Does anyone have a dog with allergies?

[acejka]

What are you doing for him/her?

We moved to Florida in June... about 6 weeks later we noticed one of our dogs always biting at his feet.

The doctor said there was a skin infection and maybe we picked it up on the vacation we took where we stopped at a doggie beach. He said the medicine and steroids should clear it up but to keep an eye out just in case he started biting again-then it is a sign of environmental allergies.

The biting did start again, and nothing has changed product wise in our house. I use all of the same products and cleaners etc. The biting is always on his feet and on his feet only. I'm wondering if it might be from the grass he walks in to potty and play.

The doctor sad he can just go on steriods all the time to keep the biting down-I'm reluctant to do this because I was warned of kidney damage due to steriods.

Is anyone else dealing with a similar situation that found a different solution? We are going to the petstore to see if they have a no chew type product that could be applied to his feet. If I have to do the striods, fine but I wanted to know if anyone had any other ideas or solutions to try.

Thanks!

 

[golfgal]

Our dog has horrible allergies, especially in the spring. We give her benadryl daily along with fish oil on her food. She has also been on Chlorpheniramine, prescription doggy antihistamine, but has developed a tolerance to that so it doesn't work well for her any longer. In the spring we have to use a steroid spray on her hot spots too. The combo of the benadry/fish oil helps her skin a lot. She also gets bathed quite frequently in the summer with medicated shampoo and conditioner. The vet said at least once/week in the summer.

 

[acejka]

Our dog has horrible allergies, especially in the spring. We give her benadryl daily along with fish oil on her food. She has also been on Chlorpheniramine, prescription doggy antihistamine, but has developed a tolerance to that so it doesn't work well for her any longer. In the spring we have to use a steroid spray on her hot spots too. The combo of the benadry/fish oil helps her skin a lot. She also gets bathed quite frequently in the summer with medicated shampoo and conditioner. The vet said at least once/week in the summer.

Thanks for the quick reply! I am going to look into some of these things. My vet that I am using down here is quick to toss him on steriods, and I am thinking about changing because I'm not sure I get the best feelings from him.

 

[Dax]

Avoid the steroids...

My pugs have issues as well...I also use Benedryl...I may look into the fish oil though...nvr thought of that

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

My dog has allergies, mostly in the fall. Vet thinks it may be from fallen leaves/damp ground/mold.
He always gives her a shot of steroids and then pills to take for about two weeks. This year, since she is going on 15 years old (!)I wanted to avoid the steroids, so I put her on fish oil and regular benedryl. It worked! Now that the ground is covered with snow, I think we are in the clear!

 

[Pakey]

I have hairless dogs with terrible allergies, combined with living in a high pollen area with poor air quality.

Like golfgal, I give them benadryl plus fish oil. Because my dogs are hairless, they get baths every 3 days with medicated shampoo and then a lotion designed specifically for this breed of dog.

 

[mamamary]

My dog has very bad allergies. Once he gets antibiotics it clears up until the next time. we were eventually referred to a dermatologist for animals. After lots of testing we were told that he needs to take Atopica - very effective in allergies but also VERY EXPENSIVE. It does seem to do the trick. And as others have said they do need baths quite often with medicated shampoo.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Avoid the steroids for longterm use.

Winston is my allergy boy - he has seasonal allergies, which we treated this year with a steroid shot and once that wore off, just a steroid/antihistamine combo pill as needed.

Also keep in mind that sometimes the allergen can be in your home. For example, last year he started gnawing on his feet like crazy and our vet asked if anything in the environment had changed - like a air freshener. Sure enough, a week before I had plugged in a Bath and Body Works Wallflower in our living room! Well, she said that since dogs are in the home just about 24 hours a day, the toxins in the plug-in are too much for them to breathe in all the time. We unplugged it and the itching stopped!

Just another thought.

 

[acejka]

Avoid the steroids for longterm use.

Winston is my allergy boy - he has seasonal allergies, which we treated this year with a steroid shot and once that wore off, just a steroid/antihistamine combo pill as needed.

Also keep in mind that sometimes the allergen can be in your home. For example, last year he started gnawing on his feet like crazy and our vet asked if anything in the environment had changed - like a air freshener. Sure enough, a week before I had plugged in a Bath and Body Works Wallflower in our living room! Well, she said that since dogs are in the home just about 24 hours a day, the toxins in the plug-in are too much for them to breathe in all the time. We unplugged it and the itching stopped!

Just another thought.

Nothing has changed in our home, they've always been around wallflowers and the such no new chemicals at all, BUT I am going to unplug our wallflowers-we moved from a huge 3 story townhouse to a large 1 floor apartment-I know the wallflowers have to be much more concentrated now. Good idea!!

 

[lakelandgal70]

I have 2 that have horrible allergies. Not sure to what. One even had his skin scraped and they couldn't find anything. My cocker had horrible ear and skin issues. They have cleared up and her fur has grown back. I put Olive leaf extract in their food in the morning. It cleard up the cockers issues and it is also a natural flea preventative. It really hasn't helped my one dachshund so I am adding coconut oil to his dinner. Seems to help with the scratching a bit. I use the NOW coconut oil. And for the olive leaf I get from Olivus.com.

 

[walden]

Have you also completely ruled out food allergies? It might not be environmental.

We had a pup suddenly develop itchy feet -- turned out the manufacturer had changed the dog food formula.

 

[dawson5]

My SIL's dog has allergies, he had been treated long-term with prednisone (?sp). They tested and retested, vet seemed to think that he was allergic to dust/allergens in the home. One thing that has seemed to help she said, the groomer switched to an oatmeal bath without any scents. He still itches, but that seemed to cut some of his problems.

Our Brent (beagle mix) had issues at my BIL's house. We couldn't take him there. First time we spent the night, he woke us up at 2am with his scratching and gnawing. We surmise that he is allergic to something that the neighbor puts on his lawn. My BIL doesn't use anything on his but he said the neighbor is constantly putting stuff down. So our Brent can no longer visit their home.

Not sure if hotspots are a type of allergy, but he had never had them until two years ago. We've lived here for six years now, nothing changed with the neighbors or what we did. We ended up switching the dog's food to Holistic Select with the fish. This was our first fall without problems and their coats are beautiful now also. It does not help the breath at all though.

 

[badblackpug]

<---------- My pug has had 2 bad allergic reactions. Once to the lawn chemicals, and once to Purina dog food. Both times he got hives. The vet treated it with benadryl. Our problem was easy to solve, cancel the lawn service, and the purina was a mistake anyway. He got something he shouldn't have.

However, my mothers dog had environmental allergies. Chronic ear infections and dry itchy skin. Her vet allergy tested him and then prescribed a series of allergy shots. I can't remember the exact schedule, but we did them at home, just kept the vaccine in the fridge. I gave him the shots, but I'm a nurse, so it didn't bother me. He hasn't had any issues since.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

When we moved to a new house our golden retriever started having hot spots. The vet treated him several times with steroids, and it would clear up. He recommended allergy testing, and it turned out he was allergic to a long list of things. We started allergy shots, and he hasn't had a problem since. After the first few shots, we were able to start giving them to him at home. I'm so glad we decided to do the testing.

 

[luvwinnie]

I could write a book about our bulldog's allergies. he is allergic to many foods (chicken, lamb, duck, turkey, carrots, potatoes, etc etc) and grass, weeds, pollen, dust mites, etc. When we adopted him he had horrible bacterial and yeast infections due to neglect. He was bald and red in spots. We tried EVERYTHING Western Medicine could offer. The only thing that helped was a drug called Temaril P. It's a low-dose steroid/antihistamine combo. The steroid made him aggressive. At that point even our vet said "Might as well consult a holistic vet, we are really out of options." Thank God we lived an hour from one of the best integrative vet clinics in the country. It's been a God send. Probiotics would be one place to start and the fish oil. He does still take Zyrtec, but he is also on "Natural Hydorcortisone" which does NOT cause the aggression but does help him. He can still have some feet flares, but NOTHING like before.
Be sure you are not using anything with fragrance in your home...detergent, laundry sheets, sprays, etc. Wash all bedding in hot water, no dye/no scent detergent. That in itself could help. I would also suggest washing his feet at least 3x a week with an oatmeal based doggy shampoo. Earth Bath is a good one. You can also soak them in epsom salt.
I wish you luck...i know how frustrating this can be.

 

[nathalee81]

Our lab mix recently has gotten very bad allergies. Occasionally, he would sneeze or hack (about twice a year) and we would just give him Benadryl (per our vet).
However, last month he started scratching and biting himself all over. We took him to the vet and they said he had developed a bacterial infection, in addition to the allergies and prescribed Simplicef and Chlorpheniramine. Two weeks later he was WORSE, so we took him back to the vet. I thought he might have some kind of mite (even though we do give them parasite and heartworm medication, they aren't 100% effective against everything).
The vet did skin scrapings and no mites or anything, but thought we would go ahead with lyme dips just in case.
So, now we are giving him the lyme dips once a week for four weeks, changing his diet (Science Diet Sensitive skin where he was on Nutro) and giving him Predisone twice daily (which will decrease when he stops itching). I, too, don't like giving him steroids, but I don't know what else to do and he is so uncomfortable and miserable. So we are just going to be conservative about dispensing the medication for the shortest time possible with the lowest dosage.
Our vet said just like people develop allergies as they get older, so do animals. Our pup is about nine or ten years old (we got him as a rescue and they weren't entirely sure of his age). He is considered senior (one more year and I think they classify him as "geriatric") and he may just be developing worse allergies or his immune system may have a harder time fighting his allergies.
OP, I hope your doggie feels better. I know that skin issues can be difficult to deal with (I think because there is no diagnosis that works well for every dog, it is individual to the doggie/kitty/animal). Also, thanks for suggestions that some gave, as far as the fish oil. I think we will try this, as well.

 

[luvwinnie]

I would also suggest a diet free of wheat, soy, corn, etc...the usual filler stuff.

 

[dawson5]

I was thinking about this and it reminds me that my mom has a friend whose beagle has a systemic yeast infection. It might be something to look into also.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Look for a doggie allergist, or dermatologist and get a blood panel for allergies. We are fortunate to have a vet school nearby . . . a little pricey, but hey it's a dog.

There are all kinds of food allergies out there that can be solved with specialized diets. I our boy's case, a special rabbit food (not what you feed rabbits) did the trick. Twice the price of regular, but he feels and acts much better. No meds after the initial burst to clear him up.

 

[Disney-Kim]

What are you doing for him/her?

We moved to Florida in June... about 6 weeks later we noticed one of our dogs always biting at his feet.

The doctor said there was a skin infection and maybe we picked it up on the vacation we took where we stopped at a doggie beach. He said the medicine and steroids should clear it up but to keep an eye out just in case he started biting again-then it is a sign of environmental allergies.

The biting did start again, and nothing has changed product wise in our house. I use all of the same products and cleaners etc. The biting is always on his feet and on his feet only. I'm wondering if it might be from the grass he walks in to potty and play.

The doctor sad he can just go on steriods all the time to keep the biting down-I'm reluctant to do this because I was warned of kidney damage due to steriods.

Is anyone else dealing with a similar situation that found a different solution? We are going to the petstore to see if they have a no chew type product that could be applied to his feet. If I have to do the striods, fine but I wanted to know if anyone had any other ideas or solutions to try.

Thanks!

Our Maltipoo developed food allergies...or least that is waht we narrowed it down too...he also bit/chewed his feet incessantly....biggest change that helped him...FOOD

We read a lot about dog food ingredients...wheat and chicken...all that can cause the allergies. Vet suggested new food with all new ingredients...We went to Natural Balance (at Petco) Duck and Potato wet and dry food. that is all that in the food...duck/potato. We don't ever feed him chicken/wheat/beef...anything...
this helped ALOT !!! big change....for treats we buy an organic brand thats veggies....

he still chews occassionally....but huge difference. We also use good OATMEAL shampoo iwth weekly baths...this and trimming his foot hair are all part of the routine.

try the food before you do any expensive test