Anyone dealt with canine allergies/skin problems?

[Pinkprincessmom]

We have a 10 year old Minature Schnauzer. She was diagnosed with allergies in 1999 after doing allergy bloodwork. She is allergic to a number of foods as well as outdoor things.

We changed her diet and had the shots for the outdoor things. The shots didn't really help. We keep her on Sciene Diet D/D duck and potato. She was on Purina HA which had no meat products or wheat. She didn't like it as much. Her treats are limited to carrots.

She gets benedryl for excessive itching. Every once in a while she'll have a bad episode that even affects her breathing. During that time she'll get prednisone and benedryl. Luckily I have a good friend who is a vet. I had to call her on the Fourth of July last year for one of her episodes.

DD (darling dog) sleeps in our bed. Many times I am awakened to licking and scratching. I keep threatening to kick her out...

I hope it's an allergy to frontline or something simple. Dealing with pet allergies isn't much fun.

 

[Disney Doll]

Think of food. I have an English Springer Spaniel that we had the same problem with many years ago. He would break out in a terrible red, itchy, oozy rash on his belly. He'd go to the vet, get put on antibiotics and a powder called Neo-Predef. The antibiotics & powder would clear it up, but as soon as the whole run of antibiotics was done(usually a 10 day run), he'd start breaking out again. We thought of his bedding, so I used allergy free laundry soap. We thought of the grass, but never used any kind of chemicals in the back, which has always been his "domain". We finally switched his food to one called California Natural, and he's been fine ever since.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Allergies in dogs are really hard to figure out - I'm sorry you're dealing with it!

The most common allergent for a dog is environmental. Amazingly, food allergies are pretty rare though many dogs show improvement in diet. You can do allergy testing on a dog. It is pricey but will tell you what is going on. From there, you can decide which route to take in treating it.

Benadryl is often given on a daily basis to dogs with environmental alleriges and is safe to give longterm. Steroids are not safe longterm nor are antibiotics. They are both short term solutions to help in crisis mode.

Your cheapest route is to do a food elimination diet to rule that out. It takes 6-8 weeks to see a change once the food is changed so you have to be persistent and give it lots of time. You can't give any treats that aren't made of the same ingredients, table scraps, etc. Common food allergies are corn and wheat (both are used in poor quality foods to save $$) and then protein sources like chicken and beef. You could switch food, give it 2 months, and then reassess.

Is the vet sure it's not just dry skin? Adding flaxseed oil to his food will help with dry skin - so will raw egg. Shampoo rarely and use an oatmeal formula when you do. I know it's hard to keep some dog's dry =) One of mine LOVES water!

It's really trial and error. You could take a few different routes in order to find a good solution... frustrating, I know. I would also suggest a 2nd opinion from a vet. I highly highly suggest seeing a holistic vet for a second opinion. Many traditional vets will throw an overpriced and icky science diet prescription food at you while a vet more schooled in nutrition will explore supplements and quality diet changes. I admit that I am biased to a holistic vet though I have used traditional in the past =)

If he's really uncomfortable now, call your vet and get the right dosage of Benadyl. Give that a few days and see if it makes things a little better.

Good luck!

 

[Snowysmom]

My westie had very bad skin allergies. She would be on prednisone and antibiotics for a while. I would also shampoo her weekly with a special shampoo from the vet. I also had a topical cream for her itchy areas. It affected her ears so I had to clean them out regularly. I changed her food to lamb and rice and it really didn't seem to matter. But it is worth trying the food changes in case it does help. Good luck! Doggie allergies are frustrating for the owner and the doggie.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

My mixed breed pit bull had horrible, horrible skin allergies when he was younger. He had many rounds of prednisone. Our vet told us that dogs with skin allergies tend to be allergic to a variety of things, not just fleas. She suggested a lamb-and-rice diet (the prepared dog food, not home made!) and fish oil capsules twice a day. It worked amazingly well! His skin problems cleared up completely within about 6 months--he has not had a single problem in years and years.

 

[vettechick99]

Thanks everyone for the great responses! I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one in this boat. twojo21, she goes to the vet about once a month for her monthly bath and a pedicure and usually the vet will check her out then, so yeah, she's had a couple exams. After reading the responses on here, I think I will get her some new food with just one protein. I did switch her food about the time she started itching, but putting her back on her old food hasn't helped, so I guess I need to start fresh.

I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks so much!

 

[ElaineMarch]

I have a 1/2 golden who had sensitivities to food (vomitting) since he was a puppy. He ate alpo for a long time because it was the only food he could eat and not vomit. He is now eating a lamb and rice food and eats alpo snaps for treats. New treats even give him problems. When he was just over 2 he started chewing the bottoms of his feet very badly, he was on prednisone a few times. Benedryl did not seem to do anything for him. I saw a different vet at the office who suggested clariton and an omega fatty acid pill and this worked within a day and he has had no problems since starting this. This can be very frustrating. Good luck.

 

[gallaj0]

My folks have a bassett, and they can't use any topical flea or tick stuff on her; it puts her right into allergies immediately.

They just have to check her right after she's been outside.

 

[Jockaroo]

My male Scottie has skin issues. Mac is allergic to flea bites (flea-bite dermatitis). Basically, once he is bitten by one flea, he will chew off all his fur and then chew holes in his skin. The problem was very bad when we lived in apartments and could not control our outdoor environment. It has gotten better since we own a house, but sometimes flea-infested strays will walk through and then my poor boy has fits.

We have to use Advatix flea treatment--but use it sparingly since it is very similar to agent orange. Frontline affects the flea's reproductive system after the flea bites the dog. Mac can not get flea bites, so we must use the strong pesticide--which I hate using.

Scotties do have skin issues. It comes with the breed. We use a vet prescribed oatmeal shampoo with added fatty acids. We also have used fatty acid oil supplements for his food and doggie allergy pills. The last pills prescribed doped Mac up so badly all he did was sleep--he is a very alert dog most of the time. We also run a humidifier in the fall and winter to help keep his skin moist.

You don't want to use steroids on a regular basis, it can cause cancers, especially liver cancers. Our vet will not give Mac another shot (he has had 2 in his life) due to an elevated liver enzyme. Good luck getting this diagnosed, and ask your vet about flea-bite dermatitis.