Depressed
 

I'm sorry to be on here again, but my DH is sick of hearing about the dog and me calling the vet and me making appointments and I'm just so frustrated with these allergies. I just am beside myself. Even the hydrolyzed food doesn't seem to be making a difference. The poor dog just itches all over, scoots, gets raw and sore...I don't know what else to do.

Have you had the dog see a dermatologist?

no
 

We don't have one here. I switched vets just to try something new, but I'm on the same old treadmill. I think I may have to spring for the VARL testing. I discussed it with the vet, and he did it for his dog, who had much bigger problems. Now he gets allergy shots. I don't know when the world got so complicated that I need a specialist and high dollar procedures and meds for my little 6 lb dog. Again, I'm just so frustrated.

I agree, a dermatologist would be the best. I see you live in So Cal, when I lived there I had a pup with terrible skin allergies that we fought tooth & nail to get rid of then we moved to Idaho where within 2 wks his allergies were gone , skin cleared up & hair started coming in on all his bald spots. My poor little man was allergic to the water in Cal.

I give her filtered water to drink. The water in the tap is quite harsh, but I don't give her a bath that often. I guess a move to Idaho is out of the question. ;)
She doesn't have any bald spots; what happens is she scratches or scoots herself raw, so I have to distract her, carry her, or kennel her to stop it. I'll be calling the vet tomorrow. Again.

I found that a Chamomile Tea rinse helped greatly with the itching or ketochlore shampoo. Do you know if it's yeasty skin or just over dry itchy skin ?

combo
 

All indications are it's a combo of food and environmental allergies. I use Avoderm Shampoo and it's the only thing that doesn't irritate her.

Yes allergies are often to more then 1 thing , but does she have yeast ?

No, the vet ruled that out, although he didn't do a scraping or anything. What exactly should I ask for? She did a month of yeast medication a while back and I didn't see any difference at all.

I will ask about the shampoo. Maybe I will call the vet dermo "down the hill" and see how much they charge, etc. I'll be a drive, but maybe I can talk DH into it. Thank you for your understanding and responses.:)

I have not found internal yeast meds to do the trick without treating the skin externally. Hmmm, well you could send her to me for a month & if she clears up I'll just keep her & if she doesn't I'll send her back to you , lol But seriously , have you tried the Ketochlor shampoo yet ?

I will add it to my list to ask for tomorrow. I will try anything to get us both out of our misery!!

I'll be Praying that something works & soon.

Thank you!!! I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. :O)

I wish you luck tomorrow. When Hot Rod first came home to us, he was so dry, itchy and flaky. His ears were peeling like fish food flakes. One vet, who we switched from, thought it might be ringworm. Thankfully, hubby had me to find a different vet. Not ringworm at all! and she wanted to start him on meds that might have affected his liver even before the results were back.

When we switched vets, she had us take it one step at a time and got us some medicated shampoo and medicated conditioner. Hot Rod got much better and as it turns out, he is allergic to chicken. He had been eating RC when he came to us so once he got better with the shampoo, he started eliminating different foods.

Hope you can figure out what is causing her allergies.

How long are these meds being tried for? How long was she consistently on the steroid? Have you tried Atopica? It can take 8 to 12 weeks to get results from a diet change and that is only if you're very strict and don't let her get crumbs or anything..including some meds with flavorings.

You know, I'm very strict with the food trial, but now that you mention it, the Benedryl liquid is flavored! I got an RX for a new shampoo recommended by Lilliemae (ketochlore) and I'll pick it up tomorrow and give her a bath. She had been using the cortalone off and on for several years, so today Dr. Dan prescribed a different cortisone. I know all the worries about cortisone, but I want her to have the best quality of life and if that means a short course (and that's all we do) of cortisone, so be it. Between the 2 of us last night (Latte and I) probably got about 4 hours of sleep. I felt sorry for both of us. I have another appnt on Wed. and we'll talk about allergy testing. I can't believe it's the HP food. I think ti's environmental. I think this is the worst allergy season in recent memory!
p.s. I was born in Detroit and went to high school in Howell and graduated from Central Michigan Univ. I still have lots of family there. Are we related?? ;)

Just throwing this out there....our Boxer has allergies and we started giving her non-fat plain yogurt with probiotics and it's worked wonders. She used to chew her paws raw and her ears and belly would be bright red....not anymore since the yogurt. Best of luck to you I know it can be frustrating especially since they seem so miserable:(

Please, please try VARL, the initial test is under $500, the serum is less than $200 for your pups size, the shots are simple for you and your dog, your vet will show you. My Miss Mini is truly allergic to everything, including me (really), the rashs and secondary infections endless; antibiotics and steroids, not to mention her misery...We now do VARL every 2 weeks. Mini is 90% better, really. She sometimes has reactions to god knows what, but those sores and awful itching and bum scooting are behind us... Please, I know how you feel, I really do, try VARL.

I order serum 2ce a year.

I am going to talk to the vet about VARL next week. I am not convinced, but willing to discuss it. I did read that not every dog responds to this therapy. I have not ruled it out and the ongoing cost is a factor for me. We'll see.

there would need to be a cytology (looking for yeast / bacterias under microscope) to rule out yeast infection. i know you mentioned that ongoing cost is a factor, my vet charged $36 for initial cytology and $12 for rechecks to be sure that it was going away. my girl zowi had a bad yeast infection in her ears last month. it cleared with oral ketoconazole and keto tris flush that is used externally on affected areas. it took about 3 weeks or so to be completely gone and had to be rechecked once a week until it cleared up totally. i would at least want to be sure that is not the problem before the allergy testing. the shampoo you have been recommended is very similar to the ears solution my zowi was using and it worked wonders for her. i have to apply it twice a week to keep it from returning. i'm thankful that shampoo was mentioned to you! if cytology has already been done and yeast has been ruled out, i would assume allergy tests would be the next step. i understand how frustrated you are and want your baby to be better so badly. my girl was absolutely miserable with the scratching and rubbing but is all better and back to herself now. my vet also mentioned that foods high in carbohydrates can cause yeast to multiply, fyi. sending well wishes and prayers that this gets figured out as quickly as possible.

i forgot to mention that ketoconazole is known to cause liver problems as was mentioned to you, but my girl had an extremely small dose of it and for only 8 days. she is also on several other meds too. she took 1/8th of a tablet once a day for 8 days and my vet assured me that at the dose and frequency it would not cause problems even with all of her other meds. i was very very concerned, but all worked out well for my zowi....
she's due for some other testing in june and we will recheck her ears then just in case.

Oh, I was so hoping to see an update.

update
 

Well, Latte got prednisone-just 1/4 of 5 mg tablet for a week and then weaning off. She still scratches just a bit and chews her feet, but she is soooooo much better. I ordered the Ketachlor shampoo and should receive it this week. We have the shot clinic and an appointment on Wed. I plan to ask for a yeast test to definitively rule it out and then talk about having the VARL testing for food allergies. If he's allergic to soy, then this food is all wrong for her.
She's a funny dog. I bake her soft patties of the HP food mixed with filtered water. She likes this better than the food in its original state. Spoiled! Oh! I have also been more diligent about wiping her paws and "undercarriage" after she goes out on the grass.

Thanks again for all the advice! It really helps to have someone to "talk" to.

I'm glad Latte is doing better. What good news!

I feed a prey model raw diet and although nine of mine have allergies, a lot of PMR feeders swear that it is the best option for allergies. Maybe its something you should research?

Have you tried Hot Spot? I have other dogs that have that issue and it works wonders

DERMagic Hot Spot Salve treats allergic reactions and insect bites in pets