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itchy dog and don't know what to do (long, sorry)

Hi all! I have two rescued Chihuahuas, five years old. They are brothers. One doesn't have any problems, the other, Poco, has food allergies. We found this through a food eliminating diet. He now eats no wheat or corn. He was doing great once we switched his food about 6 months after we rescued. In the past four weeks, Poco started itching like crazy. We bought new bedding, washed their pillows several times, retreated the yard for fleas. We have a professional bug service for both inside and outside and made them come back and re-spray. They are on flea preventitive. I found one flea on their outside pillow, we never had fleas in the past. I even used a flea dip on the dogs. I vacuumed the area rugs in the house, after coating them with salt and baking soda and have a flea collar in the vacuum.

His itching didn't stop, it's gotten worse! His poor naked belly is so red. He had some scabs and lost some hair on his face from rubbing on the porch! He is also licking between his toes on his front paws. I took them to the vet, and all he said was to let it run its course or go through allergy testing. He said it didn't look like mange or anything, looks like an environmental allergy. I'm now using an oatmeal shampoo with itch spray. I bought a baby onesie, but it's too big to try to protect his skin. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm sorry it's so long, I'm worried sick. I can hear him throughout the night in his crate scratching...

Re: itchy dog and don't know what to do (long, sorry)

  • You can try giving him Benadryl to help combat the allergic reaction. Just like with people, it might not work for all dogs, but you can try it. Ask your vet about giving Zyrtec as an alternative (I know it was okay for my cat, but don't about your pup). 

    If the Zyrtec is okay, my 9-10-lb kitty got half a pill once a day. I had the option to increase it to half a pill twice a day (so a whole pill/day) if I thought she needed it.

    Benadryl should be given as 1 mg/lb. Most Benadryl pills come as 50 mg, so for a Chihuahua you'd likely have to cut it into quarters to get to a safe dose.

    I'm sorry your poor guy is going through this! If the allergy meds don't help him, a short course of steroids always fixes our kitty right up for a couple of months! It's not my first choice, since she's a total food fiend to begin with and steroids turn her into a total hunger machine, but it helps her skin soooo much, so I'll suck it up and give them to her when necessary.
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  • My dog has skin allergies as well. I give her benadryl, and I have medicated shampoo for her, as well as these little prescription drops for her skin too! 

    When I get home I will update the thread with the names.

    The little drops are amazing! 
  • Ok! Sorry it took me so long but heres the stuff I use with my dog when she was constantly itchy and it works!

    These are prescription so you will need to speak to your vet first!

    The shampoo is from Virbac and is the Allermyl shampoo for dogs and cats.

    The drops are also from Virbac and they are called Allerderm Spot On.

    The drops are expensive but they are used on a monthly basis. So I recommend getting a pack so you have extra if it works!

    Good luck and keep us updated!

    Just a little background. .. I have an all white dog who seems to be allergic to chicken products, flea saliva and I think she just has regular seasonal allergies. She broke out in hive like bumps all over her little (big) pink body. She almost looked like she was suffering from demodex mange!

    I used these products and now she is not itchy and her coat is nice and shiny! No bumps or scabs! :)
  • Thanks for the info. I will ask our new vet about these products. He doesn't have any rash or bumps. I'll let you know when I get updates!
  • I have a Scottish Terrier with severe allergies.

    The previous poster had some good advice. If bathing and zyrtec/benadryl don't work, then look into getting the allergy testing or go to a veterinary dermatologist. They are pricey, but the dermatologist was the only one who got my poor Macy's allergies straightened out. She was so itchy that she was chewing herself until she was bloody.

    Also, if they suspect environmental allergies, then wipe the down the paws and tummy with just a damp wash cloth after being outside. It helps to get the pollens off the skin and can reduce issues.

    Best of luck!
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  • I have a Dalmatian with itchy skin allergies.  You need to first take your dog to the vet to make sure that is really what is going on.  They can put the dog on a round of steroids to give them some immediate releif (warning will make dog thirsty...they will have to pee more often).

    Your dog is old enough that allergy testing is possible (need to be 2-3 years old to get a true positive test for anti-bodies) that might help you know if it's something seasonal/environmental that you can treat with a round of prednisone once a year or if it's something that might require a daily medication. (you don't want your dog on Pred. long term if you can avoid it). 

    Pfizer has a new drug called Apoquel you can ask your vet about, it's specifically for dogs with itcy-skin manifesting allergies, it has far fewer side-effects than prednisone and is considered much safer.  My vet has a waiting list for it (which my dog has been on for 7 months) it's been so popular that she can't get an order date for it. 
    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • 1 this is another very old thread OP probably isn't coming back.

    and as for Apoquel @GDaisy09  don't expect to see any for your pup until LATE next year.  and as far as side effects we don't know of any real side effects...yet.  Its still a new product so time will tell how safe it really is.   
    image
    DD born 1.25.15

  • @aggiebug! thanks...really?! late next year? our vet's office said that pfizer came in and did a training with them and made it sound like they could get it soon! My thoughts are that it's gotta be better than having her on prednisone constantly! we're at the lowest dose she's been able to tollerate.
    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • @gdaisy09  it was projected for sometime this summer, but last I saw they pushed it back almost a whole year.

    and I agree, I am looking forward to it becoming available for some of my patients but I just am not ready to call it the ultra miracle drug because we don't know how safe it really is yet.  
    image
    DD born 1.25.15

  • Well that's a disappointment. I work with people with auto immune diseases and see all the awful things prednisone can do to a person everyday, my girl is just 14 months old and has been on prednisone for 7 months.  She had one awful double ear infection in December and in the past month has broken through the prednisone and had 2 ear infections. so she must have environmental allergies and we're still trying to work out if food is a factor too. 

    I know the prednisone is not good for her (and it makes an already high energy dog just a little crazier), it sounded like the clinical trials didn't show any profound bad outcomes, but you're right they may not be powered to see longer term bad outcomes. 
    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • Gdaisy09 said:
    Well that's a disappointment. I work with people with auto immune diseases and see all the awful things prednisone can do to a person everyday, my girl is just 14 months old and has been on prednisone for 7 months.  She had one awful double ear infection in December and in the past month has broken through the prednisone and had 2 ear infections. so she must have environmental allergies and we're still trying to work out if food is a factor too. 

    I know the prednisone is not good for her (and it makes an already high energy dog just a little crazier), it sounded like the clinical trials didn't show any profound bad outcomes, but you're right they may not be powered to see longer term bad outcomes. 
    Have you done allergy testing? or tried cyclosporine? or tried Douxo product shampoos?

    You are correct long term steroids are not a great idea if can be avoided there are many other therapies that can help including the ones listed above.  If you are just on steroids and no other suggestions through your vet I would look at a referral or at least a 2nd opinion at a different vet because there are other things we can do for your pup
    .  
    At 14 months with that bad of allergies I wouldn't be surprised if there is a food allergy component but you need someone who can help you do a true food diet and do it well to test that theory.  
    image
    DD born 1.25.15

  • thanks @aggiebug, right now we have not done any allergy testing, our vet said it takes 2-3 years for the antibodies to build-up enough for a true positive on an allergy panel, otherwise we may be wasting out money to get a bunch of incloclusive results back. 

    That said, we've begun elimination-diets to see if we can identify a food issue.  Puppy was on Blue Buffalo Puppy Chicken and Rice until she was 7-8 months old (major double ear infection...first time allergy is suspected). at that time we switched her to Dick Van Patten's Limited ingredient Duck and Potato, not much changed, we did this diet for about a month and a half...she had another incident where she rubbed all the fur off one eye and the vet pointed out that Duck may be too close to Chicken. Next we tried DVP's LID Venison and Sweet Potato, she was on that diet for 4 months, at the end of that time she had another ear-infection. She is now on DVP's LID Lamb meal and Rice....still itchy, she's got a few dry patches, and most recently I've noticed a couple red spots on her feet and belly...always hard to tell if it's food or environmental. She's been on Lamb for about a month. 

    I'm actually planning to give her a bath tonight, we've got hypo-allergenic/sensitive skin pet shampoo I'm planning to use. Some people have suggested I try a product with teatree oil in it. 

    the group that we do agility training with is trying to convince me that I should put her on a raw food diet (one of the instructors is also a vendor for OMA's so there's a little conflict of interest there).  I guess I haven't fleshed out how I feel about that, both the additional cost, time, and potential impact on activities we can participate in since some dog "events" don't allow dogs on raw food diets. 

    We've kept her prednisone as low as possible, she's now on 5mg every other day....that's "holding her together" she's still itchy, and occasionaly does some head flopping/foot chewing on day two.
    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
  • aggiebugaggiebug member
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its 1000 Comments First Answer
    edited July 2014
    NO NO NO to the tee tree oil! it is highly irritating to the skin and really bad for dogs in general. Its not toxic as a shampoo but it is the exact opposite thing you can do for a skin sensitive dog.  

    Douxo brand shampoos are phenominal  I recommend the pramsoothe+ ps. It comes in a shampoo, a spray and I believe a leave in mousse.  If you can't find it with the ps then get the chlorhexidine + ps shampoo.  Amazon carries some of the products.

    as far as allergy testing your vet is right to a point.  If you dog is that allergic then it will show up on a test it just has a higher likelihood of changing over the next few year and may have to be redone.  BUT you start the injections now on what she shows allergic to, it can give her much needed relief.  It is terrible for food allergies so don't do that part of the test.  

    as far as diet goes yes duck and chicken frequently cross react so I am not surprised there.  What type of treats do you give her? rawhides? people food? do you hide the pills in something? 

    and Raw diets don't fix allergies.  If she is allergic to a food protein she will be allergic whether it is raw or cooked.  There is a formulated dog food that will be allergen free for her if food is the problem.  

    a quick evaluation based on the diets you have listed have me concerned you aren't doing an adequate food trial.  If you compare all the diets you have been on there is at least one overlapping ingredient (not looking at the added vitamins etc) .  Unfortunately blue buffalo makes it incredible difficult to do an excellent food trial (another reason I loathe that brand)  

    Your original diet ingredients: 

    I have highlighted the ingredients that have shown up in your other diets and why it will be difficult to find a great diet to try.  If you want help, I can try and find you a diet that will work or give you information of a group of veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a diet for you (home cooked) to use as a trial.  If you go that route I would consider home cooked short term till it is proven she has an issue then you slowly add in ingredients until you see what is the problem child.  
    image
    DD born 1.25.15

  • No Worries, I have not used tea tree oil shampoo...I used a bar of Fergie Dog Shampoo on her last night, it seems to have given her some releif...however bath-time was a traumatic experience (since she's a Dal and doesn't really get dirty we don't bathe her often, but if it releives some of the itching we may need to work on making it more enjoyable...or potentially paying for grooming). 

    she has a wellness visit with the vet next week, I'll ask about the allergy tests. We've already discussed that they're no good for food allergies. (I'm also dealing with a cat that seems to be getting recurrent scent-gland infections and may have asthma...so I'm also trying to spread out vet expenses best I can) 

    I think with the raw diets they were thinking it would be easier to control exactly what she's exposed to. 

    She does not get any treats (well, she gets pieces of her kibble as treats), she takes pills no problem by themselves, no table scraps, or rawhide.  her chew toys are nylabones, she might get an occasional carrot, piect of banana, or watermelon, but we've been trying to eliminate that.  our cats are on a chicken food, but we feed them out of reach of the dog. 

    As far as the diet goes, I can see where it might be difficult to figure out what exactly is causing the allergy. From what I've gleened from the vet and breeder, it's often the protein in the food that they're alergic to. I understand the Vet's concern with duck being too close to chicken, we then went to the venison and sweet potato, the breeder had some concerns that the sugar content of the sweet potato might be causing some problems too (she suggested we cut back on carrots, bananas, and sugary treats too).  Now we're on to the Lamb and Rice, so we've solved the sugary veggy problem but now we've introduced a grain, which the agility folks thought could be a problem.  She has also now devloped some acid reflux issues, she's been getting pepcid twice a day, so I'm fairly certain that the Lamb meal and brown rice is not a good plan...I'm just not sure what to try next (and I've got many voices making suggestions). 

    In the Dick Van Patten's LID rhelm I se Rabbit and potato or Fish and sweet potato as options...it would be changing-up the protein...the carbohydrate would still be something she's seen before. We could try Royal Canin Selected protein food...about $30 more for a 25lb bag than we pay for a 28lb bag of DVP's. or I can attempt to start cooking her meals myself...which seems potentially more expensive and time consuming for a busy schedule. 


    Me: 28 H: 30
    Married 07/14/2012
    TTC #1 January 2015
    BFP! 3/27/15 Baby Girl!! EDD:12/7/2015
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