zayda_asher

I didn't know Intradermal did food allergic responses? They don't and never have. Some vets do use the blood panels for food diagnosis, but this is not appropriate in dogs either, as they give a lot of false responses.

I also think its important not to assume that every bout of hives or skin condition is an allergy too. There are many many non-allergy related reasons for hives and other skin complaints and we are far too quick to label everything as an allergy. This is what gives rise to the claims that allergies were cured, or X miracle treatment worked for this allergy, etc. A true allergy is never cured, it cannot be done, they are only manged to prevent flare ups and treated when a flare does occur.

That's very true they will have the records of what was done...

And act like this will solve everything for every dog and then act like its some how the persons fault when it doesn't resolve their dogs true allergies!

Oh and can you find out where the nice woman vet went?? Maybe you can follow her and get the referral that way

Definitely could still be allergies... not all allergy dogs scratch a lot. My boy hardly ever scratches unless he is really having problems, and even then it is minimal compared to other allergy dogs. How much exposure they are currently having to allergens can also make a difference to itch factor. My other allergy dog, who is an itcher, I can tell how much of her allergens are out and about according to how much she itches on a given day...

Actually we now know its far more likely to be the storage mites that live in dried foods... they test for these now on the Intradermal allergy test Yeah, pees me off too... people just don't understand how allergies and intolerances work. Raw / home preped is not a cure all.. it can be a great part of over all health, help you limit access to allergens and limit exposure to storage mites, but it will not cure the dog because there is no cure!

We survived with only minor damage... very thankful for that... but we are still dealing with brown outs and black outs in my area... and they don't know when we will have proper power back - so I'm just making the most of it whilst we do have it!! Its painful, as I run my business from home, so no power in my home or office!! I'm hoping we are back on line now, as we've had power for most of the evening, but we just don't know...

And if she is as irresponsible an owner as the picture you have painted and the dog does attack again, then that attack will be attributed incorrectly to an AMSTAFF, which is another nail in our coffin for being added to the BSL list, and in the state that is most actively trying to add AmStaffs to the restricted list EFS

Betagen topical spray: http://www.drugs.com/vet/betagen-topical-spray.html You do know that's an antibiotic and steroid combo yeah? Its quite potent, depending on what other treatments you are using, Cortavance is a much milder steroid spray and doesn't have the antibiotic (which may not be needed depending on what is being taken orally etc.).

Actually, that's not true... its not common for a dog to manifest or start developing allergies under around 6mnts of age, but it absolutely is possible, and if you do see development that young then you need to be prepared that you probably have a bad case on your hands... My own girl is an example of this and came home at 7weeks scratching... Average age range for development is considered 6mnts - 3yrs, but it can and does happen on either side of that bracket. I would talk to the vet about ruling out mites and other causes of itching and then see about a referral to a dermatologist. Seeing the skin specialists costs, but often cost less in the long run than trying to sort it out yourself and constant back and forth to the vets... it is also good to have the other treatments they have at their disposal to see if you can manage her without steroids, as this can have health implications for long term use in a young dog. Sometimes you have to use them, because nothing else helps, but why use them if you don't have to? Good luck PS: you are more likely to see development of allergies at a younger age in breeds that are predisposed, like Beagles. Also I would avoid adding supplements before going to see the Derm - if you have to do food elimination, then you will need to stop them again, and its also more things to test for when you do rechallenges.

Yep, best to discuss with vet and see what it actually is on his skin (if there is infection there, etc.)... could be a number of causes and Allergies could be one... AmStaffs are quite predisposed genetically to allergies.

Yes they can and, no, we don't need to be more hairy! It is dander that mostly causes allergic response to other animals, which is dried skin particles floating around: pp. 78-79 The Pet Lover's Guide to Cat & Dog Skin Diseases For the OP: as FTPO said, your best bet is to see a dermatologist and have the intradermal testing done to determine what she is reacting to, you can then do things like immunotherapy injections to help desensitise the dog to the allergens. It could well be the extra cat dander around, or it could be dust mite allergies as well, normally dogs with atopy will have a few things they react to, not just one, and that can contribute to different symptoms at different times too. Edit: to be more precise

Love the one of your boys in their antlers... that's priceless!!

That's my boys... fave possi is that... Asher makes a great pillow

This one is a fave:

That's great, hope it continues!

Need I say more? He was just this instant lying on the floor baby talking and cuddling Asher too...

Whoops, we must have! Well at least you are able to start narrowing down the field on what it might be... that's a good start at least, even if its not a definitive answer yet! Its still progress

Waiting bites! Hope you hear back soon

:D Works for me too!

Well as you can see from the first couple of posts from me in this thread we certainly don't see that! We see stress and depression!

Its a pretty big weight loss, but it might be worth considering that it is a multi cause, rather than a single problem and diet may be a part of it... Most of the dogs I've known, including my own, on elimination diets have lost significant weight... I'd be taking it all to the vet (which ever one is seen) and seeing if it could be a combination of factors..

Long term elimination diets often lead to weight loss too... they're so limited and there's not a lot in that diet, so she would want to eat a fair bit to keep going... Sounds like you need to talk to your vet about the diet, options and also some of the other possibilities people have raised. I would certainly see about the digestive enzymes, if you can get some that wont interfere with the elim diet it might well help - makes a huge difference for my guys

In our case we give antihistamines to ease the itching and have to wait them out. Steriods don't help Zayda's hives. As to how long they last it depends on how bad they are and what's causing them (like is it a bad atopy week - then you might have them all week cos the allergen is there). The huge bouts we've had normally settle after a couple of hours into littler lumps which may take a few days to clear.