Skin Allergy

[marcos]

Hi,

I have a 5 month old Beagle that has had an skin allergy since I bought him home (2 months ago).

From the day he came home he started itching and it got quiet bad, so I took him to the vet.

They had to give him antibiotics because he had an infection.

They also gave him a dose of Antihistamine with Cortisone.

They tested for Mites and Ringworm and results were negative

It cleared up for a couple of weeks after he was on the medication and then came back

I currently control it with Antihistamine and Illium Cream when required.

I can tell he is in discomfort and I don't know if the Vet knows what else to do.

I have been recommended Emu Oil to rub on him and Flaxseed Oil to digest.

I have also been told that I can get a skin allergy test done.

If anyone could advise what I should do or try I would really appreciate and I know my little puppy will to

Thanks

marcos

[Cockerlover]

Try bathing him with malasab shampoo& maybe lookinto allergy tests

[laffi]

Try bathing him with malasab shampoo& maybe lookinto allergy tests

check out the health section of this forum, there is A LOT of info about allergies in dogs there

[stormie]

I'm in the same boat as you. My pup came home to me at 10wks and has been itchy since. Most likely allergies to pollens, dust mites etc.

Apparently its becoming more common to see food allergies in younger dogs these days, and we were told by the specialist 10wks is not too young. we went on a food trial using Eukanuba FP as its the only one that still has adequate protein and carb levels for a growing dane puppy, and he had previously not had fish or potatoes before.

we are currently controlling the itch was a combination drug of cortisone and antihistamine, called antihistalone. Using antihistamines with cortisone means you can generally give a lower dose of cortisone and still have the desired effects. We manage on quite a low dose every other day, or so.

Allergic dogs are usually often allergic to fleas aswell. One bite from a flea makes my pup really itchy, so thats another thing you can work at keeping on top of.

Malaseb won't stop the itching, but it will help to keep secondary bacterial infections at bay, which are caused by the constant itching breaking the skins natural barriers. We have a malaseb bath every week.

Another thing to think about is checking your garden for plants like wandering jew that my be causing the problem.

Also, do you use any carpet/floor cleaning products at home which may be irritating the skin?

Now that we have ruled out external parasites, fungal infections and food allergy, we can look into skin testing with the specialist. I doubt we will go through with the injections afterwards, but I would like to know what he reacts to so I can do my best at avoiding it.

[Doggrooma]

Evening Primrose Shampoo from Groomers http://www.groomersproducts.com.au

Has been proven to cure skin conditions even Cortisone struggles with. Its absolutly brilliant, you cant beat it.

[burginthorn]

Yes I can vouch with Groomer on the Evening Primrose Shampoo - its an absolutely amazing product.

I have an 11 week old Amstaff that appears to be allergic to the grass in our backyard. Washed him this afternoon with Evening Primrose Shampoo and the results after just one wash are amazing.

The redness has already turned to pinkness - a good sign things are already improving. But the big one was tonight when I took him out back for toilet and he ran onto the grass (against my wishes) and I thought here we go again, he's going to come back into the house itching like before. Amazingly he came back in, laid down on the floor and didn't scratch at all!

That is only after 1 wash!

I will bath him again over the weekend and continue to use this amazing dog shampoo when needed.

Couldn't rate Evening Primrose Shampoo highly enough. It really does work.

[marcos]

Thanks for the advice.

I was washing him with Oatmeal shampoo and that did nothing.

I was recommended to wash him with Johnson's Baby Shampoo??

He scratches that much that he has red burn like marks on his belly and bottom of the neck.

I had to rub some Illium cream and give him an antihistamine this morning.

cheers

[Poodle wrangler]

Does he have the antihistamine regularly?

If it's that bad, I'd just give it every day.

Sometimes a bit of experimenting with different antihistamines is needed to find the most effective for your dog (varies).

I don't see any harm in baby shampoo, but would look for a more soothing one to try first. See what works best.

[bluecollie]

I'm just wondering, the EPO capsules you can buy at health food stores.. would it be OK to open one of them and put on their food or could that be harmful???

[marcos]

I am going to try the Johnson's Baby Shampoo this week and see how he goes.

I might also try the Emu Oil.

I will let you know how they go.

I would like to know what's causing this reaction.

He is on the exact same diet as the breeder had him on.

I have a suspicion is could the detergent that we use to wash our clothes.

Reason being, we washed the dogs bedding with the same detergent and it seemed to flare up when that occured.

So we have stopped using it and it has improved but it's still not 100%.

marcos

[DJ'sMum]

It could be a food allergy. Lots of dogs are allergic to wheat, maybe try a high quality wheat free kibble.

[Dogsfevr]

I suggest you have a good look in the backyard.

I

Washing powders,carpert powder & many of the things we apply can react to dogs.

Personally owouldnt bath in baby shampoo as it isnt soothing.

If you want to try something then look at selsum blue or heads n shoulders .There are many dogs ones about never have used them.

Also consider if the diet is the exact same are you giving any treats(schmackos,pig ears etc etc)

There are many natural creams you can use to soooth red/hot areas(baby creams/psoriias creams/exzcmea type creams)

Have you applied any spot ons.Wear a flea collar?

[Mango]

My 6 month old Parson Russell Terrier has also gone ballistic with his allergy since Christmas. I am trying to be careful with wearing my perfumes around him, I have heard that can be one of many things that affect them. I have picked him up today after a week at a boarding kennel, as we went away for holidays. He seems to have been better while I've been away, so I wonder whether I'm part of the problem, or whether it's just because the antihistamines have finally started working for him...

[oakway]

I'm with settrlvr on this.

It appears that by your words that the dog only became like

this since you bought it home.

It could be something that you have growing around the house.

Why not try and keep the pup on cement and see if the condition

improves.

Let us know if you get an improvement.

Cheers.

[marcos]

Thanks for the advice.

I was told to rub some Organic Evening Primrose Oil on his skin also. This is the product I was told.

http://www.organicbeautyworld.com.au/zensc...;products_id=99

Could you let me know if I should this oil to help sooth the skin?

I went and bought some Dog Flaxseed Powder Supplement to start giving him which has the Omega Fats etc.

I have taken a good look around the house and have changed products that we use around the house for cleaning etc.

I will be booking him in for a skin allergy test soon (waiting for vet to return from holidays).

cheers

marcos

[Iamgoldn]

Hi,

I have a 5 month old Beagle that has had an skin allergy since I bought him home (2 months ago).

From the day he came home he started itching and it got quiet bad, so I took him to the vet.

They had to give him antibiotics because he had an infection.

They also gave him a dose of Antihistamine with Cortisone.

They tested for Mites and Ringworm and results were negative

It cleared up for a couple of weeks after he was on the medication and then came back

I currently control it with Antihistamine and Illium Cream when required.

I can tell he is in discomfort and I don't know if the Vet knows what else to do.

I have been recommended Emu Oil to rub on him and Flaxseed Oil to digest.

I have also been told that I can get a skin allergy test done.

If anyone could advise what I should do or try I would really appreciate and I know my little puppy will to

Thanks

marcos

Hi Marco

try cutting all beef and beef based prouducts from the diet , and only feed chicken based to see if that helps. It might take a week or so to notice a difference

regards

iamgoldn

[Pixie's mum]

I had similar issues with our bulldog. This time last year she had constant rashes, chronic diarrhoea and lots of hot spots, she got sick with parvo the week after we got her (fortunately she got better) which may have weakened her stomach and immune system etc. After trying lots of things we took her to an animal naturopath (www.greenpet.com.au) and she transferred her to a barf diet with some supplements. This was very successful. She is allergic to most meats other than lamb though and if she eats anything other than her special diet she gets diarrhoea immediately and not too long after a rash appears. Good luck I know it is distressing when they are uncomfortable and there is not much else you can do. Another thing we use is a shampoo and cream (raven pet products) you could search for it on the net. Unfortunately you have to buy it from the States but the combination of these have cured our pup. She is now 14months and i was dreading summer waiting for a flare up but she has been fine.

Best of luck

[peigirl]

Thanks for the advice.

I was told to rub some Organic Evening Primrose Oil on his skin also. This is the product I was told.

http://www.organicbeautyworld.com.au/zensc...;products_id=99

Could you let me know if I should this oil to help sooth the skin?

I went and bought some Dog Flaxseed Powder Supplement to start giving him which has the Omega Fats etc.

I have taken a good look around the house and have changed products that we use around the house for cleaning etc.

I will be booking him in for a skin allergy test soon (waiting for vet to return from holidays).

cheers

marcos

Marcos the EPO supplmentation in your pups diet will help, as well the EPO shampoo.

Your puppy is far too young have intradermal allergy testing done at 5 months of age. Dogs are not normally tested for this until they reach 12 months.

You could help your puppy greatly by giving antihistamines on a daily basis. Please also be very wary about using cortizone regularly. It is fine on occasions for short periods when the dog is particularly suffering, but certainly not all the time.

The symptoms you are describing suggest a contact allergy, not a food reaction. Something in your pup's environment is causing the reaction.

Where are you based?

[Garloch]

Hi Marcos,

Peigirl is quite correct - please don't use human shampoo on dogs. Its not designed for them and will only make the allergies worse. The EPO oil is good, but Omego 3-6-9 fishoil is better. I have 3 allergic dogs - my breed is prone to skin problems! They all get a capsule each day, and twice a day if they are particularly itchy.

Use the EPO dog shampoo first - sounds like a good thing to have, after reading about the success by someone who posted. Wouldn't be rubbing oil on the dog as oil will only attract pollens/allergens/dirt and make sure they stick to the skin even more - making the itching worse. Try not to bathe too often - they need the natural oils in their coat.

Raspberry leaf tea is an amazing anti-itch antiseptic that you could rinse them in after a shampoo. (Healthfood shops - herbal tea.) Try it on a paw for 24 hours first though - make sure it doesn't make the itching worse before you dunk them in it.

The reason that you mustn't give steriods/cortisones long term to dogs is that they MAY/can develop Cushings Disease (which is a type of cancer) from overuse of steriods. Ask your vet about Cushings. Catch 22 - you need steriods to initially stop the severe itching, but long term use is bad. My dogs have iramine (antihistamine) when they are bad - usually at exactly the same time as I get hayfever - its the weeds and grass in my yard that blow in from my neighbours very unkempt back yard!

And let your breeder know! Definately. We need to know whats happening to our progeny and it may indicate that a particular mating shouldn't be repeated. Do any of the other littermates have the itching? If not, its localised to your area - does sound like a contact allergy to me too. The breeder may have some knowledge about a great anti-itch preparation to use, as it may be a breed specific issue. We don't take it personally, and are happy to help if we can.

[Garloch]

AND, yes, the Flaxseed is great too.

Also, Don't try too many things at once, or you will not know which has worked.