UPDATE ON BAILEY BITING AND SCRATCHING OF FUR---NEED HELP!!!!

[Mary Walker]

Need some guidance here. Took all of your posts from the last time I was able to get on and re-read them all one by one and thank you for all the suggestions.
I changed dog food..went to a totally hypo allergenic even though the remarks were very unlikely that it would be food allergy even the vet agreed with this.
Washed his blanket in plain water,,no softener.
Made sure I even took him off carrots which he loves ...trying to eliminate things after talking to the vet.
After talking to him he felt we should start elimination to try to narrow down something..he said since it is winter..there are no grasses, trees etc..so can rule out that and also mold because the furnace had been on.
On Saturday I ended up having to take him back to the vets.. Over the previous couple days he had developed a hot spot by his tail and had chewed it down to make a sore.
The other spot on his one hing leg is now the size of a fist but hasnt gone past just the skin.
I had him on antihistamines myself but they didn't seem to be working.
He of course put him on Prednisone..5 mg...1 tablet 2x day and to call him on Tuesday.
He indicated not to give him more than a litre of water..but he seems to not even want to drink.
He also put the big collar around his neck so he couldnt bite at the sore so it could heal. Also told me if I had anything cream wise .. I had hydrocortisone to apply a small amount and rub it in to try to heal the sore. He is ordering in..I might get this wrong..something they have for heart worm but is a step up and forget what he called it..but treats, scabbies, mites, worms, fleas and also heart worm. He wants to try this 1 every two weeks for a month to see if it has any good results.
We talked about a blood test and also the scrapping but I don't think he is into the scrapping to find out what he might be allergic to and not sure whether they even do this here or if he does.
We also discussed whether it could be some kind of reaction to me leaving him alone when I go out.
Just a brief note on this..lost my hubby and got Bailey last year so it has been just him and me..so we discussed whether he was having some kind of seperation anxiety that would cause him to do this. He is now a year old and I did get a trainer to come in once a week to give me some tips on the basics..He seemed to enjoy her but I did know that in order for him to learn things she wouldn't let him get away with things so he knew who was boss. Could her attitude have anything to do with this?
Sorry for this being so long. I guess i am sounding pretty desperate here.
And also 65 and on a limted pension so trying to not have him suffer but trying also to find something that will work without spending a fortune.
Thank you once again
Mary Walker

[Beth and Gang]

Oh Mary!
I understand too well what you are going through with your Bailey. My 7 yr old Lab, Abby, has itched.chewed had ear infections for most of her life. Sometimes she is on prednisone, then she takes a break for awhile. She also gets 2 allergy shots a year (FDA only allows 2 a yr for dogsof this stuff) which gives her immediate relief. She just got shot one last Tuesday. Our vet said there is a big surge in itchy dogs right now, here in snowy Ohio, but truthfully Abby has always been itchy.
You are taking all the right steps.
Hang in there.
It does get better...it is just so hard to watch your dog in misery isn't it?

[Mary Walker]

Yes I felt so bad watching him Saturday morning..walking a few steps..then sitting down suddenly as I knew his back end was so itchy and was not trying to bite himself. That's when I gave up and called the vet and he had me come in an hour later and put him on the Prednisone.
By biggest worry is the vet told me he would drink a lot of water but not to give him more than a litre a day..but up to now he has maybe drank a half of a cup of water. He is not big on drinking water and wondering if there is another problem lurking. Will make sure I monitor how much liquid he takes in by the time I have to call the vet back on Tuesday.
It does sound like this might be an ongoing problem and we may never really resolve this and just have to continue with the treatment on and off with shots or the prednisone. Will keep you all posted with this new medication the vet has ordered in to see how or if things change.
Thank you Beth

[Mary Walker]

Thanks for the support and answer and I do think this is going to be a year round issue. It started last July early August when he was around 5 months old and has continued right through the winter and even after having his hair cut right down. I just hope that this new medication the vet has ordered in might be the answer. Only time will tell. I have heard from his groomer that she has some breeds that have these issues all year long...so unfortunately he may fall into this group.
Thank you for the response and your info on the hot spot on Sophie.

[Ali]

Oh I know all about prednisone, but not for my, it's usually for me. It is a steroid an opens up the lungs in humans. I am not sure if it helps with itching, but I am guessing it does that as well from everyone's responses and vets know what they are doing. I am not an expert at this either. I did live with a dog that was itchy in the past (not my dog). I am pretty sure he just had really dry skin. He was an inside dog, so I do not think he was producing as much oil he should have been for his skin to be moist or hydrated. When he went home to Houston he is an outside dog and his skin problems would go away. I believe this is due to if he is outside he produces more oil for his skin. My boyfriend bought him fish oil to put in his food to help condition his skin, but my roommate did not like how this made his breath smell so he did not put it in his food like he should. So my advice is to buy wild salmon fish oil to put on your doodles food. I am sure you have received this advice before, but it surely wouldn't hurt anything if this does not help. It would help make your doodle coat shinier. But anything at this point would help.

Also, if you are considering it could be separation anxiety as well. I don't think this is the case but make sure you crate your dog (or contain your dog in a small room - not where guests enter the house), leave music on or a tv (so they don't feel so lonely), leave toys or nylabones that are safe to leave to keep busy, leave a smelly t-shirt with your dog, and even a heating pad work to. There are heating pads that are safe for dogs available. I have one for when my dog was a puppy to put her to sleep.

Sorry I could not help anymore. I do not have any other experiences with itchy skin, but I am sure my time will come one day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Mary, the drug the vet is ordering for you is Revolution. Jackdoodle had to be treated with it for a very bad flare last fall.
I think there is a very good chance that Bailey is allergic to house dust mites. Storage mites may also be a culprit.
While anxiety and stress can aggravate any medical condition, this is NOT caused by separation anxiety. it is an illness.
Scraping is done to rule out mites or other microscopic parasites.
Prednisone is a very serious drug. It works by suppressing the immune system. Allergy is an immune system disease. It is necessary to use prednisone when a dog has caused himself damage from the intense itching, but after the initial flare-up has subsided, you want to try to find other methods of coping with the allergic reactions because regular prednisone use will absolutely shorten a dog's life and cause kidney and liver damage, among other things. Oral prednisone is ALWAYS preferable to injections. The limiting of water is related to the fact that dogs on prednisone will eat & drink like it's going out of style, contributing to kidney problems.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are helpful in these cases. There are a variety of kinds available in gel-cap form. Evening Primrose Oil capsules are the ones that work best for us. There are also lots of different forms of antihistamine that can be tried, and the dosage needs to be recommended by a vet, as they are all different.
Once again I would ask that you read through the Allergic Doodles section in the health & Medical Issues Group. I have been researching this for well over a year now, and I can tell you that the least helpful thing for me was to ask these questions in open forums. Allergy is the most poorly understood medical issue there is, for both dogs AND humans, and while well-meaning people are eager to help a suffering dog & upset owner, the advice that I got was frustrating at best and harmful at worst. The best thing you could do for Bailey is to get a referral to a board-certified veterinary dermatology and immunology specialist, but if that is not an option, please read through my discussions and also use links for Mar Vista vet & other FACT based veterinary websites to get some help with this.
Here are some of the links:



http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/all-about-allergies
http://doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topics/s...
http://marvistavet.com/html/body_itch_relief.html
http://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/2065244:Topic:82065

[Mary Walker]

Your right about the name of what the vet wants to try next on Bailey.
When I saw the name it rang the bell.
The vet also put him on the Prednisone tablets but wants me to call this coming Tuesday to see if the itching has stopped. Get the impression that he doesn't want him on this for long periods of time. Only long enough for the sore to heal and also he hopes to get the Revolution in by the first of the week so he will start on that to see if that might help.
We did also add something called EFA-Z Plus ...which I believe he said contained the omega 3-6 fatty acids..so giving him 4 pumps per day on his food divided as he said to try feeding 4 x a day instead of 2...so then gets one shot of this to help with adding the fatty oil supplement on his food to see if it helps with dry skin.
We did discuss the subject of the sites on the stomach for testing and he did say there was a place in the states that would do a blood sample and test for allergies..not sure how that works and that will be after giving him the Revolution.
He also suggested I not bath him so when we were discussing everything he did ask when he had his last bath.. his last bath was back the first part of January.
I do take the food from the bag and store it in a sealed container as I know about the mites in the food.
I do believe the vet is also trying to find a solution to not have to use the prednisone and come up with something else.
We covered a lot of different things.
My main concern is this right now...The vet indicated that he would eat and drink a lot and in the more than approx. 30 hours since he had the first tablet he is lucky to have drank a cup of water..so hasn't even come close to the litre of water he said to limit him for per day.
He hasn't really gone pee more than usual and this concerns me.
I will keep a journal as to how much he drinks by Monday and will call to let him know he is not drinking and his urine is very very yellow in colour.
I did read all the links you posted to get a better understanding on what is going on and what I can do.

Should I be concerned regarding the amount of water he is not drinking??
I feel so helpless regarding him right now and wish I had an instant cure.
Thank you for all the advice and links.
If you think there might be another problem regarding him not even being interested in drinking please let me know.
I have even given him a few ice cubes to try to get some liquid into him but he doesn't seem very interested and that really concerns me.
Thank you so much
Mary Walker

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The prednisone will kick in...trust me, he will be drinking. If he doesn't, make sure he hasn't spit any of the pills out, as I would be concerned he isn't getting the full doseage; a dog on prednisone is going to be desert-island thirsty. If he goes another day without revving up the water intake, I would report that to the vet.
Mary, there is no reliable blood test for allergies. There is often blood work done for other issues which may be contributing, such as thyroid panels.
Instant cure...yeah. Even ANY cure. This is no fun for Bailey, or for you. All you can do is your best to help him get through it, and read everything you can find from reliable sources. I'll be thinking of you both. Hope you can get Bailey's problems resolved quickly.

[Ali]

Oh yeah, when I take Prednisone I eat everything in sight.