Doodles with allergies

[Addie Mitchell]

Our doodle Cooper has been diagnosed as having allergies: constant lickin of paws, severe itching, hives, reddening of ears, some vomiting (bile like). We've been advised to put him on low allergy food for 8 weeks. And he's got a dose of steroids to get him comfortable and back on an even keel. 
Has anyone else experienced anything similar?  His half-brother Brody is "allergy free". 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Addie, there are a lot of people here whose doodles suffer from allergies. There are lots of discussions about them, mostly in the health and medical group but also here in the main forum, and we have a support group for dogs who have been diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis, which are seasonal or inhalant allergies and are much more common than food allergies. Both Golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers are predisposed genetically to Atopic Dermatitis. Many of us have consulted veterinary dermatology specialists, as the general practice vets are usually not well versed in allergies (just as your primary care doctor is not an allergy specialist). Your story is typical. Only one in every 10 dogs with allergies is allergic to food, yet the vets keep thinking first of food and recommending Rx diets, which are frankly garbage and a waste of money and time. Even if the problem is related to food, it's fairly simple, much less expensive, and much healthier to switch to a limited ingredient grain-free food which contains a novel protein.  

However, it is much more common for the symptoms to be caused by allergies to pollen, molds, mites, and other air-borne allergens, and the fact that your dog is having these symptoms in Spring also points to this.

The steroids will suppress the allergic response and bring temporary relief, but steroids have some fairly dangerous side-effects if used long-term, so it's important to get to the real root of your dog's symptoms. Blood tests of any kind are worthless. Skin scratch testing done by a specialist will diagnose Atopy, and elimination food trials will help determine if there is in fact a food allergy. Switching to the "low allergy" doesn't really tell you which foods if any are to blame. 

I strongly suggest that if your dog continues to have these problems, you schedule a consultation with a dermatology specialist.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

My ALD has some allergies but nothing serious.  He sneezes and then lays down and kinds jerks while rubbing his face with his paws.  Right now he is on ear drops (which he runs froms because they are kept cold) as his ears were red.  Karen is correct there are others here on DK with pets that have serious allergies and they'll have lots of info and advice.  I would get my doodle to a specialist ASAP.  Good luck and crossing our paws that you get this figured out.

[Christine & Camus]

I second Karen's suggestion to "schedule a consultation with a dermatology specialist."  I followed her advice for my doodle and have finally gotten his long-term ear infection under control.  That was the first step and the next step is to have the full testing done to determine exactly what is going on because he has seasonal scratching and licking, which has started up again.

[Addie Mitchell]

Thank you everyone.  I'm not sure there are dermatology specialists here in Australia, but will ask the vet if the problem doesn't get under control.  We changed his diet and will see what happens after that.  It's a bit of trivia, but here in Australia, when the do the weather report, it's accommpanied by the UV factor and the pollen count for the day.  My gut feeling with Cooper is that it's something in the air or grass.  I guess we'll find out.  Most importantly, his itching has calmed down quite a bit. Yay.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. :)

[Suzanne/Paul Maffa]

Can I have an update on Cooper? We have Teddy, who is almost 3....and almost the same issues....constant licking of his paws (and they are red in between his pads)...his stomach has all kinds of sores that he licks and itches. Vet suggested science diet RX food and Benadryl....and hypo-allergenic treats only. Deciding whether to skip the vet and go onto a dermatologist, but again, not sure where there is one locally..........

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Suzanne, here is a link to the American College of Veterinary Dermatologists locator: https://www.acvd.org/locator/locator.asp

Your vet is giving you very bad advice. That doesn't mean he/she is a bad vet, it just means that like most general practice vets, he/she isn't knowledgable about allergies. I would definitely schedule a consultation with a specialist, rather than waste your time and money pursuing ineffective treatments.