Oh Allergies, what did my Holly do to deserve you?

[Holly Doodle]

As of a few days ago poor Holly has been sneezing constantly! Her nose is always running and she's itching more than ever. I'm looking in to starting benadryl or another allergy medicine to help her feel better. I'm starting to think it is the grass or something else outside, because it's so much worse when we take her out to go potty or after we've let her hang out on the deck for a while. Last night we gave her a cool bath and that seemed to help the sneezing for about an hour, then she started up again! I thought we were finally starting to get this so called "food" allergy figured out, but now I'm thinking she has food and environmental allergies. Her list of symptoms so far includes monthly diarrhea and vomiting, sneezing, biting paws, pulling fur out of tail, itching face and body, ear infections, and a smelly face. That poor dog! I hope we figure this out eventually, but I feel we have a long road ahead of us. Thanks for letting me vent!

[shelly]

Hi Laci! How old is Holly and when did her 'allergies' start? I ask b/c For the last 2 days Tori has been sneezing A LOT.. took her to the vet b/c she was so lethargic.. checked her out and he said he couldn't find anything 'wrong'... well she's been mopey all day. I just gave her some dinner and right after she ate it, she sneezed a few times. Now, I heard that food allergies don't come out with 'sneezing', but I wonder... funny how I just read this now! Hope Holly feels better and they can find something that can help her! It's so sad when these pups don't feel their best!

[Ann Kendig]

I went to your page and looked at your photos of Holly. Wow, she is so beautiful! : )
I don't know much about the diarrhea or vomiting but I all of the other symptoms are all to familiar to me.
Both of my doodles have been diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis. (I'm not saying that Holly has this condition.) Duke started with the scratching, sneezing, runny nose, pulling out fur, itchy body and many ear infections. The paw biting/chewing was a recent addition to his symptoms within the last couple of months. He also has had the really smelly face most of his life. In the early days, before I knew what was causing it (yeast), I thought maybe one of the cats had sprayed him because I thought his head kinda smelled like cat urine! Duke had many of these symptoms from the time he arrived at our home and he was only 3 months old! By the way, Duke is a Labradoodle and is about 1yr 3 mo. old now. Sheba, on the other hand, only had a couple ear infections in the beginning but her symptoms started in heavy earlier this spring when she was a little over a year old. At this point she hasn't had the sneezing but seems to have a runny nose a lot. She hasn't had the smelly head, thank goodness! She does chew, bite paws, itchy face etc. She is now 1 1/2 and she is a Goldendoodle. I have to tell you that when my dogs have been at their worst it seemed as if they were constantly scratching and chewing. I would loose sleep because they couldn't stop so I would sleep on the floor, especially with Duke, to stop him from chewing on himself. Both of them have ended up with skin infections from biting and scratching also. Sheba and Duke are now on allergy shots and remain on a food trial. We are still plugging along trying to help them to feel better.

Have you had Holly on a food trial? Does she scratch throughout the night? How do you rate her scratching on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the worst? Do her ears feel really warm? Does the smelly head get worse when she has a ear infection or is scratching around her ears a lot? What has your vet said about all of her symptoms? My vet didn't seem to concerned at first with Duke's symptoms. Finally I had enough and took Duke to a specialist to have him tested. I don't think my vet was to happy as I didn't consult him or have him do the blood testing for allergies that they offer. I chose to do the skin testing and I'm so gald I did! I'm not suggesting that you go the route I did and go over the vets head, so to speak. I was just at my wits end!

I do bathe Sheba and Duke in a shampoo that I bought through the vets office. This product was suggested by the specialist. It's called Epi-Soothe. I have to bathe them once a week right now, leaving the shampoo on their coats for 10 minutes and then rinsing. Then I put a aloe/oatmeal conditioner on their coat/skin as the specialist suggested.

I hope Holly is feeling better soon! I know how frustrating it can be to go through these medical issues and feel like you aren't getting anywhere. Good luck to you and if I can be of any assistance, just let me know!
I see that you and Karen have discussed Holly. She has been so helpful to me and is very knowledgeable. I'm glad she is on DK and is willing to help us all out with many issues! Jack is lucky to have her!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I am so sorry Laci! I hope Holly gets better soon. You might want to seek out a specialist and get her tested - I know you have talked to Karen & Jack about possible food allergies....like you said, maybe there is more to it.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Oh no, I hope you guys figure it out and Holly starts to feel better!

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Poor Holly. I hope you are able to figure all of this out and get her feeling better!