Welcome to Shiba-Nunu

There is no real English word such as "Nunu", though privately, Nunu is a silly term of endearment my husband coined for our shiba inu, Mya, and all her shiba antics.

She is, then, our very own Shiba Nunu!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Mya's Allergies Are Gone...Almost!

This calls for a HUGE celebration! Mya's allergies seem to have fled. Only redness on one paw remains, and I have yet to double-check if her ear infection has cleared up. I don't know what worked but aside from shifting to all-natural household cleaning products (even our bathrooms), we also did all these:

1. Raw food for 2 months now- chicken, beef, lamb (though not for a long time now), salmon, pork
2. Night kibbles changed from the Orijen that Dr. Nielsen recommended to Royal Canin Hypoallergenic that Dr. Racky recommended (except that she is now tired of it and is skipping her overnight kibbles already)
3. Occasional VCO- she licks up 1tsp and we also apply some to dry skin and hotspots that have not broken skin.  Open wounds get dabbed with Oribiotic ointment.
4. Supplements: Vitamin E and Cod liver oil once a day
5. Washed her mattress #1 with non-residue soap (Charlie's Soap)
6. Removed mattress #2
7. Removed: Greenies, rawhide, all commercial treats (biscuits, Merrick lamb lung), and even home-made treats I baked myself that contained wheat
8. Once a week bath- alternate Mycocide with regular moisturizing shampoo. (She used to do well with once a month baths but because the air is so polluted and dusty now, we've had to bathe her more often.)
9. Used only hot water to wash her bowl, and occasionally used Messy Bessy all-natural detergent to clean  it.
10. This is beyond our control and I don't know if it's related but maybe the fact that it's been raining everyday somewhat purifies the environment of suspended allergens. Also, since it's the end of the year and has been raining, it's been relatively cool for the past 2 weeks.

Ms. Shiba-nunu is going through her second molt for the year and her tail looks like a lab's tail instead of a fox-like shiba tail. But the bald spots have healed and should fill up again soon. I am keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that the white underside fur still grows white. Funny to have a shiba with mottled red and white fur on the tail!

I'm sleeping more peacefully as I don't need to put on her Lifesavers collar anymore and she rarely chews on herself now. Wheneve I suspect her to be chewing and check up on her, she is just licking herself- back to grooming the shiba way.  She's done shedding on the hind part of her body and next to go will be her fur around her neck.  She's going to look scrawny na again.

And is it just me?  But it seems like...she grew even more! Wow... I think she's turning into an akita!

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