Grass Allergy
So it appears that Ruby has an allergy to grass. Especially when Jason has recently mowed the lawn. It has been particularly hot here in RI and with the addition of the third dog we have been having the girls play in the yard more before coming in the house so that the zoomies stay out doors. But because it has been so hot when Ruby takes breaks she lies down full belly frog leg style on the cool grass. When she comes in her tummy and inner legs are red and inflamed with hives. I have been wiping her down with a damp cloth and giving her benedryl.
But clearly I need to address the turf that is my back yard. We recently had planted clover throughout to improve our soil, attract bees for my gardens, and frankly it grows slowly so less mowing. It may be the clover as she did not have hives like this last summer (though it also rained A LOT and she didn't play in the yard nearly as much as she is this year). But I have a ton of crab grass too (my sworn enemy *waiving fist in the air*). And honestly the clover didn't really take in my back yard thanks to the zooming pitbull/shikoku hijinks. We use no chemicals whatsoever, and my nearby garden is all organic. So it is nothing man made.
I don't care what my back yard looks like (at all). It is specifically for the dogs. I have been growing hops to cover my chain link fence and create some privacy . At this point I am considering digging up my yard entirely. But do I lay down wood chip? Is there an alternative ground cover I can plant that will not irritate my poor babies skin? I have asked LJ seeing as turf is in fact her turf, but I thought maybe someone here would have a suggestion too. I just want the little one to be able to play without hives every time.
Here is a picture of her tummy before I gave her a bath and covered her belly in calendula salve.
But clearly I need to address the turf that is my back yard. We recently had planted clover throughout to improve our soil, attract bees for my gardens, and frankly it grows slowly so less mowing. It may be the clover as she did not have hives like this last summer (though it also rained A LOT and she didn't play in the yard nearly as much as she is this year). But I have a ton of crab grass too (my sworn enemy *waiving fist in the air*). And honestly the clover didn't really take in my back yard thanks to the zooming pitbull/shikoku hijinks. We use no chemicals whatsoever, and my nearby garden is all organic. So it is nothing man made.
I don't care what my back yard looks like (at all). It is specifically for the dogs. I have been growing hops to cover my chain link fence and create some privacy . At this point I am considering digging up my yard entirely. But do I lay down wood chip? Is there an alternative ground cover I can plant that will not irritate my poor babies skin? I have asked LJ seeing as turf is in fact her turf, but I thought maybe someone here would have a suggestion too. I just want the little one to be able to play without hives every time.
Here is a picture of her tummy before I gave her a bath and covered her belly in calendula salve.
Comments
But I'm so sorry--poor Ruby! It looks awful!
Maybe it will be the grass, not the clover. I like clover too, and used to have it when I lived in Michigan. The only other ground covers I can think of are expensive and wouldn't hold up to dog traffic (ie. thyme, etc). Oh, and I love your idea of the hops growing up the fence--I've wanted to grow hops for awhile, just because it is really cool to grow.
What ever you choose to put down will have pros & cons. Wood chips are soft & cool but are porous and will absorb & hold the urine smell. Its also difficult to remove poop. Pea gravel ( tiny river stone) will drain better and will not retain the urine smell but it can get very hot in the summer so go with a light color, if possible. It too can be a little difficult to clean, with pea gravel it also collects leaf litter that is almost impossible to remove.So I'd plan on a fresh top coat every few yrs. Just a little something to consider. :)
I know LJ said she was going to call a turf specialist for me and ask. And if I need to I will get her allergy tested to find out specifically what species of grass or clover she is reacting to....
I am also hoping that it is primarily compounded by the heat, the adjustment to a new family member, and Jays mowing.
I am trying adding some cider vinegar to her water, and spraying some on her tummy (my naturopath suggested that) hopefully that will decrease some of her skins reactivity.
It is just so sad to see this happy sweet dog who loves nothing more than a good lawn frolic so uncomfortable.
Shibamistress-The hops was a girlfriend of mines suggestion. She is a botanist and she was telling me how pretty it is and how quickly it grows. It is very pretty and boy oh boy does it grow. It is toxic to animals if they eat, but it is prickly so the pups think it is pretty icky. My neighbor across the street was so excited when I planted it because she makes tea with hops flowers for her insomnia. I trade her hops blossoms for fresh baked bread. Pretty sweet deal.
If you choose to "replace the existing turf" you'll have to spray it with Round up or rototill it Then cover it with a qaulity landscape fabric before you add chips/mulch / stone or whatever.
If you are considering wood chips, keep in mind that all chips are not the same. Probably your best choice "for the money " is cedar mulch. It is resistant to decay (think mold) It's also somewhat resistant to a lot of biting insects (think mosquitoes) and will last much longer than less expensive mulch that is typically pine & other soft wood.
*sigh* I suspect I am asking too much.
I also noticed you mentioned the hops are toxic to the animals. I'm assuming exposure to the plant or clippings through direct contact could cause this type of skin reaction, and I'm thinking this is more likely the culprit. Don't know much about the plant (not even sure it grows in MN). However, if it's viney and will grow "up" your fence it more than likely may be encroaching on the grass, too, then getting distributed throughout the lawn when the mowing occurs. I have planted many "invasive" plants, and have learned the hard way when my lawn became "infested" with plants I thought would stay sedately within the garden or landscaped areas. So, even though Ruby and the other doggies are not eating it, she may be encountering it anyway as it invades the lawn between mowings and then gets chopped up exposing the grass "fluids" to being mixed in with the other grass clippings as the mower passes back and forth. If that seems to be a possibility, equip your mower with a bagger so the grass (and hops) clippings are not mixed in with each other and laying on the yard. You can send the clippings to a compost heap, either through your city or county, or start your own if you plan to start a veg or flower garden. Also, consider surrounding the area where the hops are planted by a substantial "border" of wood chips or rock, and then some solid edging (like great big rocks, pavers or something similar) just so the lawn does not get "hoppy" through encroachment. You could plant some nice flowering plants or shrubs among the border area for splashes of color against the hops, but the idea here would be to prevent that spread of hops across the lawn even if it gets continually mowed off.
We Minnesotans are partial to green lawns so I am not so much in favor of rocks, chips or the like to cover the whole lawn. My personal opinion is the doggies love the grass, too --- cooler in hot weather, they like to eat certan varieties to cleanse their tummies occasionally, etc. etc. And I would think it quite unusual for a pet to have an allergy to any of the common yard grasses, or even clover. We have had lots of crab grass, clover and the like invade our lawn here in town, not to mention lots of each and other similar varieties at the farm where everything is allowed to grow as it pleases. We have never had any kind of skin rash with Josephine, our previous dog Joe, or other dogs that have been around there or here for extended and short stays.
As far as removing crabgrass, spraying it down with something like round-up will kill the surface, but it's not fail-proof, systemically speaking. In the case of extreme allergies, he recommends spraying it down, but being careful because of other plants in the yard and then removing the top layer (up to 2") of soil. Bring in "cleansed" dirt, packing or rolling it, and then planting something non-allergic.
One question he did want me to ask - which clover did you end up choosing?
My neighbors don't spray, which rules that out.
Hops is on the outside of the yard and none in the yard. It grows only vertically and does not spread. That was part of why my friend suggested it to me. It is a pretty amazing plant actually.
As far as yard clippings go, they go straight into a bag and then into our composter. And Jay still rakes just in case because I am super allergic to lawn clippings.
The worst part is not only is grass allergy incredibly common, it is even more common amongst pit bulls.
I have found that applying a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar seems to help. So I am washing her little paws when we come in and then I spray the vinegar mixture on her exposed skin. She is not thrilled with this but the inflammation improves quickly.
Still looking for an herbal ground cover that is safe for my little peanut. By back yard is truly a designated area for the dogs. No one ever uses it for anything other than dog play. So if need be I will just let it be dirt.
My front and side yards would remain clover. And my vegetable garden is on the other side of the property. So consider my back yard more of a dog run and less of a "yard".
Otherwise I will be having little body stockings made for Ruby and while she will hate me for forever, she would look pretty freaking cute.
This is mentioned in the faqs section of the Stepables website ( http://www.stepables.com ):
Q. Will my dog ruin my STEPABLES®?
A. The dogs are not that big of a problem, but I would consider putting down additional gravel before you plant. If you do that, your plants will have a better chance for survival; not only for foot traffic, but also for the other things dogs do. The plants will grow and work like grout in and amongst the rock and every time the dog nubs it down, it won't be in mud, but in the gravel, where the plant will have a place to push back up from. There are many sizes of gravel. Pick one according to the look of the landscape, but also your dog. A little Terrier won't be able to get around on big gravel and a Great Dane will crush the smallest gravel in no time.
The best plants for dog traffic are those with runners underneath the soil surface. The reason for this is that no matter how much foot traffic there is, the plant will generally resurface.
It is ideal to plant on the outside edges first, staggering each set of plants to offset any “soldiers” in a straight line. You can plant in the middle, but the dogs may have a field day if that is where the heaviest traffic is. Consider placing stones in this area. You can then plant around the stones. This will help with the wear and tear on the plants, and it will also hold up better in foul weather.
Just remember...if you alternate the other plantings, they will all creep together eventually.
Plants that will tolerate dog traffic.
Sun to part shade
Isotoma/Laurentia
Lobelia chinensis
Lotus corniculatus Plenus
Nierembergia repens
Pratia penduncularis ‘County Park’
Pratia penduncularis “Little Star”
Shade to part shade
Eleocharis radicans
Hydrocoytle sibthorpiodes
All Leptinellas
Viola hederacea
Wishing a speedy resolution for Ruby and you....
I think most people, sadly, would get rid of their dogs before changing their yard
The good news is it is not a grass allergy. And we discovered this before I dug up my yard!
The bad news is in my 35 years of dog ownership my dogs for the first time ever my dogs have FLEAS. GROSS. Ruby apparently is VERY allergic to flea saliva and the symptoms of the allergic reaction masked some of the signs of fleas. I had been giving her benedryl the last couple days and it was doing nothing for her. Then I noticed Miko chewing on her tail which she has never done before. And one of my cats has started scratching. So all signs pointed to fleas. I took Ruby to the vet today. She got a shot of steroids and additional antihistamine and is already considerably better. She will be on antibiotics for her tenderness and steroids for a few days to get her back to 100%. And all three dogs and all four cats have been treated for fleas. My house is being disinfected roof to basement tomorrow and I will be committing some flea genocide. Expensive day at our house (and of course our air conditioner died yesterday during a heat wave). But everyones lives should be back to normal in just a couple days and this is wonderful news.
Hopefully all will be well at the Berndt house soon
One of the things I like about living in the mts. in NM. No fleas.
Don't mean to add to your worries, but something to look out for, or maybe vets are already prophylactically treating for it: My son's rescued dog ended up with a tape worm that revealed itself a few weeks after he adopted her. Turns out, per the vets, the tape worm is spread through fleas somehow (I think they bite themselves to remove the flea eggs, the tapeworm is part of the flea egg, and the dog ingests... may have that a bit wrong, but its what I remember). Anyway, worth it to be watchful (for what I'm a little unclear)... Frannie seemed to exhibit no symptoms (to my son's untrained eye, at least) except excessive eating and drinking (and staying quite thin), and then the worm revealed itself eventually through the stool... Good news is that it's treatable with one dose of something and then it's gone; and if one has it the dog will not spread it to the others, or the cat, or anyone else...
Again, depending on the layout of the yard, if you've got good drainage, it won't get sloppy after a heavy rain.
This is somewhat popular in Texas, however granite is plentiful here. Not sure how available it is in RI.