Dog Allergies?

Question

So, My 6 month old Rat terrior seems to have really bad dandruff, (he has black patches and there's always flakes) and it seems like every time he wakes up he sneezes about 10 times. and then he'll sneeze a lot when we're playing. i keep my house clean. I don't understand. and the issue with his skin, i feed him hills science diet and feed him greenies. it can't be something with his nutrition, cause that's fine. Any clue what's up with my baby? Could the sneezing and the dry skin be related? If so, what can i do about this to make him more comfortable?

Answer 1

Change his food. While most vets recommend Science DIet, that's because SD comes to vet schools and does a seminar on animal nutrition, then they get deals for promoting their food.

It does sound like an allergy. Try pet foods with no corn, and as little grain as possible. (None if you can find it). Dogs don't need grains.

You may need to experiment with different protein sources, too. Some dogs develop allergies to the usual meats (especially chicken). I've had luck switching to venison and lamb foods.

The best bet is to provide real food for them (cook for them yourself) but I know how hard that is. My animals were on a raw diet when I was able to spend more time shopping and cooking. It is wonderful for them.

There are high quality foods that cost about as much as the Science Diet formulas, so I'd recommend trying different kinds.

Answer 2

I wouldn't go with any supermarket/chain pet store. Try Wellness food, or Paul Newman has another affordable brand of good food. My dog suffers from sever allergies. It sounds like the coat problem may be mites, some can be hereditary. I would make an appointment with a vet dermatologist. They specialize in allergies, and do the scratch test should he/she think it is allergy related. If not you'll have an expert look at the skin. Good luck

Answer 3

Food is not always the cause of allergies but a good quality diet will help keep your dog's coat healthy and shiny...and keep them healthy overall.

Science Diet is a garbage food and should never be fed to pets - both varieties (store and vet prescription diets) contain fillers, by-products, common allergens, and cancer causing chemical preservatives.

Even if it isn't the food that is causing the skin problems, there are probably a whole host of other things that are be negatively affected by the low quality ingredients in the food.

If you take the time to read the ingredients and do a bit of research on pet health, you will soon realize the horrifying truth about pet foods.

If you want your dog to be healthy and to thrive, look into some of these foods as they are made with only whole, fresh, human grade ingredients - Innova, Wellness, Evolve, Fromm, Canidae, Merrick, Solid Gold, Blue Buffalo, etc.

PS. Don't listen to a vet's advice about pet nutrition unless you know for sure that they have done additional research outside of their academic studies. Science Diet is the sponsor of all vet colleges in the US - makes senses why vets are biased to SD and believe it is the best....

Answer 4

Dogs allergies and cat allergies are completely different, but that doesn't mean you might not be allergic to both. For instance, any time I handle a cat I have to wash my hands immediately afterwords or the next time I touch my face I will severely irritate my eyes. If a cat scratches me, the scratch immediately welts up and gets super itchy. If I handle a dog, then my reaction depends on the breed. Generally I become stuffed up, and with certain breeds my arms get slightly itchy. A dog scratch seems to have no real effect. If you have any friends who own dogs, go play with them to see if you react. If you're buying from a breeder you can ask to interact with their dogs, so you'll know exactly whether or not the breed will cause a problem.

Answer 5

It could be his nutrition. Check the ingrediants. See if there is wheat in the food. That is the #1 culprit for skin allergies. Also if it's cold out it could just be dry skin. consider a humidifier for the home.

An oatmeal based shampoo and conditioner will also help. I use Tagrin dandruff shampoo on my Golden Retriever and that works wonders along w/ the no wheat dog food.

Talk to the vet for other options. You may want to look into an Holistic type of food, Nutro Ultra, Van Pattens Natural Balance, Blue. Things like that.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Yeah, everyone is right. Science Diet is a terrible food- I'm not a fan of Greenies either (I know it's a shocker when your vet recommends it- but most vets don't know much about nutrition except what those companies tell them, and they get kickbacks)

Check out this article on dog food: http://www.iheartpaws.com/articles/35/1/Dog-Food--Decoding-Fact-from-Fiction-by-Laura-Presley.html (it will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about kibble)

My dog suffered from severe environmental and food allergies that almost killed him. At this point I know everything there is to know about allergies. Sounds to me like something in the air is bothering him. Lysol spray? Febreeze? Air fresheners? My dog has has reactions to all of them!!! (even cleaning agents other than plain old Windex)

If you have any questions feel free to visit me at the forums www.IHeartPaws.com/forums - I'll send you the links about my dogs allergies and help you anyway I can.

Good luck!!!

Answer 7

I don't know about the sneezing. But dry skin could indicate that your dog may be hypothyroid. Is he over weight? Fur dry and brittle, possibly thinning? These are also indicators of hypothyroidism. Take him to your vet for blood tests. Hypothyroidism is easy to treat. I would check that BEFORE getting into expensive allergy testing and skin treatments.

Also try switching him from a food that has a lot of corn fillers-like your Science Diet does. SD used to be a good food before stores like Walmart and the grocery started to carry it-to keep the price down the food was cheapened-its too bad.

Good luck

Answer 8

Try a better dog food. He might have allergies. Science diet is not that much better then supermarket brands. I just starting using Canidae (sp?) and it has lots of skin conditioners in it and no wheat, soy or corn. Take a look at the website.

I have not used it long but noticed a differance right away with my dogs stools. They were always very soft and with this food they are solid.

Answer 9

Yes dogs can have allergies.. My weirdo dog has a grass allergy. Take him to a vet and mention ALL his symptoms... ask what it could be without saying the word allergy...

Answer 10

Have you tried different food? Science Diet isn't the best choice, look into Natural Choice, it's not full of corn. Don't rule out the nutrition so quickly. I'd say the skin and sneezing are related.

Also, since the dog is 6 months, he could out grow it...I have seen that happen.

Also, please don't feed greenies, they are dangerous as they do not digest well and can cause a blockage which could kill your dog, or cost you a lot of money in vet bills.