Our Journey With an Itchy Dood

[Alex]

I tried to do a search on this topic first, but the results spanned so much time that I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Duncan has been itchy for almost a year and a half. It started right after he was neutered in Spring 2015. He would lick his paws constantly and itch his muzzle/chin on the rug and with his paws all the time. We took him to the vet and were given Tamaril P to start. Tamaril worked great in a high dose but because it's a steroid we wanted to give the lowest dose possible... but it was only effective in high amounts. 

Now the vet has us on Apoquel and in the initial high does stage it worked great! But now that we are coming down it's definitely less effective.

When he licks/chews his paws, even at his worst, he's never chewed them raw. He doesn't have sores and when you handle his feet they don't seem to hurt him. He does, however, have that lovely dark red discoloration because the saliva. 

My vet recommended doing an allergy test but from my reading on here it seems like kind of a waste of money. We feed Wellness Simple Salmon LID and give Proviable daily.

Anyone else have a similar issue? Help my sweet dood!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Alex, there are quite a few of us here whose dogs have Atopic Dermatitis, which is the true name for seasonal allergies (also called environmental allergies and inhalant allergies). In fact we even have a support group. Labrador Retrievers are the number two breed affected, and Goldens are also over-represented, so it's common in doodles.

Atopic Dermatitis is a disease of the immune system, and can be controlled but not cured. It does typically get worse as the dog gets older.

Your best bet is to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist. Testing is not a waste of money, but it MUST be skin testing, which is done under sedation by a dermatology specialist, and not blood or saliva tests, which ARE a waste of money. Immunotherapy treatment, which is also called desensitization, is the best treatment option, as it doesn't involve immunosuppressive drugs. It has been very successful for my Jack, and has a success rate of 65-70%. The earlier you start treatment, the better the results. 

You will hear all kinds of nonsense about food, including raw food, but what you are feeding is the best choice, as it's loaded with the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, and has a gorgeous Omega 6:3 ratio. I feed the same formula.

(Some good solid info on food allergies: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/facts-a...)

Your dermatology specialist will also be able to help you with antihistamine choices and topical products for flares. These are typically things that GP vets are not well-versed in. 

In the meantime, here's a link to the American College of Veterinary Dermatologists website where you can find a specialist near you. https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatol...

And here's a discussion with some good information on managing A.D. in dogs. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

I hope this helps. 

[Alex]

Thank you, Karen! I appreciate all of the informaio

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Ditto to everything that Karen has said.  She is the one that helped me through my process with our Lucy.  Our dermatologist also recommended that we do twice a week baths with this shampoo ... 
MiconaHex+Triz Shampoo for Dogs & Cats, 16-oz bottle and also daily foot and face wipe downs with Douxo Chlorhixidine 3% PS pads.  If you happen to have Pet Insurance they should pay for both of these if the Dermatologist recommends them.

[33bn7f8evnuyd]

My Pomeranian was going bald after being neutered.  Turns out he has alopecia from hormonal changes in testosterone. I found out after going to the veterinary dermatologist. They did everything on him from a bunch of bloodwork complete skin test and after $1200, they told me there was nothing I could do except give him this spray on fatty acid spray.  This spray helped tremendously with the itching.  I wasn't too mad about the $1200 because I recently had the same procedure done on me and it was $1600 and my insurance didn't cover it because it was elective. I am allergic to both dogs and cats, and I have them both.  I was told I could do the Immunotherapy that Karen just mentioned but I would have to get a shot every week for almost 2 years!  The amount of time and how frequent you get the shots depends on your severity.   My allergist informed me that Immunotherapy is not a guarantee and after all the money spent and a bazillion shots, I could still be allergic. So allegra to the rescue! hehe