Could Ollie have Allergies ??

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My sweet boy Oliver has been scratching his neck for the past month or so.  He is scratching the area right in front kind of where his Adam's apple would be if he were human.  He scratched a little to hard one day where it got red so I put some fresh aloe on it and by the end of the day it was scabbed over. 

 

I have noticed that he scractches immediately when he walks outside but very rarely scratches in the house.  Not that he does not scartch at all in the the house becaue he does but it seems to be only when he is outside.  He is on Advantix II flea and tick treatment so it can be fleas.  He does not chew or bite anywhere and is on a grain free diet.   Also where he is scratching is also his tickel spot as well.

 

I am not familar with allergies... should I take him to the allergist, does this sound like a algery??  any suggestions?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It doesn't sound like allergies to me, because that's not a common spot for itching caused by an allergic (histamine) response, and they usually itch in more than one localized spot. The neck is the most common area for fleas, although it's a little early for those.

Is it possible that he was bitten/is being bitten by some other type of insect when outdoors? I know it's a little early in the season for that, too, but we've had a very mild winter; I actually killed a mosquito on my front porch yesterday!

Has it been very humid in your area since this scratching when going outside started?

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

He has been itching for about 3 weeks now.  It was not bad because he did not even break the skin but last week the area got a bit red/raw so I bought aloe from the farmers market, put it in the fridge until it got nice a cold then broke it open and rubbed it on the spot.  It healed overnight :)  He has broken off his hair in that area but the scratching is not constant but enough to take notice and way more than the normal scratch.

 

Both my doodles are on Advantix II so it can't be fleas and it has not been humid either, warm but not humid.  Ollie likes to hang outside so yeah, he could have been bitten by something.  But even if he was bitten by something you would think after 3 wks. the itching  would subside?

 

I'm kind of glad you don't think its allergies but what the heck is it?  I checked his ears, paws, whole body and there is nothing. 

 

Do you think giving him a oatmeal bath will help?    I made a vet appointment but that is not unit the 28th, poor guy needs relief now :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You could try an OTC cortisone spray for temporary relief of the itching; just be careful to keep the spray from getting in his face.

And oatmeal bath might help temporarily; leave the lather on for 10 minutes before rinsing and don't use a hot dryer.

Could possibly be some kind of moist dermatitis. I'm just guessing here, though. You could try giving him Claritin and see if that helps at all.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

How much Claritin should I give him, he is 80 lbs. give or take a few lbs. ?  The area is all scabbed over and I just put some aloe on it now.  I ground up some old fashion oatmeal and made like a oatmeal flour and then added water so now its like a oatmeal milk for a lack of a better term.  Even my BF said when he was over to do some work around the house that it seems that Ollie scratches when he first goes out then was fine the rest of the afternoon - go figure !!  Do you think he has an OCD - LOL ?  You have been so helpful Karen - thank you so much and Ollie thanks you too :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Glad to be of help, although I'm not at all sure what this could be. :-)

When JD is flaring, he gets 3 10mg generic Claritin once a day, but that's for a very intense histamine reaction, which we aren't sure Ollie is having. I'd try just one per day for now.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

OK...I will try the Claritin but only give him 1.  I gave him a Benadryl over the weekend is there a difference between Claritin and Benadryl?  I do not have allergies so I don't know about the meds for them.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Claritin (loratidine) is a second generation histamine antagonist and as such has fewer side-effects than a first generation antihistamine like Benadryl (diphenhydramine).

Here's some info on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1_antagonist

The veterinary dermatology specialists rarely recommend Benadryl. It's not as effective as Claritin or Zyrtec and causes drowsiness.  

 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Thanks for the info. Karen, I will try the Claritin and see how he does and keep you posted :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

It could be anything or nothing. I'd just watch it since it doesn't sound serious now.