food and skin allergies and skin color

[Maggie & Zephyr]

Hi, I am about to choose a goldendoodle from a litter. I have had a couple of dogs with allergies. What I would like to know If your doodle or other dogs have allergies, does it have darker skin on it's underbelly or is it lighter skin? Both dogs of mine with the dark skin had allergies. Some vets say it is a sign of an immune imbalance. Some say its normal. Thanks for any info

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't think fur or skin color has anything to do with itching. Calla is an itchy dog and she is creamy white with pink skin all over.

[Maggie & Zephyr]

Thanks my 4 year old dog has had a lot of health issues. Until we got her immune system balanced she had dark skin on her belly.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Are you saying the skin color on her belly changed because you got her immune system "balanced". I don't think this makes medical sense but can you explain it more?

[Maggie & Zephyr]

We had blood work done and she was very low on her  cortisol, IgA, IgG, and IgM and thyroid,  and high in estrogen. We give her small doses of methylprednisolone just to bring the cortsol up to normal and thyroid meds. The other numbers normalize as  the cortisol comes up. This gets rid of airborn allergies. It stops new food allergies but she is still allergic to all foods she became allergic to before we got her balanced. Some vets will not give the meds long term. I had my vet reseach it. Her allergies started when she was only 4 monthes old.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Maggie, prednisone suppresses the immune system and also reduces inflammation, thereby stopping the symptoms, but it does not get rid of airborn allergies, and the effects are temporary. Long term use of steroids will stop the body's natural production of cortisol and can cause steroid-induced Cushing's Disease.  I will let F Parker explain this further.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

You explained it very well. But for sure, cortisone like medication does not eliminate allergies nor stop new ones from developing although it can lessen the body's response to them. It is best to avoid long term use of these medications whenever possible since they have many deleterious side effects although they are very effective in short term use.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, GSDs are the number one breed affected by Atopy, so you may want to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist, as the disease gets worse as the dog gets older, and there are treatment plans that will help manage the disease long-term. My dog has Atopy, and has been in the care of a specialist for several years. He is on immunotherapy, and it has helped a lot.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The natural color of the skin has nothing to do with allergies.

Allergies also do not normally show up until a dog is between 1 and 3 years old, so you can't tell by looking if a puppy will have them.

Your best bet is to look at the parent dogs' feet, groins, axillas, and eyelids for any sign of redness, hot spots, rashes, hair loss, etc. Especially the feet. look at the fur between the pads as well as the tops of the feet. Allergies are genetic, so if you see any signs of them in the parents, do not buy any puppy from those parents.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Some but I don't think all allergies are genetic or the inheritance may be quite complicated. I am the only person in 3 generations of my family, that has allergies to certain shellfish, for instance. My parents, sister and sister have none of this.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Atopic Dermatitis in dogs is genetic, from everything I have been told and have read. The mode of inheritance is complicated and not well understood, but I would certainly not take a chance on getting a puppy from parents with obvious allergies.

I have a sister who is 4'10" tall- My mom, my other sister, and myself were all right around 5' 5" and my dad was 5'9". Not a single soul on either side of the family was under 5', and my parents each had 3 siblings who each had three kids, so it was a big family. But we know that height is genetic. :) Sometimes, there are recessive things that show up in one individual in many generations.

The same sister also has Atopic Dermatitis. Not a single soul in the rest of my family has any allergies, but I wouldn't rule out genetics for that either. 

[Maggie & Zephyr]

Thanks yes I agree it's genetic. Parents and siblings can carry the gene, but not have a problem. In my case my 4 year old shepherd was the only one in her litter to have issues (that I know of) A past dog with issues several in the litter had problems.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I said sometimes it may not be genetic but there is no doubt there are allergies with genetic input. The inheritance of many things is complex and this is true for this too.