Onwards With An Itchy Dog..

[aussielover]

There's really not much point in the elimation diet if the dog is on cortisone.

It's not really ideal to have the dog on both cortisone and antibiotics either. I

Food allergy should be ruled out before skin testing is performed but not essential.

[Staff'n'Toller]

There's really not much point in the elimation diet if the dog is on cortisone.

It's not really ideal to have the dog on both cortisone and antibiotics either. I

Food allergy should be ruled out before skin testing is performed but not essential.

It may not be, but long-term cephalexin therapy is the first requirement where infection is/was present, so it's not for us to say which medications the dog should or shouldn't be on. We are not qualified to give that sort of advice.

Are you under the care of a specialist dermatologist redangel? Or is your regular vet doing the initial work-up first?

[twodoggies2001]

I currently have a 12 month poodle on a food trial. She is five weeks in on a sweet potato/roo diet and has been on a high dose cortisone & antibotic for the duration. Her vet visit today says she is improving and that now we are working on lowering her cortisone dosage. My concerns are that since this diet she has advancing dental tartar buildup and weight loss (she was thin underweight to start) I was reccomended that it is likely she will be on cortisone/allergy diet for life I was told I should switch her to Hills z/d. I hate commercial foods and in my 35 yrs of owning dogs, never had an allergy affected dog, nor requirement for commercial brand food. I am at a cross road: I have read online of recalls and ingredients in the prepared foods that have been allegedly banned in human foods. I am torn between vet advise/ dog requirements/personal concerns for long term effects...

Can anyone advise? Any vets in the house?

Get in touch with East West Vets at South Road, Moorabbin. Anne Neville advocates natural feeding and she helped me with a mini schnauzer who had pancreatitus where my regular vet and another said he could only be fed commercial dog food and Anne Neville modified his raw to suit the condition. He lived a further 4 years without any more flare ups.

[redangel]

StaffnToller I believe the vet has consulted a dermatologist re testing but is doing the workup prior to referral I imagine....The plan was to get the skin infection/inflammation under control, check diet and then look to testing as the drugs were weaned off.

[~Anne~]

The diet restriction is testing and it should be considered this by your vet.

I hope you can get your little one sorted. Being itchy all the time would be awful. I can recall when we first took one little girl in called Channel. She was going insane with itching. She would make little cries of distress trying to satisfy her itch by scratching. She was one that was allergic to chicken, beef and dairy. The first time I gave her dairy after her elimination diet she broke out with 2 hotspots almost instantaneously while she ate!