Dog Allergies

[ccgirl]

I have a golden retriever that seems to have severe fall allergies. Has anyone been in the same boat? If so, what did they do? It's a vicious cycle with my dog. He gets the allergy from something he is walking on (the grass) and then licks it and scratches his ears. It ends up spreading a yeast infection to his ears and on and on it goes. If anyone has any remedies I would greatly appreciate it. I have taken him to the vet (for several years) and nothing they give me seems to work. Thanks!

 

[kathymc]

ask your vet about benedryl - thats what was suggested by ours and it works

 

[apirateslifeforme]

My dog - cocker spaniel, now 15 1/2 years old - suffered from allergies (year-round) for several years. It got so bad that her front paws, around her mouth, around one eye, the underside of her neck, and her chest were all bald. Completely bald. She often gets yeast infections in the folds of her neck, too, and her "nether regions" get very red. The vet tried all kinds of medications and eventually found that prednisone worked best. Unfortunately, as a steroid, she couldn't stay on it constantly, and almost as soon as it was stopped, she started scratching again. She's now been on a cyclosporine pill every other day for about the past two years. It hasn't stopped the allergy completely; she still itches and gets an occasional yeast infection in her neck, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. She does have to go for blood tests 2x a year; cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant and it does need to be monitored.

This does seem like an excessive treatment, but it helps her. It's hard to watch your pet suffer!

 

[ccgirl]

I can't stand to see him so uncomfortable. He is crying because the ear infection is so bad the top of his paws are bald and bleeding. Maybe it is time to see a doggie dermatologist...is there even such a thing?

 

[BCV513]

My one year old Sheltie has really bad seasonal allergies. It causes her to chew on her paws until they're all red, cracked and bleeding. She also sneezes, coughes and scratches her ears.

At first, the vet suggested prednisone. I don't recommend that. It caused her to leak urine when she slept. Apparently, that's very common with that drug. We now use a cortisone shot to get her under control and a daily antihistamine to keep her feeling good. We also use an oatmeal based shampoo to help soothe her skin.

 

[golfgal]

Our dog gets allergy meds every day. She gets them twice/day in the spring and the fall when her allergies are really bad and once/day the rest of the year. It really helps with the symptoms. She developed a skin infection this past spring from itching so much but otherwise the meds keep it under control. Even us humans are having a HORRIBLE allergy season this fall.