[imperfectlyblue]

my dog, peanut, is 10 months old and was just diagnosed with allergies yesterday. last week i thought she had another ear infection as she has been itching her face and ear a lot lately. we took her to the vet and no ear infection. then, yesterday when i was grooming her i noticed her back paws were bleeding between her paw pads and they were red and irritated. i noticed her paws bleeding 2 weeks before but thought it was irritation due to the pesticides in our yard.

we took her to the banfield vet at petsmart because we had a "free" examination and thought "what could it hurt?" the vet said her paws were infected and that she has rug-burn on her face from rubbing on the carpet so much. she suggested that her paw may have been initially irritated from allergies or possibly flea allergy, but either way it is infected. since she has been itching more than normal, and scratching her back by laying on her back and wigglying everywhere... the vet thought it sounded more like allergies... possibly to the grass. the vet commented that her coat looks great and that canidae is a great food to be on so it shouldn't be a food allergy.

we are on quite a few treatments for the allergies. first, she is on an antibiotic (baytril) to stop the infection. then, she put her on a food supplement (fish oil and omega-3) which will help her skin become more protected. she is also on benadryl twice per day to stop the itching. lastly, the vet gave us some medicated shampoo to help her with her itchy skin. also, she recommended we wipe her down when she comes inside from playing. plus, we are to put her e-collar on when we are not supervising her so she can't chew her paws.

whew!

allergies are a pain! but i hope this helps. let me know if you have any other info/suggestions as it seems like we might be going through the same things!