Oh Frankie Frank, where to begin? I get messages asking about him periodically and I wanted to give a quick update. As I’ve shared before Franklin Waffles has had his fair share of issues since we’ve had him (you can read the story of how we got him here, but he was in pretty rough shape when we got him and took a while to recover). One of his biggest issues, though, is his perpetual allergies. We’ve struggled with how to treat them and I’ve shared some about that on Instagram Stories and in previous blog posts. As much as I try to share what I learn, I actually learn so much from you guys! Every time I’ve talked about his allergies, I get flooded with messages with different suggestions for ways to treat his allergies naturally and many of them have been so helpful.
When I last gave an update, Frankie was taking a daily medication which worked for the most part, but it was super expensive and there wasn’t any research on effects from long term use. I’ve since worked with his holistic vet to take him off of it and try some other ways to manage it. They are huge fans of the brand of food we feed him, but wanted me to switch his food from a chicken formula to another type of protein since chicken can be a cause of inflammation in dogs. Because of his tummy issues, we’ve had a hard time finding something that works, but I think we’ve found a winner in this Honest Kitchen beef based food (just a tip: we get this food more affordably by doing Amazon Subscribe and Save). We also add fish oil to his food to reduce inflammation and I add this probiotic to his food everyday to help with some of his tummy issues, along with giving him Benadryl. Sounds crazy right?? I’m not gonna lie, it’s a lot to have to mix up all of this twice a day! My husband always jokes that we got a lemon because Frankie is the most high maintenance dog he’s ever met (he says this endearingly.. mostly). We’re to the point where the vet wants to try flower essences and acupuncture. Seriously, I love my dog, but I have to draw the line somewhere and that place happens to be doggy acupuncture.
What’s made the biggest difference is bathing him more often to wash off the allergens and switching to a more soothing soap, which is actually a suggestion I got over and over from readers. Several readers also suggested using essential oils in his bath, including tea tree oil, but after researching I learned that many eo’s are toxic to dogs (including tea tree oil), but we’ve had some success with a more soothing soap that’s free of any toxic eo’s. As fate would have it, the last post I wrote about Franklin Waffles inspired the founder of Bulles et Molécules to contact me and offer to send me some soaps from her husband’s company Good Girl Good Boy. She was so sweet and clarified that it wasn’t for review, it was to just help poor Frankie, but the soaps were so adorable and have done great for his skin, so here I am writing about them!
They offer 3 kinds of soaps: Organic Neem and Cedarwood soap (which is great for keeping fleas and ticks away naturally), Organic Calming Soap with Canadian Hemp oil and Kokum Butter (great for hydrating and calming skin), and our favorite, Organic Niaouli Antibacterial Soap with Shea Butter. The last one has been a winner for Frankie since the poor guy scratches himself raw at times and gets skin infections. This is a much safer solution than tea tree oil and has really helped to calm down his skin when it looks like it’s getting raw and infected. Seriously, his skin looks great for 3-4 days after bathing him with this, so I try to stay on top of bathing him. Plus, how cute are these soaps? I also really love the eco-friendly packaging. Good Girl Good Boy has generously offered my readers 15% off until the end of August with code Molly15.
I’ll keep you guys updated on anything else we find that helps calm down his allergies. For now this is how we’re managing it, but I’m always open to suggestions. If anyone has a natural remedy that’s worked for your pooch please let me know! xo
*Post contains some affiliate links for the dog food
I also have a Boston, he is on a raw food diet (carnivora brand) that is organs, bones, meat and a small portion of veg and fruit. He also is on a probiotic and fish oil. He’s just 5 months now but no tummy issues.
I met another Boston owner who had a 10 year old Boston who had rashes all over her. They had recently switched to a raw food diet as well and said that had helped.
Hope you find something that works for the little guy! Xo
Thanks for the info Brittany! I looked into a raw food diet, but the vet seemed skeptical. I think it’s worth investigating more though, especially since it’s worked for you and others. I may have to give it a try! xx
We’re so glad to hear that the soap helps calm Frankie’s skin. Hope you can find a remedy. xx
Really enjoyed reading. I’m a green beauty follower but also a manager of a holistic pet store. Your Instagram post grabbed my attention and led me here. I have a Boston Terrier mix (50%) with skin allergies too…of course! The Honest Kitchen is a wonderful product, but I do urge you to look into a raw diet like others said. I don’t know his particular skin issues, but my guy, and many smooshy, bully type breeds are more prone to yeast. When you feed carbs, carbs break down into sugar, sugar feeds the yeast. As I said, THK is great, but it is higher in carbs than many commercial raw brands you will find. If you do look into raw, look for high protein, minimal, low glycemic carbs.
Thank you Marie!
Thanks for all of the info Rachel! I’ve started looking into a raw diet for him. I think initially the vet was concerned because he’s prone to having bacteria imbalance in his digestive tract. Hopefully we can switch him and that won’t be an issue!