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 Expert
Posts: 1432
  
Location: Never in one place long | About 2 months ago 2/4 of our dogs seem to have developed allergies overnight! It's not a flea allergy as we already had that checked out and they are on regular monthly preventatives. We haven't switched their dog food either... Our GSP was on antibiotics about the time it started but has been off for over a month now and still itching. It's on their sides, chest and legs mainly...
The vet just keeps recommending Benedryl and zyrtec but those aren't helping either... I've also started to give them baths more frequently which hasn't helped unless maybe someone knows of a special soap to use?
if anyone has any advice that has dealt with dog allergies before, please let me know! we don't know if it's a food allergy they've all the sudden developed of from a weed? grass? Any advice from someone experienced please let me know.
One is a 12yr Jack Russel the other is a 4.5yr German Short Haired Pointer. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| Okay, so my success isn't from a dog but a horse...but it may work for you.
Ask your vet about the Rx antihistamine Hydroxyzine. Benadryl just might not work for your guys.
Also, are they on an omega 3 fatty acid supplement? If not, I'd recommend Pala-Tech F.A. granules. They make them for dogs, cats and horses.
Good luck! |
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 Expert
Posts: 3104
Location: Arkansas | Ask your vet about Apoquel. It is for allergies/itching. It isn't cheap but it works well and is safer than steroids
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  Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | I would bet if you removed the processed foods and gave him real food (meats mainly) that it would clear up. I've had great luck with the Cur-OST products for my horses that really needed a boost to get their immune system back functioning correctly, and also completely changed their diet. Here's a link to an interesting article on the canine side of things. https://www.nouvelleresearch.com/index.php/articles/small-animal-articles/267-skin-allergies-and-itching-in-dogs
Edited by Herbie 2017-09-06 1:16 PM
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | My cousins dog had bad skin allergies and I told her about Cur-OST. She's had great luck wiht it! |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Lots of times there are formula changes in dog food that make them completely different in make up even though they still come in the same bag. We make a dog food that the production plant inadvertently changed because of going to a sub supplier for vitamin and minerals in a premix rather than adding those components themselves. I was so upset that I actually changed manufacturing to guarantee hand added components only to assure that my formulations were followed exactly every time. Where allergies are concerned, most dogs seem sensitive to corn, wheat and soy. If the dog food that you have been feeding includes any of those, or the amount has been adjusted, you can see a reaction to that change in the formulation without ever knowing that it has occurred. Like many horse feeds, buying the same bag every time does not mean that you are getting the same product inside the bag.
Edited by winwillows 2017-09-06 1:33 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| I went through this years ago with my rescue hound mix! I thought for sure it was food allergies, and spent $100's and $100's on different brands of kibble, venison kibble, beef kibble, all the different proteins you could think of, and no change in him. He would dig his face to the point where it would bleed, and he was always digging himself and very uncomfortable. I went to my vet and he drew some blood, sent it off to a lab, and a few weeks later it came back with EVERYTHING he is allergic to, and the amounts. Food wise AND environmental allergies. A lot of people are so quick to say it's food allergies, but that's not always the case! If you are seriously interested, I can PM you our regimen that works for him, and I can snap a picture of what the results look like from the lab! It was beyond worth the little bit of money I spent on that blood test. My guy is allergic to dust mites, certain types of grass, dairy, dandelions, and a few other things! I can't control the environmental allergens, but the lab comes up with a few things that he is most allergic to, compounds it into a shot form that I give once a week, so slowly introduce those allergens to him, with the hopes that his body will adjust to them. He is also on an extremely low dose of prednisone (extremely low dose, so as so not affect his kidneys).
He is doing great now! 100%, no! But 95% better than a few years ago! His prednisone costs me $9.00/month and the allergy shots once a week are very inexpensive. Allergy shots cost me maybe $100.00 every 1.5 years! Feel free to PM me with any questions. Years ago, I was pulling out my hair because I didn't know how to help him. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | I agree...something in the food.
I have a ***** that developed itchy runny eyes, lost all the hair around them, looked like a coon.
I feed Taste of the Wild as it was the only food that did not give them the runs. I had been using the salmon flavor for several months. Switched to one of the other flavor (protein source) and her eyes are clearing up. |
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 pressure dripper
Posts: 8699
Location: the end of the rainbow | We had our itchy dog tested, no food allergies but environmental. He was in apaquel (sp?). We tried all the alternative meds including silver lining cur-ost & several others. Finally as a last ditch we started feeding the Healthy Coat for Dogs. He very rarely needs the apaquel any more. |
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 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | I have had my dog Piglet, a jack russel/rat terrier, on Apoquel for about 3-4 months now and it is LIFE CHANGING for him (and me! lol). He had been super itchy for months and the vet had told me to just use Benedryl and that worked great for a long time and then it just seemed to stop working. He would scratch every where, itchy all the time, super red tummy and chest. He was miserable. Changed foods often. Then the vet said to try Apoquel and that gave him immediate help and has been working great! Way happy with this pill! |
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