Struggling with Allergies

LeeAnnNJ · #1 08-29-2003, 08:24 AM

I know I'm not alone here......but I've been struggling with my Rocky since he was 8 weeks old. My poor baby has been on medication for practically his whole life. We've gone from VERY severe kennel cough... all the way to demodex.... and now allergies. I've started taking him to a dermatologist (an hour and a half away) desperate to find help. We were able to determine that he had a secondary skin infection (which we put him on antibiotics for) and that he clearly has allergies. We tried the venison and potato food for over 8 weeks....no change. We're scheduled for testing to see if we can determine exactly what he might be alergic to. In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions on what I can possibly give him to help with the scratching? The poor baby is tearing himself up. He has these little stumpy whiskers now because he's scratched them off! We've tried benedryl.... and then a perscription....neither of which made a tremendous difference. It's just so heartbreaking. I'd do anything for my dog and yet I feel so helpless.

basak · #2 08-29-2003, 08:47 AM

poor thing

whta do you feed him? Krose has allergies and the bumps appear everywhere on his body. Then we switched his food to lamb and rice formula and he has been on it for a good 9 months now. He hasn't had the bumps since then

well, other than the heat related ones on his head

but they go when I put the AC on

basak

LeeAnnNJ · #3 08-29-2003, 08:50 AM

He's on a special food of venison and potatoes. He's been on this for over 8 weeks now. He loves it.... but he's still scratching. It has to be something more than food. Dust, cleaning products, grass....... who knows.

basak · #4 08-29-2003, 08:53 AM

hmmm...

I think so too. I would go with the elimination process then. It is going to be a tough road but your baby's worth it. I think I would start from inside the house, like the cleaning products. Can he be allergic to potatoes?

LeeAnnNJ · #5 08-29-2003, 09:01 AM

I don't think so. The dermatologist said that the food is specially made to test for allergies.

binky · #6 08-29-2003, 09:17 AM

I have an allergy-affected baby as well My white has severe allergies - food and airborne both.

One comment I'd make regarding the Venison/Potato food. I was going to try that food and was told by one vet that sometimes there's problems with Venison. I ended up feeding a Duck & Potato food, Natural Balance made by Dick Van Patten. They make kibble, canned and treats.

Believe me, I tried MANY, MANY types of Vegetarian and supposed "allergy" foods - both Ultra, Ultra Premium foods and also from the Vet (Hills ZD). The Duck/Potato is the only thing that I find works for my baby. My guy is definitely allergic to grains and also to Beef as far as I can tell. We haven't had any formal testing done yet.

He's on steroids and antihistamines both at the moment. I want to get him off the steroids, but haven't been successful on previous attempts, so will keep trying. He's on his 3rd round of antihistamines; Benadryl didn't do much for him; tried Clemastatine (sp?) and didn't notice too much differencel; now he's on Hydroxyazine (sp?). That seems to help quite a bit. Of course, just like people, he has good days/bad days - depending upon the outside allergans I guess.

We just moved into a new house this past week and his allergies have really been acting up. He's pink all the time, scratching his belly, his armpits, and shaking his head - all too familiar. I don't know if it's the carpet in the new house, some type of cleaner they used, or perhaps he's allergic to cats. My mother moved in with us and she has cats - which are currently housed in a spare bedroom (the dogs/cats haven't met yet). Of course, all of her stuff has cat "scent", etc. on it. So we'll have to see.

Allergies are a tough road; we've been dealing with them for over a year now, since getting our white from the Humane Society.

Good luck!

LeeAnnNJ · #7 08-29-2003, 09:25 AM

Maybe I'll try the duck and potatoe food. It's worth a shot. You mentioned the new house - that's my other fear. We're in the process of selling our house and I'm worried about the reaction he's going to have at the new place....especially since I don't know what he's allergic to yet.

binky · #8 08-29-2003, 09:41 AM

I checked out

TheHonestKitchen.com

and read about their food, "Force", which says it's good for dogs with grain allergies. I haven't tried it yet, but am thinking of getting a small size bag.

bustermom · #9 08-29-2003, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by binky
I checked out
TheHonestKitchen.com
and read about their food, "Force", which says it's good for dogs with grain allergies. I haven't tried it yet, but am thinking of getting a small size bag.

Definitely worth a try! If you do a search here on my user name and "maggie" you can read all about our years of fighting allergies with my Boston Terrier. She and our boxer have been on Force for a few months now and she's doing great. She also gets flaxseed oil or fish oil (I switch every few weeks) to help her skin stay comfortable, as well as Vitamin C which also helps keep skin healthy.

Maggie has a combination of food and environmental allergies, but now that we've FINALLY gotten the food allergies under control, the others are manageable with an occasional Benadryl. The worst that happens now is her belly and elbows will turn a little pink if she lays outside in the grass too long.

There are still lots of things you can try to help Rocky feel better. If the venison based food isn't helping him, try another one - we personally had decent success with Canidae (turkey based) and things are best with Force. It's expensive, what with the shipping and all, but still cheaper than all the vet bills!

Others things that worked for us to keep allergens in the home to a minimum:
- steam clean your carpets regularly
- wash dog bedding frequently with mild detergent and extra rinsing
- wipe face, paws and tummy with a warm washcloth whenever he comes inside (keeps him from tracking pollen around)

When Maggie was at her worst, I got a prescription shampoo from the vet called Etiderm which we used in conjunction with a prescription leave-in hydrocortisone conditioner called Episoothe. The Etiderm you had to lather up and then let soak for 5-10 minutes - she really enjoyed the warm tub, soothing lather, and her mommy giving her a 10 minute massage while the shampoo did its work. After rinsing, she'd get slathered in the Episoothe and then dried off. It gave her immediate relief that lasted for a few days. I washed her this way every other week for two months. I know that in general frequent bathing is bad for dogs as it can dry out their skin and cause other problems, but in this case it made her skin significantly healthier and gave it a chance to heal (she scratched herself bloody) by taking away the itch for a few days.

I also found that over-the-counter topical analgesics (numbing agents) gave her temporary relief. I would smear some on her tummy and inside her back legs before bedtime so she could get a few hours of comfortable sleep.

Okay - this post is getting loooong!! Sorry! But there is hope - keep us posted on how Rocky's feeling.

bustermom · #10 08-29-2003, 11:01 AM

Two other things I forgot to mention:

- you should also have your vet run a thyroid check on Rocky - low thyroid can cause skin problems similar to allergies

- my sister had some success treating her white shepherd's allergies with a supplement called SeaCure (you can do a search here to get more info on it). I haven't given it to Maggie as she's doing so well now, but it's definitely worth trying.

Good luck! And where in NJ are you? Buster would be happy to take Rocky's mind off his itchies sometime!