Allergies: How effective is washing paws in a basin each time your doodle comes in the house from the yard?

[Marianne Kay]

While there was snow on the ground for 6 weeks, Pierre, my 4 1/2 year old goldendoodle, had no problems with his paws turning red. His paw problem began when I had a larger area of the yard fenced for him, in the autumn. Due to health issues, I have been unable to walk him like I once did. The yard is grass with a chipped wooded area. Last fall the vet used antibiotics and prednisone, to help him heal, a few times. We also switched his food to Limited Diet Rabbit. I was using a wash cloth to rinse his paws. From your groups I have learned this issue can pop up at 4 years of age, and that diet may only be the problem, 10% of the time. Also I have been told to bathe him once a week. Has all the water rinsing help solve anyone's problem? The vet thinks he may have a grass allergy and I may want to make my fenced lawn, a totally wood chipped area.

What has worked for you? By the way I am slowly switching Pierre to a prescription duck diet ( He really likes this better than the rabbit!).  Poor Pierre! I just want him well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wiping the paws helps, but it won't solve the problem. And it's very unlikely that food has anything to do with it at all, since his symptoms seem to be seasonal. 

Getting rid of the grass in your yard won't help, either, because it's the grass pollen in the air that causes the symptoms. Pollens travel hundreds of miles; you don;t need to actually touch ragweed to have a severe allergic reaction to it, because you're breathing it in the air, and the same is true of all pollen allergies. It isn't walking on grass or touching grass that's causing Pierre's problems, it's breathing the grass pollen. The paws have a lot of histamine receptors, and that's why they are itching and he's licking and chewing them. Of course, wiping them down or rinsing them does get rid of some of the pollen that he picks up outside, so doesn;t bring it in and get it all over his bedding, etc., and continue to breathe it indoors. 

When a dog's allergy symptoms get severe enough to require steroids and antibiotics, it's time to see a veterinary dermatologist and get a real treatment plan to manage the allergies before the symptoms get bad enough that the dog is causing himself infections. GP vets just don't have enough knowledge to accurately diagnose and treat allergies effectively. Atopic Dermatitis, which is what it sounds like your guy has, is a genetic disease which is not curable, only manageable, and it gets worse as a dog gets older, so you need to get an effective treatment plan started as soon as possible. 
Some info: 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

For temporary relief of inhalant allergies, here are some things that you can do:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

Info on food Allergies:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/facts-a...

[Marianne Kay]

Thank you, thank you, Karen! This is all wonderful advice. I am going to print it out and look for a specialist, as you suggest. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a link to the American College of Veterinary Dermatology's website to find a specialist in your area:

http://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?id=16

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, and you don't need to buy RX food. You can feed a much better quality LID diet with a novel protein for a lot less than the Rx junk the vets sell. We can help you with this in the Food Group. Food allergies are never seasonal anyway. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Acana has an excellent line of LID diets using novel proteins, including one that is duck based. Much better quality than the Rx stuff, and he'll love it. Wellness Simple Solutions would be another option. 

[Marianne Kay]

Wonderful! I know where I can get Acana. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The Acana line you want is the Acana Singles. Duck & Pear would probably be the formula you would want, or you might try Pork & Squash, if pork is a novel protein for Pierre. 

[Marianne Kay]

Thank you!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Calla gets itchy every fall around the time the heat goes on although I don't know if that is related. For a few weeks I give her 60 mg of Allegra as needed, which keeps the itching and scratching in check and then we are back to normal. It's a simple solution but it works well for us. I keep both dogs on Evenig Primrose Oul year round too. Karen has given you excellent advice.

[Marianne Kay]

Thank you, Calla, for adding those suggestions. Pierre is 73 lbs. How much Allegra is appropriate for his size? Perhaps if he was on Allegra or Zyrtec, I would not need to get on the floor and direct his feet into the basin. Its not good for me to do this. I have terrible osteoarthritis in my hips. It is easier to wipe his paws with a wash cloth. He knows right foot up, left foot up, turn around, back foot up.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ha, Calla is a doodle. She weighs about 65 pounds and gets 60 mg of the 12 hour Allegra.

[Marianne Kay]

Thank you, she is a big doodle, too. More to love!