Could you give a list of every food you use for Layla? Also, when did this start? What body parts are itchy? Ellie has allergy issues too (to corn) and maybe have we some ideas for you.

Ok for protien Layla gets either veal, extra lean hamburger, chicken or lamb. For veggies she will get carrotts, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower.

she is grain free.

For snacks she gets (not every day) cottage cheese with berries.

and that's it!

this started back in the summer when the dandilions fluffed.... LAST summer she was fine but she was just a puppy then. She was VERY bad again in the fall... and sometimes she will just have a bad day here and there but lately she has been the worst i've seen her

For the first time her ears are SO red and she ithces at them.. and like usual her paws are very itchy and her little eyes water a lot....

any help or ideas you have are great ! Thank you so much!

Have you tried 1/2 a people Claritin, once daily? This is what the vet told me to give Milli, and it's working fairly well.

(Benedryl KNOCKED Milli out too, so I didn't want her on that any longer.)

Also, you might try a course of steroids...I know, we all hate to do that, but last summer Emma was having a rough time, and one or two courses of steroids made all the difference-after those got her allergies under control, we were able to go back to Benadryl, and that worked great for her.

I'm so sorry for poor layla...Maddie is going through the same thing right now and I'm not sure what to do for her. We haven't gone to the vet yet because it comes and goes...but I will probably get her tested next week after I graduate. :(

I never thought about Claritin... Thanks Suzy! and i know that the steriods aren't the worst thing ever they just scare me i guess... but i'm really glad to know that Emma did well on them... might give me more hope :) I think we will have to go to the vet this week.. it's just so hard to get there when i'm teaching... the close early! and my mom hates taking her. lol... she doesnt' want to bring her anywhere she doesn't want to go :rolleyes: grandmothers :p but i think she just might have to do it this time!

Before you run to the vet, try 1/2 a Claritin....I'll run downstairs and check the doseage on my box to make sure it's not different than Canada... BRB

Suzy you are a lifesaver.. thank you so much! how do you get her to take it? it's one thing to put a whole pill down their throat but when it is cut in half i'm not sure it would go down so well???

Ok, they are 10 mg of Loratedine (sp?) tablets. We give Milli 1/2 of one each day, and she weighs a little less than Layla, so I would think that 1/2 a tablet would be fine for her-or, if you have 5 mg tablets available, try those. I put the pill in a mini-marshmallow, and give it to her, and then promptly give her a second one so she won't spit the pill out of the first one!

Lol I can read you mind! :p

I posted that below before I read your response!!!

lol great minds ;) great thanks... today or tomorow i'll try and get out and get some... thanks again! i sure hope this works...

the hamburger, chicken might be your problem

Hmmm, I'd be really tempted to switch her to raw asap - I know you've been wanting to for a while. If it were me, I'd stay away from chicken for awhile and feed the venison medallions (you're going to do NV, right?). Marcel and Wylie are LOVING it and doing so well! We've also added lamb for Marcel and Rabbit for Wylie. It is so easy too, way more easy than homecooking.

Hey, I asked Marcel's nutritionist about all the skin stuff I read on here (she works w/ a ton of allergy/skin issues in animals) and she said this: "Skin problems are often very similar to IBS in that they are rooted in food
allergies which if untreated, develop into more and more problems. The
reason is that the skin is an "elimination" organ and when there is
inflammation in the bowels/colon, the body is trying to release the toxins
any way it can--often times it is through the skin. I work with many very
complex skin conditions and most of the time, the pets have hidden bowel
issues such as candida overgrowth." (so, maybe that tells you a little sumpthin' too :D)

Thank You:) Very helpful.

I understand why you think it is environmental allergies and it VERY WELL could be. In that case you will probably have to go with strong meds... I think i would really look at food first though. Food allergies can be acquired, so sometimes they pop up after feeding the same food for awhile. I will type our story below and maybe it will help you.

Ellie used to eat Iams puppy and did fine. We went to Science Diet Adult and had no real allergy problems. This food is full of corn. She was on it for about 4 years (:( I get disgusted when I think about it). She went to Canidae Lamb after recalls last Spring. She was on that for a few days. She had itchy paws but was okay. I got scared of the recalls, so we went to homecooked and she did well...maybe slightly itchy in the summer. We went to Canidae Chicken kibble after that. She did okay. I found out she might have a liver problem. We had to go to a low protein diet. I chose Royal Canin and this is full of corn. A week or two later Ellie goes nutso itching her ears, jaws and paws. She scratched her ears so bad that they bled. We went to the vet. The vet's hands were tied because of the possible liver problem. She did give one shot of Kenalog (steroid I guess) that was supposed to last for about 5 days. Twenty-four hours later it kicked in and the only side effect was Ellie peed on my bed once (side effect can be frequent urination). The day after the shot I got worried about her splitting her ears open since the Kenalog hadn't kicked in yet, so the vet gave us Panolog to put on them. After the shot wore off the itchies came back but it was slightly more tolerable. We went back to homecooked food and have continued with this. The vet gave us a topical anti-inflammatory called Synotic for her ears. This may be a better choice than putting drugs directly into the system. I am very happy with how it works for her ears. Detoxing from food allergies takes up to sixty days, but we haven't had a major problem for awhile now. Of course, Ellie did get into another dog's food a couple weeks ago that had corn in it.:mad: So, we are itchy right now but when it got bad the other day, I just used to Synotic...

So, I would also (as another poster said) consider beef (in particular) and chicken as possible allergens. Also consider dairy...

I would ask for Synotic for her ears to see if it helps. Even if it is environmental, I think it might relief the itch. This med may have some side effects and is still processed by the liver but atleast mega doses aren't shoved in everyday.

I agree with you about not going to allergy meds right away. Long term use of those meds can cause serious damage and it isn't something I would take lightly.

Remember, even if you pull a food that you think could be causing it, it can take up to sixty days for symptoms to stop. In that case, you may need medical relief in between. If it's environmental, I don't know what to tell you.:(

Marci-another idea-if you're wanting to supplement something for Omega 3's-maybe try flax oil rather than salmon oil? It has Omega 3's without the risk of mercury...just an idea!

They can suffer from allergies anytime of the year. Most are food allergies. It can also be what their bedding is washed in, or shampoos or carpet or cleaning products, or even what you are wearing or your lotion or cologne. Since her ears are red and swollen, then it's my guess it's a food allergy. Maybe put her on only two or three different bland foods for a couple of weeks. I'm so sorry she is so miserable. They just don't deserve to be do they. Poor little pumpkin. Hugs to the little one.

i didn't want to push the raw diet on you but if you are considering it then would switch her cold turkey to the NV venison or rabbit. no chicken, beef, turkey, or lamb just yet because those are too common proteins and might be making her itchy. Morgan used to itch a little bit when she was on kibble but has stopping since switching to raw in the beginning of the year.

Just fyi, Marci, flax can make a lot of dogs itchy - so although it's wonderful for some dogs, it can be a real irritant for others (ie, it was fine for Marcel but NOT for Wylie, oh my). I use Eicosaderm (buy from Vet America) - a fish oil w/ vit E (bc the body uses vit E to process the EFAs, so you must supp. w/ E).

I had another thought for you when I woke up in the middle of the night (LOL) - if you're not ready go raw (go, girl, go! :D), you could put Layla on the hypoallergenic diet that Marcel was on - the whitefish/greens/potato combo. I know you said you give fish for a week or so and don't see relief - but I think you would need to do it for much longer to see results, esp. in Layla's case. This would also give her system a chance to rest, heal. Just a thought...

I do want to switch to raw... and as soon as i can get out to the store (we had QUITE the snow last night/today) i'll try a rarer protien. Thanks guys! i sure hope this helps her!

you know what maybe we will try that first... only because we are going away in two week for 3 weeks into the US and i can't bring the raw over... so i planned on cooking for her while we were there and then starting raw when we got back... so i think i'll do the fish, greens, potatoe. Thanks Anne!

I hope Layla feel better soon. I thind doing a allergy test at the vet will be the best for her:thumbup:

Thanks Everyone~ Layla is having a good allergy day today (might be the ridiculous snow storm we are having) no red ears, no watery eyes and NO chewing on her paws!!! yay!! although maybe that is because she has spent most of the day sleeping :p oh well i'll take it!

How is Miss Layla feeling today??? We hope better! ;)

aww thanks for asking :) she has been doing great the past two days!!!! i'm SO happy!

have no clue what allergies does to our furbabies but please give a warm tight hug from me and my darling duo :(