My dog has allergies!?

Question

He keeps licking and itching! Because he licks his face is also itchy and raw. The vet gave him medicine for yeast infection. It is getting worse.

He is a Pit Bull. He is 7 years old. We have been going through this allergy thing ever since he was born...The vet gave him Prednisone..it doesn't work anymore...he also is on Ketoconazole for yeast infection...that isn't helping either.

Answer 1

A simple way to figure the allergies out and bring him eventual relief is an allergy test. They're not cheap ($250), but well worth every cent. Ask your vet about it, he/she only needs to take a blood sample (& send it off). It's not as simple as changing his diet...an allergy food (even good brands) can still contain something he's allergic to and they can have non-food related allergies.For example: My dog has nearly 30 allergies, including: Milk, corn, potato, carrot, oat, kelp, cotton, house dust & mites, many grasses/trees, etc. Some are unavoidable, but removing what you're able to helps...a lot!

Answer 2

I have an allergic dog - dogs can have allergies to food or things in the environment such as pollen or fleas - and this is what I did:

I switched to a food designed for dogs with allergies - California Natural has the fewest ingredients of any dog food, no fillers and is human grade.

I bathe him biweekly to remove allergens from his coat.

I use Frontline Plus religiously every month to get rid of fleas.

Once I did this, no more allergies.

You can give benadryl for temporary relief - ask your vet for the proper dosage. The vet may also give steroids short-term to stop the itching. But these are only short-term solutions.

If all else fails, try and find a veterinary dermatologist - not many around and not cheap. A friend of mine that could not get anything to work got help for her dog by doing this though.

Another possibility - have your dog's thyroid tested - simple blood test. Low thyroid (hypothyroid) dogs are more prone to allergies and skin conditions and it is very common. My dog was. Daily medication controls this.

Answer 3

Contact the vet immediately and let him know! my dog also has allergies and it was a long road of heck to figure it out that it was ingredients in dog food that he was allergic too. He is now on a raw food diet. (not saying that is your dogs problem.) If the vet didn't do a culture and confirm it was yeast then he just guessed and gave him the medicine for it. Allergies are a guessing game unless he gives your dog an allergy test. It sounds like your dog is having a severe reaction to the medicine but don't stop the medicine without your vet's approval. I wish you and your dog 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

My dog had horrible allergies. Itching and biting and hair falling out. this season we have started using Atopica and it has work wonders. No more itching. (on the expensive side though). I hear benedryal works on some dogs (didn't for mine) dosage is 1 REGULAR 25mg benadyl per 25lbs.

Answer 6

Call the vet back and tell him you need something to stop the itching. Yeast medicine will help a yeast infection, which can be itchy, but it won't stop him from scratching now!