My dogs seem to have skin allergy.Vets said its their food,i've changed many times.Anybody know e cure?

Question

one of my dogs is a maltese, the other is a schnauzer. They didn't have this problem when they were puppies.Seem to have surfaced when they hit adulthood....Their condition looks like what a human skin allergy---eczema. Medicine and change in diet don't seem to work very well.

Answer 1

you have been changing from one crappy food to another (regardless of how much the food costs, it's all crap)

i used to have the same problem with my dogs but only a mild case. however they also had horrible breath, horrible gas and shed like crazy.
i bought a book http://www.amazon.com/Work-Wonders-Feed-Meaty-Bones/dp/0975717405/ref=sr_1_15/104-9576896-9970368?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181150721&sr=8-15

and i switched my boys immediately per the instructions in the book and within a week they had no gas, their teeth were clean and white, no smelly breath and they shed much less now. and my overweight dog has lost weight and is healthy.

the principle of the book is to feed your dog raw meaty bones, just like they would have if they were wild dogs (or wolves) and have a few fruits and veggies mixed in. the book is wonderful and i suggest it for anyone who wants their dog to be their absolute healthiest.

Answer 2

I would recommend a VERY simple diet - essentially boiled (or broiled) chicken and rice. In fact, this could be a good diet for you as well! LOL! Rice is easy to digest and has some vitamins and the chicken adds protein, but not at high levels (like steak).

As they are small dogs, you can prepare some chicken and rice once or twice a week and refrigerate the rest, serving a bit for each meal (you can warm it if you choose, but chicken tends to microwave poorly).

An alternative is chicken and rice dry food. Talk to your vet about a high quality food. Stores often carry lower costs and lower quality foods, which could cause them problems. I give chicken and rice dry puppy food to my two 11-month old pups and so far so good. The dry food also helps their teeth (scrapes away bacteria).

You could also add or substitute cottage cheese into their diet. This is another item with essential proteins, but not a high-protein diet. For both the chicken & rice and cottage cheese diets, you may need to add some fruit or vegetables to ensure that they get all essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Lastly, you may try just a bit of oil to their diets - just a spoonful over their dry chicken and rice dog food. Be careful with this as too much oil can cause them to gain weight (as oil is fat). But the extra oil may help their skin and coat, which may be very dry.

Also, take a good look around your home. Are there carpets, furniture or deoderants that you use on either that could cause them problems? How about plants outside? Any chance they are rubbing up against some plants that could cause an allergic reaction? You may need to wash your carpets, steam clean your furniture and even remove some plants. Additionally, have they been on long-term antibiotics or do you bathe them frequently? Both will cause problems, so please cut back if possible (if they are on antibiotics, talk to your vet about why and if they can stop - get a second opinion if necessary).

Good luck!

Answer 3

Go to any leading pet store such as Petsmart and purchase Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner (ONLY using every 2-3 months). Then, feed your shitzu either half of a raw egg in it's food. Try keeping your dog on a good eating regime by not feeding it too much food. You can also buy vitamin supplements for a dogs skin and coat (ask your vet first though). Good Luck!

Answer 4

My westie has a skin problem as- well. This is cause by heat or the skin being very dry. first of all minumize the amount of times the dogs are bathed. That just causes irritation. Also be careful on the amount of anti-biotics they are exposed to. It can cause bad side effects, i know of one westie that went deaf.

If the diet isnt helping, put them on a natural diet. Basiclly humane food. Read up on natural dog diets before you do.
This tends to help bad skin problems. Always make sure they are not over exposed to any heat.

And i would also recommend going to a diffrent vet and getting a second opinion.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

First, make sure the food doesn't have any grains in it. That's usually the number one cause of allergies in dogs.

Second, give the dogs time to get used to the food. It may take some time before their allergies will clear up. You can't expect them to clear up overnight.

Consider adding n'zymes to their daily regimen:
http://nzymes.com/

Look into a holistic food such as Eagle Pack:
http://eaglepack.com/

Or consider a simple diet of boiled chicken and/or fish with rice and/or potatoes.

Add some fish oil to their diet.

Try giving them a medicated bath, like an oatmeal bath, regularly.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

You have two dogs with allergy problems? Lucky you, I only have one with food allergies. I went to a fish and potato food and it is working for the most part. Medicated shampoo I get from the vet. keeps it under control. Check the plants in your yard and where you are walking them. Dust mites can be a problem for dogs. Of coarse they are not having a flea problem, right? You can go to the vet. and spend around $250 to have allergy tests run.
I hope you can figure it out for your dogs.

Answer 7

Try feeding Fish and Chips or Lamb Millet Rice formulas from Flint River. These are free of wheat, corn, chicken, by products, animal digest, dyes, sugars, and artificial preservatives that are often the cause of food sensitivities and allergies.

Both of these formulas are made to be non allergic, and are made with human grade ingredients, so more is digested, they eat less and there is less waste.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Our German Shepard cross develops bald spots on either side of her (rib area) each spring because of seasonal allergies. We give her omega-3 capsules 2x a day during April/May, and the spots always clear up by the time we're done with the second bottle of pills (and her coat gets soooo sleek and shiny!). There are lots of brands that are specifically for pets (I just did a quick Google and came up with several, but I didn't see our brand...can't remember the name). It might be worth a shot. Good luck!

Answer 9

That's kinda strange that both dogs have the same condition. What kinda food are you feeding them. They could be allergic to wheat, or corn.

I would try feeding them INNOVA EVO. It's 95 % meat. No wheat or corn. You can go online and see where you can buy it in your area. Innova also sells treats. I would try that first. Because its both dogs, I would say it's something in their envirement. Their food, treats, or something outside.

Answer 10

What kind of bowl are you feeding them from? Sometimes it can be as simple as using a plastic bowl...they seem to be sensitive to whatever is in plastic. Switch to glass or ceramic if you don't already use them.