago, doing a new thing, slamming her mouth shut, repeatedly, like a Crocodile, while doing the usual shaking and panting. King seemed to be mesmerized by the slamming the mouth shut thing for some reason.

King was his usual, happy to be there self, until the vet started checking his eyes, since he had an infection, then he wasn't so happy to be there anymore.

 

[smkie]

Have you tried nutracal?

 

[Ratboy]

Yeah, I've tried a couple of other similar things too, and they either didn't work, or they caused a lot of gas and/or the squirts. Since they free feed, it was a hassle keeping King from getting upset that she was getting something he wasn't. Even putting much more into a bowl for her is risky if he sees it, and realizes what you're up to (He's very good at telling!). One of his "Hey!" looks, and Molly falls apart, and refuses to eat for a while. And if I interfere, she is a basket case for a couple hours, spinning in circles while King looks at her with total bewilderment. King really does run her life in a lot of ways. Only in the back yard is she the boss. Her small animal kill count is about 50 to 1 in her favor. So, the biscuits are nice, since King seems to almost always avoid them. At this point, ever since they were starved in the kennel in Dec 07, they are about the only thing he won't eat, if he can get to it.

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Hey Smkie, can you get rid of the spammer?

 

[filarotten]

Got them and banned poster.