Allergies

[nic188]

My dog Chief went to the vet for a check up because he was losing hair and was very itchy. He had skin scrapes done and we were told he was allergic to something he is coming into contact with. Now comes the big task of working out what that is.
He has had this allergy since november last year and the only thing that has changed is we added a new kennel which we made out of wood for both dogs. Our vet said it is unlikely to be an allergy of the wood because it would cause a different pattern of hair loss (would be more like a burn mark) so now we are very confused. Our yard is very bare as the dogs used to like to pull plants up. Could he have developed an allergy over time to something that was already in the yard do you think.

[chacha]

Dogs can develop a allergy to anything at anytime. Try a antihistamine to see if that helps. The only way you can tell what the dog is allergic to is by doing a allergy test. Its when they shave a patch of hair and inject the allergens into the skin to see if the body reacts to it. They can pin point exactly what the dog is allergic to. The one thing it can't tell you is if the dog has a food intolerance. Good luck,it can be a expensive and time consuming task working with a allergy dog.

[tftmom]

Does your dog ever go in the house? Is there a floor cleaner or maybe something you use to clean the kennel or spray on your plants? My neighbor's dog began licking his feet which were red and iritated (she wasn't sure which came first). By process of elimination she realized she had changed floor cleaners. She changed back to what she had used previously, the dog recovered, and the mystery solved.

[nic188]

Thank you for your ideas. I cant think of any changes i have made with cleaners but he only comes inside occasionally. Most of the time he is outside. As we only have a few plants in our garden we don;t have to spray them with anything.
He also has epilepsy and is on Phenobarbitone. So now he is also having a course of cortizone tablets to clear up his allergy. He doesn't have any localised hair loss or red patches it is basically covering his whole lower body so you cant tell if he is walking through it or sitting in something etc. But with the coritzone he is not itchy anymore and his hair is slowly coming back.

[crestie_rsq]

Has he had his thyroid checked lately? Many dogs who experience seizure activity have underlying thyroid issues, which would also account for the itchies & loss of hair.

[CanineEssentials]

Visit the following on purchasing a great product for allergies.

http://equine.tahitiannoni.com/2129631

[racelady02]

If your dog is under 3 years old it could be a food allergy. I went through this with the dog I have now. She has a laundry list of allergies. Some of them manifest at a very early age, and some did not appear until she got a little older. Common food allergins for dogs include corn, wheat, soy, chicken, and eggs.

[Patch O' Pits]

The only way to tell for sure is to do allergy testing it could be food, inhalant or contact allergies or maybe just a bad staph infection or a thyroid problem.

Was a skin scraping done for mange?

What food do you feed?

I never heard of a particular hair loss pattern being associated with specific allergies


If you vet is not being helpful you may want to find a doggy dermatologist or go to a wholistic vet.

I hope you get answers soon!!!

[nic188]

Chiefs hair is starting to grow back and he is not itchy anymore. It began to clear up about a month or so ago. In fact he looks really healthy again which he he hasn't since before he was diagnosed with epilepsy so hopefully everything has settled down and we won't have too many more problems. But this is the best he has looked since November and he has got all his energy back which is great.Thank you for all your suggestions.:D

[bekawarr]

My shepherd Is allergic to cheese, poultry, and dust mites so We have to give him cortizone shots every 2-3 months his mite allergy is mainly an issue on his lower back /rump area too my vet siad that sheppies, and poodles are especially common to have this allergy.

[pitbulladvocate]

I have a pit bull that is experiencing all the allergy symptoms. I have yet to figure out the problem. My vet gives me the runaround. I am looking into other vets. My pits ears bother him alot. all he does is scratch them and make them bleed. thanks for this post...it has made me think about some things. good luck!

[nic188]

Good luck to you also. Cheif was also given a medicated shampoo to use twice a week which seemed to help. I don't know what caused his reaction but it still flairs up every now and then. I guess we will keep trying to work it out:)

[evelyna]

Is there anything else they can use.
Doesn't that soften the bones?

[Patch O' Pits]

Is there anything else they can use.
Doesn't that soften the bones?
From what I read online in the short term steriods don't seem too bad, but they can have many side effects if used frequently.

Things that may help you are:

medicated Shampoos such as melasab, Chlorhexiderm, Sulfoxidide (sp?)

Wiping the dog down with a wet cloth whenever he goes outside

making sure the food is nutritional and doesn't contain a lot of common allergens

Wash bedding at least every other day in dye free/ perfume free detergent

using a good source of omega fatty acids like fish oils

use of prozyme or other similar product

Immune boosting suppliments

this link may help you :
http://b-naturals.com/default.php?cPath=45&PHPSESSID=29a8151186bd15a070574a1fda2db00b

you can have allergy testing done and have shots for the specific alergen

Contact a wholistic vet for help with suppliments

[nic188]

Chief was only on the cortizone tablets for about three weeks and it was cut back gradually over that period. The only medication he is on now is his tablets (pheno) for his epilepsy. He is also not having the twice a week washes at the moment because he dosen't need them plus it is very cold, being winter, that i don't like giving them to him as often.
He hasn't had a problem for a month or so now.

[Libby's Mom]

My dog, a Lab-mix, is very itchy during the summer. I took her off of her wheat based food and she now gets Flint River trout and potato. That has helped, but she still licks her feet like crazy. My former vet had her on an antihistimine, an antibiotic, and prednazone (sp?). The pred was particularly awful - she ate and drank like crazy and gained a bunch of weight. Now I just give her Benedryl very occasionally. Maybe I should be rinsing off her feet after we walk on grass which could have fertilizer on it?