Allergies, Allergies,allergies

[trinabean]

Hi, and thanks for this info. I have tried to keep his diet fairly simple, mainly chicken, or turkey with rice and veg plus alternating with Royal Canin Hyper Allergic food. We were told from the rescue org that he was having lamb bones as well, but I haven't continued with the lamb as it can be quite fatty. I didn't think of giving him fish, that may be worth a try and mix up the proteins a bit more.

Even though we have been advised by nearly everyone to wash him in Aloveen, he had a big setback after using this, to the point where he was scratching till be was almost bleeding and was sooo uncomfortable he just couldn't settle, till we rewashed him with plain water.

We are now washing him, just with plain water every 2nd day - basically wetting him down to remove any allergens that may be on his fur. This seems to help him and calm down his skin.

I am working my way through the anithistamines, Claratyne and Phenergan have made no difference!

Our vet has strongly recommended the allergy testing, which are thinking about, however it is really expensive, and is no guarantee to be a cure.

We would have spent close to $800 on him since November last year, in vet consults, medications, and special foods.

If the allergy testing could fix him then I would go ahead, but there are no guarantees, we could spend the money, and have it done, and be no closer to having an answer.

I would love to hear your experiences with the allergy testing. Thanks in advance

I suppose the thing with allergy testing is that it simply gives you some answers as to the cause of the itching. There is further expense then to treat the allergies if you go down the path of immunotherapy to desensitize the dog to the allergens. From what I understand, my dog was a good candidate for immunotherapy as he is young.

Even with immunotherapy, we still have to treat the symptoms with antihistamines and other topical treatments.

As Jumabaar and others suggested, it would be good to rule out other possible causes such as yeast infection, flea allergy and perhaps ask your vet about doing an elimination diet to rule out food allergy? A specialist visit could still be worthwhile after that, even if you don't do the allergy testing. They may still be able to offer a management plan for the itching if the other possible causes have been ruled out.

I agree that Aloveen is not great for all dogs, QV wash may be more suitable. It's a 'people' product, available at Chemists. A spray can be made of water and QV bath oil too. Erny's favourite, Calendula tea is also very soothing as a rinse or spray (the dermatologist spoke highly of it as well when I asked her about it).

I'm going to be lazy and cut/ paste from an older thread now. :laugh:

So bearing in mind that my dog is allergic to specific things in the outdoor and indoor environment, these are some of the things the dermatologist has us doing:

1. Wipe down dog with a damp cloth after walks

2. Antihistamines given twice daily, 'Hydroxyzine'

3. 'Cortavance' hydrocortisone spray to affected areas every 2nd day. (We have reduced this as my dogs symptoms have eased).

4. Weekly bath using QV wash (human product available at chemists). I do a final rinse of Calendula tea.

5. Once a day spray itchy/dry skin with a solution of water and QV bath oil.

6. Increase fish oil in the diet, if tolerated. Do it gradually and under vet guidance. My 28kg dog has 6 fish oil capsules plus 1 evening primrose oil capsule per day.

7. Apply one pipette of 'Dermoscent essential 6' spot-on once a week.

8. This part relates to my dogs' reaction to dust mites, so may not be relevant to you?: wash dog bedding weekly in hot water and wool mix +eucalptus oil. Mop flooring with hot water and eucalyptus oil.

Good luck! :)

[trinabean]

Most shampoos for itchy skin are in fact very harsh. I would minimise washing. Have you tried something like MooGoo (which is for humans but is very gentle)?

I agree that many shampoos can be harsh.

The washing itself though (even just with water) can be beneficial for rinsing allergens from the coat. That is, if the dog is allergic to things like air-borne pollens, dust etc. This is the case for my dog. :)

[megan_]

yes but beware that if the skin is inflamed even rinsing it with water hurts - I have skin allergies and can attest to this!

ETA: If dust mites are a problem, also put soft toys and cushions in the freezer for 48 hours.

Edited March 18, 2013 by megan_

[Erny]

We are now washing him, just with plain water every 2nd day - basically wetting him down to remove any allergens that may be on his fur. This seems to help him and calm down his skin.

Use the Calendula Tea wash when you do this and you might find the skin settles quicker and for longer, possibly reducing the necessity to keep up with wetting the skin as often. You may find you only need to spot-rinse the effected area/s once the skin begins to settle down, saving the dog from having wet skin so often which in itself might encourage tinea type ailments. The Calendula Tea has antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities to it, doesn't stuff up the skin's natural pH balance like shampoos and other more stringent treatments can and rinse is soothing to the skin too.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Erny

[fbaudry]

Hey Erny, probably a silly question but is it ok to keep the calendula tea in the fridge to use as needed, or does it lose its properties over time?

[fbaudry]

Hey Erny, probably a silly question but is it ok to keep the calendula tea in the fridge to use as needed, or does it lose its properties over time?

[Erny]

Not a silly question, fbaudry. Answer is, I'm not really sure. However I prefer to use the tea whilst it still has that 'clear' look to it and I tend to find that after 24 hours, it can go a bit cloudy. The other part of my reasoning is that because I'm not sure and because it's to help heal/soothe my dog's irritations, I'd rather err on the side of "fresh is best".

Note : If I need to use it as an eye bathe, I will ONLY use fresh, once it is cooled. I won't keep it and use it later - if I need to do it again, I brew another batch.

When I need to use it, I use a single serve coffee plunger. In the morning when I fix myself a cuppa, I put some Calendula in the coffee plunger and pour the hot water from the kettle into that. Voila!! Done :D.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Erny

[Skruffy n Flea]

...

ETA: If dust mites are a problem, also put soft toys and cushions in the freezer for 48 hours.

oh god, I would so do this, but I don't have the freezer capacity.

i usually wet my dogs down after their walk; as other have posted, i do it not only to help cool them, but to rinse from them any pollens and whatnot that clings to their coat; they seem to enjoy it too.

today tho, i gave both my fluffies a medicated wash in tepid water [man, it was hot here today], slow rinsed using calendula, i vacuumed like a woman possessed, and washed all and sundry using a capful of eucalyptus oil [in the pre-wash cycle].

my two don't exhibit redness; they just itch indiscriminately --- my boy however has two or three wee itchy bumps centrally along his spine and just above his forelegs; poor boy can't reach to scratch and so comes over to me for relief; i do what i can with whatever product i have available but it's been days, almost beyond a week and those bumps are still there and itchy.

not even caladryl helped with the itching.

i bought some 'fly spray', but it squirts rather than sprays so i squirt it into my hand, rub it with the other and then run my hands thru their coat to distribute it --- once we're back from our walk, i feel it necessary to shampoo it from their coat; needless to say that I've only used the damn stuff once [#woftam]

i too am watching this thread with interest...