lots of itching and scratching

[John Scipione]

Hi to all,

 

Wondering if any of you had some advice for me.  Dooley scratches himself quite a lot.  Though we have found an occasional flea on him, especially after he comes in the house after being outside, we treat him with Frontline Plus.  Our vet says he may have allergies to anything outside, even grass.  We did change his food, but that was almost 4 months ago.  I occasionally give him benadryl - 50 mg - and this seems to help somewhat.  Since he is on the phenobarb 64.8 mg twice a day, the vet seems hesitant to add any other meds (other than benedryl).  The rationale of course is that if she adds, say a steroid, there might be a higher risk of liver damage.  Do any of you have this problem and what do you do for your doods?

Thanks in advance,

John

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

John, it sounds as if Dooley has seasonal allergies, and since they're bothering him right now, chances are that he's allergic to ragweed and other weed pollens. Seasonal allergies, also called environmental or inhalant allergies, are caused by the allergens entering the blood stream through the airways. So when you vet says that he might be allergic to grass, this doesn't mean that if he walks on grass, he will have an allergic reaction. It's breathing the grass pollen that causes the itching, which is a histamine response on the part of the immune system to certain proteins in the blood. What this means is that you cannot really avoid the allergens, since the pollens are in the air and travel hundreds of miles. Other types of triggers besides pollens are mites and molds. The only way to know what is causing the allergic response is to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist and do skin scratch testing under anesthetic. Blood tests are worthless.

Many of us whose dogs suffer from Atopic Dermatitis (the correct name for inhalant allergies) have consulted specialists and use a treatment of immunotherapy injections as a means to control the allergies. This is a process of desensitization that has very few side-effects but does involve an investemnt of time and money. We have a group here for dogs with A.D. For cases which only affect the dog for less than 4 months of the year, steroids are used, as well as Omega fatty acid supplements and antihistamines. Claritin and Zyrtec works better than Benadryl for this. Because Dooley has seizure disorder, I would not be comfortable suggesting supplements or antihistamine dosages, and your primary care vet will likely not be familiar with these allergy treatments, so you may want to consult a specialist.

In the meantime, you can help lessen the symptoms by keeping Dolley's environment as free of pollens as possible. Change your furnace filter, vacuum and dust frequently, wash his bedding weekly, wash his food and water bowls daily, wipe him down every time he comes in from outside, especially his feet, brush him daily, and bathe him weekly with a shampoo made for allergies. Leave the lather on for at least  ten minutes before rinsing thoroughyl and do not use a hot dryer- air dry or cool dryer only, and no finishing products, cream rinses, etc. An OTC anti-itch spray from the pet supply store can help relieve some of the itching temporarily.

[John Scipione]

Karen,

Thank you so much for your thorough and informative reply.  Lots of good suggestions in there.  Great music playlist too.

Thanks again,

John

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

L