I got Sarah's pics. Now you can see, too.

Ok, Pastor and I got the e-mail issue sorted out. The pics arrived and I've done a little cropping to save space. Other than that, there is no editing. You will see exactly what I mean about how she looks. These photos were taken January 15, 2006.

Here's my 23 pound "red dog"! What a ham... she'd rather explore that thing Pastor was pointing at her than stay still for her picture.

You can see that she's got the "mottled" look on her head. That area is fully recovered from a bout with the demodex a couple of years ago.

This current bout began last July 4. Yes, it takes ages to get it all cleared up. Seems like all I've done is chase the critters from one spot to another for months.

You can see here where she's bald on her chest and inside her front legs. This is the area that is now starting to heal. When these little critters take up residence in her hair follicles, they shove the hair out. That process (that and them moving around) cause her to do a lot of "self-grooming" or licking. I'm sure glad her tongue is smooth.

Sometimes, she develops little pustules. Those, she will bite, causing them to become open wounds. Thakfully, since last Wednesday, there have been no new pustules, and the old ones are all scabbed over. I don't know yet if this is related to her new dietary supplement.

Some of what you see on her legs is left over from her last bout. The hair never really fully recovered. I don't know yet whether she'll ever have full coat on her legs. That's something we'll deal with in time.

The good news right now is that there are no open sores. All the little "bumps" are scabbed over, and she's no longer spending long sessions licking her legs. You can't imagine the sound of her licking so much in the middle of the night!

Her activity level has been much higher this past week. We've had 3 play sessions daily for the last 5 days. Those have sometimes lasted nearly an hour, with her only stopping occasionally to scratch.

She's also getting more used to being "loved". Since she's associated petting, and spending quality time on the bed with "getting something done to her", she's been very wary. We're working hard now to change her feelings.

One last picture. This one is of a spot on her side where the hair has begun to fall out, but as yet, no pustules have occurred. If this spot begins to heal (grow fur), then I will know for sure that the supplement is working. That will demonstrate that the process can be first stopped and then reversed.

Sarah is getting 3/4 capsule per day of a product called StemEnhance. It's made for humans, but is purported to be good for any mammal, or bird. It's made from Bluegreen Algae. You can read more about it here, or simply call toll-free 877-728-9708 for more information.

Three days into the new regimen...

Lot's of good news to report.

Sarah really likes getting a 1/4 slice of cheese 3 times a day. She thinks it's a treat!

Since Tuesday, when she got her first dose, her activity level has risen. As I noted earlier, her "normal" day for the last several months had been lounge around, and sleep most of the day with a couple of quick "outs". In the evening, get up and play for an hour or so.

Understand, she has a very short attention span, so play is about 3 minutes at a time of fetch. Maybe a couple of minutes chewing on a good chew, and then a lot of self-grooming.

I've been having some issues getting the pictures sent to me, so I'll try to describe what her skin/fur looks like with demodex. When I get the pictures up, you'll see what I mean.

The most noticable location right now is her chest. From an area just above where her legs join her body, and down the inside of both front legs there is little to no hair. Her skin is mottled dark grey and pink. Last week it was slightly inflamed and warmer than usual to the touch. She has the infamous demodex stink.

Also, down the outside of both front legs there are dried scabby areas interspersed with scraggly fur.

Now, we've already been through outbreaks on the head, the face, the sides, and all four legs at least once, not to mention the tail a couple of times. The only place she's not had an issue has been directly on her belly. The skin there is still nice and pink.

Since she's been getting this new stuff, her activity level has increased. Now she want's to play about every 3 or 4 hours for a little while. Her appetite has picked up a bit, too.

I've noticed that the inflammation on her chest and inside her front legs is virtually gone. Also, the areas on the outsides of her legs appear to be healing. If this is truely the case, I'll be elated.

You can go here to see why I'm so excited, or simply call this toll-free number for information about the product, 1-877-728-9708.

The morning "cheese" was really good

Oh yeah. Sarah's liking the "3 a day" treats. Little does she know they're good for her.

Understand here, I'm not expecting miracles. But I could swear she's already dropped her "itch rate". Generally she'll wake me a couple of times a night with the "full body shake" as if she just came in from the rain. Last night, only once, was I awakened.

So far today, she's been pretty calm. Her normal routine is to lounge around most of the day and then play for a couple of hours in the evening. The morning duties were done quickly as it was raining, not something she likes much.

If you want to get a better handle on the stuff I'm using, give this toll-free number a call. There are several options you can choose from, and yes, it's all pre-recorded and short (less than 5 minutes per option). Call 877-728-9708

The stuff has arrived, and Sarah has had her first go at it...

Time will tell now how she reacts.

She's so picky. I took the capsule and opened it. I spread it on a slice of processed cheese and cut that into four pieces so she gets 1/4 capsule at least a couple of times a day.

Now, she really likes cheese, and she did take this from my hand, so that's good news. Generally, if I want to give her something, I really have to work to disguise it.

Pastor took the pictures Sunday evening, but I've not yet received them. Here's a picture of her taken a couple years ago. You can see the bald spot on her back.

All week-end she either slept, or whined and scratched, or had me scratch her gently.

I really have hope that this will first calm her symptoms. If it does that, then I'll give her a medicated bath to wash as many of the little critters down the drain as possible. That's always one of the "short-term" fixes... bathe with medicated soap.

Just as soon as the new pictures arrive, I'll get them posted. Then you'll see where she's got bare skin on her chest and under her front legs, as well as scabs on the backs of her front legs. In short... she's a mess.

Now you can see why, if this stuff works, I'll be shouting from the roof-tops.

Ever have an itchy dog?

I've got one of those. She's a real sweetheart, but she itches... all the time.

You see, she has chronic generalized demodosis (from the demodex mite). I've had her to the vet, and the original breeders had spent a lot on her, too. She's been dipped, shot with Ivermectin many times, and treated with antibiotics. I've even used essential oils on her. She sure smelled good.

For whatever reason, the whole litter was born with this problem. All five were beautiful little purebred Finnish Spitz potential champions. The worst of the litter had to be "put down". My little Sarah was the next worst. The others didn't have quite such a problem and outgrew their problem within a year.

I'm telling you all this as I've recently been introduced to something that may help her. It's all natural, and should stop her itching, and allow her immune system to strengthen and fight off the little critters.

One of my business partners, Ed Alvarez, hired me to write copy for his new venture. Wouldn't you know it, in my research, I've come to believe his product may help my dog.

He's shipping me a bottle of it today. I should have it by Tuesday or Wednesday.

What I'll do in the meantime is get some pics of Sarah, and make a record of her current behavior. Since she'll not know she's getting anything out of the ordinary, I believe I will observe a measurable improvement.

If she improves, I'll be shouting from the rooftops.

Do you know how many thousands of "itchy" dogs there are? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was something to help their immune systems get better?

Want to see what it is that I'm so excited about? Check out what I've written for Ed. Follow the links and listen to the pre-recorded calls at 877-728-9708. It's a toll-free number, and the company has graciously kept the calls short.