Itchy Skin & Prednisone

[Seamus & Haidee]

Seamus was diagnosed with a secondary skin infection. He has been licking his upper legs and now the skin is red and irritated. (And matted coat!) Our vet put him on antibiotics and topical spray and recommended prednisone if it didn't help. 4 days of antibiotics and he is still licking his leg. Should I start the prednisone? Anyone else have a similar problem before?
Thanks in advance for any advice. xx

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, lots of us here have dogs with seasonal allergies, and it sounds like that's what Seamus has as well. He is licking because he is itching, and the chances are very good that he is itching because of an allergic histamine response, most likely to weed pollen at this time of year. That skin infection will become a hot spot if it isn't already, unless you use the prednisone to "dial down" the immune response. The antibiotic will help the infection, but it won;t do a thing to get Seamus some relief from the itching. Please start the prednisone tomorrow morning. (it may cause increased urination, hence, better to start it in the a.m. rather than at night.) 

Once you get the itching/licking/infections under control, we have lots of info here on allergies, but right now, Seamus needs some relief and you need to get that infection cleared up before it gets worse. Once they've gotten to the point of infecting themselves, the meds are necessary. Prednisone works very fast, he should be better within a few hours of starting it. 

[Seamus & Haidee]

oh thanks Karen!! Will start the prednisone tomorrow morning!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ragweed is the most noxious, severe, and common allergen there is, and right now the ragweed pollen counts for your area are sky high: http://pollen.com/allergy-forecast.asp

This is Seamus's second ragweed season, so the timing is also exactly right for a ragweed allergy to show up.

I expect we'll be seeing a lot of similar posts here in weeks to come as the ragweed season is just getting started. :(

[Jennifer and Jack]

I agree, Prednisone is amazing at helping with allergic reactions... In fact when I used to work in the ER the first thing we gave someone who was having an allergic reaction is prednisone..... then Benadryl ..then pepcid...  Those three things work great together to stop an allergic reaction......I wouldn't give all three though unless vet said to.

Like Karen pointed out Prednisone can have some unpleasant side effects, but it really works fast and will suppress the immune system.

  Hope he feels better..

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Pepcid is a good idea when a dog is on prednisone; it can cause GI ulcerations at higher doses. 

[Seamus & Haidee]

Thanks Jennifer!!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Once the meds have kicked in, there are some things you can do to help Seamus by cutting down on his exposure to the ragweed pollen. (You can't avoid it entirely, it's in the air and travels 400 miles from the source.)

Keep the windows closed and run the AC if at all possible. Change the furnace filter, too.

Wash his bedding every week. Keep the areas where he sleeps and spends the most time vacuumed and as dust free as possible.

Wipe Seamus down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to his feet. 

Bathe him frequently (once a week is not too often) with a good shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. I use Douxo Calm Shampoo. The lather must stay on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. Rinse thoroughly and allow him to air dry or use a cool dryer setting. NO hot dryers. Do not use any kind of leave-in conditioners, cream rinses, styling products, etc. I would not bathe him until the infection is cleared up, unless your vet says otherwise. 

Pick up a bottle of 500 mg. evening primrose oil softgels (human supplement) and give him 1 or 2 daily. Give them whole, it's better not to puncture them. (Note: don;t use EPO if he has a seizure disorder; use fish oil capsules instead).

Claritin, Zyrtec, and other 2nd generation antihistamines work better than Benadryl and don't cause drowsiness, but the dosage is sometimes different for dogs than for humans. Your vet may not be familiar with this, since he/she is not a allergy specialist. What does Seamus weigh? 

[Seamus & Haidee]

Ok thanks for all the tips above.  Will take note of everything. Buying Douxo Shampoo and primrose oil soft gel.  Seamus weighs 36 lbs now.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The adult human dose for Claritin is one 10 mg tablet every 24 hours. JD weighs about 80 lbs and gets three tablets every 24 hours. I'm not sure the dosage is weight related, since it isn't for humans. 

When we tried Zyrtec, he got one tablet per day, same as humans. But the Claritin works better for him. Others have had better luck with Zyrtec. Generic is fine. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, and this has nothing to do with the infection or allergies, but he needs to be getting probiotics and/or plain yogurt while he on the antibiotics. 

[Seamus & Haidee]

Yes, I have plain Stonyfield here. 2 tablespoons ok?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd give him 2 tablespoons with each meal.