When does seasonal allergy itching end??

[Heather & Brinkley]

I know itching has been the topic of many many discussions here (including mine when I took Brinkley in, he got a Prednisone shot and pills, then started throwing up blood... blah, blah :).  )   But when do seasonal allergies end (approx.  as I know it depends on the climate, area, etc.) since this time of year is known to be the worst for allergy sufferers, canine and human alike.  He found relief for some time, even after the Prednisone treatment ended, but this past week and half he's back to itching, (and I'm back to spraying anti-itch spray on areas before they turn into nasty hot-spots) and the cycle continues. 

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for an oatmeal shampoo that is easy on their skin.  I tried a new oatmeal shampoo yesterday and today he tried to eat a hole through his foot (kidding, but I'm wondering if this shampoo agitated him even more... or maybe certain spots didn't get rinsed well enough, even though I kept going over it again and again.)

I hate seeing him like this and want to know when I should expect the seasonal stuff to subside and if doesn't around that expected timeframe, he may need an allergy specialist trip. 

Here's his latest sock barrier.  The start of the hotspot area is on the backside of this leg.  You can't tell in the pic but I did cut small holes in the sock around he area where agitated area as to allow air flow. 

[Heather & Brinkley]

Thanks, it was :) I will check tomorrow. Nite. 

[Willow and J]

While I'm waiting to talk to dermatologist for Willow's itching and scratching, I may have a couple of things to share with you.

Willow used to be on Orijen, and I LOVE the brand. Her coat was pearly, and her poo was great. However, I suspected that fish makes her more itchy for some reason, and when she was on Six-fish, she became so itchy and I had to switch not long after. And there is no formula from Orijen without fish. So we switched to TOTW, pure red meat. I think that was about a year ago, and she was okay, until she got razor burns from a groomer in Feb., under her arms and the spot became persistent licking spot once allergy season kicked in.

Long story short, I've asked on DK about fish and allergy, and Karen told me that it is probably not fish. But, my hunch is that, and even if it's not fish itself, fish doesn't seem to help. She won't return to kibbles with fish.

We are feeding EPO to Willow, and it may help some, but it hasn't been a big factor one way or another.

Zyrtec and Benedryl don't do anything for Willow; Claritin helps a little, but not enough (she still got hotspots).

And here's my most recent attempt: Allegra is the only anti-histamine that works for my (human) allergy, and I've been looking through on-line for a while about it for dog. My vet said "not recommended", but it sounded like her issue with Allegra was the fact that there's enough research out yet. From what I gather, Allegra works through liver (while others through kidney), so it is not for dogs with liver problem for sure. Since it won't be another week (if not longer) before Willow can see the dermatologist, I went ahead and gave 60 mg. of Allegra to Willow yesterday and today. And it worked. Best we've seen among everything we tried so far. My husband who didn't know I gave Willow Allegra commented without prompting how she's less itchy last two days. So I'm at a loss what to do, whether I should be happy and keep giving Allegra knowing that my vet said no? If Allegra is as much harmful as Prednisone, I shouldn't give it to her, of course. 

Sorry for the long reply.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fexofenadine (Allegra) has been studied in atopic dogs and has been shown to be an effective antihistamine for some dogs. This is one area where the general practice vets just don't have the info that the specialists have.

It doesn't have anywhere near the kind of side-effects that prednisone has.

[Willow and J]

Thanks, Karen. I am relieved to hear that it's okay to give Willow Allegra. 

Now, I have a question about no-potato diet for itchiness, but I'll post it separately on Atopic Dermatitis group. (Heather - I didn't mean to "hijack" your discussion to solve my problem, but I couldn't resist and had to add a question, since I knew Karen would have an answer for me/us. :) )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You will want to check with your specialist, I have not known any other dogs who are on that particular antihistamine, but i have seen it mentioned in the clinical studies and the Atopy literature.

[Willow and J]

Will do, and will update once her dermatologist says one way or another about Fexofenadine. Thank you again!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Heather, when you have time, look through this discussion that Sherri posted after Winston had his allergy testing done. She had gone through all that you;re going through now, and even did the whole 12 week food trial because everyone always thinks it has something to do with food, to no avail. Winston only came up positive for one pollen, and one of his triggers was an overgrowth of yeast on his own skin (malasezzia) , so I think this might interest you: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/winston-s-allergy-test-is-...

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Winston only has one pollen allergy but it is his main trigger. We've been having such a battle over the last month. He was doing so well and the suddenly it started. The problem is that the pollen triggers the chewing, the chewing triggers the yeast, the yeast triggers more chewing, and then other things like dust and kitty which aren't normally a problem are lurking in the background. If any of these doodles are reacting to yeast, the most important thing is to keep them clean and dry. I give Winston regular foot baths, then dry his paws really well, put on an anti-yeast spray, and then put socks on his feet to keep him from chewing. Poor guy hates it. He's starting to chew up the creases in his front legs. I'm going to have to get him leg warmers, lol. Then there's the itchy face problem. He scratches his face with his yeasty paws, spreading the yeast and making his face itchier. It's all raw. So I have to clean his muzzle and chin area regularly too.

He is in no where near as bad shape as he was last year when I adopted him. I think if I can keep things under control and the yeast at bay then the symptoms will go away soon when the pollen is gone for good. But if it lasts for a few more months, then like Karen said, I'll start immonotherapy in the spring.

I really hope Brinkley and Willow are feeling better really soon and that you guys can get to the bottom of the cause.

[Heather & Brinkley]

Wow, I will read through this.  This does interest me, so thank you Karen and Sherri.  Brinkley came to me with yeasty ears and that's always been a battle-- I wonder if it's showing up in his skin now!  You guys are great. 

[Kathy Janes]

Mater's allergies are seasonal as well.  I can time them almost directly to October 1st, although this year they began a week early.  Karen has me convinced that it isn't food, although that seems to be everyone's first concern.  And I now know that it isn't turning on the heat, as he started scratching out balls of fur about a week before we turned on the heat.  Benedryl hasn't really worked all that well for him, and I hate the side effects of prednisone - plus it didn't really help him either.  He'll be nearly bald behind his front legs for most of the winter and usually one side or the other gets nearly bare as well. We are lucky that he has never had hot spots though.  We are still stumped with him, as by May/June the scratching stops and the coat grows back.  It has never been as thick as it used to be, but he still looks good and is easier to groom.  I never realized we had a group for Atopic Dermatitis, so I think I'll go hunt it out. I hope I find some more suggestions there!

[Heather & Brinkley]

Yes, this is all new as far as the "bald" spots. He made his foot bald a few weeks ago.  I got that under control and now the itching started behind his front leg and now he's losing hair there.  He's nearly three and I've had him since he was 11 weeks old-- and we've NEVER had this issue until this year. I'm going to start pulling my hair out if I have to keep watching him pull his hair out!  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sadly, Atopic Dermatitis gets worse as a dog gets older. It often doesn't even show up until a dog is 3 years old. That's one reason why it's crucial to get a diagnosis and treatment plan as early as possible; the chances of immunotherapy treatment, (which is the kindest, gentlest treatment with very few if any side-effects) being effective go down as the dog gets older and the disease progresses, and then your only option is steroids and/or cyclosporine, which has major major side-effects in addition to a cost of $250/ mo for a dog JD's size. That's  the reason I kick myselffor listening to all the food talk in the forums instead of going directly to the specialist for testing. But fortunately, the immunotherapy has worked very well for Jack.