by Dr. Fox

Question:

My wife and I adopted a 7-year-old wheaten terrier last February from the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America (SCWTCA). She received little to no care for her six years with the original owner. As a result, both ears were so severely infected that she had both eardrums and both ear canals surgically removed.

She is constantly scratching. She will take two or three steps and then sit down and scratch herself underneath her armpit; or she will lie on her back and thrash around from side to side relentlessly.

We have been to two separate vets, one regular and one holistic. They seem to agree that she has some kind of yeast infection and prescribed medicine to treat the infection in the long term. The holistic vet also ran tests that indicated she had a strep and staph infection in the ears. However, neither vet is doing anything to treat her constant scratching.

R.J.E., Fairfax, Va Feb 14, 2011

Answer:

Your poor dog’s immune system is clearly compromised. If she has episodes of loose stools and digestive problems, then I would suspect she’s allergic to wheat gluten — a common problem in wheaten terriers.

Transition her onto a grain- and soy-free diet (see my website for resources). Give her daily probiotics and a short course of antihistamine medication under veterinary supervision. Aloe-vera liquid is soothing and healing to the digestive system, and the gel (ideally with calendula) may help heal her ears and skin. A tablespoon of coconut oil in her food daily may also prove beneficial. Let me know how she responds to this course of treatment.

Read the full blog post here: http://www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/QandA/post/2011/02/14/My-wife-and-I-adopted-a-7-year.aspx