Basil has been itch free!

It happened quite gradually, so it didn't even occur to me to post about it. Basil has been itch free for weeks. When he first came to us, we were feeding him Merrick and he was still scratching his body and chin with his back paw. Poor wittle guy. We switched to Blue Buffalo and the scratching ceased but every morning he would rub his chin against the carpet and knawed at his paws. We also think the chicken treats was causing the bit of itching. We switched to duck or lamb treats. We also switched to Blue Buffalo's fish and sweet potato dry food for breakfast and give him salmon or mackerel at night. We also give him pears, cheese and carrots quite often. Something must be working because he has been completely itch and hot spot free!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Health Update

Basil has been noticeably stronger and more muscular. His thighs and abs are lean, but very muscular. When he plays, he pulls much harder. To our surprise, he was able to take our friend's hyper Boston Terrier. When he steps on us, it hurts a lot more! ahaha His face also seems different. It seems fuller and a tad more mature. Ahhh, we don't want him to lose his puppy face!

Otherwise, no itches. Every few days, we change up his diet and give him some pear, apple or cheese. We're on the move doing research and slowly changing his diet to see if there are improvements. We made the mistake of leaving his shampoo on too (thinking it would help) and he had a rash on his sac. In 3 days, I kept wiping it clean and it cleared up right away.

We started to feed him Blue Buffalo: his smelly gas had decreased and his coat looks more shiny. However, we noticed he's been itching under his chin a bit and licking his paws. Also, this last week, he's been getting the worse case of boogie eyes. K wants to take him off of it right away. We're going to move to Taste of the Wild while we research raw feeding.

We're starting to get ready for Christmas! Target has some really cute doggie pajamas.

Health Update

Basil has been off his antibiotics and steroids for 2 weeks now. He weighs in at 24.5 lbs today.

Since he's been off his medicine, we noticed immediately that he was licking his front paws again a little bit. We called the vet and she said if it's real bad, then give him benedryl. Otherwise, it's just something we need to deal with and treat by cleaning him off after from coming outside and keeping up with his regular baths.

We still bathe him once a week with the medicinal shampoo. We clean his ears once a week (or less if needed). He LOVES getting his ears cleaned. I gently introduce the cotton balls to him so he knows what I'm going for. I start by wiping the inside tip of his ear and then he realizes it's soothing. So then I go for the gold and get all in there. He loves it!

Keith is the one who bathes him. He put a towel at the bottom of the bath tub which helps Basil feel a little more comfortable. He still runs away though when we turn the shower on. As soon as he's done, he comes running down the stairs and into my lap like he's running from a scary monster.

Over this last week, we noticed he's a lot licking more and scratching his neck. He's licking his front paws on the top side and his groin area. Then we saw a hot spot in his groan area and his testicles look a little raw. *I* have been wiping him down with a warm wet towel and spraying him with the anti-itch spray. He doesn't like the spraying action. He runs as soon as he sees the bottle. But he takes it well from me but runs from Keith ahahahahhaa He loves me more!

He's been sleeping all over the place - the couch, the rug, the carpet, his bed (which we never washed first), and our bed covers. I'm going to wash everything with hot water this weekend and no fabric softener and see if that helps. The rug is hard. I vacuum once to twice a week, but I'm sure there are still allergens.

Otherwise he's doing well and I hope he doesn't break out.

Week One

Since Basil had a rash (possibly allergies), we kept notes of his habits to see if there was a pattern. I also read as much as I could regarding allergies and what other people do.

Sunday

• Raw itchies on his belly. Raw rash on his left front leg.
• Walking like he was in pain.
• Scratching a lot.
  
• Falling asleep while sitting up. (He was avoiding laying down which is a sign he's not comfortable.)
  
• Distinct smell. (Healthy Frenchies typically smell good; not like "dog".)
• Wasn't interested in playing.
• We sprayed him with antiseptic spray and put salmon oil in his food.
• Introduced a new treat - banana wrapped with chicken.
  

Monday

• Continued to spray him and would stop him from scratching.
• Began licking his front paws a lot and gnawing on them.
  
• Sitting down a little, but uncomfortably. Lay down sometimes.
• Seemed more comfortable laying down with us.
• Gave him 25 mg of Benadryl.
• Breathing heavily.
• Bumping into furniture.
  

Tuesday

• Still spraying and giving him salmon oil.
• Rawness going away. Scabbing over. Dark red; almost black scabs.
• Scratching less, but licking a lot. Gnawing a lot.
• Stop giving him banana wrapped chicken treats.
  
• Giving Benadryl.

Wednesday

• Go to Vet!
• Cleaned ears. He had an ear infection in both ears.
• Got anti-biotics, steriods, medicated shampoo and ear cleaning drops.
• Gave him medication, food and a bath. Stop Benadryl and spray.
  
• Coat is looking much better; soft and shiny.
• Smells good.
  
• More active and more agile. No more bumping. Playing.
• Chewing his nyla bone a little bit for the first time.
• Started playing with some toys. Playing catch.

Thursday

• A lot more active and alert.
  
• Hears and growls at noises.
  
• Jumping high. Playing tug of war. Playing catch. Wrestling.
• Letting us rub his belly.
• Scabs have fallen off and skin is healing.

Friday

• Seems like he's back to himself.
  
• Playful and gnawing on his nylabone.
  

We told Basil we would take care of him and make him all better and he is! I'm so relieved because I really was worried about him. WE love you!