my dog suffers from major dermatitis. vets say its fleas. no it is not. front line does not work . help!!!!?

Question

female, indoor, bloodhound/walker

Answer 1

Try asking you're vet for a med called Cyclosporin.. it's a little pricey but extremely effective.... . Cyclosorin is specifically for skin allergies. If you get it try and get the generic 'cause like I said... it can be pricey

Answer 2

one of my dogs (papillion) would get an allergic reaction from flea bites. It would take a few weeks or more for the skin to heal and go back to normal. I would just keep on using the frontline each month (you want to keep the fleas under control!). Another one of my dogs had itchy dryness on her face (sheltie) and the vet told me to get rid of any plastic or metal dog dishes and to use ceramic. That helped her. Sometimes it can also be the food that they are being fed. Make sure you are feeding your dog a high quality dog food such as Iams, Science Diet, Nutro Max, etc. Not the kind that you can get at the grocery store. I found that Iams works the best for my dogs. (they had amino acids and such in it to help with the skin, fur, teeth, bones). You can also give a dog benadryl (amount based upon weight) to help the itching to stop so that she can heal (you can find the dosing online or call the vet). Some dogs are more prone to skin problems than others. I hope this helps. I may not be a vet, but I am a dog lover that currently has 4 dogs. (Min Pin, Sheltie, Yorkie-Poo, Italian Greyhound and Chihuahua). I would try the suggestions above first and then maybe get a second opinion (trying the suggestions above can help save you money)

Answer 3

Frontline will kill the fleas when they're on the dog. However, the fleas have to get on the dog in order to be killed. Sometimes, dogs are so severely allergic to fleas that they get allergic reactions to even the short amount of time that the fleas are there before they're killed. This is what happens with my pup.

I have yet to find a flea repellant that keeps fleas off of the dog in the first place. Your best bet might be cortosone shots; they heal the dermatitis and stop your dog from suffering. If your dog is on them regularly, then they're life might be shortened by a year or two. But as I posted for another answer, I'd rather have my dog live for 9 years and be healthy and happy than have him live for 11 and constantly suffering.

Good luck!

Answer 4

The problem with fleabite dermatitis is that a dog can scratch for weeks after just one bite. You don't say it your dog has torn open the skin or has lost hair.

I have a dog that is EXTREMELY allergic to fleabites. I give him Benadryl (1mg per lb of dog) everyday.

Make sure you have removed all the fleas from your house and her bedding. If she has torn the skin, you may have a staph infection brewing. If she does you can treat the spots with neosporin until they heal. There are also hydrocortisone sprays that are available that will really help with the itching.

It is also possible that your dog has been allergic to something else. Food is always a big culprit. Many dogs develop allergies to corn in the diet. Or it could just be pollen. Lots of that this time of year.

Frontline is a great product but you have to stay with it and treat the skin issues that you already have. Benadryl really helps with the itching.

If your dog is losing hair in patches that are spreading you could also have mange. If you don't see any improvement with treating the skin and Benadryl, I would go back to the vet.

Answer 5

Agh! Yes you can buy really cheap stuff in shops and supermarkets -but why do you think it's so cheap? Because it contains cheaply available pesticides that don't WORK, that's why. Shops are not licensed to sell the chemicals that actually work against fleas, with the exception of Frontline which has recently become available in shops. Your house will have fleas. If your dog has them, eggs will have dropped off him into the house. 95% of a flea population lives in the house, so get a housespray from your vet too and use the Frontline regularly, Frontline Combo preferably. Also, are you sure the spray Frontline was used on your dog, surely it was the spot-on? Please don't go down the route of supermarket stuff, it is so frustrating to see animals that still have fleas after this has been used, especially animals that have been poisoned by Bob Martin products and STILL have fleas. Chalice

Answer 6

continue to treat for fleas, because they cause so many problems, use Advantage or Revolution if you don't like Frontline. You need to treat the skin from the inside out - start feeding her a good premium dog food - Iams, Science Diet, etc... The cheaper foods you can get do not contain enough fat & protein to keep her skin in healthy condition. My dog also has very bad dry skin, and Iams has been a life saver for him. Also sprinkle a little olive oil on the dry food, again, good fats that will keep the skin in supple condition. You can also buy suppliments for their skin and coat, that are all oil based, like vitamine e, a & other ingredients at Petsmart. After a few weeks of this for myi dog, the change was quite significant.

Answer 7

Ok, according to Common Diseases of Companion Animals (Alleice Summers, 2002) here's what you do:
- clip hair from the lesions (large enough to expose the lesions)
- clean the area with a medicated shampoo
- Etiderm (Allerderm)
- ChlorhexaDerm (DVM)
-continue cleaning the area daily. wash your hands after touching your animal to prevent staph infections
-consider using an elizbethan collar with your dog to keep her from reirritating the area.
- apply topical meds if necessary. She says Gentocin spray is sometimes used.
- she notes that dermatitis has an original disease cause. you need to treat that. *** could be fleas, but if she's an indoor animal, it may be allergies.
- she says that cortisone and systemic antibiotics may help speed healing. i've read elsewhere that cortisone is effective in treating allergies. make sure it's a cortisone prescription from your vet!!!!

According to Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (1995):

-common allergens for dogs are wheat, house dust, or plant pollen.
- there are various diet tests you can do for your dog to determine if her problem is a result of the food you're feeding her. See a holistic vet to get more info (possibly look online, but be careful where you get your info)
- he also recommends giving your animal filtered/spring water to keep her immune system strong and help reduce outside irritants.

Hope this helps!

Answer 8

I have had my dog for four and half years and she's been on Frontline since we got her and we've never had an issue with flees. She's an indoor dog who roams the furniture as well, still no flea or tic problems. However the Fontline has to be applied every 30-days in order to avoid having issues.

Answer 9

Sounds like a diet allergy.If you have used frontline then your dog can't have any fleas at all. My sheltie was like that & the scratching drove her mad. She had lots of dandruff too. I did everything the vet told me to do like feed her chicken & rice, but it had no affect. Then a friend who's poodle had suffed the same thing recommened I put her on Burns dog food.Within a week she was fine. She has a beautiful shiny coat & is now full of energy.You need a gluten free diet. No wheat or soya.

Answer 10

Walmart has a shampoo out for dogs with itchy skin,it relieves the problem. you also might check with pet smat. We had a dog that was allergic to fleas and had dermatitis because of it.