My dog has a westie allergy. He used to be really energetic and spunky. will he ever be like this again?

Question

Last August when my family and i went to go choose a dog, I chose Duke because of his spunky attitude and his energy. When he came into the room he was jumping up all over us. We loved him ,so we adopted him. Duke would play with us and keep us occupied all the time. Duke was fine until about march/april. He all of a sudden got really itchy. He itched all of his hair off and became lazy. He will not play with us at all. Duke sits on the couch all day and it breaks my heart...seeing my first dog with an allergy. My dog Duke has a Westie Allergy on the skin. We haven't yet started treating him but we will be very soon. I trust that Duke will grow his hair back...but will he ever be his energetic and spunky self again? =[

Answer 1

You haven't mentioned whether you've taken Duke to the vet yet. Please do! I'm not a vet, but we've had Westies for over 25 years, and have battled the itch/allergy problem for many of those 25! After agonizing trial and error, we found that Miss Molly is allergic to almost all grains, e.g., corn, soy, wheat, rice. She can tolerate oats and barley. The VAST majority of dog foods and treats have one or more of these grains! We now give her Wellness brand fish and sweet potato food and, voila!, no more allergies. She gets dried pineapple bits for treats or pieces of her food.
She also gets washed with Nolvassen prescription shampoo from the vet, a very gentle kind of shampoo. Not cheap, though.
I would guess that his lethargy is because his system is fighting the allergies so hard, but a vet would know better than I. Our experience is that diet will resolve your problem: please consider carefully if the vet recommends steroid shots. They don't solve the problem long-term.
Also, I read on the Internet somewhere that feeding some dogs, like Westies, constantly throughout the day puts a strain on their system and makes them more prone to allergies. That turned out to be true with Miss Molly! When we started limiting her food to meal time (and perhaps a half hour after mealtime for a treat), her system improved: she didn't have to spend constant energy digesting food. Worth a try.
Good luck! Will keep you both in my thoughts!

Answer 2

You need to take him to the Vet asap!
You should have taken him at the first sign of an allergy back in March. They might have been able to prevent it getting this bad.
The reason he is so down might also be because of the allergy. It might be painful for him, and will defiantly be uncomfortable!
I don't understand why you have left it until his hair has all fallen out!!??
There are different sorts of allergies that Westie can get,... you need to find out what is causing it so you can prevent it happening again.
Book poor Duke in for an appointment today!

Answer 3

You let this dog itch to the point that he's bald? And then complain that he's "lazy" and won't play with you? There is no such thing as a "Westie Allergy" - where are you getting this info? GET THIS DOG TO A VET. Or better yet - surrender him to a shelter so that someone will adopt him that respects animals and won't just let MONTHS AND MONTHS go by as he suffers. What is WRONG with you???

And please don't give us the BS that it "breaks your heart". If you had any compassion or sense of responsibility this dog would have gotten treatment FIVE MONTHS AGO when you initially noticed a problem!

Answer 4

Yes,he should feel better when you take him to the vet! Don't wait any longer,he could get a bad skin infection from all that scratching,and if he's lazy and tired,it could mean a thyroid disorder as well.He needs a blood test to find out,and medication to stop his itching.How would you like to itch all the time? I'm sure you wouldn't wait to go to a doctor if it was you with the allergy! Take the poor thing asap.What you are doing is cruelty and neglect to an animal who can't help himself!

Answer 5

Once the allergy is cleared up and he's not suffering or itching, he should perk back up. If it turns out to be flea-allergy, make sure you keep him as free of fleas as possible. One bite from a flea and they can itch for hours/days! With Advantage and Frontline type products no dog should have this problem anymore. Don't get the "cheap" stuff from the grocery store though. Not worth it.

Answer 6

I imagine when he starts feeling better he will get back to his normal self. He's probably very uncomfortable and sitting still is the only thing that doesn't make him itch.

Answer 7

what are you giving him? or are going to give him? and why did you wait until he rubbed all his hair off?
I used chlortrimeton on my english bulldog for allergies, daily 2 x a day. he was allergic to grass.
Are you sure your dog doesn't have pyoderma? or mange mites? or ringworm? or fungal diseases/yeast?
Once he feels better, he will bounce back to normal, unless you are referring to 'puppy" energy which probably not.