Q -A few days ago, I was at a park and Button found something and ate it. The next day, he had diarrhea multiple times. It lasted through the night and the next day & night. I gave him chicken broth and a little yogurt with probiotic the day after it started. The day after that, I also gave him some rice and homemade applesauce. He seemed to improve a little but then his BM reverted back to liquid. Please help!

Here is your answer: Increase the amount of probiotics you give your dog to 2-3 times per day. Continue with this dosage until the diarrhea stops, then return to your regular maintenance dosage. I recommend using Probitic 8 by Omega Alpha. Probitic 8 provides:

• Organisms to repopulate the gut
• Herbs to calm the gut inflammation
• Soluble and insoluble fiber to "sweep" (clean out) the gut

Skin scabs are a common problem that I do have great success in treating. Allergies are a combination of three primary factors that greatly affects the skin:

1. The Gut: How efficiently your pet digests and absorbs the nutrition in their food, and how well they detoxify waste products through their gastrointestinal tract has a great bearing on the condition of their skin. First, I recommend you start by feeding your pet foods that contain quality meat protein (no animal or grain byproducts) and that are free of wheat, soy, and corn. Supplementing their food with a high-quality probiotic and digestive enzyme will greatly increase their ability to more completely digest and utilize the nutrients in their food, thereby helping them to maintain healthy skin and a lustrous coat.
2. The Liver: The liver must properly and efficiently detoxify waste products excreted through the intestines, so that histamines and other waste products that support yeast and secondary bacterial infections are not transported to the skin - which can causes irritation and itching. Fat builds up in the liver of even the healthiest pets over a period of time, which can interfere with the liver's efficiency. I recommend  "defatting" the liver with a supplement called HBA+, that I have used for many years to optimize liver function in a variety of animals.
3. The Thyroid: If we balance the first two factors and still see issues, then we need to take a closer look at the thyroid. Blood testing is required for pets with thyroid issues, so that we can establish their T4 and TSH levels. This will help to determine whether the pet may also require conventional medication for thyroid support. In some cases, I also suggest using a thyroid-specific supplement, such as Standard Process Canine Thyroid Support. By enhancing digestion, supporting the liver, and decreasing the effects of IBD (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) we are many times able to attain significant improvements and achieve control over allergic dermatitis.

Lisa asks,
I get reminders to bring my dog in for an annual wellness exam, but all of his vaccinations are current. Why do I need to make an appointment for a healthy dog?
Here is your answer: Many people only take their pets to there veterinarian for vaccinations. I recommend bringing your pets in once a year for a thorough exam that allows your vet to listen to their heart, check their glands and organs, and look for other less obvious signs of injury or disease that you as the owner may not have noticed or recognized. Twice yearly exams are recommended for older pets and pets that suffer from chronic health issues. Also, keep in mind that almost all vaccines are good for three years. So, if you only bring your pet in to be examined every three years, that would be the equivalent of a human going to their doctor every 20 years for a check-up.

There are several things we can do:
We can use Essential Oils such as Lavender or Serenity, (a DoTerra EO blend). These can either be diffused into the air near our pets or applied to a small bandana tied around your pets neck. I do not recommend placing EO's directly on the skin of your pet due to potential skin sensitivities. I do not recommend EO's be administered internally to your pet even if the bottle says you can. We do have a secondary supplement available called Composure Pro. Composure Pro is a combination of herbs that is a little stronger and will help calm anxiety from storms, fireworks and other loud noises of that nature. Additionally, desensitization training can be done with pets that are having severe noise or separation anxiety. This training would be more customized and would require a consultation visit.

Once we have ruled out the external parasites such as fleas, mange and things of that nature, we must look at three areas.
1. Irritable Bowel Syndrome aka "leaky gut" causes inflammatory products and various proteins to leak back into the bloodstream of the pet. The pets body then sees this foreign protein and develops an allergy to it.
2. Is the liver functioning properly? If the liver can not dispose of the various waste products and toxins, it is excreted through the skin which is why you may have a dog that smells like wet oily dog.
3. The third factor to consider is thyroid. The primary clinical symptom of an itchy dog that we can't otherwise rule out is low thyroid. We would take a look at the T4 and TSH.

There is not a specific oral product that I would recommend. We use Lactated Ringers, a balanced electrolyte solution. This is administered as a subcutaneous injection. A subcutaneous injection is a method of administering medication. Subcutaneous means under the skin. In this type of injection, a short needle is used to inject into the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle.