Skin Allergy??

Question

My dad has a golden retriever with horrible skin problems: rashes,bumps, redness...some people say it is a skin allergy but he has tried almost everything and spent a fortune and it wont go away..any suggestions?

he has been almost everywhere...he is on a veggie diet directed from the vet...im lookin for people with similar problems that have ideas that are unusual but work...

Answer 1

He probally does have allergies and possibly from food. Have you tried diet changes? My one dog is allegic to beef (of all things) and if by chance he gets a hold of some breaks out like you dad's dog. If you can find out what he is allegic to it would help a lot. My other dog is allergic to some grasses so whenever he comes in contact or starts a reaction he goes on Benedryl.

Answer 2

Skin allergies are probably the most frustrating illness we deal with in dogs. While food allergies do occur, it's most likely that your dog is allergic to things in the air: pollens, grasses, molds, the same sorts of things people with hay fever are allergic to. The bad news is that, just like in people, there is no cure for allergies. Avoidance is key. For most dogs, there is at least one time of year (usually the winter) when symptoms are minimized. As for allergy testing, I've never seen anyone CURED with allergy testing, but I've seen lots of dogs HELPED with this form of desensitization. Ask your vet - testing usually runs $3-400, and treatments run another $1-200 or so every 6 months. You could also try giving your dog Benadryl (doses are available elsewhere) every 4-6 hours to PREVENT an outbreak. Once he is itchy already, though, your veterinarian may have to consider steroids to block the allergic response (she may give you an injection or send home pills). This is of course only a short-term solution to a lifelong problem, but it may be the only thing that works. Sorry for your dad's dog's bad luck! Lots of golden retrievers have this problem, so don't worry - you're not doing anything wrong, it's just a common issue with the breed.

Answer 3

I wouldn't suggest an allergy test at the vet b/c you only have a 50% chance of finding something and it being the main cause of the problem (my vet told me this so I didn't have to waste more money figuring out my own dog's problems). Stop giving all treats, no bones, no chews, no snack, nothing but the dog food. Give it a couple weeks, if you notice an improvement, then it wasn't the food but something else. If there is no improvement, switch food to something w/ a different main ingredient. Alot of dogs are having allergies to poultry nowadays and it is very hard to find something w/o any poultry parts in it (fat, by-product or just the meat itself). Also if you are feeding something you can get at a grocery store, switch to something a little higher quality. Many dogs also have problems with Tide, the laundry detergent, and hay fever. But benedryl for allergy relief is great and they don't have problems taking the medicine. Just call your vet and find out the correct dosage for your sized dog.

Answer 4

If he has already spent a fortune then a little bit more wont hurt. Take the dog to the vet and have allergy tests done on the dog. That way you will know for sure what the dog is allergic to and can avoid in the future. It could be a couple of things together, IE. it could be something in his food, and something in his environment.
The vet will just take some blood, and send it off to have it tested against hundreds of things. Then you will get a list of all of the things he/she is allergic to. Good luck.

Answer 5

I spend almost $1000 at the vet with sypmtoms like what you are describing. My vet was happy to keep doing tests and giving my dog pills.

I finally said "Enough". I switched my dog to Natural Balance Duck & Potato formula. This food has a single ingredient protien and a single ingredinet carbohydrate. No corn, wheat, soy, or any other know allergen. In a matter of 3 days my dog stopped itching, and her skin started to get better.

4 weeks of being on the food, and I started introducing foods to her one at a time, one each week for 3 days only. If I got a reaction it was a positive allergen. My dog is allergic to chicken, lamb, liver, eggs, and wheat.

She really did not care much for this food, so I changed flavors to Venison & Brown Rice and she has been happy ever since.

There are several true allergy formulas out there. You will not find them at your grocery store or at Wal-Mart. They cost more, but your dog will eat less food to get the nutrition it requires.

Also, my dog suffers from Summer Itch. This is a common contact dermatitis in dogs. They react to something in the grass when it is active during the late spring/summer months. I bathe her once a month with NUSAL-T, a coal tar shampoo (my vet had never heard of it).

For info on the dog food visit http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com

To order NUSAL-T visit http://www.valleyvet.com

To find single ingredient treats to match ANY meat or fish based allergy diet vist http://www.petextras.com

Answer 6

Most allergies are food related. Dogs are carnivores and the corn being the main ingredient in dog food sometimes causes reactions.

If you are using a high quality food with the first ingredient being meat it is probably something else.

To get him healed give benadryl (for a full sized golden give him 2 - 25mg) You can get cortisone spray at petsmart to spray on to help heal sores and help with scratching.

Answer 7

If you can afford it, Science Diet is the way to Go... for poor people like some of us.. Go to the Vet and be sure.. It is not wiase to put our babies through such varying changes...
In the interim however, until you getto the Vet give them white rice (no salt ) boil Egg, crush some two calcium pills in the mixture until you can getto the vet
there

Answer 8

Have your vet check specifically for sarcoptic mites (mange). Many times it is incorrectly diagnosed as some sort of skin allergy or dermatitis.

Answer 9

CHANGE HIS FOOD TO A DAY NON-OILY ONE FOR AWHILE...HAD THE SAME THING WITH BENEFUL THAT IS BAGGED...NOW FEED HIM THE NEW ONE CALLED BRUISER MIXED WITH A 1/3 OF THE CONTAINER OF BENEFUL NEW IN THE TUBS.....ITS WORKED AND THE RASH HAS CLEARED.....THE DOG IS PROBABLY ALLERGIC TO SOMETHING IN THE HOUSE AS WELL...A TOY OR BLANKET FIBER OR SOMETHING...IN THE HOUSE CARPETING......ITS ALWAYS A GUESS....YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP TRYING THINGS. MIGHT EVEN BE THE COMPOSITION IN HIS NECK COLLAR....

Answer 10

Try the links in

http://www.freewebs.com/cleanskin/

http://www.hot8sites.com/acne/