Puppies and Allergies

[Mrs. K]

I have been doing a lot of reading of older posts in the forum regarding allergies, and almost everything pertains to older dogs, not puppies, so far as I can see. They say that for an allergy to develop, the dog must be exposed to the allergen for a year. I have a 5 and a half month old Australian Labradoodle, and he's been with us since he was 9 weeks old. Ever since we brought him home, he's been a scratcher. The vet said that it was nothing to worry about, since his skin looked clear, and just to give him Benadryl as needed. The problem seemed to go away for a couple of months, but now it's back full-force. Indy scratches and bites himself constantly. However, what's strange is that his skin is not red, scabby, or irritated-looking and we don't see any bald spots. He doesn't have fleas or ticks. I do, however, find small tufts of hair around the house, particularly in places where he sleeps. That just started this week. His nose is always very dry, but it drips/runs quite often. My question is: do you think this is an allergy issue OR when the adult coat starts to come in can all of these symptoms occur? I was thinking perhaps with the new hair growing in he could get itchy, but that wouldn't explain the runny nose. Please let me know what you think, especially if you've experienced similar symptoms with your pup! Thank you!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I only know that Ned started scratching and I assumed he had fleas and treated all three of my dogs - none of them has ever had fleas and hindsight tells me that they didn't that time either because Ned still scratched. Thought it was soap, etc. Finally realized it is " puppy coat itch." He may not officially shed but I find little tufts of fur in his bed. Hopefully that is all that is happening with your pup. And no, Ned's nose isn't runny sooo...?

[Jenn&Bruce]

Marcie. I have some advice, if you haven't thought about pet insurance, now is the time to do so.
I am currently Dealing with this issue daily, and have been for quite some time. I don't know if you have read my posts about Bruce, and his condition..but if you have, you know that this is a difficult and disheartening issue.
I am here, and I will help in any way I can.

if you haven't mentioned this to your vet yet, get the insurance first. I made (what I didn't know at the time) a mistake of asking my vet once about Bruce's scratching when I took him to his first vet visit for his rabies shot (he was almost 6 months). I had not purchased insurance at this point. Bruce had no more symptoms, and spent a whole summer being a normal happy go lucky doodle, with the occasional itch, but never anything to cause alarm. until august, when he was 9 months, he had what the vet called and "acute allergic reaction". and now, Bruce may have to go on a drug that could cost upwards of $200-250 per month to keep him comfortable. the reason why I am telling you this, is...because of my mention of him itching previous to my buying the pet insurance in june....the company is saying that Bruce had a pre-existing condition. and nothing related to skin conditions, or allergies will be covered.
for your sake, and Indy's....give the safety net of pet insurance some serious consideration.....if it is allergies, (which it really sounds like to me, because Bruce does all the things you are describing) and God willing, it's not....bills can add up real quick.
hope this advice helps.
I'm always here if you need a friend.
hugs to you and indy.

[Mrs. K]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Fortunately, we insured Indy with VPI the moment he came home. It has been a LIFESAVER. When we had that little accident with his tail getting caught in the door and he needed to get part of it amputated, the insurance covered almost the entire thing (meds and all). Out of $700 we only had to lay out $275!! It would have been $225, but there was a $50 deductible. So yes, I am a huge proponent of pet insurance and recommend it to all.

On a more serious note, I am so sorry to hear about Bruce's and Jack's conditions. I cannot even imagine how difficult that must be to live with and my thoughts are with you. Thank you for reaching out and offering your support. I don't think Indy is near that point at this time, but we will keep monitoring him to see if his symptoms start mirroring theirs. I can ask you what it's best not to waste time/energy/money worrying about and what to focus on to help him most effectively.

I agree with you, Karen, that it is most likely not a food allergy. His line of pedigree doesn't point towards that, so I don't think he inherited anything. He eats Wellness dry food and treats only...we don't give him anything with corn or soy, and he's been on food with chicken since he was weaned. We had some lamb treats for him a few weeks ago and they gave him a very upset stomach. I tried other lamb treats and the same thing happened. So he doesn't tolerate lamb at all! If I ever switched food, I would probably go with Wellness Simple Food Solutions Rice & Venison or Duck. I don't have any other alternatives b/c I will not feed him anything with beef in it.

I realized today that the house is quite dusty, so I went on a spring cleaning rampage and vacuumed up all the little allergy offenders! Hopefully that will make a bit of a difference.

I also spoke with the breeder about Indy this morning, and she said that it sounds like it's the beginning stages of the coat change. Because we're finding little tufts of hair around (they don't look like they were pulled out...more like they fell off of him) that this is probably what's happening, and dogs scratch when they "feel" different, so that's probably what it is. I have taken away all his soft toys and ropes, etc. to see if that helps. All he has are Nylabones and Kongs right now. I thought maybe there were some nasty things living in his old beat up toys that could trigger something? You never know with these guys!

Does anyone else find it ironic that we're developing a breed of dog that doesn't offend OUR allergies, but the breed itself has such sensitive allergies? I thought that was so ironic b/c you don't hear about conditions like this as often with other breeds from my experience, but I could be wrong of course! It just seems to be a predominant Doodle issue.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Labrador retrievers are the number one breed affected by atopic dermatitis, which is what Jack & Bruce suffer from, and it IS an inherited disease. It is inherited from the labrador side, and it may or may not have shown up in the parent, but it can take up to 3 years to show up, and many dogs are bred at a younger age. In addition, if the parent lived in a climate like Arizona, the symptoms probably wouldn't have shown up. So this is definitely not a doodle issue, but rather a Lab issue.
Also, it is very important to clarify that the doodle mix (they are not a breed) DOES affect the allergies of a great many people. We are seeing more & more of them in rescue because the owners were led to believe that they are "a breed of dog that doesn't offend OUR allergies", and this is simply not true in a great percentage of cases. It is our responsibility as doodle owners to try to educate people who may be researching the mix here on DK, in order to prevent more people from making a decision that results in another homeless dog.

[Mrs. K]

I should probably clarify a bit about Indy, and this is good for potential owners to know. Indy is a 5th generation "ASD/Australian Labradoodle," which I actually consider to be a breed. The breeder that I worked with purposefully and carefully selects the dogs she breeds. They are not bred at an early age, but rather are tested for any genetic issues that may have been present earlier in the lineage and once they're cleared as healthy, they are bred, usually around 2 years of age for the first time. Both Indy's parents are free of such issues, and his father has sired several litters of happy, healthy, well-tempered, non-shedding puppies. The reason we chose this breeder was because of her guarantee of consistency in her litters and her health guarantee for all pups. Also because her breeding dogs are pets that live in her home, sleep in bed with her, and are part of her life. They do not live outside in kennels or anything like that, and have dozens of acres to run and play on all day outside. We visited her many times before committing, and verified all of this to be true. Potential owners should look into this WELL before committing to a breeder.

I mention all of this because I agree with you, that many people mistakenly think that a "labradoodle" is going to always be hypoallergenic, well-tempered, etc. and this is not always the case. I admit that when I first started researching these dogs, that I hadn't ever heard of "Australian Labradoodles" or anything like that. But the more research I did, the more I realized that I wanted to go with the Australian lines. Yes, they cost more. A lot more. Yes, it took a lot of research to find "the" breeder, but I did it and found a dog that has all the qualities I wanted: non-shedding, easy to train, calm, gentle temperament, and high intelligence. I got what I paid for. Indy is everything we could ever ask for in a dog. When I see others like him who came from responsible, experienced breeders, I believe that this is a true breed that deserves to be recognized as such.

So what this all adds up to is that yes, when I meet someone who just has to know what kind of dog Indy is, I always say Australian Labradoodle and clarify the difference. If you get a lab/poodle mix from a backyard breeder or puppy mill, he or she more than likely will not look like Indy. Again, Indy is 5th generation. The breeder knows what she's going to get when she breeds her dogs for the 3rd or 4th time, and that is consistency.

So it is important to educate people on this topic. I hope that one day they become a recognized breed because then there will be consistent rules about what traits a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle must have, and this will hopefully create more responsible breeders instead of people looking to make a quick buck--that's where many of the rehomes come from.

Indy's issues with itching are hopefully just because his adult coat is coming in. I spoke with the breeder in detail about it and it sounds like this is the case. He went to the groomer for the first time today and they REALLY brushed him out. He's so soft and fluffy now! The best part is...since he came home about 6 hours ago he hasn't scratched or bit himself once, which is so great. I think I just need to brush him more often to keep the hair growing smoothly, and hopefully that will keep him from getting so itchy. This is the hardest part of being a Doodle mom...the dreaded coat change. We got through teething, we can get through this!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is a recent ad from a CA doodle owner looking to rehome their doodle. This ad was accompanied by a heartbreaking photo of a little girl sitting on a sofa hugging her beautiful fluffy white doodle. I don't want to hi-jack your discussion, but it is very important to make sure that potential owners know this.

Sierra
posted — 03-23-2009


Labrador Retriever

Young, Female

Sierra is a beautiful, sweet LABRADOODLE. Born November 6, 2007 she has been spayed and is current on all of her vaccinations. Sierra does shed and is not hypoallergenic. She has been through basic dog training and is fully housebroken. She is socialized with other dogs and enjoys their company. She would be a great addition to a family with another dog or as an only dog with and active family that has a lot of time for her. She loves kids and but has a tendency to chase the kitties. We are very sad to have to rehome this dog. Labradoodles are breed to be hypoallergenic and not shed but it doesn't always work out that way. Usually at about a year there is a coat change. We were hoping for the best but her coat didn't change. With my kids having problems with allergies and asthma, we have no choice at this point. She's super sweet and super smart! Sierra deserves a great home where she can have lots of love and lots of attention and walks. If you have the room in your life for a wonderful dog like her, let's talk! * House Trained* Spayed/Neutered Owner:

Torrance, CA

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi, Marcie. It is unusual for allergies to develop by 5 and a half months, but it does happen. This is more likely to occur if the puppy was bred in a drier, cooler climate and then moved to a more humid climate. If it is allergies, it is most likely not a food allergy, but rather an environmental or inhalant type.
I don't have any experience with this in puppies, and don't know about coat changes. The advice Jenn has given you about insurance is very good advice. I hope your pup does not suffer from what Bruce & my Jack do, as Jenn said, it is very difficult & costly to treat.
You should also keep in mind that there are some parasites that can cause these problems that cannot be detected without skin scrapings done by the vet. In addition to the antihistamine, the vet should have recommended fat acid supplementation in the form of fish oil or primrose oil capsules. Sometimes this combination is enough to keep the dog comfortable; each enhances the effect of the other. If the problem continues, I would try to find a veterinary dermatology specialist in your area...but get that insurance first! Good luck!

[Janie]

I cannot offer any advice..I have never had allergies with my dogs. I am sorry your puppy is having this problem.... has to be miserable. I hope you find help for him soon.

[GBK]

I am sorry to hear about your doodles itching. When I got Buddy at 8 weeks, this poor little guy would take a few steps, sit down and scratch, take a couple more steps and sit down and scratch. I felt so bad for the little bugger, he didn't have any bugs and was otherwise very healthy and outgoing. It ended up being corn in the food the breeder was feeding. I switched him right a way to a high grade food and it made the difference. He still has a drippy nose at certain times of the year, and licks his feet then too, but I am sure this is his allergies due to airborne pollen. I seem to be allergic to the same things as he is, my nose runs at these times too :( They can be allergic to chicken too, I feed mostly fish as the protein in the food I buy now and they both love it.
Good luck Marcie, I know how frustrating it can be.

[Mrs. K]

Thanks for your support, Gina! I tend to think that it's not a food allergy, but you never know. I am considering switching him to another food once he hits 6 months and no longer has to have puppy food. It's a tough situation. His food is Wellness so there is no corn or soy, but there is chicken and fish in it. He gets very sick from anything with lamb in it, so we def. can't go that route. I am allergic to pollen, but this is Indy's first spring so we'll have to see how he does with that. He was born in October and didn't go outside for the first time until late November when it was FREEZING here in the northeast...we're talking single digit temperatures! So it's hard to say what kinds of allergens were outside during that time.

[Stella]

Is his skin dry?? During the winter when we have the heat on a fair bit, both of ours have dry itchy skin. We started adding oil to their kibble and it works pretty well at controlling the itches! Once summer comes, they are fine.

Our older dog used to get terrible diarrhoea and had hot spots on both of his elbows for the longest time, we tried everything - changing food, getting rid of all scented products in the house, no chemicals for cleaning the floor etc etc - in the end after a lot of trial and error we found that he couldn't have anything with liver in it. Ever since we stopped using liver treats he has been absolutely fine.

Kind of going off topic, but relevent to the comments above, it is so sad to see so many unscrupulous people selling doodles as allergy friendly. I do have allergies and we were lucky enough to find a breeder who is totally honest and made it clear that first generation doodles are highly likely to shed and cause problems. Our older dog (an F1 LD) does shed a bit, but luckily I have been absolutely fine with him (as long as he doesn't lick my face and I remember to wash my hands before touching my eyes!!), our new puppy is an ?F2 (his dad was an Australian LD and his mum a LD) so he should have less chance of being a shedder. I am saddened to see the stories of people who have bought a doodle in the belief that they will not affect their allergies, just because they didn't get the right information. Then these poor dogs are left homeless.

[Mrs. K]

You know, I thought about the dry skin thing! Since Indy was born in the fall and grew up during a northeast winter (which was very bad this year), it could easily be a dry skin issue. My skin was drier than usual this year and I was always itchy. I thought maybe he could be suffering from the same thing, but thought that was just silly...dogs don't have dry skin! But evidently, they can! It will be interesting to see how he does during his first season of warm weather, and whether anything changes. It's hard to say b/c he is going through his coat change, so you can't really tell what to attribute it to.