Kavik Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 Diesel has allergies and at the moment they are playing up a lot He is scratching and chewing himself heaps and losing a lot of coat. He is currently on Eagle Pack Anchovy etc but I am thinking of changing back to ProPlan. He gets bathed in Aloveen, I try to do him once a fortnight as he gets really filthy (seems to attract dirt like nothing else!). I noticed the area he is the worst (groin, tummy and flank) is warm to the touch compared to the rest of his body. I think this has something to do with the allergy? Does anyone have ideas on how to cool this area down, would it make any difference? The poor boy must be so uncomfortable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Paws Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Havd you tried any of the Nutro foods? One of my gsd used to scratch all the time,used to drive me mad so i can only imagine how she felt.,she used to have to be on medication from the vets Anyway,after a short time on Nutro Lamb & Rice she's stopped scratching ,no more medication and no longer smells.Befoe i could hydrobath her and the next day she smelt terrible.I've also been adding Blue Ribbon Coat Enhancer which has omega 3,9 & 9 to there food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 I haven't tried Nutro, might see if I can source some, worth a try! Diesel does smell a lot too. The scratching and chewing probably doesn't help that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I know that where my daughter gets eczema, it feels much hotter. It's part of the disorder . Awful to see her so uncomfortable. If he was that bad, I'd medicate him. I'm not sure what vets normally prescribe, someone else said Polaramine which is an antihistamine. The variety for humans may be cheaper, but get the correct dosage off the vet. Topical steroid cream may help settle the inflammation and itchiness of the worst areas. Then, it's a matter of trial and error with diet etc. to try and avoid the flare ups in the future. Has it come on with the change of season? pollens? Poor boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 My dog has allergies and is under a dermatologst and is on 1 x Zyrtec (human anti-histamine) per day. The dog weighs 14kg. I would be avoiding steroids if possible and initially trying to find the cause rather than jumping in and just treating the symptoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 My Zephyr has the same thing every year, some kind of contact allergy that comes out in Spring I feed Eagle Pack Anchovy and he is dosed daily with Polaromine 4mg for 20kg dog weight, but check first I also used Fido's Soap Free Shampoo as the Aloveen makes him itchy when his skin is playing up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 I know if I take him to the vet they will just put him on cortisone, that is what they always do would like to avoid that if possible. We did try him on an antihistimine (not sure which one) and it didn't make much difference. I think it is a contact allergy. He itches all year, but it is worse during the usual allergy periods like spring. We ruled out a food allergy, doing an elimination diet. On Eagle Pack he feels rather oily but still has scurf in his coat. piebe - so Fido's Soap Free Shampoo is gentler than Aloveen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Just a quick note regarding antihistmaine use in dogs: In general, the human antihistamines do not always have same effect that they do in humans. We rarely see the sedation side effects, but equally sometimes they aren't always effective at relieving itching. The dermatologists often do an antihistamine trial, which involves cycling through a number (10-12) of different antihistamines, using each for about 10 days in order to find one that works. They work best in combination with other therapies like soothing shampoo, "barrier conditioners", omega oils etc etc - but I wouldn't discount their usefulness based on one type, I would suggest trying another one. Although for intense cases I will use a course of steroids (as short as practically possible) I really try to manage allergies without them and have had a number of dogs respond well to antihistamines but they are all on different drugs . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 Thanks Rappie So maybe trying some different antihistamines is the way to go. My vet doesn't seem to be too keen on using them though - he seemed to think they were not really worth trying. Keeps trying to convince me to go to the dermatologist and get the specialist testing. I haven't decided whether it is worth the money to do that yet - from what I have heard they may not find anything there that is helpful either. Allergies are so frustrating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 We were lucky - the first antihistamine we tried worked! We also use Pyoderm S and Malaseb shampoo and need to bath twice a week. We have had the allergy testing done and didn't get a lot of change out of $1000 - but do have a list of things as long as our arm that we are allergic to. We are now on the desensitization injections every 3rd day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peibe Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Not sure if Fido's is better, just noticed that when Zephyr's skin is hot and itchy Aloveen makes it worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I've got no dog experience with allergy testing, but had it myself after getting severe hives for no good reason. I ended up having to go to A& E as time went on they got worse and worse despite my taking some medication at home. Took antihistamine+ steroid tablets at the hospital to settle it down. Despite testing never found a cause or trigger. Never had anything that bad since, but occasionally something much more minor. The desensitisation injections have not been proven in studies to be very effective (far as I now) though some get good results. Guess anything's worth a try if you're able to afford testing and treatment. If you decide on the antihistamines, human variety, some are cheaper than others e.g. 'Claratyne' is more expensive than 'Lorastyne'- they're the brand names but the drug is exactly the same. Pays to have a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I know if I take him to the vet they will just put him on cortisone, that is what they always do would like to avoid that if possible.We did try him on an antihistimine (not sure which one) and it didn't make much difference. I think it is a contact allergy. He itches all year, but it is worse during the usual allergy periods like spring. We ruled out a food allergy, doing an elimination diet. On Eagle Pack he feels rather oily but still has scurf in his coat. piebe - so Fido's Soap Free Shampoo is gentler than Aloveen? Have you contacted Robert McDowell? His herbal treatments are a huge help with Ruby's allergies. She would scratch herself raw to the point of bleeding and yelping while scratching but just couldn't stop herself. She's now on a maintenance dose of 10 drops every other day and she's really well. No scratching at all. She is due for a bath, and I use Aloveen shampoo and conditioner for all the dog b/c it's gentle and smells delicious! BTW - I feed the dogs a raw, whole foods diet and I know many herbalists believe this will help the dog have a more manageable condition than a dog fed on processed foods. However, Ruby has been raw-fed for years and I can't say for sure that the raw has made a huge difference compared to the processed. It's the herbals that worked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 How do I contact Robert McDowell? Where is he located? I've tried a raw diet with Diesel before - didn't seem to make much difference with his allergies, he still scratched. And I had to feed him so much of it! It was hard to keep weight on him with the raw diet, so I changed to dry and chicken frames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Were you using the proplan sensitive type? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 I was using Proplan sensitive when I could find it. Petbarn used to stock it regularly and then suddenly they never had any stock. So I used the Lamb and Rice when they didn't have sensitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Did you find a difference with the Proplan against the EP? Just wondering if the Euk Lamb and Rice, Hills sensitive skin or RC GSD would make a difference even? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 Hard to say with comparison between foods. On EP his coat feels more oily than Proplan, still has scurf. He is itching more, but also it is change of season so the worst time for his allergies. We tried Hills Z/D for his elimination diet, not really much of a difference either. Haven't tried Euk or RC. So far I am leaning towards going back to Proplan. I am still hopeful that I will find a food that makes a difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Hills do a retail senstive skin product...so much cheaper then the Z/D I've had good results from people on the RC GSD - GSD's sometimes being the sensitive souls that they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rottgems Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 How do I contact Robert McDowell? Where is he located?I've tried a raw diet with Diesel before - didn't seem to make much difference with his allergies, he still scratched. And I had to feed him so much of it! It was hard to keep weight on him with the raw diet, so I changed to dry and chicken frames. I've used Robert McDowellis treatments & I think he would be a first choiceto try. 0263313937 http://www.herbal-treatments.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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