Puppy Diet and Mange
I got my little girl Stella at 10 weeks and she has been on a home cooked diet since. On the 1st of April, she will be 7 months old. About a month ago, she developed Demodex (aka Red Mange and Demodicosis) The vet gave me Simplicef pills and told me to adminster once daily and bathe her twice a week with Benzoyl Peroxide shampoo. This is my first Bully and first health issue with my pup, so I took the vet's advice. I have seen absolutely NO improvement in her Demodex and it's actually gotten worse. She has a couple more spots than before.
A couple of days ago I came across this forum and learned a lot about her diet and health in general. After reading a couple of threads I've decided to switch to a good quality kibble and mix in raw meat. I don't think her diet was balanced. I picked up a bag of Royal Canin for puppies and a bottle of Grizzly Oil (based on what I read here) and decided to try it. It's only been a couple days, but now I am feeding her Royal Canin mixed with raw chicken breast and the Grizzly Oil.
So my question is even though I've read great things about Royal Canin, the puppy food is not grain-free. I know this is not good for her Demodex but a lot of people use this food. (Or maybe I'm just buying the wrong bag of RC?) I saw many other options, hypoallergenic, high protein, etc, I'm just really not sure which one would be best for her???
I'm hoping that stopping her meds, switching the diet and shampoo, and using the Grizzly Oil will make her look and feel better. Also, is there any other product, like Grizzly Oil, that would be beneficial to her? Thanks in advance!
Comments
You will see a few bull terriers with little bald spots from mange due to their slow maturing immunity system, and since she is only 10 weeks and in a new home I'm sure she's under a lot of stress and this is how her mange popped up and also a factor as to why it's not getting better.
RC is feed by a couple members in the forum solely the puppy formula, and they have seen no ill effects. I personally have not feed my dogs that brand, but when they were younger I feed grain free wellness core puppy. The grizzly oil is a great addition to her diet, but you also need to add multivitamin to help give her immunity a boost! I believe the recommended supplement Nuvet (http://bulliesofnc.com/online-store/supplements-vitamins) I also don't use this, I just buy GNC puppy multivitamin because I'm to lazy to wait for the post, lol! I believe with the added vitamin her immunity should be able to keep the mange under control. Sometimes in rare occasions a dogs immunity is so compromised that needed vet attention is a must, and I'm sure that's why your vet has stuck her on meds and shampoo, to get an early start if it is bad.
Also, on a side note. I wouldn't recommend mixing raw with kibble, the raw digest at a faster rate then the kibble does so it can upset the stomach a bit. But I highly recommend a raw diet, I have nothing but great things to say about it and all four of my dogs have been switched over.
So, long story short! Switch to a grain free brand of puppy food, taste of the wild, blue buffalo or wellness core, all have a puppy stage kibble. Keep up with Grizzly oil and get a good supplement to help give her immunity a helping hand!
Congrats on your new addition, would love to see some pictures of her!