DOG SKIN AND EAR CARE If your dog has any of these symptoms: red skin itching/chewing/biting small red bumps hair loss greasy or dry flaky fur bad skin smell shaking head Then he or she may be having an allergic skin problem or an ear infection. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! 1. Use flea prevention! Advantage works best in my home. For 30 days try not to bathe them but if you have to, use only tearless baby shampoo. Flea shampoo, people shampoo and dish soap take the Advantage off their skin. Be sure your dog is dry when you put Advantage on. The cheap flea prevention does not work and flea shampoo does not last. 2. Give Benadryl (generic is fine and it’s called diphenhydramine). Give it twice a day for several days and it’s fine to stop and start when needed. Benadryl is very safe so don’t hesitate to use it. It generally does not make dogs sleepy.

Pets weight benadryl dose 5 lbs 5 mg ½ teaspoonful childrens benadryl syrup or ¼ tablet of 25 mg benadryl 10 lbs 10 mg 1 teaspoonful childrens benadryl syrup or ½ tablet 25 mg benadryl 15 lbs 15 mg 1 ½ teaspoonful childrens benadryl syrup or1/2 tablet 25 mg benadryl 20 lbs 20 mg 2 teaspoonfuls childrens benadryl syrup or 1 tablet 25 mg benadryl 30 lbs 30 mg 2 ½ teaspoonfuls childrens benadryl syrup or 1 tablet 25 mg benadryl 40 – 50 lbs 1 ½ tablet 25 mg benadryl 3. Give one fish oil capsule by mouth every day. The magic ingredient is omega 3 fatty acid. Chicken fat and bacon grease do not have this so forget it.You can get this at any drug store or Wal Mart or supermarket. Do this and the Benadryl.

4. Start watching what you feed your dog. Maybe he or she has a food allergy too. Narrow down what you feed and start watching for results. Stay away from dog treats with lots of ingredients that can confuse their diet. No table scraps. Plain meat with no kitchen spices or cheese are OK.

NO! 5. Try Selsun Blue shampoo (NOT Head and Shoulders) once or twice a week. It’s fine to get generic but it must have selenium sulfide in it. Problem is it will take off the Advantage, so do one thing or another for 2 – 3 weeks. 6. Use Adams Flea Spray on your dog every day for added flea protection. It doesn’t last very long but if you spray your dog lightly all over before your dog goes outside, it will keep the fleas off them. EARS: When water gets in their ears it can set off an infection. So CLEAN the ears weekly. You can make homemade ear cleaner with equal parts of: clear vinegar/alcohol/water. Mix it up then: FILL THE EARS/RUB IT AROUND/LET GO AND LET THE DOG SHAKE IT OUT. IF YOU HAVE DONE ALL THIS AND THE PROBLEMS CONTINUES – YOUR PET NEEDS A SKIN EXAM AND MEDICATION – PLEASE COME SEE ME! Cindy Rosenfeld, DVM Community Veterinary Services P.O. Box 358002 Gainesville, Florida 32635 352 485-2520 [email protected]

For Advantage and your prescriptions I use: Vet Centric Pharmacy at 866-838-2368 or www.VetCentric.com