storage mite allergy

ashmac

hi
my dog has a storage mite allergy. we have got him tested and that is the result. no going back. he is on steroids for the rest of his life. he is always itching and biting at himself. also his ears are always dirty and itchy. its no quality of life for him. i have trawled the internet but cannot get a definative answer. is there alternative medicines for dogs? can alt med for humans work on dogs? anyone any ideas please?
thanks

Noopti

Never heard of a storage mite? Is it like a dust mite?

Either way, with good treatment and good owner care I don't think his quality of life should be that bad. You can also get shampoos that can ease the itching and help the skin.

Not sure about alternative remedies though.

Call me Socket

Plenty of dogs do suffer with this Ashmac but it doesn't mean they need to lose quality of life...
I can't offer you alternative medication suggestions, but the food you feed him could be changed. I'm presuming he's on a complete kibble? That can harbour storage mites with it being a dry food....would you consider raw feeding (BARF)?
Also, if your dog lives indoors, keep on top of the dusting!....y'know- cos most of us dogowners don't have enough to do like!!!:D

Alun

Apparently they're a kind of mite found in grain storage silos, which therefore end up in pet foods. Pets can get sensitized to them by eating food contaminated by them.

Call me Socket

So a grain free cereal free dryfood might be an alternative also....?
I think Orijen is grain free (imo, all dogfood should be grain free)

Sigma Force

Good idea about changing the diet, also if the skin itself is sore bathing in a more natural shampoo that contains lavender or tea tree and neem, neem is excellent for killing off parasites but run it by your vet first if unsure.

There are a good few brands of dog food out there so bound to be one that might work for you, you might have to get it at the vets or they might have to order it in.

Noopti

One of ours has some sort of allergy, we think it could be the washing powder. The vet gave us some sort of shampoo (I can't remember the name), which soothes the skin and also reduces the build up of bacteria which occurs when the skins reacts.

ashmac

hi
thanks for all the advice and info. to answer questions.
storage mites are kinda like dust mites but found in dry food for dogs.
yes he is on complete dry food, beta bought from pet shop. we have 2 dogs, father and son. son is one with all the problems! what is BARF? grain free food?
we try to keep on top of the dusting..but hell, 2 big labs? hair city! its impossible to clear it all. it travels with me!

Call me Socket

BARF is Bones And Raw Food- or sometimes known as Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.... It's a raw diet, ie. nothing cooked. My gang is on it and they eat chicken carcasses, lamb laps, ribs, liver, heart, trotters, etc etc....and carrots.... they won't touch other veg or fruit for us so we have to supplement their diet.

It's not as hard or as time consuming as people think it, and a lot of the bones are free from your butcher if he's a decent sort- there'd be a fair bit of meat left on them.

Is it something you want to look into further?

.

teckster

It is not ususally the storage mites the dogs are allergic to, but their eggs. It can help a lot or eliminate the problem completely if you freeze the dry food for at least 24 hours. That can be done in portions or whatever is convenient for you.

Of course a BARF diet is best.

Scawgeen

Alun wrote: »

Apparently they're a kind of mite found in grain storage silos, which therefore end up in pet foods. Pets can get sensitized to them by eating food contaminated by them.

Do you know the name of the mite in the grain, it's funny I'd recognise it by the smell but don't know the name of it. It seems to love any type of grain based food. I remember as a kid being told it was a mite, when I got a strange smell from flour. In those days there was no 'use by' date on the bags.

Alun

Scawgeen wrote: »

Do you know the name of the mite in the grain, it's funny I'd recognise it by the smell but don't know the name of it. It seems to love any type of grain based food. I remember as a kid being told it was a mite, when I got a strange smell from flour. In those days there was no 'use by' date on the bags.

Here's some info ... http://www.irvingpethospital.com/library/storage_mite.htm

I don't know whether flour mites are related to them in any way.

Harveyizzy

Hi sorry to hear about your dog having this allergy, we have just found out that our 3 year old lab Izzy has this allergy also house dust mite allergy.
We have been to the vets many times over the last 6 months and after suffering side effects to most of the drugs we went for the Blood test that pin points exactly what she is allergic to.
The vet has now ordered a vaccine specifically made for Izzy, its given by injection regularly to reprogram her immune
system not to react to these allergens. ( immunotherapy )
We have also been told to only buy small bags of dog food and store in an air tight container. We also have to wash her face after every meal.
I'm now looking to changing her diet away from dry food. Natures menu do a range of frozen meat and veg I will look into this to try and find out if its suitable.
I found this site by accident when researching alternative foods so I'm a newby to this. Hope I have been of some help. Thanks for taking the time to read this.