Question by Jess W: Do chinchillas make good pets? (allergy sufferer)?
I’m thinking about getting a chinchilla. Just wondering if anyone can give me a bit of info on what they are like as pets, their habits etc? How noisy are they at night.. would I be able to hear it if I kept it in a room near my bedroom?

I held one today and I had a mild allergic reaction to it (itchy eyes, after stroking the chinchilla and then putting my hands all over my face and my eyes), do you think it is sensible to get one as it will be in a cage most of the time so won’t aggravate me as much as e.g. a dog would? I have had a dog in the past (spanish water dog – supposedly hypoallergenic) and had to take it back because it irritated my skin and eyes and I struggled to catch my breath because of its dander and saliva all over the house.

I don’t mind having a bit of a reaction when I pick it up so long as there’s a room I can go in where I can have a break.. will it affect the whole house if I have allergic reactions? Do air filters help with allergies like this?
I am not allergic to sawdust/ hay/ chinchilla dust and I have kept caged animals in the past like hamsters and gerbils and been ok because for the most part they’re confined to one area. My concern with a chinchilla is that it’s a bigger animal and will be let out in one room on most days.

Best answer:

Answer by cheerleader
they make great pets and i would no

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Question by Kathy Morrison: Does any know of good brand of dog food for a possible food allergy?
I have an 8 year old Mini Schnauzer. She had what seems to be anal gland problems. She constantly licks back there. The vet believes she may have a food allergy and wants to put her on z/c Hills prescription dog food. I now have her on Wellness Super5Mix Complete Health Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food and mix in some wet food from wellness so she’ll eat it. At one time she had pimples on her skin so I switched her from Iams to Wellness 3 years ago. The skin problems went away but the anal issue still continued. No my question…. Does any know of good brand of dog food for a possible food allergy. Really don’t want to switch to prescription if I can avoid it and still get the same results.

Best answer:

Answer by Harris
you need to see a vet to determine if it is an allergy. Even a vet may not be able to determine if it is an allergy but you will at least know for sure what is going on and a proper course of action. You seem to have fixed the food issue, but there may be another problem as well.

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Question by SuperGeek: Does anyone have good home remedies for a dog with skin allergies?
Our new dog (chihuahua/beagle mix) has red ears and red paw pads. She scratches at her ears, nose, and eyes like they itch. The vet recommended benadryl, which upset her stomach; we went back and he prescribed another med, which made her tummy worse. I don’t want any more meds.

So, I’m thinking of switching her food to Blue Buffalo, and I’ve heard that vitamin E really helps dogs with skin allergies. I was wondering if anyone had these work for them, and what other things you’ve tried that have helped.

Thanks so much, in advance!
I just wanted to thank you all again! Of course the funny thing is we got this dog from the shelter, because I told my husband I wanted to get a hearty mixed breed.

This is a great dog though, and SUPER good with our girls. So well worth the effort to make her comfortable (without having her tummy get upset).

Best answer:

Answer by Les_Football_Mom
What ever food you switch to, make sure it’s wheat and corn free. Add an Omega 3 fatty acid to her food, like a fish oil supplement.

If this doesn’t improve her itching I would get her tested for allergies to see what she is allergic too.

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Question by KristyW: What breed is this dog, and what’s a good name for her?
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2486307180102280098Wjrqsh I adopted her when she was young and named her Lily because i had the name picked out already, but now that she is over her extreme illnesses that she had when i got her (giardia, food allergies, SEVERE worm infestation etc.) Her personality has changed and she just doesn’t seem like a Lily to me… I would like a “doggish” name, nothing like, Sarah or anything, but not Spot… you get what i mean… and slightly butch, since she’s a tough little dog. I would also like to know what breeds she may be, I think beagle and jack russell, but my stepfather SWEARS she has treeing walker or feist in her…. She is about 10 months old now and weighs 22 pounds, her legs are EXTREMELY long, the photo doesn’t show that well, but she is a very leggy dog, her paws are VERY compact, her tail is curved and her ears are oddly set, half perked, but they lay to the sides rather than forward. Any help in either question is really appreciated.
She’s a muscular, strong willed dog, she has A TON of energy and is very mouthy… She has a deepish bark for her size…
If she was a male, it would be SO much easier for me, because all the dog’s i’ve ever owned in my entire life have been female (mom thinks males are stupider for some reason, so she never owned any) so I’m out of original female names…
I adopted her when she was only 6 weeks old, and at the time, she was so lathargic and ill from the giardia and worms that she had that her personality wasn’t clear to us until she was around 4 months…
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/665776 here’s her dogster profile…
She’s already a little confused about her name, Because i rarely actualy CALL her Lily, she mostly get’s called Billie, Wiwwy (pronounced the same, just using w’s instead of L’s) and Zilly… lol… I think i have just fallen out of love with the name Lily
Oh, im not concerned in the slightest about changing her name, people who adopt older dog’s do it all the time and they dog’s adjust quickly and with no major issues…

Best answer:

Answer by FANCYS_MAMMA
she looks like a sassy to me ..name wise

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Question by Lillian: Is Halo Purely For Pets good for my dog?
My Papillon Mix, just two yrs. old, has developed an allergy, nibbles her knees. Took her to the vet who referred me to a dermatologist. BEFORE THE DERMATOLOGIST…
I initially had her on Halo’s Spots Stew, Dry and Canned in the Chicken, with Halo’s Antioxidant Chicken and Cheese Biscuit, for one and one-half years; then the itching surfaced. I was told to feed her either venison, rabbit or kangaroo.
For her next six months, I fed her Natural Balance Venison with Sweet Potato, Dry and Canned including their Venison Biscuit ALL Grain Free. Well, nothing changed; IT IS LIKE I NEVER CHANGED THE FOOD OR THE BRAND!!!
NOW, the vet sent me to the dermatologist to take blood work for environmental allergies; the result was her blood yielded nothing!!! The derm. was glad that I had changed to venison for the past six months; however, did not approve of the “over the counter” venison by Natural Balance. The derm. AND the vet want Science Diet. They claim an investigation was conducted, and they have more of a handle on what REALLY goes into these pet foods with Science Diet; the “over the counter” ones, NO HANDLE.
I do not like the reviews on Science Diet; yes, it may be better than Pedigree, but it is not high in good ingredients.
I spent $ 1,000 between the vet and the derm. and they still cannot specifically tell me the actual allergy. Since the blood work yielded nothing, then, an environmental allergy is on the back burner.
The derm. wants me to use venison by Science Diet. The derm. felt it just may be a food allergy; and even preferred rabbit or kangaroo. I don’t want that either. If none of this venison, rabbit or kangaroo stuff doesn’t work, then the next step is pin pricking, like when a person has allergy injections. I don’t like that even for people.
Well, lamb is not the answer to vets and derms. these days; however, since my Papillon Mix, Chanel Emma, has never had lamb, I thought about Halo’s NEW Dry Lamb to go with their canned lamb that they still have.
That is why the derm. mentioned rabbit and kangaroo, these are NEVER HAD.
In any event, I just wanted to know if Halo, OVERALL, is really a good product. I really like the works from a brand of food, human-grade, grain free, wheat free, no by-products, no meal, made in the USA.
I believe the FDA approved Halo regarding human-grade; however, others like Wellness is good, but is it also human-grade. I could really use an aspirin with all this spinning around.

Best answer:

Answer by Dawn
Halo is an excellent food. It might not work for every dog, but the ingredients are very good. You may want to research a raw diet for the dog with allergies. I know people who have tried everything with no change until they started feeding raw and symptoms were gone in a matter of 7-10 days.

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