I've been following Pepper's story. You got him from a breeder? Are you sure he may not have just come from a puppy mill? Not that it really matters, that's hindsight. But we ran into a scam artists while we were looking for a breeder for our cockapoo. Her web site was deceptive, and she was really a "puppy broker". Well, enough of that. Have you taken Pepper off of a all commercial dog food? This may be an alternative to the $$ Purina food. No matter what, they still had preservatives (chemical or natural) to all commercial foods. Maybe he'd be better off with fresh "people" food? Just a suggestion. You may be able to identify if there is a particular protein that is more irritating such as chicken, beef, fish if you provide it yourself. If you go "home cooked" your vet may want him on a vitamin to help substitute what may be lacking in his diet. However, if you feed him as well as you feed yourself, he'll likely be fine with the nutrients. If you read about the history of commercial dog food, it isn't pretty. Back in those days before commercial dog foods, dogs, especially those that were working dogs such as rodent catchers, etc, were given table scraps exclusively. Now I don't know if those dogs were healthier than they are today, but it's just a thought.
I hope Pepper gets better, it sounds like you are doing absolutely everything you can to get him well. Keep us all posted on how he's doing. From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kimberly Brooks Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 7:56 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [cockapoo] Angry at irresponsible breeder Cathy, It is so sweet of you to think of Pepper. He is hanging in there. He went back to the vet a week ago and we got bad news: the demodix has spread and is now considered generalized. He started dips last week and took his second one yesterday. His skin looks awful. The staff is really bad and because of the dips, he is losing his hair. He has bald spots and his hair is very uneven. It is hard to see him that way. His ears are better, and that is a blessing. In the meantime, we found a little terrier mix female in a storm drain Saturday. She was almost starved to death. We have been trying to find her a home. My best friend in Mass. paid for her to have a check up at the vet's office. She got her puppy shots, dewormed, etc. She is so sweet, but no one seems to want her. I am trying to keep her from going to a shelter. Anyone want a puppy? LOL Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We did switch Pepper's diet. The vet put him on a Purina Veterinary dermatologist diet. She said it would take 12 weeks to figure out if it was working or not. I will keep all of you posted on that as well. I will say though that it is very expensive. It costs $24.00 an 8lb bag! I will keep everyone posted on how Pepper is doing. Kim, Tony, Cynthia, Bubba, Pepper, Bandit, "Baby Girl", and all of the cats ----- Original Message ---- From: Cathy De Viney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 8:08:03 AM Subject: Re: [cockapoo] Angry at irresponsible breeder Kim- How is Pepper doing? I think about him daily. Did you change food? To what? Did it help? (i.e. eliminated wheat, corn, gluten, chicken?) Are all the meds helping? Cathy banditsmom0707 wrote: For those who don't remember me, my name is Kim and my husband Tony and I have an almost 8mth old cockapoo named Pepper. His pictures are in the gallery. When we bought Pepper, we were naive and gullible and believed him to be a cocker spaniel. We didn't care that he wasn't registered. He wasn't going to be bred or be a show dog. We just wanted a companion for my disabled husband. Someone to keep his spirits up. Right away there were problems. First, Pepper got very sick when he had his puppy shots. They told us that he was sensetive to them and had to split them up and take benedryl before, during and after each shot. Then, the kept getting sick. Every little thing caused him to run fever and vomit. We were at the vets office every week at least once. The first time we got him groomed, he came home with a horrible rash. That freaked us out. He had to have shots to get rid of it. Soon he had his first ear infection. That took ear drops. It was just one thing after another. The second time we had him groomed, he developed a rash all over- anywhere the clippers touched. We had to give him antibiotics and steroid shots to get rid of it and we never could quite get it. Finally, it got so bad that our doctor referred us to a dermatologist. By now, the doctor told us that we couldn't get him groomed. In fact, no groomer would touch him, so I had to take the grooming over myself. It was during that time that we realized that something was wrong...our Pepper wasn't a cockerspaniel, he was a cockapoo. Now, I could have dealt with him being a cockapoo in the beginning. He was a sweet baby, and so loveable. But to blatenly lie to us, that was just wrong. Still, we would have bought him anyway. He is our sweet Pepper, our baby. Who couldn't love him? Not a soul. We couldn't afford the dermatologist, so I had taken over his grooming, making sure he was clean, brushed, and that all his sores were treated with antibiotic ointment. Well, it didn't matter because it all got out of control. His back is fully broke out, his nose is in badddd shape, covered in sores. His neck has raw spots on it, and his ears hurt him. So we took him back to the vet today to ask for some help. He has a staff infection all over his back, he has demadex mange on his neck and nose, and a double ear infection. The doctor said that he has no immune system. I am just heartbroken, and so angry at the woman who bred so irresponsibly and then lied about it. I have no way of finding her. I have tried. My poor baby suffers daily because of this evil woman. I wish they would make people apply for liscenses in order to breed. Does anyone else have a sick cockapoo that they could give me tips on how to make his life better. He is still just a baby. thanks, Kim -- Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein, (attributed) US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955) VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS Who Vote For "Pork" !!! The Second American Revolution- http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=pKFKGrmsBDk <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKFKGrmsBDk>
