Question Regarding Skin Allergies

[YorkieLuv22]

My little Shelbey can't stop itching!!! She was diagnosed with flee allergy dermatitis last year. Since, I have been applying front line plus once a month. I know she does not have any flees on her, however, she is constantly itching herself. Sometimes she will even get welts and red soars. Does anyone have advice so that I can help my little girl???

[RLC12345678]

What kind of food are you feeding her????? Most yorkies are allergic to CORN and WHEAT products that are in most commercial dog foods. Check the ingredients list on the food you are feeding her and if CORN or WHEAT is one of the ingredients, change her food. Any food on this list with a protein level between 20-30% is an EXCELLENT quality food with no corn or wheat products. If changing her food doesn't correct the problem, you will need to get the vet to do an allergy test on her to see what exactly she is allergic to.

[chachi]

My Chachi is allergic to fleas also. Are you sure some fleas didnt get on her but the flea preventative killed them and she is having a flare up from that. When Chachis flared up thats what happened. The vet found dead fleas on him. Anyway he put him on prednisone which helped him. He also gave him a medicated shampoo. I say take her to the vet.

[Lacy's Mom]

Check the ingredients in your food like RLC suggested. The problem with flea meds is that the flea has to bite your pet before it dies so they can still suffer from flea bite dermatitis. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it is the Frontline causing the problem in the first place. Discontinue the Frontline and, if fleas are still active this time of year, try something natural that repels fleas to spritz on them like Avon Skin So Soft.

[BLowry]

My daughter has a golden retriever that has food allergies...once she changed his food the itching stopped...he is now on Wellness (adult, purple bag)

[YorkieLuv22]

Thanks everyone for all of the helpfull advice. I am currently feeding her Royal Canine specially formulated for yorkies. She has been on this food for a very long time, however, I will check the ingredients. At this point I will do just about anything. The vet really made me feel like there wasn't anything I could do, they never even mentioned checking her food. And I am aware of the possibility that a flea may have gotten on her just long enough to irritate her but I am too afraid to take her off the medicine. I even went so far as to cut off all of her long pretty fur in hopes that it would help the problem. I will continue to try everything I can, including more research on this issue, in order to help my poor baby

[Lacy's Mom]

Royal Canin does have corn, see if you can find Old Mother Hubbard Wellness or another without any corn, but remember to switch over slowly by adding a little more of the new each day to prevent digestive upset. Also adding a supplement with Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids also does a lot to help skin irritations (Missing Link, Dermcapps, etc.)

It very well could be the food, but I also think it's still because the fleas are biting, at least add the Avon Skin So Soft to your flea regimen and as soon as it's cold enough for the fleas to die off discontinue the Frontline and see if that helps. Many dogs have allergic reactions to Frontline, Advantage, etc. after all you are putting an insecticide in or on your dog.

http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs..._overview.html

[Lacy's Mom]

Here's some information for a diet change for food allergies.

Food Allergies:
Introduction/Causative Agents: Allergic skin disease resulting from an adverse reaction to food is responsible for up to 15% of all skin related allergies in dogs. Food allergies along with food intolerances make up a broader category known as food sensitivities. Food allergies are due to a reaction by the body’s immune system to certain substances (allergens) in food. Food intolerances do not involve the immune system and are usually due to certain types of food such as dairy products. It generally takes some time for a dog to develop an allergy to food, and some dogs may eat the same diet for years before they begin to react to an ingredient. Allergens which are most commonly associated with food allergies include beef, milk, soybean, chicken, pork, yeast, corn, and wheat. There are no strong breed predilections for food allergies in dogs, although according to some dermatologists, the retriever and terrier breeds are probably the most commonly affected. Dogs first diagnosed with food allergies tend to be younger, and more than 80% are affected at less than 3 years of age.

Clinical Signs: The signs of food allergy in dogs are similar to atopy. They include moderate to severe itchiness of the skin in the feet, face, ears, axillary (armpit), and inguinal (groin) areas. Up to 20% of dogs with food allergies may suffer from persistent and/or recurrent inflammation and infection of the ears only, with no other body areas affected. Only rarely do vomiting or diarrhea accompany skin problems in dogs with food allergies. Like atopy, secondary bacterial or yeast infections are common. Food allergies are not seasonal.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of food allergy is accomplished with a dietary trial. During the trial, a diet with a limited number of possible food allergens is fed for 6-8 weeks. Throughout the trial, additional food and food products (table scraps, snacks, chew toys, or palatable medications) must be eliminated. The diet itself can be either home-made or commercial, but must contain only carbohydrates as a base and one protein type to which the dog has never or only rarely been exposed. Such protein sources can include lamb, fish, duck, or venison. The carbohydrate base is usually composed of cooked rice or potato and is the main source of calories during the trial. Homemade diets are usually the best. Commercial hypoallergenic diets such as Lamb & Rice can be used and are generally successful in 75-80% of dogs with food allergies. If after 6-8 weeks, the dog has shown some improvement with a strictly followed dietary trial, the diet is then continued until maximal improvement is noted. To confirm the diagnosis, the patient is then given its previous diet. Clinical signs should recur within 7-10 days. If there is no response to a diet trial after 6-8 weeks, then a different type of hypoallergenic diet may be fed. If the dog continues not to respond to the dietary trials, then food allergies are ruled out of the list of possible problems. Further testing may be necessary to determine the correct diagnosis.

Treatment: Proper treatment for food allergic animals is life-long maintenance with a diet that the animal can tolerate without experiencing skin reactions. For life-long maintenance, it is best to have the dog on a high quality, hypoallergenic commercial brand dog food; this is possible in most dogs with food allergies, although some experimentation may be required to find a brand and ingredient combination that will be well tolerated. Occasionally, a dog may need to be maintained long-term with a homemade diet. Vitamin and mineral supplementation may be necessary in such cases to avoid nutritional deficiencies. Corticosteroids may be used in dogs with food allergies as a last resort, although the success of this type of therapy is sometimes poor.

[amspoelstra]

There are lots of different things they can be allergic too. Take it from somebody who's going through the same thing. I have an appointment with a dermatology vet next week and I can't wait to figure out what triggers her skin infection and her itchyness.

Trixie is the same way, her skin is red and black and is hot at the touch. Sometimes she breaks out in little bumps (like pimples) and she licks and scratches sooo much.

You can definately start by changing her food. Natural Balance seems to have a good allergy formula (altough it hasn't done anything for us yet...). If it persists though, and you don't have any faith in your vet to help you find the challenge, change vets. You got to be comfortable going to your vet and have them help figure out what's going on. It's your dog, you know her best, and you got to do what you think is best for her.

[okyorkies]

My dog has allergy problems & would break out in little bumps, feel hot, lick paws, etc. She is now 9 years old. We fought the allergy problem for years. The vet decided it was a food allergy & we put her on HA allergy food that you can only get from the vet. It helped but she still would have to take shots. The prednisone shots gave her relief for a few weeks & she'd have to have another. She gained alot of weight & all of her hair started turning white. The pred. was bad but the vet said there was nothing else to do. I switched vets (just in time). He winged her off the pred. & treated the symptoms with antibiotics. She was allergic to beef & come to find out, her heartworm med. was keeping just enough beef in her to keep her flared up. Now she is off all meds & lost some weight & her hair has changed back to the original blue & gold. She eats Royal Canine Yorkie because it contains no beef. She also eats chicken & other things that do not contain beef. I don't even chance it with rawhide chews or milk bones, etc. If she does have a flare up another round of antibiotics takes care of it. I hope this helps others.

[yorkieK9trainer]

SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY FLEAS ON HER AT THE TIME TO HAVE THAT REACTION!
What I mean is....sorry for the caps first, but the fleas very well could be jumping on her, biting her- she reacts to the saliva from the fleas, the flea gets a taste of the medicine from her blood and jumps off, but by then, she's already been bitten. And you never had a chance to even see the flea actually on your dog.
Just an FYI. I had an Akita that had this issue and this is the EXACT thing that was happening to her. That medicine you're giving her isn't going to prevent her from being bitten, just infested.

The best thing you can do is ask your vet if there aren't any new anti-hystemine (sp?) treatments out there for her to try and build a tolerance to the enzymes in the fleas saliva. And ask about maybe giving her Benedryl when she does show symptoms. Be sure to keep your property managed w/ flea applications to the yard, avoid heavily populated dog areas and make sure to wash her bedding often. That's all I really did for my girl and it worked.