Fur babies with skin allergies, help needed

[chloe-mom]

I was wondering what shampoo and conditioner to buy for my 4 month old Chloe, she has some itching, not too bad but I don't want it to get worse. What products do you use that helps with the itching. Also would love to know which food would be best for allergies both dry and wet. I told our vet about it and he checked for fleas but she had none and he said probably allergies but didn't recommend anything at the time and it has gotten worse in the last month. Thought I should change to some premium foods for her, currently using Diamond brand from tractor supply.

[chloe-mom]

Any suggestions?

[bfforever]

please check my thread. I have the same stuff going on. frankie is 1 1/2.

[clpony7]

I think one of my girls has the same..It switches on and off so I really don't know what to do.I like to wash her frequently with hypoallergenic shampoo though. When she get's allergies,her skins gets a little rash and maybe some little pinkish bumps on her skin it's really freaky and I hate for her to have that so good luck to all of us with allergic dogs!

[Poochieheaven]

Many dogs are allergic to grains. I would suggest a grain free dog food.

If you can't do/dont' want to/can't afford grain free, try a food with grains in it, but make sure it does not have corn, corn meal, etc.

Another option may be to add fish oil, salmon oil, or coconut oil.

If you can cure the cause of the itching through food, then you won't need special hypoallergenic dog shampoos.

Here is a good website- dogfoodanalysis.com

[Wylie's Mom]

Do you think she is allergic to food, or enviro? Or, not sure yet?

If it is enviro, it's still important to use a low-allergen food (ie, grain free etc). Did her worsening symptoms coincide w/ worsening pollens in your area?

If symptoms are still mild - another thing to try would be over-the-counter antihistamines. There are several you could try - but it's important to try them for 10-14 days before moving to the next one. From there, prescription meds are available...as is allergy testing. But, the route you take all depends on so many things. You may want to consider seeing a Vet Derm, if your kiddo's situation is truly allergies. Vet Derms are so great at helping determine which path to take.

[LuvMySissy]

Definitely first go with a limited ingredient food without the big known allergans of grains, chicken & eggs. If the itching doesn't begin to clear with the food change alone (which can take 4-6 weeks to really show results), a dermatology visit for allergy testing may be necessary. Over the counter antihistamines can be helpful once allergies are identified and sometimes allergy shots are necessary.

Small amounts of organic coconut oil can be melted into shampoo or used directly on the skin to help with hot spots, and is anti-fungal as well. Check out a good doggie shampoo with essential oils that can help reduce inflammation as well as being anti-bacterial such as lavender.

[KashasMom]

My family Scottie has had a consistent ear infection for her entire life(9 years) and itched and bitten herself to the point of bleeding. 3 months ago I started her on Acana Pacifica(grain free) and within a week her ears were better and she stopped itching her back against the bed frame. Now we give her 1 benadryl a day and wipe her paws after coming in the house and she is about 95% better. Her whole personality is much more upbeat so I'm pretty pleased.

We spent 9 years with the vet telling us it was nothing.It took me reading here about foods & allergies to realize you have to go high quality. I highly recommend using a grain free food and seeing how that works for you guys. They range from about $13-16 for a 5lb bag which lasts a while with the little ones (not so much with my Scottie who is a 21lb piggy) I use Nature's Variety & Stella & Chewys because Kasha is a picky brat but I like them both a lot.


Hope this helps!

[nana911]

While you're trying to ascertain what is causing her allergy, Wylie's Mom is right, an over the counter antihistamine is a good idea. It will help ease the itching alot. I use Zyrtec and even use my FSA account to pay for it. I know what dosage I use for my babies, but you should consult your own vet or someone more versed in dosages on here than me. Mostly I use it for Bear, the big dog because he develops 'hot spots', itchy places that have nothing to do with allergies, reactions, or anything, just spontaneous areas that for no reason become itchy. Once he starts scratching and bothering it, it becomes cyclical and will not heal until we break the cycle. We treat it with steroids and Zyrtec.

[107barney]

antihistamines never worked for Daisy. A food elimination diet also never worked...in the end after tons of testing and trials and errors, we found her biggest culprit is pine and she is on Atopica with great results. Right now, we are unable to give Atopica because she is battling an infection and elevated liver enzymes and she is suffering from the pine needles falling.

[ritapatt]

I know its not the whole answer but when you bathe the dog- rinse, rinse and then rinse one more time, Ziva gets these little bumps behind her ears and scratchy/red neck and armpits every time I don't rinse that extra time.(she fights the water near her face)

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by 107barney

antihistamines never worked for Daisy. A food elimination diet also never worked...in the end after tons of testing and trials and errors, we found her biggest culprit is pine and she is on Atopica with great results. Right now, we are unable to give Atopica because she is battling an infection and elevated liver enzymes and she is suffering from the pine needles falling.

You make a great point. Most people assume the food is the culprit when inhaled/environmental allergies are much more common than food allergies.

Your Chloe is pretty young at only four months to develop allergies. It takes constant exposure for the body to build up the antibodies that cause an allergic reaction. Allergies in puppies (under a year) are pretty uncommon.

I would suspect an irritant, like her shampoo, perfumes and dyes in the laundry detergent you wash her bedding in, etc.

Have you discussed her itching with your vet? He might want to do a skin scraping to eliminate mites.

[RachelandSadie]

food allergies we like Orijin 6 fish and potato...lots of Omega 3 and 6 for good oils for the skin....

for shampoo i use allergroom from my vet. it's soap free and hypoallergenic.

[MCRoberts]

Originally Posted by 107barney

after tons of testing and trials and errors, we found her biggest culprit is pine and she is on Atopica with great results. Right now, we are unable to give Atopica because she is battling an infection and elevated liver enzymes and she is suffering from the pine needles falling.

What are the Pine needles doing to her allergies? Dora has been scratching like crazy, I have a collection of shampoos and products for her itch but they don't seem to help ... Our back yard is full with Pine needles.