Question by Linda N: My almost 10 year old Bichon – elevated blood levels – liver function help..?
My almost 10 year old Bichon has been healthy and showed no signs of an issue but at a routine blood test for a teeth cleaning she had an elevated blood value they said can be linked to liver damage. They did the liver test 2x (6 months apart ) and both came out okay but that value has climbed 200 points since than even though she is on a liver diet food. They no want to add liver function supplements, which I will start tomorrow. She has been on a steroid every summer for a month or so since she seems to get a skin allergy, but this only happens once a year (I read sometimes steroids can affect the situation so wanted to include all the information.) Why are the levels continuing to go up while she is already on the diet? Should I consider adding a milk thistle supplement for her? I love my dog and want to make sure this treatment is effective so the problem does not go any further. I am currently living inEurope and want to make sure she is getting the same care she would by the great vets in the USA. Please let me know what you think. Thank you!
I read on vet websites that milk thistle is sometimes encouraged by vets and would not give her it without consulting mine, but wanted other dog owners with experience to answer the question. Also considering this is her first real problem and she is almost 10 years old, I am not believing this is an inbreeding issue (although could be genetic) and wondering how you came to the conclusion she is severely inbred? Any REAL dog owners that can input would be appreciated!
Level was up 200 points (from 300 to 500)

Best answer:

Answer by Kaviani999
That’s very sad and I know you really want to do something to help her, but I do NOT recommend giving her milk thistle or any herbal supplement geared toward humans. Dogs are similar in many ways, but some innocuous substances are downright toxic to them. It’s best to not prescribe yourself if unless you’re trained in veterinary medicine.

It honestly sounds like she is heavily inbred and has a lot of bad recessives. You can only treat symptoms in such cases.

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Question by Sunday: Does anyone own a bichon frise that has skin problems?
My 7 month bichon recent starting scratching herself around the head and neck and has been biting her legs til the point that they are bald. I have been giving her benadryl as some have suggested and it doesn’t seem to be working much so I have stopped and switched her to a grain free dog food in case it is allergies. Does anyone have suggestions on how to contain this problem? I am looking at taking her to our vet but won’t be able to get in any time soon and looking for a rememdy in the mean time. Bitter lotions, sprays, and other products from the pet stores have not worked.

Best answer:

Answer by Brit s
I have a 5 year old bichon who had skin problems as a puppy. I took him to the vet and i contacted the breeder. They said that bichons can be allergic to certain foods. They suggested taking him off of the food he was eating and switching him to something more natural. I noticed that you have already tried that. That was really the only advice the vet gave me, and that helped him a little. I know you have already tried lotions, but i found one that worked on mine so i thought i might offer the idea to you. The brand is Perfect Coat and its called Nourishing Naturals. Its an Almond Oatmeal spray. I usually rub it into his skin and brush it through.
I hope this helps!

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Question by susan o: Does My Vomiting Bichon Have a Wheat Allergy?
My purebred is about 4. She has been vomiting abuot twice a week for 3 weeks. It is thick, a gray color with dog food pellets in it. She acts happy but something must be wrong. I have been feeding her IAMS lamb, meal and rice formula for a year. Her front legs are peach colored from licking them. Please recommend a dog food brand or should I cook her food from scratch? Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by Single Worker 1230
Sounds like she is allergic to something. Could be weed, tree and grass allergy too. The vomiting may not be an allergy at all. You might want to talk to your vet about a proper diagnosis and treatment.

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Question by MOGua: My Bichon Frise has allergies causing him to itch himself constantly. His skin has red spots, he bites himself
My dog, a Bichon Frise has pinkish red blotches on his skin. His supposedly white fur has become pinkish where he licks, and scratches himself. He is almost always performing the acts of licking, scratching and biting himself. After doing some research, it seems as though that this allergy is called “atopy.” Having this allergy prevents him from enjoying the great outdoors and having fun because he has to stop from playing and itch himself. Please help. Thanks in advance!
My dog, a Bichon Frise has pinkish red blotches on his skin. His supposedly white fur has become pinkish where he licks, and scratches himself. He is almost always performing the acts of licking, scratching and biting himself. After doing some research, it seems as though that this allergy is called “atopy.” Having this allergy prevents him from enjoying the great outdoors and having fun because he has to stop from playing and itch himself. Please help. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for all the help. We have taken our dog to multiple vets and he has done the blood test. One of the vets recommended him to take Atopica, but after taking it, he threw up severely. We are scared to give him more Atopica. Do you know if it actually works? Or is throwing up actually normal after taking Atopica. Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by flgirl518
Did you take your dog to see a veterinarian?

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Question by Joyce W: My Bichon has allergies in his ears? What do I do?
I am presently taking my dog to a vet a least once a week. It is getting expensive and I hate giving him all that medication…which is predisone, Kemo and anitbiotics..
He is on one kind of dog food from the vet and have had him checked for everything.. I am so frustrated…HELP!

Best answer:

Answer by 2bzy
My sister’s dog has the same problem, and so far the only thing that has really helped her is the prescription allergy food by Royal Canin. She was on the Science Diet allergy formula, which did absolutely nothing, so the vet switched her. She doesn’t even have to take any meds anymore, and she was on everything. We even had the allergy patch test done $ $ $ .

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