Allergies And Skin Temperature

[zayda_asher]

Have you been to a dermatologist to have him tested and find out what he allergic to? You could find there are things in the immediate environment (plants, dust mites, other insects) that you can clear from his home! That helps heaps! Also sometimes they are allergic to the things in the products we think are helping them! My boy for example is allergic to tea tree and Daisy family, which are used in a lot of skin products!!

The heat is from the inflamation... A lot of dogs find Omega 3s help, so a high dose of fish oil may help (if he's not allergic) also some skin conditions respond well to Evening Primrose Oil.

Soothing shampoos make a big difference, I see you're using aloveen, which is great although its not if he's allergic to oats (I know a few dogs that are)!!

If the skin is infected then Resichlor is a great lotion that helps a lot.

I use a lot of herbal remdeies with my guys, but I don't like to recommend things if you don't know what the allergies are. I've found some homeopathic treatments work really well too.

I'd definitely recommend and antihistamine trial... And bare in mind that if you do find one they can get used to them after prolonged use and you may have to swap... I've used clorpheniramine (Vet not human), Phenergan and Polaramine with my guys... If he has itchy / runny eyes you may also find that Patanol antihistamine eye drops help.

Good luck!

ETA: Someone else suggestion desensitisation... that's another good reason to see a derm and get tested.. Allergen Specific Immunotherapy (ASIT, commonly called Desensitisation) can make a huge difference for some dogs... Both my guys have really seen a difference with this treatment.

Edited September 15, 2007 by zayda_asher

[Kavik]

I haven't been to a dermatologist yet. From the location of the problem (tummy, flank, sometimes tail), it seems likely it is a contact allergy, most likely to grass or something, which I can't do anything about . Not sure if it is worth spending the money to find out I can't do anything about it anyway.

[zayda_asher]

That is also some of your most common areas for atopy (air born) to show. Contact allergies actually aren't that common, its much more likely to be atopy... There's still plenty you can do for things like grass allergies: normally you will find they are reacting to one or two specific types, so a change of grass in the immediate environment can provide a ton of relief. Also if you know what ones they are reacting to you can then go down the path of desensititsation treatment as well... Dogs are also likely to be allergic to a few things rather than just one so you will find there could be one or two specific grasses, a few plants, something like mosquitoes etc. So knowing all that gives you a variety of options for treatments. If you search the health forum with my name you will come up with a lot of other info I've posted on my guys, including the lists of what they are allergic to (although I think Zayda will have added alfalfa to that list since I last posted!)... It will give you an idea of the range of things that they will often be allergic to at once... My guys are pretty typical.

[Kavik]

The fact that it is likely to be lots of things he is allergic to makes it seem even more hopeless

I don't even know what type of grass/es I have in the yard to begin with I've taken plant samples to the vet to see if there is anything particularly sinister there and there isn't. As for changing the type of grass there - not sure how I would get new grass to grow, with water restrictions and all. At the moment, I don't do anything with the lawn, if it grows it grows without any help

Since I can't do anything about bugs or pollens, limited amount with plants (he still needs to be walked, and spends most of his time outside), unless it is something like the detergent I use to wash his bedding, I still can't see how finding out would be useful. And it is not cheap to find out. Different if it was only a little bit, but it is going to be hundreds of dollars to get the testing done.

[Daggles]

My GSD is suffering in the same way yours is and I too have decided it must the grass since he has only been itchy in the last 5 weeks.

Kavik you have given me another idea though, maybe it is the washing powder, it is OMO, I am going to try a phosphate chemical free one, it is worth a try.

I asked my Naturapath what would help and he suggested 1 tablespoon of flax oil in food per day amd I am applying almond oil to the itchy areas.

[zayda_asher]

Well its certainly your choice... I know my guys have each about 10-12 strong allergies and knowing what they are has certainly helped us to reduce the load for them... Even to the point of knowing "if we go here where there is Tea trees (for example) then I will have to do x, y, & z with Asher when we get home to reduce the reaction..." Or the fact that knowing Zayda is allergic to a specific mold and knowing when it grows (under what conditions) means I can do stuff like keep her warmer & covered when out, reduce the moisture in our house and do other things to ensure her reaction is less when we go out. It really does make a difference to how you tackle things... And you can't do desenstisation if you don't know what to desenstise to and that often DOES make a huge difference. My dogs hardly have yeast or Staph infections any more (and if they do break out we were often expecting it and able to take steps to lessen it) so it really does make a difference to know what exactly you are working with and treating. But yeah, it is expensive, and its certainly up to you if you want to or not...

Another treatment some people are having success with is a drug called Atopica but, again, it is expensive... I've chosen not to use it for a variety of reasons, but it is another option...

Cheers & good luck

Dan

Edited September 15, 2007 by zayda_asher

[Kavik]

If I had lots of money and someone said 'if you do this testing and we find out what he is allergic to we can fix it' I would certainly do it.

But I don't have that kind of money to spend the hundreds of dollars on consultation and testing to find out he may be allergic to 10 things like yours ( ) and further hundreds of dollars for vaccines to desensitise him which may or may not work, not to mention the other things which cannot be desensitised to or avoid. Not to mention the time and effort that goes into all of that, and thinking about what may or may not be in the park I want to visit or my parents house etc. Seems to be a lot of worry and stress and thinking for taking the dog somewhere fun! The fact that noone can give a difinitive answer on anything, and that even after doing every test available there may be nothing we can do, does not make it seem worth going down that path.

If I can find something that will just make him more comfortable I will be happy. I would be more willing to spend the money if I thought there would be a positive outcome from it.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

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.

The raw diet was just a suggestion b/c many people find it helps with allergies. Robert McDowell is online and another member has provided the link to his site.

If I had lots of money and someone said 'if you do this testing and we find out what he is allergic to we can fix it' I would certainly do it.

But I don't have that kind of money to spend the hundreds of dollars on consultation and testing to find out he may be allergic to 10 things like yours ( ) and further hundreds of dollars for vaccines to desensitise him which may or may not work, not to mention the other things which cannot be desensitised to or avoid. Not to mention the time and effort that goes into all of that, and thinking about what may or may not be in the park I want to visit or my parents house etc. Seems to be a lot of worry and stress and thinking for taking the dog somewhere fun! The fact that noone can give a difinitive answer on anything, and that even after doing every test available there may be nothing we can do, does not make it seem worth going down that path.

If I can find something that will just make him more comfortable I will be happy. I would be more willing to spend the money if I thought there would be a positive outcome from it.

We chose not to test Ruby for the same reasons you cite.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on Robert's herbals. A 100 ml bottle of SA mix (skin allergy) will cost about $60 including postage and the dosage is initially 10 drops twice daily. Ruby's now on just 10 drops every other day...and her symptoms are completely gone, her skin looks normal again, and she's much happier. She just doesn't itch any more, which in itself is miraculous.

[Kavik]

I'll have a look at Robert's site and go from there. Thanks

[Flaves]

Hav eyou tried an antihitamine?

I know with Mitch it is helping. I have reduced her prenisolone and am starting antihistamines on the vets advice.

This will give relief like it does in humans.

Maybe try adn see if that helps.

[Kajtek]

We tried steroids, herbal shampoos, etc. etc. etc

This is what works best for my girl: Holistic Pack biscuits + daily dose of kelp and fish oil. No more itches or hot spots

A

[arby]

On the really bad areas i'd try quit itch, or some other iodine based stuff. Sometimes the scratching can make the rash worse since it breaks the skin and can add bacteria to the itchy spots, makes the rash infected and more irritated and red and hot.

I'd stay away from steroid unless super severe. Try the antihistamines, takes a while to get the right one. Stick to a diet thats as natural and allergen free as possible.

Ask your vet if things like calamine lotion or eczma cream are safe to use on your dog. It can help alot in areas where they cant lick it!!!

You cant really get rid of the allergies but there are ways you can help ease them.

[KJ20]

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 ;)

Might be Atopic Dermatitis (Airbone Allergies). Might be yeast, have a look on his tummy where it is clear of hair and you can see easy and see if there is any

pink nodules, like a pimple head. If so it is most probably yeast by the smell you are describing.

You can get sanity in 48 hours if it is yeast from the vet prescribing some antibiotics and ear drops if in there too. Malaseb is a shampoo you might want to try if you do not have $140 to spend as it kills yeast off.

Oh Nutro certainly will not hurt the results

KJ20

[westielover]

Do you by any chance have lots of jasmine in your garden Kavik? A lot of dogs are allergic to Jasmine.

[Kavik]

Actually we do have some jasmine! I didn't know it was a common allergen. It came with the house, already here when we moved. Might talk to OH about getting rid of it then - might be hard though - it looks fairly established!

[gilbertgrape]

My dog's skin got very bad a few months ago - he was losing hair on his sides and he had hotspots and scabs all over his tummy, groin and under his front legs (his armpits! ). I took him to the vet who took a skin scraping and said that it was an allergy and I think she said it was bacterial rather than yeast. Anyway, she put him on a low-dose of prednisilone for a week and a course of antibiotics and advised that I bathe him in Malaseb.

The combination worked a treat. His scratching was relieved within 24 hours, and his skin cleared up. The malaseb worked very well on the little fella and I bathe him in it once a week now. His skin is not perfect, he has a couple of scabs here and there, but it's nowhere near like it was, it used to upset me so much. when I see him starting to scratch again I give him a bath in malaseb, and I also keep his hair short.

I wouldn't put him on the prednisilone (steroid) in the long-term, but he was only on it a week and combined with the antiobiotics it treated the symptoms brilliantly. I was a little worried about the steroid, but after I saw the relief it gave him I was so happy. Now that the emergency is out of the way, and he's back to being comfortable, I'm going to look at changing his diet to see if that helps him even more, and then I'll change the laundry powder to a natural one.

Allergies are a real problem and it looks like different things work for different dogs. I've heard others say that aloveen works a treat, and also stop itch, but neither of them worked for me and I think the aloveen actually made him itchier. If the aloveen doesn't seem to be working very well, try stop itch or malaseb. Give malaseb a go first and see if that helps.

[Kavik]

I've tried Sebolese (sp?) which is what the vet at first recommend we bathe him in - made him worse. I would imagine Malaseb would also make him worse as it is much harsher and drying than Aloveen.

Unfortunately he has been on cortisone a lot more than I would like seems to be the first thing vets do.

[gilbertgrape]

I've tried Sebolese (sp?) which is what the vet at first recommend we bathe him in - made him worse. I would imagine Malaseb would also make him worse as it is much harsher and drying than Aloveen.

Unfortunately he has been on cortisone a lot more than I would like seems to be the first thing vets do.

seems like our dogs react differently - my dog only needed one short course of steriods and it worked out excellently. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying it as the first option because it's cheap and if it works like it did for my dog (one short course) then its fantastic. If I had said not to the steriod then I could still be trying to find something to relieve the symptoms! I agree with everyone else when they say it's definitely not something that should be used over the long-term.

It sounds like you've got to now go to plan B - which could involve spending a bit more money than you'd like unfortunately. I'm glad that my dog's problems were pretty much solved with only a small outlay.

It's a matter of finding the best combination of treatments for your dog - I'm glad mine didn't take long to find. Good luck with it all!

[Kavik]

Even when he is on cortisone he itches - just not as badly. I don't think we'll find something that makes him stop scratching altogether, but something that lessens it would be nice!

[gilbertgrape]

Sounds like he's going to be a tough one to fix!! I feel for you because I know how upsetting it is seeing the poor fella scratching and scratching. The poor little buggers are so tortured by it

I'm hearing you about not wanting to spend a lot of money if you're not assured of a positive outcome.... but if you've tried everything else it might be your only option.