Very Itchy Dog

[aussielover]

Mindy sounds like she is following in Masons footsteps then....

[JulesP]

Antihistamines will only work if it is an allergy. They will not work on something like a staph infection.

You buy the tea from health food shops.

That is not strictly true, my dog has real bad allergies but Polaramine does NOT a thing to help him when he is real bad. Zyrtec does help but not very effective when he is bad in summer, he is on antihistamines and low dose of pred ( cortisone) at the moment and he is still bad. Aussielover Mason started showing allergy symptoms around 9 months, although before this he had constant tummy problems as a pup which we now know is food allergies as well as his allergies to pollen, dust, insects etc.

Actually it is strictly true.

[aussielover]

Antihistamines will only work if it is an allergy. They will not work on something like a staph infection.

You buy the tea from health food shops.

That is not strictly true, my dog has real bad allergies but Polaramine does NOT a thing to help him when he is real bad. Zyrtec does help but not very effective when he is bad in summer, he is on antihistamines and low dose of pred ( cortisone) at the moment and he is still bad. Aussielover Mason started showing allergy symptoms around 9 months, although before this he had constant tummy problems as a pup which we now know is food allergies as well as his allergies to pollen, dust, insects etc.

Actually it is strictly true.

WHat if you have a staph infection due to allergy?

Would it then help relieve some of the itchiness.

I am aware that only the abs and the medicated wash will help resolve the infection/pyoderma.

[JulesP]

WHat if you have a staph infection due to allergy?

Would it then help relieve some of the itchiness.

I am aware that only the abs and the medicated wash will help resolve the infection/pyoderma.

Not the itchiness from the infection. I just had an infection it was bloody itchy and I am on antihistamines. They don't cure itchiness, they work on the histamines that the body produces.

Personally I find antihistamines aren't a 100% guaranteed cure. Most of this year they have only taken the edge off for me. You also have to muck around with all the different brands.

I was taking polaramine for hayfever and it did nothing for a allergy to shampoo.

Zyrtec is working well on my dogs that have had some allergy problems with wandering jew.

[Mason_Gibbs]

Antihistamines will only work if it is an allergy. They will not work on something like a staph infection.

You buy the tea from health food shops.

That is not strictly true, my dog has real bad allergies but Polaramine does NOT a thing to help him when he is real bad. Zyrtec does help but not very effective when he is bad in summer, he is on antihistamines and low dose of pred ( cortisone) at the moment and he is still bad. Aussielover Mason started showing allergy symptoms around 9 months, although before this he had constant tummy problems as a pup which we now know is food allergies as well as his allergies to pollen, dust, insects etc.

Actually it is strictly true.

Not all antihistamines work for all dogs, the only one that helps mine is Zyrtec, you cant try give a dog antihistamines and say 'oh well they did not help therefore it cant be an allergy" that is just not the case. Sorry i really disagree with you here. I have a highly allergic dog and this is the case for him. He has allergies, its been proven by blood and allergy tests - most antihistamines dont work for him - now that does mean he does not have allergies?? I dont think so.

Aussielover loads of allergic dogs get staph infections - luckily for me my dog has not had one.

[JulesP]

Antihistamines will only work if it is an allergy. They will not work on something like a staph infection.

You buy the tea from health food shops.

That is not strictly true, my dog has real bad allergies but Polaramine does NOT a thing to help him when he is real bad. Zyrtec does help but not very effective when he is bad in summer, he is on antihistamines and low dose of pred ( cortisone) at the moment and he is still bad. Aussielover Mason started showing allergy symptoms around 9 months, although before this he had constant tummy problems as a pup which we now know is food allergies as well as his allergies to pollen, dust, insects etc.

Actually it is strictly true.

Not all antihistamines work for all dogs, the only one that helps mine is Zyrtec, you cant try give a dog antihistamines and say 'oh well they did not help therefore it cant be an allergy" that is just not the case. Sorry i really disagree with you here. I have a highly allergic dog and this is the case for him. He has allergies, its been proven by blood and allergy tests - most antihistamines dont work for him - now that does mean he does not have allergies?? I dont think so.

Aussielover loads of allergic dogs get staph infections - luckily for me my dog has not had one.

Perhaps you should read what I wrote a bit more carefully. I said antihistamines would NOT work on a staph infection. Were exactly did I write that if a antihistamine doesn't work then the dog doesn't have allergies?

[TerraNik]

Not all antihistamines work for all dogs, the only one that helps mine is Zyrtec, you cant try give a dog antihistamines and say 'oh well they did not help therefore it cant be an allergy" that is just not the case. Sorry i really disagree with you here. I have a highly allergic dog and this is the case for him. He has allergies, its been proven by blood and allergy tests - most antihistamines dont work for him - now that does mean he does not have allergies?? I dont think so.

Aussielover loads of allergic dogs get staph infections - luckily for me my dog has not had one.

I have to agree with Mason... My boy has severe atopic dermatitis and proven allergies (shown on intradermal skin test and blood test) to several environmental allergens and NO anti-histamines have ever worked for him.

Unfortunately Jedi does have recurrent staph infected folliculitis, so is now on life-long pulse therapy antibiotics and that is keeping him comfortable.

I really feel for dogs with an itchy skin condition (whatever the cause) - so I really hope you find some answers soon so you can start the appropriate treatment.

ETA - JulesP - I think there must have been some confusion with your reply to Mason -- Mason was saying that it is not strictly true that anti-histamines work on every dog with allergies and you replied "actually it is strictly true". Mason was not questioning the staph part of your comment (in my eyes) -- your comment saying anti-histamines do not work for Staph infections was correct and I don't believe Mason was challenging that.

Edited December 20, 2010 by TerraNik

[JulesP]

I did not say that antihistamines will fix all allergies either. What I said was "Antihistamines will only work if it is an allergy". Note the "if".

[Mason_Gibbs]

Not all antihistamines work for all dogs, the only one that helps mine is Zyrtec, you cant try give a dog antihistamines and say 'oh well they did not help therefore it cant be an allergy" that is just not the case. Sorry i really disagree with you here. I have a highly allergic dog and this is the case for him. He has allergies, its been proven by blood and allergy tests - most antihistamines dont work for him - now that does mean he does not have allergies?? I dont think so.

Aussielover loads of allergic dogs get staph infections - luckily for me my dog has not had one.

I have to agree with Mason... My boy has severe atopic dermatitis and proven allergies (shown on intradermal skin test and blood test) to several environmental allergens and NO anti-histamines have ever worked for him.

Unfortunately Jedi does have recurrent staph infected folliculitis, so is now on life-long pulse therapy antibiotics and that is keeping him comfortable.

I really feel for dogs with an itchy skin condition (whatever the cause) - so I really hope you find some answers soon so you can start the appropriate treatment.

ETA - JulesP - I think there must have been some confusion with your reply to Mason -- Mason was saying that it is not strictly true that anti-histamines work on every dog with allergies and you replied "actually it is strictly true". Mason was not questioning the staph part of your comment (in my eyes) -- your comment saying anti-histamines do not work for Staph infections was correct and I don't believe Mason was challenging that.

Yip - this is indeed what I thought you meant JulesP, maybe you should have just worded it a bit differently?

[JulesP]

I think it was worded perfectly adequately.

[Mason_Gibbs]

I think it was worded perfectly adequately.

Well 2 of us thought you meant something different..... anyhow I am not about to get into a slinging match.

Aussielover PM me if you have any questions, sounds like what we went through when Mason was that age.

[aussielover]

Update:

been to the vets again. The vet now thinks it is a primary allergy causing secondary infection, not "puppy pyoderma".

Puppy pyoderma was the thing that was common in young dogs/retrievers (not allergy) and is a primary superficial pyoderma, not caused by allergy. I just wanted to clarify this for those that were interested.

Mindy's rash is much worse today, it has even spread to the pinna of her ears apparently the distribution of the rash (tummy, armpits, ears) is classic for contact allergy. She is now on prednisolone (steroid) to get the itchiness under control. We will probably see a specialist if it is an on going problem throughout summer (which i think it may be) and if guide dogs thinks it is a good idea. We will also probably be doing an antihistamine trial, as it is much safer for her to be on antihistamines regularly than steroids.

I would also like to change her diet to raw, as i've heard this is good for dogs with skin issues, but i'll have to discuss this with guide dogs. Does anyone have any information regarding which diet is best for dogs with itchy skin?

I also got some of the calendula tea today and will try and apply that tonight.

Thanks for all your help

[Staranais]

Update:

been to the vets again. The vet now thinks it is a primary allergy causing secondary infection, not "puppy pyoderma".

So does that mean she's out of the puppy program, even if they can control the allergy with meds?

If they can find out what she's allergic to, would the guide dog people be prepared to give desensitisation injections a go?

I would also like to change her diet to raw, as i've heard this is good for dogs with skin issues, but i'll have to discuss this with guide dogs. Does anyone have any information regarding which diet is best for dogs with itchy skin?

Lots of things you can try. If they think it's an allergy, I'd personally be far more inclined to try a novel protein diet (made with one source of novel protein, one source of carbohydrate, ONLY, for 4 weeks) or a hydrolysed diet (Hills Z-d or etc). If that doesn't helped, you can be pretty sure that there's no dietary component to the allergy.

[stormie]

Agree with Staranais - there's no point switching to raw if you'll still be feeding something she turns out to be allergic to. Do an elimination diet first (because according to the Derms, allergies in puppies seems to more commonly be food allergies) then when you know what's safe, you can switch to an all raw diet.

[sas]

Does anyone have any information regarding which diet is best for dogs with itchy skin?

I also got some of the calendula tea today and will try and apply that tonight.

Thanks for all your help

That answer would depend on so many variables.

I think you should ask your Vet for a referral to a Derm before you start spending money on diets that you hope will help when they may make it worse because you don't know what your dog is allergic/intolerable to.