Help with skin allergies.....

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Hello! Hunter seems to have a little rash on the inside of her hind legs that she chews at sometimes. I took her to the groomer yesterday and I asked about it and she said it looked to be a slight skin allergy. It doesn't appear to be anything that would require going to the vet but I am wondering what kind of home remedy I might try to help it. Any ideas? THANK YOU!!!!

[cheryl & oliver]

Funny you should mention this, the other day I noticed that Ollie was sort of rubbing his face quite a bit with his paws, and I checked his ears but didn't see anything...The next day I was taking him to get groomed, and I alerted the groomer to check is ears realy well...I thought I saw some redness, and it kind of smelled funny. Well she called me to tell me it wasn't his ears, it was a spot under his beard that was really a mess. She said to give the vet a call which I did, and when I took him from the groomer, we went to the vet...Well it seems that he got a hot spot from his beard being moist all the time, I try to wipe it after he drinks, but he still drips, lol...So they shaved the area a litlle, and then you could really see where he had been scratching...She gave him ( the vet that is) an antibiotic, and an antihistimine and some kind of powder to keep it dry. It has been 3 days now, and it looks soooo much better. If it is a hot spot, he may need something to calm it down...Just a thought....Cheryl

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Does anyone know if the only way to treat mites by going to the vet? I did put a little hydrocortisone on the areas and she actually hasn't tried licking it off yet. When I was messing with it she didn't even seem to flinch either. I did switch her food about 2 1/2 months ago from Eagle to Canidae - I wonder if there is a relation.......

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Denise, the mites won't die without oral medication; Hunter does have to see the vet to be treated. The cortisone cream will temporarily help the itching, but it can't get rid of mites or cure anything. It only treats the symptoms.
The food change likely has little to do with this. Even if the rash is caused by a food allergy, it takes at least six months for the body to have an allergic reaction to food. If the protein was the same in the two foods, say chicken, it is possible that Hunter has developed an allergy to chicken, but you would have to do a controlled food elimination trial to determine that. And it would be unusual for a food allergy to show up as a rash confined to one area of the body. Your description of the rash also doesn't sound like a typical allergic skin reaction.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Thank you for all of the information, I am going to take her to the vet tomorrow to have it checked out. I don't want it to get any worse at all. Its funny because today after being groomed I haven't even noticed her chewing at it but its definately still there.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I really hope that it turns out to be minor, and then you can be mad at me for urging you to see the vet. But I really think you and Hunter will both feel better! ;-)

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

LOL!! I would never be mad! LOL Your right I know we will both feel better :-)

[Melissa & Porter]

Can I ask you a question too, Doctor/Detective Karen? This is long and detailed, so feel free to tell me to go to the Vet--however, when I talk to him he says everything is "stuff they get into in the yard." I am curious what you think is the culprit for Porter's itching.

On the same day, Porter and his friend dug a deep hole in some potting soil, and Porter stole and ate a whole block of cream cheese.

He was already getting his zantac in bits of cream cheese every night and seemed to have no reaction.

However, post-digging and post-cc-binge, he had runny, water not goo, eyes, and itchy top-third of his tail...an area that in the past he has removed the fur before. I thought the matts caused him to pull the hair out, so almost three weeks ago, I had the groomer make his tail like a portuguese water dog's.

When I noticed the tail obsession starting again and eye issue, I started giving him Hydroxyzine (but very little since it was on my own advice). It definitely made him asymptomatic while he was on it. When it wears off (we are talking 25 mg 1/day on a 63 lbs dog), he resumes itching, but now it is a generalized itching...with maybe a little extra focus on the tail.

What do you think? Overdose of dairy causing allergy? Stuff in the yard? Mites? Fleas? I see none and he sleeps with me and I am not itchy.

THANK YOU!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The fact that the antihistamine makes him asymptomatic tells us that the watery eyes and itching are from a histamine reaction, so that helps rule out fleas, mites, and other parasites. Antihistamines won't do a thing for fleas or mites. (You would definitely see flea dirt, if not fleas; mites can't be seen with the eye and require scrapings to detect.) A histamine reaction tells us that T-cells are reacting to something that's entering his system. (I don't know what the therapeutic dose of hydroxyzine would be for a 63 lb dog...Jack's never been on that one. Some of the antihistamines require much bigger doses in dogs than people, others require similar doses.) It can't be from an overdose of dairy products, because it takes continuous ingestion of a particular food over a period of at least six months to produce an allergic reaction to that food, and if there is an allergy, a little or a lot doesn't matter; kids who are allergic to peanuts, for example, can't even be exposed to peanut dust without having a reaction. In addition, although sensitivity to dairy products isn't unusual in dogs, it takes the form of gastrointestinal symptoms. So, not the cream cheese.
Biting or chewing the base of the tail, along with the fur stripping, is a classic symptom of atopic allergies. And since Porter had removed fur from that area before the digging incident, I doubt that's connected. He didn't do it because of matting, believe me. I've lived with poodle coated dogs all my life, and have seen my share of horrendous matts. That wouldn't cause a dog to scratch or bite at himself in my experience. It's much more common for scratching to cause matts than for matts to cause scratching.
I can't imagine what the vet thinks a dog could get into in the yard that would cause a histamine reaction. I think you should ask him what kinds of things you should be looking out for. (It isn't anything in the yard, anyway, I'm sure, but if there's even a possibility of Porter getting into something other than grass, dirt, gravel, or non-toxic plants, he should be supervised while outdoors.) If your vet is under the impression that a dog actually has to come into contact with an allergenic plant to have a reaction, you need another vet. But I would seriously ask him what kinds of things he means. Maybe he's talking about something else, like poison ivy....dogs can & do get that.
How old is Porter, how long has he been itchy, is there any pattern to the itching, biting, etc...more when it's rainy, more when you vacuum, more since you turned off the air conditioner and/or turned on the forced air furnace, etc. ? These are the questions an allergy specialist would ask. Does he bite at his feet?
Look down into the fur between his paw pads...do you see any pinkness or redness there? Those are all clues.
I can't tell you what is causing this, but maybe knowing what isn't causing it will help pin it down. At any rate, if it continues, you need to get some relief for Porter, even if that means finding another vet. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Melissa & Porter]

Karen,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Sorry it has taken me more than a day to get back here.
My vet had suggested it was mold spores in the leaves...
Porter is one. He hasn't always been itchy--just the tail stripping maybe two months ago and chewing it starting two weeks ago.
He has always had really sensitive eyes. Just playing in hose water or getting a shampoo-free bath can make his eyes gooey for a day. So, if the tail were not part of the picture, I would believe the mold spore idea.
But with the tail in the picture I am more likely to think it is a food thing. But I am a horrible table feeder, so I have to get him on one type of dog food before I can even guess what he might have eaten to make him itchy.
He doesn't bite his feet or have redness there, and thankfully, the extra itching this past couple weeks has been spread out enough that he hasn't done any visible damage to himself. And the tail looks better this week than last. Two weeks ago, we went to the dog park and he acted mean/aggressive towards other dogs when we first walked in, and I really think it was because his tail was bugging him so much and they were all sniffing around it. We sat next to a bench for a while and he rejoined the group with no more issues.
Thanks for the matting info--that makes sense and is a relief to hear.
I'll let you know if I figure anything out.
Oh, and the benadryl and hydroxyzine doses are 1 mg per lb of dog.
Also, I think flea itching might be a histamine reaction... not sure, but mosquito bites are for humans. Doesn't have to be ingested.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The flea itching may be a histamine reaction, but I don't think the oral antihistamines help. I had a terrible infestation several years ago with my last dog, and antihistamines were not one of the many meds prescribed for her or me, lol.
I would believe the mold spore allergy too, but if it is, it's affecting Porter any time he's outside, when the mold count is high. He wouldn't have to come into contact with the leaves. That's what I meant about "something he got into". The fact that his eyes are affected from high moisture levels makes me think it has to do with a mold or pollen allergy, too. Jack is always much worse when it's damp.
I really don't think it's a food allergy; the more variety a dog has in his diet, the less likely he is to develop food allergies. It's the dogs who do eat just one kind of food consistently who have more problems with that. It's also much rarer than allergies from other sources, and one of my own personal pet peeves is that for some reason, people always seem to associate allergy symptoms with food, when it's usually not involved.
I'd get Porter comfortable and start keeping a journal of his symptoms. If you decide you do want to do a food trial, I can help you with that. I hope Porter's issues clear up and stay cleared up!

[Melissa & Porter]

I really don't think it's a food allergy; the more variety a dog has in his diet, the less likely he is to develop food allergies. It's the dogs who do eat just one kind of food consistently who have more problems with that. It's also much rarer than allergies from other sources,

OMG, I love hearing that :-) I have no desire to stop giving this dog the meat my kids won't finish, apples, peanut butter...etc. And since he doesn't get a lot of intellectual stimulation from me training him all the time, I figured I was growing his nose and taste-bud parts of his brain lol.

If Porter does have issues with the Oil furnace or the Mold in the air, then he and I have a lot in common!

[F, Calla & Luca]

So what did the vet say?