Probable allergies

[Tammy & Gracie]

In reading previous posts I am now pretty assured that Gracie is suffering allergy symptoms. She is chewing on the side of her paws, both, but particularily the right. The hair is discolored kinda reddish but I find no injury, no sores, scratches, bumps, bruises, etc to explain this occurance. She has done this enough that the hair on the bottom portion of her legs is even short. I plan to begin treating her with benedryl, maybe a 25 mg pill 2xs daily and watch for improvement. I also would like to start her on the fish oils that are discussed. What is the dosage for the supplements and is my benedry dosage good for starting? Gracie is 15 months and 30 pounds. She is already on a no grain high quality food. She is also real active and gets real dirty, having baths probably a little too often.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Okay, I know this is your personal opinion that I am asking for! There is the IVD or now Royal Canin Venison & Potato RX diet. I also have found Natural Balance Venison and sweet potato, at pet stores. Just looking at %'s of protein, fat, & fiber, they are just about the same. Both are grain free. Do you have any experience with the Natural Balance? I am certain that it will be a WHOLE lot less expensive. I've never known anyone who has used it. I know you have fully researched all this overload of info. What does Jack eat?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tammy, of the 3 foods you mentioned, Natural Balance is by far the best food. Check www.dogfoodanalysis.com for ratings, and I think that will definitely make up your mind for you.
Jack is currently eating Orijen Fresh Fish as his main kibble. He doesn't have food allergies, but it was recommended by his allergy specialist because of the protein content and the guaranteed absence of storage mites, which he is allergic to. It is in my opinion the best food you can buy, and it would be wonderful for a dog who does have food allergies. But it is very expensive...although probably not any worse than an Rx food.

[donna]

I have had a lot of experiance with allergies with Rosie my LD. She has both inhaled and food allergies. She would chew and lick her paws, lower belly, groin and back legs till they were raw. She also had ear infections. A vet who specializes in allergies at the clinic I go to dx her, but referred us to a board certified allergist who tested her and put together a plan after 3 or 4 visits that her regular vet can help us follow and they both keep in contact. This is what worked for us and Rosie does quite well now. We had blood testing done(rather than the skin pricking test) and sent to CA where they are able to narrow down what she is allergic to and thay rated how sever she reacts to these allegens. In Rosies case it was mold, dust mites, grass,rag weed, some trees, wool and people dander. We had to try 3 different antihistamines before we found the one that works best for her. She takes one claritin(generic is fine and very inexpensive) a day most of the time however May, June and Sept, Oct are high allergy months for her and she takes 2 a day at 12 hour intervals during those months. During her high allergy months she also gets a bath once a week(if necessary 2x's per week) during off peak months she get a bath everyother week. We need to use either Relief or Allermyl Shampoo and follow the directions on the label. We use Resicort leave on lotion after the bath and if she is itchy between bathes we can spray her skin with Relief HC Spray. She also takes 3V free form liquid EFAs. Except for her initial outbreak we have been able to avoid steroids.
She eats potatoe and venison food. For treats she can have venison jerky, freeze dried cod fish, carrots or any veggies she likes and watermelon. It is important that even for her heartworm preventative she take a tablet form rather than the flavored chew, Also if she needs any meds in a capsule form I need to open the cap. and sprinkle on her food.(caps are made from beef gelatin) Rosie first started having problems at 2yo(she is a rescue) and will be 5yo in Oct. She is happy, active and healthy now that things are under control. It did take 6-9 months for this to happen. I also have a great vet!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You are lucky to have access to a board certified veterinary immunology specialist. The blood tests are not considered to be as accurate as the skin testing, which is the "gold standard", but evidently you were able to get a handle on your dog's allergens and develop a treatment plan.
Jack has severe inhalant allergies (atopic dermatitis) and is also under the care of an immunology specialist. He is on immunotherapy shots along with EFA's and Claritin. We don't know yet if he will be able to avoid the steroids this year, as his worst season is August-October. He was also a rescue, and his allergies showed up almost immediately, at about 15 months, and continued to get worse.
A lot of doodle owners with allergic dogs just don't have access to an allergy specialist, or can't afford to have the testing. But until you know exactly what is causing the problem, it's almost impossible to do anything about it other than use palliative treatments and steroids for outbreaks. The general practice vets, especially those who are young and don't have a lot of experience, just aren't equipped to treat severe allergies. Just like primary care MD's, lol.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Okay, I have a question for Karen and Donna. Do you use avoidance with outdoor things? I know you can avoid wool, clean up dust mites and mold, etc. But what about the grasses or trees? I s that something you try to avoid (limit) in the worst seasons or just use the antihistimines to help?

Gracie does not seem to be scratching any less on the special (venison and potato) food. However her sores are healing so she is doing less damage now and no new rusty spots on her hair. We are still on benedryl, tried the drug in tavist but it did not seem to help at all. Wow, never even considered the capsule thing....

I will try getting one of those Rx shampoos. I remember a dog of mine years ago used those, and they seemed to help. Another doodle issue, I assume I should not use other products on the dog after the shampoo like conditioner?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is no way to avoid the outdoor allergens. Remember, it is the pollen that is breathed in that causes the allergic reaction, not coming into contact with the grasses, etc. Pollens travel hundreds of miles, so they are in the air, and there is no way to avoid them. If you know what your dog's allergens are, through testing, you can avoid going out in the country or the woods when the pollen counts are high, but it really doesn't make that much difference. That's why the testing is necessary if the dog has symptoms more than 2-3 months out of the year.
Jack tested allergic to: cat dander, maple trees, three kinds of grasses, four kinds of weeds including clover and ragweed, corn pollen, dust mites, storage mites, and water mold.
Our treatment protocol is a little different than Donna's. We are vigilant about vacuuming, dusting, and washing the food & water bowls & his bedding. Dry dog food bags do not come into the house, the food is de-bagged in the mud room into airtight containers and the bags left outside in the garbage. Jack takes 30 mg of Claritin and one evening primrose oil capsule (EFA's) each day, and gets an immunotherapy shot every two weeks. No sprays or other topicals. Bathing him often seems to set off his allergies, so he is bathed only once every 8 weeks with a special shampoo called Douxo, and that's it. He gets brushed every other day. Remember, the problem is inside the body, not on the skin. No amount of bathing can affect the allergic response of the T cells. The immunotherapy shots, if they work, will increase his immune system's tolerance to the allergens, which is as close to a "cure" as you can get. We are keeping our fingers and paws crossed that the treatment will be successful.

[donna]

Tammy and Gracie
I haven't checked the groups in awhile.,but wanted to pass this on to you. It was explained to me by the allergy specialist that the pollens from the grasses and trees accumulate on the dog's fur thus the weekly bathes during the worst seasons. It would be impossible for me a avoid trees and grass. She also advised running an air conditioner or air purifier with a hepa filter during these seasons. A vacuum cleaner with a hepa filter is also helpful. The shampoo is not an Rx but needs to be purchased through a vet.You can get it from entirelypets.com. for a lot less than at the vets. You do not need a Rx. Your right about not using a conditioner after shampooing. The resicort leave on lotion ( I also purchase at entirely pets)is like a conditioner just make sure you make skin contact with it. Hope this helps!

[Tammy & Gracie]

Thanks. I do most of those things anyway because of my allergies, (like mom like doodle?) Anyway, at this point Gracie is doing a lot better, very little scratching, chewing and no sores. I will try the shampoo and lotion you mentioned. We have been bathing Gracie about once a week since we like to take her to a local lake for swimming on Sundays. I was afraid I might be bathing her too much.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Just thought I would update about Gracie's allergy saga. She's been on a food trial for 2.5 months. She's recently had an attack that required steroids to control it. That was a month ago. She magically cleared up until the pills were gone. All her skin symptoms are returning. We went to our vet today to further discuss treatment. He gave us another antihistimine to try, Atarax. He gave us a new shampoo, MalAcetic. Then surprise, he asked if I was interested in homecooking or even a raw diet?? I figured he would back me up if I wanted to do this, but never in my wildest dreams thought he would bring it up. He even made the comment that right after school he never would have suggested anything like that but as time passes he is going toward that side! I was flabbergasted. Anyway, we also discussed the possibility of seeing a specialist but he wants me to wait out the fall season so we can tell if it is seasonal or year-round. Also he wants that to happen a long time after the steroids have left her system. So we try something else. And I will officially homecook after this weekend (we are going on a trip to a doodle romp!) Wish us luck...Thanks Karen, for enlightening me on alot of this stuff!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good luck, Tammy, and I hope you find an easy solution for Gracie. The homecooking will be good for her, even if it doesn't solve the allergy problems. The past month or so has been a terrible period for all allergy sufferers, dog and human alike.
I think it's a good idea to wait to see if Gracie's symptoms are seasonal; also, if you do see a specialist and have testing done, she will have to be off all supplements and drugs for a period beforehand. We had Jack's testing done in December.
Good luck and please keep us posted!

[Nicole]

I know I am late posting to this but I thought I would try and see if I could get some advice. My poor puppy is also suffering from food allergies. We have tried lots of different foods but have had no luck. The one problem that we also have is that as a puppy the vet is very firm that we have to have a large breed puppy food. This really limits our options! We are beginning to think that it would be better to have her on a food that is not large breed puppy or puppy food and have her feel better! I was also wondering how on earth you find out what food allergy is causing the problem? We tried foods with all different types of protiens (chicken, duck, lamb, bison), don't feed her food with corn or soy, and really limit the treats. Is seems like she is allergice to everything! What do you feed them if this feels like the case?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nicole, how old is the puppy? As we have discussed umpteen times, food allergies are relatively rare and almost never occur in puppies. A dog has to have been eating a particular food consistently for 6 months to a year in order to develop an allergy to it.
Food trials take a long time (2-3 months) and are very restricted. What are your puppy's symptoms? Food allergies have very distinct symptoms and they are never related to digestive issues such as diarrhea or vomitting.