Licking penis/ paws and biting tail

[Christina]

I brought Oakley ( 6 months old) to the vet last week since I noticed him licking his left paw and it was red. The vet checked to be sure he didn't have anything in there like a foxtail and then decided it was probably and environmental allergy and gave him a cortisone cream to put on red areas. It seems better but now I noticed he is licking his penis and it even has irritated red spots from it. He has started biting the tail area as well.

My first thought was a food allergy. I even mentioned this to the vet and he didn't think that was it. Oakley has been on Fromm 4-Star Grain free since he was a puppy and we have moved through all of the varieties. I also read that he may be too young to develop a food allergy. Could this be environmental? Any suggestions as we are waiting to see the vet again next week.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We are having a horrible time also. We never have had this before.  Personally, I think this is going to be a  horrible year for allergies '  Environmental ' at least here in the Eastern Climate.

Call your vet and ask if you can use Claritin?  We are using Caritin 10mg but please ask your vet first 

Took my dog to the neighbors yard for a photo shoot and ended up hours later with red raw paws again. He is tearing at his fur on his legs and tail. Long week here too. I am sorry your dog is suffering.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Inhalant allergies often don't show up until a dog is past three years old. 

[Stella]

Awesome photograph though! Shame his allergies bothered him after, poor Spud.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

We have stopped taking our two to anywhere that has long grass as we noticed that Riley who is three was showing some allergic signs. We now go to where the grass is short and wash paws when we come home. No problem since, thank goodness as it is such a hard thing to control and it causes so much distress and damage. Good luck with getting it under control.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The problem with trying to avoid the allergens is that pollen travels hundreds of miles (or kilometers) in the air, and the symptoms are caused by inhaling those pollens, not by coming into physical contact with the plants themselves. Ragweed pollen, which is JD's most severe trigger, travels 400 kilometers from its source. Washing paws when the dog comes in from outdoors is good, because of course, the pollen is coating everything outside, so the dog picks it up on the paws (and the coat) and brings it into the home environment.

In fact, people who have pollen allergies often believe they are allergic to dogs as well, because their symptoms are worse when there is dog in the house. But that may just be because the dog is carrying the allergens into the house all day.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Joanne, What a great photo this is of Spud. Sorry he had to suffer for you to get it.  He knows that beauty can be painful.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, it could definitely be environmental, although Oakley is really a bit young to have any kind of allergy. But if he does, it is 9 times more likely that it's an environmental allergy rather than a food allergy. Food allergies are actually the rarest type of allergy in dogs, despite the misinformation that abounds on-line.  For some reason, everyone thinks of food when a dog has allergy symptoms, and i don't know why. If your child started sneezing and had red eyes and a stuffy nose in a warm season, you'd immediately think of hay fever. You wouldn't think, oh he must be allergic to his food.  Well in dogs, "hay fever" causes itching. :) 

It's very encouraging that your vet knows this. :)

I prefer the terms "inhalant allergy" or "seasonal allergy" to "environmental", since the latter makes people think of things like chemicals; but in fact, the allergens are organic, proteins like pollens, dust mites, storage mites, animal dander (did you know dogs can be allergic to cats? Mine is.), insect venom, and molds. The correct term for these types of allergies is Atopic Dermatitis, and it is a disease of the immune system, like all true allergies. It is incurable, but it can be managed. Labrador Retrievers are the number two breed affected by Atopic Dermatitis, and Goldens are also overrepresented among breeds who suffer from it. We have a lot of dogs here with A.D.; we even have a support group for people whose dogs have been diagnosed with it. 

The best way to deal with moderate to severe allergies in dogs is to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist. They are the only ones who can do accurate testing for allergies, and they are the only ones who can implement treatments that don't involve heavy-duty drugs. 

Here is some information and some tips for helping to make your dog more comfortable: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The pollen levels in your area are moderately high right now, at least for CA, Christina. 

Check pollen.com 

[Christina]

Hi Karen, thanks for all the great info. Curious about a dose amount to give him of Claritin? He is 23 pounds as of Monday. We are at out lake house in the sierras so unless we cut our vacation short to go home I would like to find something I can do up here to give him relief.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can use generic Claritin (loratidine) and give him one 10 mg tablet per day to start. 

You can also try giving one generic Zyrtec (cetirizine) per day instead. Different antihistamines work better for individual dogs, it's all trial & error.

The effects of the antihistamines are also enhanced by giving certain essential fatty acids, too. You can give him one Omega 3 fish oil softgel (I like Nature Made minis, don't worry too much about dosage, it's virtually harmless) or 500 mg. evening primrose oil softgel (human supplements) a day, too. Give as a pill, don't puncture. 

It can take some time for the supplements to help. 

And if you can get ahold of an OTC anti-itch spray (most pet supply stores carry them), that will help ease the itching temporarily. 

[Christina]

Thank you Karen. I picked up all suggested above and will follow up with out vet when we return from vacation. You are very knowledgable and I appreciate the suggestions.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hope it helps. Please keep us posted. :)