Fine tuning allergy

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

At about 14 months old, my F1 mini GoldenDoodle, Ruby, started itching all over her body. I started researching allergies after bathing her and seeing that it continued. From this invaluable site and specifically Karen’s input, I now have her itching 90-95% controlled. Where she scratches now is her ears and the sides of her face on occasion. I have her on 500 mg Evening Primrose Oil,  500 mg human grade fish oil supplement and one generic Zyrtec. She eats Orijen, but I know (thank you Karen) this isn’t food related. I’ve replaced both of her beds and asked the housekeeper not to use any harsh chemicals on the floor or counters. She started around the same time the allergies kicked in. Also, our furnace has been going a few months due to the weather, so I’m thinking it’s dust mites, even though she’s so young. She’s now 17 months old. 

I took her to the vet for a skin scraping, but the vet found one flea on her, so we treated her with Nexgard for a month. Normally I treat her for fleas with Flea Treats, a non pesticide method that works great. But, once a week she is walked with 10 other dogs for socialization and I’m pretty sure the flea came from one of those as it was the same day. Anyway, after treating, her itching got better, so I haven’t gone back to the vet.

Questions: Should I follow up with vet on skin scraping? I’m thinking if she had parasites, she’d still be itching everywhere, so no. Should I take her to a dermatologist to find out what she is actually allergic to? I think it’s dust mites, but don’t know for sure. I remember reading that allergies get worse as they get older, so if I need to know the cause, it would help me treat her properly.  Anything else I should be doing? Also, is 10mg of the generic Zyrtec okay for a 15 pound pup? 

Thank you kindly!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

C zoomer is correct, the cotton plant (from which cotton fabric is made) is not related to cottonwood trees.

And it is always the pollen. That's the part that many people have trouble remembering. It has absolutely nothing to do with coming into contact with the particular plant itself; the symptoms are caused by the proteins in the allergen entering the blood stream via ingestion (in cases of food allergy) ,inhalation (pollens, mites, mold allergies) or injection (insect bites). Grass allergies are not triggered by the dog walking across the grass, they occur only when the grass is pollinating and the pollen is breathed. The allergic response is taking place on a cellular level, in the blood stream.

For this reason, it's impossible to alleviate the source of the symptoms. Most pollens travel hundreds of miles on the air. For example, one of Jack's allergens was corn pollen. We do not live within an hour of any corn fields, lol, and he never ate it. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, the best topical sprays I have found are the ones that contain praxomine and oatmeal. I used those successfully on Jack's feet when he was having a flare.

[c zoomer]

  A big thanks to Karen for her generous help when we need it.  Not trying to be difficult here.

Tea tree oil contains one of the three medical ingredients used for human fungal infections, and aloe is a soothing agent.  So before the big bucks are spent, how does it hurt to try a $17 ear cleaner solution to other parts of the body one at a time, and before it's raw)?  I figured probable cause because of my skin's reaction to her sleeping with her lower jaw on my neck.  It's been noted previously that the beard area can be itchy due to the frequent contact with their food and the wet condition created when they drink water.  We are obliged to clean ears @once a week.  Because I acted early, I actually saw results in one application.  That was for the top of the head.  Emboldened by the positive response, I then used it on the lower jaw with success.

I monitor the itching by offering scratches.  It was her forcibly pushing her head against my hand that alerted me to the extreme itching.  I'll continue to use that as my guideline.  The response I get now is one of relaxation when I scratch her head.  If I venture into the eye area she pushes hard.  Giving her the eye boogers has worked great (a suggestion I learned here, Thank you!).  She has learned the phrase "I'm going to clean your eyes" ...spoken when I notice her rubbing her eyes forcibly on soft surfaces.  She now relaxes when I very gently use warm cotton w/contact lense solution.  It took time before she matured and trusted me, and I am respectful of her reactions.

The ear canal was much more difficult and required at least 3 proper cleanings before seeing good results.

From my reading on ear infections, I learned that they sometimes go from being fungal to bacterial when they aren't dealt with.  

As a reminder, I was advised by my vet to avoid the eyes (with this ear cleaner) as it can cause severe damage to the eye.  For those who like uber caution, never do the dome area of the head.  I was using a moist but not wet gauze to make the application and stopped well above the eyebrows.

This is waaay long because I dont want anyone to err from misunderstanding my experience with itching.  And yes, if she were to itch badly, I would consult my vet for testing.  The ear cleaner is a dilute use of tea tree oil.  Using full strength oil could be unpleasant or harmful. Phew!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In the case of itching from allergies, the itching is caused by an immune response at a cellular level; it's not a surface thing. It's a histamine response.

With ear infections, I think it's important to know the cause and type of infection. Tea tree oil may be used for human fungal infections, but there are all kinds of yeasts, and tea tree oil is NOT the most effective treatment for canine yeast infections in ear. In fact, oil of any kind is contraindicated, because part of what causes ear issues in dogs is moisture; you need something with a drying agent, not something with oil which will trap and hold moisture and other things in the ear. That's why good ear maintenance cleaners all contain drying agents. 
And yes, many ear infections are bacterial in nature, and need a treatment that addresses the bacteria. All ear infections need to be properly diagnosed before treating. 
I think that most dogs will push against your hand (or other parts of you, lol) unrelated to itching. Dogs like to be scratched, and they all relax when you scratch their heads, behind their ears, chests, chins, rump....it's pleasurable for them. So I don't think that's an accurate way to judge whether or not a dog it itchy. Dogs with clinical itching from allergies or other causes scratch themselves...A LOT. They also bite and lick the areas that itch if they can. It's pretty obvious to anyone who sees it. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh and tea tree oil (along with almost all essential plant oils) is extremely toxic to cats; they must not come into contact with it.

[c zoomer]

Disclosure--Name of the ear cleaner is epi-pet ear cleaner. It has multi purpose ingredients. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It appears that the active ingredient in this product is neither tea tree oil or aloe, both of which appear at the very end of the ingredient list. The second ingredient after water (and therefore, what makes up the largest part of the product) is witch hazel, followed by alcohol: 
Ingredients: Aqua (water), Hamamelis Virginia (Witch Hazel), Alcohol (Undenatured Ethyl Alcohol), Ethoxydiglycol, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Polysorbate 20, Bromelain, Galactoarbinan, Octoxynol-9, Allantoin, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Lavadula Angustifolia (lavender) Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Glycerin, Aloe Vera Gel, Fragrance
I really think there are much better products out there for cleaning ears, but if this works for you, that's great. You might look at Virbac's Epi-Otic. It's not terribly expensive and it's what I've used for Poodle and Poodle mix ears for 40 years, on the advice of my vet(s):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056EAKSM/ref=asc_df_B0056EAKSM5453501/?...

[c zoomer]

Just to keep things straight, , the minute amounts are (according to one source) because of their potency.  Which is why there is worry about using the u diluted oil.