Will Falconer, DVM Moderator
Hi Shona,
I'm glad you're looking for alternatives. My English vet colleague, Mr. Chris Day, MRCVS can help you get this youngster cured with homeopathy. You can catch his very interesting finding on itchy dogs in my interview with him on this page.
In short, vaccines are likely the cause of this state, and nothing conventional vets offer will cure it. And shame on them for threatening surgery to "fix" what they've caused! As you might guess, carving out cysts won't cure the reason the cysts appeared in the first place.
All the best in your endeavors. I'm so glad you're looking outside the box.