Dog skin allergies?

Question

I have a PBGV. He is 12 years old. His allergies are out of control this year. We have had him on everything..but most products only work for a short time. He is chewing, itching, scratching..it starts with yeast in the ear..and goes from there..the places that are bare from scratching are dry and wrinkly..he smells awful..and I bathe him 2ce a week. The best product I have found is mane n tail protect line..it works great usually..but I can rarely find it. I also like seargeants antimacrobial line..niether EVER has 2 products side by side at any store...it burns me up...I need more suggestions.

Answer 1

My doggie is like that, but he's only 6 months old!!! It's so sad! If you're tired of trying topical solutions, you may want to ask your vet about Atopica. It's an expensive, but effective, form of oral allergy control. I'd bet, if you're really struggling with your dog's allergies, that a few months on Atopica is less expensive than the cost of several "over the counter" remedies combined.

This is a "severe" solution, but worth checking out. Good luck!

Answer 2

Someone already mentioned on here to treat the problem and not the symptoms which is probably the best advice you could ever receive. My guess is that your problem stems from his diet and is showing itself through his skin. Try switching him to a raw diet, dogs were not designed to eat rice and grains and a life time of eating them can cause problems latter in life as you are finding out. Some good raw manufacturers are urban carnivore, mountain dog and BARF. You can also make your own at home which is a cheaper but more time consuming. All of the manufactures I mentioned have websites and if you search RAW food diets you will find a million recipes if you chose to go that way. Switch over slowly mixing 10% new food with 90% old food and slowly increase the amount of new food until old one is completely phased out. Also add cold water fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids) to his diet, you can buy this in a liquid form and add directly to food or you can buy a can of sardines and feed him 1 or 2 a week. You'll be amazed at what this will do for his skin and coat!

Also stop bathing so frequently. By bathing that often you are removing the natural oils from his skin that will aid in his recovery. Essentially you are drying out his skin even more. And when you do bathe him try an oatmeal based product instead of a chemical based product which is what you have been using.

Hope this helps and that you find something to relieve what must be very uncomfortable for both of you!

Answer 3

Read the label on his food. Corn and Wheat cause the severe allergies like you describe. So do certain additives and preservatives. If you can't pronounce every ingredient on the label, consider changing to a better quality brand.
Read "Foods Pets Die For" by Ann N. Martin for all the gruesome details. You will be shocked and amazed.
Natura Pet Products puts out California Natural and Innova. They have done wonders for allergic dogs. Get California Natural Skin and Coat Supplement. It's fantastic, you will love the results.
Look up, Artemis, Wellness, and Canidae. They are great as well.

Answer 4

Please take your dog to the vet and tell him about what your dog is doing. Also take along a list of the medicines that your dog is taking. Be sure and write down the dosage of the medicine (how much you give your dog and how often.)

I had a terrier who was allergic to grass pollen and this caused hot spots on her back and she had to have the spots shaved so that I could put the Dermalone on them and so that they could heal. They cleared up quite nicely. You have to remember that you should be consistent in applying the medication. Do not skip a time and then try to make up for it the next time by giving a double dose. This could cause an allergic reaction. It sounds like you are trying to treat the allergy with over the counter medication. This is not a good idea. I know that it's cheaper but unless you are a vet you do not know what allergy your dog has or what medicine the dog should have to treat the allergy. Please take your doggie to the vet.

Answer 5

I feel your pain!! We have a 3 year old wolf hybrid who started having skin problems when he was about 1 and 1/2. He would get open sores on his feet chew on his self ears were stinking. It was terrible the vet I was going to couldn't figure out what was going on with him. So we switched vets and the first thing he did was sit us up an appointment with a dermatologist. We had to treat him with strong antibiotics to get rid of all the infections then after 3 months of antibiotics we finally got to give him an allergy test. They shaved his side and picked him with needles to see what he is allergic to and to find out he is allergic to everything in the free world except food 3 types of grass and dust. He now has to have an allergy shot once a week that was designed especially for his allergies. He still will have outbreaks from time to time since there is no cure but with the shots its easier to treat and less likely to happen as severe. Good luck I know its frustrating.

Answer 6

Skin allergies are the worst! It's so frustrating to owners and pets because there is literally a whole world of possible allergic triggers.

It may sound extreme, but you should look in to having your pup allergy tested. Veterinary schools can do it, as well as larger, progressive animal practices. The reaction can be triggered by an inhalant, a contact, or an injested particle.

There are many vet prescribed topical shampoos and creams that may help- a good physical is the first step. If that's been done, and there is not a plan of action to help you and your pup, a second opinion is very good idea.

Best of luck, I hope there's relief in your near future:)

Answer 7

I know your pain. First you are bathing him way too often this will only further to dry out his skin. Instead trying using a conditioner one him every few days that wil lhelp to get some oil back into his skin. For me dog I have a special allergy that works GREAT, but you can only get it from your vet, so you may want to ask about that. Next make sure that you put cotton balls in his ears when you do give him a bath, bc when water gets trapped in his ears it will produce yeast which could cause an infection. Good Luck keep at it, I know it is difficult seeing you dog so uncomfortable.

Answer 8

Typically, skin allergies and the main allergy to animals are different. What most folks fail to realize, is the the allergen most people react to with cats and dogs is actually their saliva. You can go to you physician or an allergist and ask them to run a skin test. The truth is, even if you only have an inhalation allergy to dogs, you will handle the pup, touch it's toys, groom it, etc, and then without doubt, will manage to breathe it in from that, or touch your mouth or nose afterward... you'd essentially be giving yourself a direct route to the allergen. My conclusion: Sorry Charlie, a poodle is not in your future :(

Answer 9

My 6 yr old dog has the same problem. I have tried everything, and found something that worked. I started with a better food, and it took a couple of different brands to find one that he likes. Then, I bought 1-800 pet meds oatmeal shampoo, and conditioner, it's fairly inexpensive. When I put him in the tub to bathe him, I pour peroxide on the areas that he bites, and scratches the most. Then I bathe him. After the bath, he gets wiped down with Kalaya Emu oil (glo-marr-kenic.com), which is an oil moisturizing, anti-fungal product. It works great, and I highly recommend it. My dog no longer smells near as bad as he used to, now he smells like a normal dog.

Answer 10

have you been to the vet? you need to check with the vet before trying this because it depends on weight of the dog, benadryl is good for allergies one half of tablet or if you can find it 12 mg please ask the vet first about this one as far as itching ang scratching goes you can try these Tgel by neutragena shampoo it is a people shampoo but it works great bathe the dog and let it sit on there for 3 minutes if possible, you can also try selson blue, or head and shoulders dry skin only sulpher shampoo for dogs at a pet store works well for the hotspots, try a little peroxide on the ears for the yeast and then apply anti itch cream like cortisone cream for dogs at your local pet store also make sure that the food he/she is eating is not breaking him out,sometimes the dyes in the food they eat makes them allergic. if you are worried about fleas the beat thing to use is frontline you can buy it at a pet store but with dogs you have to have their exact weight, and when all else fails go to the vet, I do hope this helps your pet good luck