My doodle has very bad allergies,

[Karen Morgan]

I am hoping someone out there can help me. I have a 2 year old Labradoodle who has very bad allergies and also needs to have her anal glands removed ( as of 4 days ago) Her glands hold a paste that she can not remove on her own and she it is painful for her to constantly have them drained. Is there anyone out there who has heard of this? I have spent so much $$ at the vets on her, and I am afraid it is going to get worse

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

What kind of allergies? If they are food related you should join the food group and talk to Karen. :) I hope someone can give you good advice and that your girl feels better.

[Karen Morgan]

Thank you Dan and Judi, I just sent off another email to Karen.. And Happy Thanksgiving :)

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

You're welcome Karen! You are in the BEST hands with Karen and Jack! She knows so much and has helped so many of us on here! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Karen, I can address the allergy issue, whether it's an allergy to food or an environmental issue. What leads you to believe your doodle has allergies, what are the symptoms, and what tests were done to determine this?
The anal gland issue is something else. I have never heard of a dog having to have their anal glands removed. I will try to do some research on that for you.
Have you spoken to your breeder about any of this?
Please give us more info.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay; the surgery is called "anal sacculectomy", and here is some info about this:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html
Karen, what is your doodle eating? Let's start there. And please tell me about the allergy issues in terms of symptoms.

[Karen Morgan]

Hi Karen, Thank you so very much for your reply. Molly has environmental allergies.( So the Dr's say ) It seems to me when the late summer comes, she starts to bite at her paws and rub her body all over the place and scratch. The doctor just put her on benadryl 150 mg a day and that has seemed to help her. As for the anal sacks, I just sent out an email to the breeder and I am hoping I will hear something. I just cannot believe she is the only one in a litter of ten to have these problems. The Dr' said when they get to the point of turning to a paste ( and that is where she is at now ) then they have to come out. I am just afraid that there will be problems down the line when she gets older, since she is so young. I feel so bad about this. and the cost is just going up and up. But I will do what I have to do to make her feel better. The poor thing just wimmpers at times and I feel so bad. I am hoping to hear from the Doctors on Monday and try to get this over with soon. I just feel I am the only one out there with a labradoodle who has this problem

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Karen, my labradoodle has severe environmental allergies and is under the care of a veterinary allergy specialist. I have unfortunately become something of a specialist on the subject myself. I have several discussions here on Dk which I will provide the links for so you can learn about this very difficult subject.
The breeder needs to know about the allergies too, since severe inhalant allergies (also called atopy or atopic dermatitis) are genetic and run in Labrador retriever lines. There is no genetic test for this, but breeders need to know their lines and not breed any dogs who show signs of atopy. Also, it can appear anywhere between 1-3 years of age, so dogs should not be bred until at least 2 years of age.
For now, go buy a bottle of 500 mg evening primrose oil capsules anywhere they sell human vitamins and start giving your dog one capsule each day, along with the antihistamines. It will help a lot.
What is Molly eating? The anal gland issues can be aggravated by low fiber diets.

[Karen Morgan]

Because of the allergies. molly is on Pinnacle, Duck and sweet potato. and from the can it is a fresh salmon stew that I mix in with the dry along with 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin. Thank you for the infor on the primrose. I will get that tomorrow.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, the food probably has nothing to do with her allergies, if she's got seasonal, inhalant or environmental allergies. The pumpkin does help. Canned food probably doesn't help. We can talk about that in The Food Group. I'd give her a high-fiber dry formula.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Karen, here is some info for you on the environmental allergies and how to treat them. I'll post the links separately, as I'm having computer problems today.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/all-about-allergies

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another DK discussion link:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Basic Facts about Allergies in Dogs:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...