Some Basic Facts About Allergies in Dogs

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dogs, just like people, can and do have allergies to many different things. Since my guy Jackdoodle has a very severe allergic condition called atopic dermatitis, or atopy, I have unfortunately become something of an expert in this area. There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about allergies in general, and about allergies in dogs in particular. I hope this discussion will help to provide some info and understanding of this condition.
True allergy is a genetic disease, or malfunction, of the immune system. In allergic individuals, the immune system is overactive, misidentifies common every day organic substances which enter the body as "enemies", and launches an attack...basically against itself. In it's more severe forms, allergies can be life-threatening.
While dogs are often allergic to the same things that cause humans misery, such as pollens, molds, and dust-mites, dogs do not react in the same way. Instead of runny noses, sneezing, & other respiratory symptoms, dogs react by itching...intensely. The subsequent constant biting, licking, and scratching creates skin infections which can be very serious. The skin infections cause even more discomfort, becoming a vicious circle necessitating ever-increasing amounts of drugs, and an increasingly hyper immune system.
Here are some basic facts about allergies in our dogs:
1. Allergies take repeated exposure to the substance in order to develop. This is the opposite of what most people think. In the case of food allergies, it typically takes at least a year of eating the food on a continuous basis to develop an allergy. In the case of inhalant allergies, the dog has to have been exposed to the substance at some previous time to develop an allergy to it. For this reason, it is extremely rare for a young puppy to have an allergy to anything. Most allergies in dogs do not show up until the dog is 2-3 years old. 
2. Food is the problem in only 10% of allergic dogs.
Symptoms of food allergies in dogs are the same as the symptoms of inhalant allergies...intense itching. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, etc., are NOT indicative of allergy, but rather, a food intolerance, or just a problem with an unaccustomed food. The foods that most commonly cause allergy problems in dogs are wheat, corn, soy, beef, and chicken. THERE IS NO RELIABLE TEST FOR FOOD ALLERGIES. 
3. If it IS a food allergy, switching kibble will not help, unless the protein sources in the new kibble are different from those in the old kibble, and are proteins that the dog has not eaten before.  The only way to determine food allergy is to do an 8-12 week food trials using only a single novel protein, i.e. a protein source the dog has never eaten before. (There are some food trial diets in the Food Group, for those who want to learn how.) But keep in mind, out of 20 allergic dogs, only 2 or 3 have food allergies.
4. Storage MITES can be the problem. Storage mites are now thought to be responsible for as many problems with asthma & other allergy related breathing problems in children as house dust-mites.  Storage mites live in kibble & other packaged dry foods. Vets recommend disposing of the bags from the store immediately, outside of your home, and keeping kibble in air tight containers which are frequently washed in hot water & soap, and well-dried. Do not buy more than 1 months' worth of kibble at a time, and choose higher quality brands with less particulate matter. (So if someone you know switched kibble and her dogs' itching immediately improved, it was probably storage mites.)
5. Food allergies are tough to diagnose, but easy to treat. Once you find the culprit, eliminate it. Inhalant allergies, on the other hand, can be reliably diagnosed, but have few treatment options. (See my "All About Allergies" discussion in the main forum for more on this.) Dogs whose allergy symptoms are seasonal DEFINITELY have inhalant type allergies, not food.
6. Allergies can get worse as dogs age. The seasonal symptoms can become year round, and the drugs lose their power to relieve the misery, in addition to causing other problems. Treatment needs to begin as early as possible to spare your dog from future suffering.
7. Dampness and humidity can exacerbate the itching and also attract allergens. Keep the dog's paws, in particular, as dry as possible after going outdoors. 
Frequent bathing may help, but needs to be done in a specific way. See this update for more bathing info:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...
8. Most common areas for allergic itching to occur: FEET, groin and/or axilla, face, especially around the eyes, base of tail, ears. Many dogs will completely strip the fur away from these areas with constant licking & chewing. Also look for redness around the eyelids, and reddish coloring on the fur between the pads of the feet.
9. Finding the cause is important...but first, STOP THE SUFFERING! Please do not let your dog continue to itch unbearably while you start playing guessing games with his food. Your dog needs immediate help in the form of antihistamines, fatty acid capsules, and in worse case scenarios, antibiotics and/or steroids. None of us likes to give our dogs medicines...but you need to help him feel better and save his skin from further damage. Get some relief for your dog first, then start figuring out what to do to prevent it in the future. Call the vet.

10. Itching does not always mean allergies...it could also be mites, mange, fleas, other parasites, or even a hormonal imbalance. Just because you can't see parasites, doesn't mean they're not there. Dogs can also get poison ivy, and don't forget the occasional plain old ear infection. (On the subject of ear infections, bacterial infections are very different from yeast infections, and need to be treated differently.) Once again, don't guess...see your vet.

And be aware that general practice vets are not experts in allergies, just as your primary care physician is not an expert in allergies.  Your best bet in severe cases is to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist.

For temporary relief of inhalant allergies, here are some things that you can do:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don't buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. Discard the bags the food came in and use ziplock freezer bags. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

I hope this has been helpful. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With the fish oil supplements, the dosage is usually on the bottle. If you're using a human fish oil product, use the lowest human dose. Fish oil can cause loose stool in some dogs, so start low and you can always increase it. I'm not sure that there is any set dosage for dogs or even for humans. There's a veterinary fish oil product that came out recently called VRN, and that's been recommended by Jack's GP vet and physical therapy vet. The dosing instructions go according to the dog's weight. The amount recommended for a dog Ava's size is 3 "pumps" per day, which is 1332 mg of EPA and 828 mg of DHA, if that helps.

Here's a link to the dosage for some of the antihistamines. http://cheyennewest.com/antihistamines-for-dogs-cats/

It does include Zyrtec but not Claritin. Based on my own experience with Jack and a few other dogs I know who take loratidine (generic Claritin)  for allergies,  I'd say that a dog Ava's size would need two 10 mg tablets per day. Jack gets three per day, given all at once in the morning, as per his dermatologist's recommendation. Hope that helps.

[Stacy]

That does help! And my response just disappeared. Bah. 

Is there a reason that the VRN would be better than a human grade fish oil? I was concerned about the thought of loose stools. I would like to avoid that if possible. But there are lower dose pills... I need to do a little math and figure out cost. 

Thank you for the antihistimine info too!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My vets are telling me that the VRN is better, but that's probably based on marketing. It's supposed to be purer. You can look at the VRN website and decide for yourself. I have not purchased it yet, but I think I'm going to. http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/canine-omega-benefits/

[Stacy]

Does it mean I'm old that I went to get the claritin out of the cabinet and discovered that it was expired for 10 years? 10!! Good grief. The zyrtec had only been expired for 7. I guess I'm going to the store. Ironically, I would take it myself. But I won't risk giving it to the dog!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL!

[Stacy]

So, we went with loratidine and the lowest dose fish oil I could find. The Proviable DC arrived from chewy today. This poor pooch has probably had more drugs in the last two days than she's had in her life! 

Just randomly, I wondered if you have ever used zantac as a H2 blocker with Jack. I know in our kids zantac is always part of the allergic reaction cocktail. It always makes me laugh when our pharmacist offers a benedryl and a zantac for allergy symptoms. 

Anyway, I think Ava's allergy symptoms will turn out to be seasonal. She doesn't look too bad. And I can only imagine that if she chewed on herself like that all the time she would have some hot spots. 

I wish her collar tag would hurry up and get here. We are ready to check out the park!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack's been on generic Zantac twice a day since his IBD diagnosis back in 2011, but not for allergies. He gets it as an antacid. I didn't even know it was used for allergies, lol. 

[Stacy]

Karen - is it possible that when that first frost comes and ragweed season finally ends, that I would see an almost immediate decrease in Ava's foot itching? I've been trying to wait out ragweed season and give her a chance to really get the antihistimine in her system, but she's still been chewing at her feet. So I'm sitting here researching the one board certified veterinary dermatologist in the area and I realize that she isn't bothering her feet at all tonight. (it's been in the 30s the last 2 days.) I don't know if it's coincidence or if she just subconciously doesn't want to go back to the vet! 

I've been reading up on the drugs used on these dogs and I don't like the side effects at all. I'm not opposed to immunotherapy, but I'm so confused about the symptoms she has. She definitely itches more at night. But if I rub her tummy she leaves her feet alone. So then I wonder if the chewing is a boredom/habit from her old life. Or if it really is just the ragweed, then we should be "safe" for a while. But I don't want to do this again next year. And I'm still traumatized by our last vet experience. I probably need to pick a regular vet before I jump straight to the specialist. I just want her to be a happy, healthy, normal dog for a while. 

So I'm not really sure what to do. Wait and see for a little longer? Bite the bullet and pick a vet? Go back to our old vet? (But I know he would just shove steroids at us, and while I would love the quick fix I don't like that as a long term solution) 

I guess my deal is that I want to have enough knowledge going into this whole thing that I don't start a treatment that I regret later. Parenting is hard! I just want to do the right thing for her.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So, the first thing you should know is that they are almost never allergic to just one thing. There are almost always multiple allergens. Jack tested positive for 15 things, including dust mites, which are in the environment year round of course. But all of the allergens aren't present year round, and there is a threshold to how much they can tolerate. So when the fall ragweed and other weed pollen hit, his immune system just couldn't cope with the overload, and he would go crazy. He would also show some symptoms in spring, and throughout the summer, but not as bad. Pink eyelids, raw feet. But not infections.  

It's very doubtful that Ava is chewing her feet out of habit or boredom. I know you read about that, but I have never yet heard of an actual documented case of a dog chewing their feet enough to cause an infection without there being a medical cause for it. 

Itching more at night could be due to dust mites, which are most highly concentrated in bedrooms and places where dogs sleep. Dust mite allergies are very common. 

The best reason to see a dermatology specialist is because this gets worse as they get older, and immunotherapy works best the younger you start it. Testing needs to be done when they are off all meds, so with a dog who doesn't show symptoms in winter, winter is ideal for testing. And since immunotherapy can take a year or more to show full results, you want to start it ASAP. 

There is really no downside to immunotherapy except that testing is expensive and the treatment isn't effective for every dog. There are  virtually no side effects, and you can discontinue treatment at any time. The induction stage can be difficult, but even there, you have an advantage, because I'm pretty sure you know how to give a sub-q injection, lol. 

I've found that most GP vets, no matter how good they are, are not well equipped to treat allergies. And that's understandable. I think we expect too much from a GP vet. We expect them to be surgeons, opthalmologists, dentists, dermatologists, nutritionists, neurologists, and the list goes on. Nobody can be an expert on every body system, every disease, and every drug and treatment for every disease. Consulting with a veterinary dermatologist isn't committing to anything except one appointment, lol. Sometimes, just getting an opinion from an expert helps so much. And a specialist may not feel that testing or immunotherapy is warranted. Nancy saw a derm specialist with her Springer, and learned that what she thought were allergies were a different condition. Her GP vet had no clue. 

Hope this helps.