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- Aug 13, 2017
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- 68
Early this summer, my dog Xia, an 8 lbs chihuahua mix, started itching and, after several failed approaches, feeding mackerel helped identify the cause.
Xia is on a home prepared raw diet consisting of about 80% raw protein (meat and organs) and 20% cooked leafy vegetables mixed with calcium, Healthy Powder, omegas, vitamins A, B, E. Occasionally she gets Cornocopia supplements and least once a week she gets a chicken egg. Xia also gets a marrow bone or a frozen chicken neck at least once a week. During hot weather, Xia gets an "ice-cube" made of chicken bone broth as a treat.
Generally, Xia is a very clean dog and will spend a fair amount of time licking herself. Now and then she will scratch her ears, but usually, this is accompanied by scooting and is an indication that she needs to express her anal glands; and she does that on her own and has never been an issue.
The itching that made us concerned was more persistent. Xia used her hind legs to scratch her sides, and occasionally she would scratch her face. She would do this couple of times an hour, and while itching, her energy was more frantic, for the lack of better word. She would wake up at night and would start scratching herself.
At first, we attributed this increased itching to stress since I was traveling a lot at that time. But when I returned and the itching continued we suspected that the cause was environmental. We thought that washing might help. We used natural mild shampoos (based on oatmeal, hemp, charcoal). To ensure skin was not dry, we tried different conditioners. Although there were no visible hot spots, we applied a soothing herbal spray. When that did not help, we tried rinsing her with the solution of apple cider vinegar to no avail. (I wanted to add local honey to her diet, but I could not find any).
When none of these approaches helped, we started focusing on the diet. We have always avoided chicken or turkey as the source of protein. Generally, we will use beef, duck, rabbit, lamb, and on occasion, fish. As far as the vegetables go, they are never the same. Therefore, the goal was to find a protein that is nutritious but not likely to cause an allergic reaction that would manifest itself in itching. The solution came in the form of wild-caught frozen mackerel.
For the first feeding, we gave Xia couple of whole frozen mackerel. After the first curious looks, Xia proceeded to eat the little fish and expertly avoided eating the guts and a couple of tidbits that she did not fancy. By the second feeding, we learned two things: (1) Xia was no longer itching (HURRAY); and (2) to avoid having carpet smell like fish guts we must clean the fish before serving it to Xia (she has us trained so well). After a couple of days on the fish diet, we started introducing other foods. The first thing that we fed her was a frozen chicken neck. The itching started as soon as she finished eating the chicken neck.
From this experience, we have learned how to feed mackerel and to avoid feeding Xia chicken in all forms.
Xia is on a home prepared raw diet consisting of about 80% raw protein (meat and organs) and 20% cooked leafy vegetables mixed with calcium, Healthy Powder, omegas, vitamins A, B, E. Occasionally she gets Cornocopia supplements and least once a week she gets a chicken egg. Xia also gets a marrow bone or a frozen chicken neck at least once a week. During hot weather, Xia gets an "ice-cube" made of chicken bone broth as a treat.
Generally, Xia is a very clean dog and will spend a fair amount of time licking herself. Now and then she will scratch her ears, but usually, this is accompanied by scooting and is an indication that she needs to express her anal glands; and she does that on her own and has never been an issue.
The itching that made us concerned was more persistent. Xia used her hind legs to scratch her sides, and occasionally she would scratch her face. She would do this couple of times an hour, and while itching, her energy was more frantic, for the lack of better word. She would wake up at night and would start scratching herself.
At first, we attributed this increased itching to stress since I was traveling a lot at that time. But when I returned and the itching continued we suspected that the cause was environmental. We thought that washing might help. We used natural mild shampoos (based on oatmeal, hemp, charcoal). To ensure skin was not dry, we tried different conditioners. Although there were no visible hot spots, we applied a soothing herbal spray. When that did not help, we tried rinsing her with the solution of apple cider vinegar to no avail. (I wanted to add local honey to her diet, but I could not find any).
When none of these approaches helped, we started focusing on the diet. We have always avoided chicken or turkey as the source of protein. Generally, we will use beef, duck, rabbit, lamb, and on occasion, fish. As far as the vegetables go, they are never the same. Therefore, the goal was to find a protein that is nutritious but not likely to cause an allergic reaction that would manifest itself in itching. The solution came in the form of wild-caught frozen mackerel.
For the first feeding, we gave Xia couple of whole frozen mackerel. After the first curious looks, Xia proceeded to eat the little fish and expertly avoided eating the guts and a couple of tidbits that she did not fancy. By the second feeding, we learned two things: (1) Xia was no longer itching (HURRAY); and (2) to avoid having carpet smell like fish guts we must clean the fish before serving it to Xia (she has us trained so well). After a couple of days on the fish diet, we started introducing other foods. The first thing that we fed her was a frozen chicken neck. The itching started as soon as she finished eating the chicken neck.
From this experience, we have learned how to feed mackerel and to avoid feeding Xia chicken in all forms.
