Fine tuning allergy

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

At about 14 months old, my F1 mini GoldenDoodle, Ruby, started itching all over her body. I started researching allergies after bathing her and seeing that it continued. From this invaluable site and specifically Karen’s input, I now have her itching 90-95% controlled. Where she scratches now is her ears and the sides of her face on occasion. I have her on 500 mg Evening Primrose Oil,  500 mg human grade fish oil supplement and one generic Zyrtec. She eats Orijen, but I know (thank you Karen) this isn’t food related. I’ve replaced both of her beds and asked the housekeeper not to use any harsh chemicals on the floor or counters. She started around the same time the allergies kicked in. Also, our furnace has been going a few months due to the weather, so I’m thinking it’s dust mites, even though she’s so young. She’s now 17 months old. 

I took her to the vet for a skin scraping, but the vet found one flea on her, so we treated her with Nexgard for a month. Normally I treat her for fleas with Flea Treats, a non pesticide method that works great. But, once a week she is walked with 10 other dogs for socialization and I’m pretty sure the flea came from one of those as it was the same day. Anyway, after treating, her itching got better, so I haven’t gone back to the vet.

Questions: Should I follow up with vet on skin scraping? I’m thinking if she had parasites, she’d still be itching everywhere, so no. Should I take her to a dermatologist to find out what she is actually allergic to? I think it’s dust mites, but don’t know for sure. I remember reading that allergies get worse as they get older, so if I need to know the cause, it would help me treat her properly.  Anything else I should be doing? Also, is 10mg of the generic Zyrtec okay for a 15 pound pup? 

Thank you kindly!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Just my opinion, but if you’ve solved 95% of her itching , I’d wait a while to see if the 5% is seasonal. If it is seasonal, is that an acceptable/manageable percentage (if it fluctuates seasonally).

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

Thank you, that sounds like good common sense. Sometimes it’s just worse than other times and I feel like I should be doing more. I am grateful for the advice I’ve received on here and that she has improved. Her itching just came on out of the blue a few months ago and it’s my goal to fix it. 

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

I would like to address 2 issues:

1. Please ask the vet (just a phone call would probably work) about the Zyrtec dosage. To me it sounds high. 

2. As I always warn Evening Primrose Oil SHOULD NOT be given to any dog that has seizure issues. 

Btw Karen is the EXPERT on allergies!

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

Ok. So, the vet says a 7.5 mg dosage would be better on the generic Zyrtec, but if she has not been more drowsy or hyper to continue with the 10mg. Yay as cutting that pill to 7.5...good luck with that. No seizure issues to date.

My estimations on the improvement may have been a bit high or she is getting worse. I hear Ruby scratching just once or twice in her bed at night, but in the morning, once my husband puts her up on our bed, she scratches her ears, body, chews at her feet and belly for a good 20 minutes before falling asleep again. During the day, she will scratch anywhere on her body at random times. It’s getting worse, though. There are no bald spots or red areas on her skin yet. I took her in for the skin scraping three weeks ago and she doesn’t have parasites. It’s time to find out from a dermatologist what she is allergic to. 

What do I need to know before making that appointment and what specific tests do I ask for? I can’t believe this is happening. :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The beauty of seeing a specialist is that you don't need to ask for anything as far as tests or diagnostics go. They will know exactly what is needed once they get the history from you. 

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

Ok, thank you Karen. I will book the appointment and post her results.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please do. 

[c zoomer]

A quick anecdote in regards to itching.  Dinah had begun to have itches, but until she fell asleep with her head on my neck, I had no idea what it was like (my neck itched and burned).  It included the ear canal so i bought ear cleaner that had aloe and tea tree oil. (I've written about this in another location, i believe).  I used it on her head where she was particularly itchy, top part, ear leathers and muzzle.  It stopped the itch.  Was told by my vet to keep it away from her eyes as it can blind. (Thank God for the contact lens cleaners which inhibit fungus but safe for around eyes).  Please keep this ear cleaner combo in mind as a quick fix before going with expensive methods.  Just another tool in your arsenal, and easy to do as you rule out the various possibilities.

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

Thank you for your words of advise. Anything that helps ease her itchies is helpful. I haven’t tried too many topical treatments yet so am open to being able to stop the itching in it’s tracks. I know it’s only a matter of time, unfortunately, before she gets her first ear infection. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With all due respect, since Ruby is under the care of a veterinary allergy specialist, I would not experiment with treatments or products without running it past the specialist. I've had an awful lot of experience with both allergies and ear infections in dogs, and I have never seen any solid evidence that either tea tree oil or aloe would be therapeutic. The itching and infections have a cause, and it's necessary to determine that cause in order to treat them effectively.

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

What you say makes sense and I totally trust your experience level based on what you’ve had to deal with. I bought a topical spray to use months ago but never used it because Ruby itches all over, not just in one area. I wasn’t going to spray her everywhere. And you’re right in that now that I have a derm specialist, I will run everything by her before trying anything on my own. 

Ruby is doing well so far with her shots. We are into the second vial now and so far so good. I do have a stupid question to ask tho. Because she reacted strongly to the eastern cottonwood tree, does that mean she would also react to cotton? Maybe it’s just the pollen from the tree? I can’t wait until the shots are just once a week. 

[c zoomer]

Cotton and cottonwood trees are not related.  It's using a common name for both that's confusing.  The Latin names would put them in different genuses.