Follow-up on Abby's allergies and otitis

I've written previously about Abby's skin and ear allergies, but new readers may not be aware of the tremendous improvement she has made since changing her diet. If your dog has allergies, I recommend you read my previous posts on the subject; you can find all the posts listed on the upper left of my blog under "Posts by Category", then click on "dog allergies."

Abby had her first visit to the vet this week since I changed her food, took her off Prednisone and the antibiotic drops for her ears in May of last year. I was very pleased that she has lost 4 pounds since her last vet visit a year ago (we've had a constant battle with her weight gain aftere she was put on Prednisone at age 3, going from a normal weight of 23 pounds up to 31 pounds, and no amount of cutting back on food and treats along with exercise seemed to help). She now weighs 27 pounds, and I'm hopeful we can keep it going in a downward direction. The biggest news this week was that our vet said she gets the "best cocker ears award." Her ears show no signs of otitis, and this is the same dog that a year ago was on constant antibiotic drops, and even that wasn't keeping the otitis at bay any longer. If you'd like to read my post on the very inexpensive home ear remedy I am using, CLICK HERE.

The bottom line: if your dog is suffering from allergies and ear problems, I recommend you change their diet, remove all grains and chemicals, and increase the protein content. A raw diet is very beneficial for strengthening the dog's immune system which in turn helps the skin allergies, as well as all-natural grain-free kibble formulas such as Canidae, Innova and Wellness Core.