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Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum

Hi. 

I read the forum a lot, but have never posted before.  I have an 18month old Australian Labradoodle, Cocoa.  I tend to bathe him a lot, my husband is not a dog person and cannot stand if he smells at all.  We also live in a woodsy area in CT and he gets dirty a lot.  Anyway, at his last check up, he tested positive for Lyme Disease and was treated with antibiotics for 30 days.  About a month after that, he began to chew his legs and has developed dry, itchy skin.  I brought him to give him a bath a week ago and he was stinky again within 5 days.  I noticed that his skin was broken and he had some lesions so I called the vet.  My husband brought him in today and the vet said he had seasonal allergies and "smelled yeasty".  He got a shot of Vetalog and a RX for Cephalixin.  We were told not to give him a bath for 7 days--and he really has an odor.  He seems agitated and twitchy.  Just generally uncomfortable.  

Anyone have any experience or words of wisdom???

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Poor guy.  Can you please call the vet back and ask him to prescribe something to make him more comfortable?  Or maybe try some benedryl.

and stop bathing him so much. I realize it is hard to keep the  husband happy but maybe hubby can place a touch of cologne under his nose and that way he only smells the scent of cologne.  Old trick we used to do while working with stinky situations. 

Can I give him benedryl for people?  I know i sound dumb, but I have to figure this out.  The vet is closed at this point and can't stand to see him so uncomfortable.

Yes you can--NO, you do NOT sound dumb.  Unless you have been through it, you just don't know.

Let's figure this out. I know there was just a discussion on here about the dosages for Benedryl, Claritin, etc

I have to go eat my dinner. In the meantime do a search for the recent discussion.  When I get back I'll help you look too   :)

 

 

Karen, I did not forget you.  For some reason I can NOT find the post with the types of medication and dosage  other members are giving their dogs who have these problems.   I know it was just last month. I'll keep looking.

My heart goes out to all those ( and there are so many on here ) who have dogs with skin problems.

As Karen and Jack suggested, join that group for support and help for you and your dog.   A lot a valuable information in the Atopy Group!

Hope Cocoa was able to get some rest through the night and finds some peace.  Keep us posted.

Yes, just make sure it is NOT the kind with the decongestant in it!  And  you can get some sprays that you can spray on the dog and brush instead of bathing. Check out the grooming aisle in any pet store.

Give him Claritin, not the "D" kind. What does he weigh? My guy gets 3 10 mg. tablets once per day.

But i hesitate to advise antihistamines on top of the Vetalog. That should kick in soon, it's very powerful.

 

 

Thank you!  It looks like I can safely give him about 50mg of benadryl.  I gave him 25mg and I will watch him.  Thanks so much.  I'm glad to know there is a place to come to help me with these things.

If your dog has severe seasonal allergies, and it sounds like he does, he is really suffering, and you need to worry about getting him some relief and stop worrying about how he smells. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but Atopic Dermatitis can be a very serious disease in dogs and they can suffer terribly. It sounds like your dog is having a major flare-up; the agitation and twitching are neurological symptoms, and if he's scratched himself enough to cause broken skin and infected lesions in addition, it's pretty serious. Some dogs get euthanized due to severe Atopy. Dogs with Atopy are considered unplaceable by rescue groups. It's a big deal. He needs to be in the care of a specialist. Vetalog is an extremely heavy-duty form of steroids, and should be avoided when possible. An emergency vet once gave it to Jack during a flare-up and his specialist was very upset when she learned about it.

We have a group here for people with dogs who have been diagnosed with Atopy. Please join us. And whether your husband is a dog person or not, he needs to suck it up. A smell is just a smell, it isn't going to hurt him. This is a living creature who doesn't have a choice about where he lives or with whom. You're responsible for his well-being, and that has to be the priority.

Pick up a bottle of 500 mg evening primrose oil capsules and give him one per day. Wash his bedding and food & water bowls, and keep all the areas where he spends time vacuumed and as dust free as possible. Wipe him down when he comes in from outside. Supervise him while outdoors so he doesn't roll around on the ground. And please ask your vet for a referral to a specialist.

I am not as worried about the smell as how Cocoa is feeling.  The odor is just one of the symptoms I was describing and was thinking that if I could figure out how to help him, the odor would also get better.  And I was not sure if his weekly baths were causing the problem.  Unfortunately, I go to school on Sat. so I was not able to go to the vet with my husband.  Believe me, we love Cocoa and will deal with the smell no matter what.  I will try the evening primrose as well and plan on calling the vet myself on Monday.

How do I know if he has Atopic Dermatitis and what can I do to help him if he does?

Please don't think we are not going to take care of the dog.  We would not have brought him into our family if we did not plan to keep him as part of it--no matter what.

I am so sorry Cocoa is not feeling well. I have no advice, but hope you can get in to see a specialist very soon and figure this out, so Cocoa gets relief. Good luck! I have no doubt you love your dog very much.

If the cause of these symptoms is what your vet called "seasonal allergies", he has Atopic Dermatitis, and this is a major flare.

Thank you for the reassurances, and my apologies for sounding accusatory. The multiple references to the smell, and the sentence

"We were told not to give him a bath for 7 days--and he really has an odor" in the original post made me think that was the main concern. Your dog really needs to see a specialist, it's the only way to help him with this if it is caused by allergies. They don't go away, they can't be cured, and they get worse as the dog gets older. However, you can control the disease with a good treatment plan from a specialist.
Please join us in the Atopic Dermatitis Group for more help and support.

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