Long story short - My brother rescued the dog because someone was locking, abusing him in a dark basement...we got him when he was fairly young, couple years. Then my brother got a new job and was really busy so the dog would just sit at home all day alone... Anytime I was close by I would take the dig for a walk, I noticed he wasn't doing good, he would Throw up this thick mucus phlegm(lymph system) from the unhealthy kebble... So I took him in and started researching what to do to help him. I found out about raw meat... I myself, already been on a rawfood diet for some time(fruit/vege but never knew about a dog proper diet.. So I put him on raw meat bones and some vegetables and herbs I pick... He is 100% better know. He could barely breath then, today I just took him for a 7-8 mile walk in 80 degree wheather! To answer your question honestly, he did bite me fairly bad when I was really little but he was not on raw foods then he was in kibble... He was aggressive because people used to abuse him... I put him on the raw meat bones diet(BARF) and he has never shown anymore aggression. I make him take treats out of my mouth.... My Doberman snatches food more than he does! Raw diet also makes dogs much more intelligent and active... No more mucus for him, he can breath finally! Hope this helps. Joe

My skin around the eyes just recently got sensitive from my retinol product. I use emu oil when it was red and itch. This oil is great for rash, insect bites, eczema and as moisturizer. I have a friend who has the skin like yours, she got eczema on her jaw. She told me she used Avene (French line skincare) and then switched to cheaper Australian brand (she lives there). Over there Avene just like EL, Clinique, Lancome, with the counters in dept. stores. In US I think you've to mail order them. She uses creamy cleanser. If you're bored with Cetaphil cleanser (I don't like this, leave a film on my face and don't take off makeup very well), maybe you can try Aveeno Baby Creamy Cleanser or PC cleanser for dry skin (they said it's better than Cetaphil). But if you've no problem with Cetaphil cleanser and lotion/cream, I'd say better stick with them. For your body, try Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash and Lotion, Cottage Shoppe Body Wash and Body Butters (they use high percentage shea butter), Chelmsford Herbal Soap Co. body wash. The other good one is Vaseline Intensive Care lotion for dry and sensitive skin. HTH www.cottageshoppe.net www.csoap.com

I'm 41 too. My skin is misbehaving as well. I saw some great reviews about this book, The Skin Type Solution, on a makeup board I frequent so I had to get it. It is well worth the purchase price! Based on a questionaire that you fill out, I found out I have Oily, Sensitive, Non-Pigmented, Tight skin. I am following her recommendations for my skin and so far, so good. I found out that my skin type does not take to facials or exfoliation well, too inflamatory. A washcloth is all I should use to exfoliate and anything with scrubbing particles should be avoided. I found a line of skin care (Eucerin Redness Relief) at Walgreens that is doing good things for my early rosacea symptoms. Here's a link to her website where you can browse for info and she even has forums for the different skin types. You can easily set up a regimen just for your skin spending as little or as much money as you wish with her product suggestions. And you can avoid spending money on stuff that can harm your skin. Here is a link that might be useful: Dr Baumann's Website

Our Megan used to get all itchy this time of year. She would end up on corticosteroids, which made her nervous and she would pant and just not settle and relax. I hated seeing her like that. A few years ago I took her to a holistic vet. He put her on a predigested dog food and some supplements. One supplement was licorice, one was an auto-immune remedy that was actually made for people. I started her on this treatment at least a month before her seasonal allergy time. It turned out that she became sensitive to that darned dog food with the predigested proteins - just after I bought a second bag of it. She would vomit after eating it. If I remember right, we had to take her in to our own vet to get her looked at for vomiting. So OUR vet says, why not do an allergy blood test? This is the same vet who was giving her prednisone every August and September! He knew we had pet health insurance and would have done anything to help her feel better. So he ran the allergy test and it came back saying she was allergic to beets, potatoes, carrots, and wheat. The way the holistic doctor explained it to us was that if she is allergic to food, that is a year-round thing. If she is not reacting year-round, it is because her immune system was not overwhelmed and was coping with that level of irritation. When you added her seasonal inhalant allergies in August and September, she was then overwhelmed, and the result was skin irritation - which seems to be the most common way that allergies of all types are seen in dogs. So, every summer we would get very diligent about her food allergies, starting in about June. That way, by August she would not be having reactions to her food and would better handle the inhalant allergies that started then. After starting this routine, we were able to control her allergies and keep her comfortable with a Benadryl pill once or twice a day.