I know this has been posted before (itching)

[Amanda and Wheatley]

But I don't know what to do. I read a lot of forums saying it could be allergies but this started about a month ago, do allergies rise around Dec?? I took him to the vet because he was scratching his ears like crazy and would start crying, I suspected an ear infection. It wasn't, but she recommended giving him a bath and having the hair in his ears plucked by their groomer. She also recommended benedryl. I have tried all of those things and now I have changed his food to California Natural Chicken. The itching is just as bad so now I am trying the California Natural Grain Free Fish (I hear chicken is a common allergy). I am also adding Salmon Oil for his coat and I bought an anti-itch spray. My next plan is to shave all his hair off (he is a multigen australian labradoodle and is 7 months old). If this doesn't help I don't know what else to do. I just changed his food 2 days ago, so I will give it time...but does anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks!!

[Christine & Camus]

Hi Amanda,  Camus was having a terrible time with itching, licking, and ear infections.  All environmental allergies.  His vet put him on a 10-day regimen of prednisone and told me to start giving him his Hydroxyzine (prescription antihistamine) again.  I also bathe him at least every other week and give him salmon oil daily.  The itching and licking is under control, but he I have not gotten the yeast infection (only in one ear) under control.  I don't think food is contributing to his allergies, but he is on a grain free kibble.  You might ask your vet about Hydroxyzine, it is not a cure-all but it does help Camus.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It seems to me that if the itching is centered around the ears and that he cries that there is an ear problem.  My dogs all itch, scratch or lick at some time or another. With Gordie it is mostly anxiety or an ear infection (he also cries when he scratches or we rub the ears when infected).  Clancy seldom scratches so when he does, we must address it.  Ned itches/scratches often and I am sure his itchiness is from contact allergies but we do not feed him grains, beef or chicken to be on the safe side.  Ned is also an ALD if that makes any difference - he and your pup look much alike. We have the groomer use soothing shampoos and it helps.  Periodically we  get him or Clancy a steroid shot which calms down the current flare-up.  We have used Evening Primrose capsules and Kelp in their food to see if either might help.  Honestly, I don't think they have helped any of my guys.

I don't see how shaving would help. I do think brushing him often would help.  I know that Ned's heavy coat keeps him from scratching hot spots on his cheeks or chin very often.

[Amanda and Wheatley]

I figured if i got rid of the fur I could see his skin better and better apply anti-itch medication.. wasnt sure if the puppy hair was trapping anything. I dont know! I guess this is why I'm not a vet lol

[Amanda and Wheatley]

I'm sorry I should have specified! He was scratching his ears a lot but now it's everywhere! Head, neck, sides, belly... so I can only believe all of his skin is itchy!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Calla seems to get itchy in winter, when the heat is on and the air is dry. I would guess your air is often dry in Arizona. Evening primrose oil does help it seems to me. I give Calla 3 of the 500 mg ones a day but Luca, who is smaller and scratches less gets only one. At any rate it does no harm and is good for the coat. Also, don't bathe your dog too since it dries the skin. Only if you think the dog is getting pollen or allergens on him is bathing more often a good idea. Karen will tell you that chances are 1 in 10, if that much, that it's a food allergy.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Question F - I am only giving Hunter 2 - 500mg EPO's a day - do you think uping it to the1500mg you give would be a good idea?  I had always read 1000mg but I would try more if you think it's a good option. I really think her issue is dryness more than anything, I notice it way more in the winter.  I run a humidifier but it still seems to bother her some.  Nothing is centered in one area like Amandra's Wheatley is doing its more all over...........

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think it might help. Calla tolerates it just fine.

[Willow and J]

Poor thing!

Willow had ear infection, then muzzle (she scratched her nose against cement and bled so many times), then everywhere. I asked about fish allergy on Food group discussion (http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/allergi...), and you'll see answers I got. I'm trying no fish diet for her for a bit and see if Willow is in fact allergic to fish. I doubt it, but there's nothing to lose, right? 

In any case, Willow was also on Prednisone (spelling?) and steroid ointment for her muzzle/nose, and itching is gone for the moment (treatment was done about a month ago).

We tried goat milk soap bar from Canus (Nature's Dog brand), and Willow didn't scratch after her bath like she used to. We suspect that her skin gets dry after baths making it itchy too. 

Best of luck! I know how painful it is to see puppy itching and scratching his/herself to crying. 

[Kathy Janes]

Whatever you do, don't shave his hair off!  It's very bad for them and the coat will never come back the same.  We have this problem with Mater every year from late fall to spring.  I don't know if it's the heater or something else about the winter months, but he scratches everywhere constantly.  We tried diets - it takes too long to tell if they'll make a difference or not.  Benedryl is the only solution we have so far - and he gets lots of it.  I hate doing the drug thing though so I'm seriously thinking of taking him to a veterinary dermatologist.  Mater does do better when on salmon oil, but not by much.  Our vet said his skin didn't seem dry, but we tried a humidifier in his area last year just in case.  It made no difference at all.  It's sad, because he has a thick awesome coat by the hottest time in the summer, and a thin scraggly one now for the winter that he so loves.  Like you, I can't help but think allergy, but to what?  It's unlikely that it's food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amanda, please don't shave him. That will only irritate his skin and possibly make things worse. If the itching isan allergic reaction, it's coming from a histamine response on a cellular level, and not at the surface of the skin, so it won't help at all as far as applying anti-itch meds.

As F mentioned, the chances of a dog having an allergy to any kind of food is 10 to 1, and even then, it has to be a food that he's been eating regularly for a period of time. 7 months would be pretty young for a food allergy to have developed already.

Plus, a food trial takes at least 6 weeks to see a result, so even if the chicken is to blame and you eliminate it from his diet, it would take 6-12 weeks for the symptoms to abate.

Omega fatty acids (the fish oil) may help, but that also takes about 2 weeks to see a result in the reduction of inflammation.

If Wheatley's itching is due to allergies, it's more likely that he has an inhalant allergy, and yes, that can happen in winter, already it's uncommon. If the allergy is to dust mites, storage mites, molds, or the dander from other pets (usually cats), it can happen year round. It's impossible to eliminate all the dust from your home, but vacuuming thoroughly and often helps. Also washing his bedding frequently, keeping the areas where he sleeps and spends the most time as dust free as possible (eliminate unnecessary soft surfaces when possible), wash his food and water bowls every day, debag his kibble into air-tight storage bags or containers. Grian-free foods have less particulate matter, so that may help.

When bathing him, use a good oatmeal or hypoallergenic shampoo and leave it on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. Do not use any conditioners or other products, and do not use a hot dryer- cool dryer or air-dry only.

Benedryl is the least effective antihistamine for dogs, and it contributes to drowsiness. Most allergic dogs have better success with Claritin, Zyrtec, or Atarax (or the generic equivalents.)

Did your vet do any kind of skin scrapings of the itchy areas to check for yeast infections (very common around the face) on the skin and/or mites? If not, that would be a good idea.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

My Granddog has allergies from outside entities, not food though she is on grain free just in case, Anyway they give lilly Zyretc (Walmart brand, very inexpensive) and she is doing much better now.

She did test positive to mites (don't know what kind), they took a skin scrapping and she was on something to kill that as well.

I think your Vet needs to delve a little deeper into it.

I hope something helps Wheatley in the short run...poor baby.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just took a look at the pollen report for Tucson...I hadn't realized that you live where there are still things growing, lol. Although the levels are relatively low, they are not the lowest, which surprised me. Juniper is the predominant pollen in your area right now:

http://pollen.com/allergy-forecast.asp