Alfie and the doggie Dermatologist
 

So we had our appointment with the Dermatologist this morning. We were in with her for an hour and a half and she took us through loads of information.
Alfie got an antibiotic shot (good for two weeks) has been prescribed

Prednisilone (corticosteroid) one twice a day
Piriton antihistamine 1/4 twice a day

2 new shampoos for a daily bath 10 minutes each
Malaseb - anti bacterial/anti fungal
Episoothe virbac

Fuciderm cream

Anallergenic royal Canin

So far he has only had his first pills and his bath with each shampoo, we introduced the new food for dinner 40gms Arden Grange Hypoallergenic and 10gms Anallergenic Royal Canin, he picked round his usual food to get at the RC.

When we combed him after his bath, little matts just fell out, along with lots of powdery dry skin which has never really combed out before, he has tried to bite and scratch, but not as much as he would normally.

I am feeling really positive and it may be wishful thinking but I feel he is a lot less agitated tonight and much more comfortable. The derm was very direct about the possibility that We may be only able to manage the symptoms for him and may never find the cause, she did some Cytology testing and we should get results on Wednesday. She doesn't feel a full allergy bloodwork will be useful as this is usually only done on dogs who are at least 12 months.
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I hope that it helps him. I also hope the Vet finds the cause of his problems. I am keeping my fingers and paws crossed here that you find out good news. Good thoughts to you both

Hoping that this all helps Alfie :) He is just so adorable & precious. Praying he gets some relief.

Hopefully it will give Alfie relief. He is a cutie.

Praying that this is the answer and poor Alfie can find relief!

I hope you can manage Alfie with ther derm vet's help. It's hard when they have complicated allergies. I've been struggling for all (almost) 13 years with daisy. Maleseb and antibiotics and the rest are part of our supply cabinet. Daisy does best on a vegetarian home cooked diet, no added treats or flavored medications, Atopica daily and benedryl as needed. Even with all that, we have flares and challenges. Daisy has lives a long good life and I hope Alfie does too and with your commitment I know he'll have the best shot!

I am so happy Alfie may be feling better with treatment so far. Even if all you can do is manage his symptoms, that will be a drastic improvement for that precious little soul. Please keep us updated on your progress and I am praying for at the very least, control and or remission of the terrible allergies or whatever it is that is going on with Alfie.

oh , sweet little alfie. i am saying a special prayer for you..
i hope you feel better real soon...:)

prayers that these meds and shamphoos work for alfie.

I am so glad to read you had a good appt w/ the derm. I understand that feeling of relief after you finally go, bc that's how I felt after finally going. Aren't Vet Derms just amazing??? SO smart and so great at encapsulating all that you need to know, in a very succinct but specialized way.

So he isn't even 12 mths? How old is he again? That's fairly unique. Makes me wonder if he had something during puppyhood that sapped his immune system...like giardia, kennel cough, mites, severe vax reaction...or...something? Anything that involved the GI system?

Please keep us posted on the cyto results, I'd be interested to hear.

Did you guys discuss Atopica?

Alfie was 28 weeks yesterday - my husband surprised me with him and I later found out he was the runt of litter and very poorly when he was born but a little fighter. We have had him since he was 8 weeks and got regular checks and vax etc his age is what has had everybody confused.

Praying he will get better real soon :hands:

He sure is a cutie :)

Thank you for your support, sorry your poor Daisy has had such issues (Alfie's Mom is called Daisy) maybe you could help me a little with bath time?
So One of Alfie's most irritated areas is his muzzle, should I try and apply there but if I do I don't think I could stop him licking? I think all Yorkies love to rub themselves all over when they are wet, how do you keep Daisy in one place for 10 minutes? I have wrapped Alfie in a towel but that I suppose defeats the purpose as this could be soaking all the goodness out. This is only day 2 of treatment (this time) tonight he was naked for a good 3 hours (apart from socks) which is the longest time in ages, although the steroids are probably blocking all his itch sensors.

I don't know if I posted this before on any of your threads but... no plastic food/water bowls and no air freshners (especially the plug-in type) includes burning scented candles.

Also make a thorough check of his toys, remove any plastic/rubber types or any that have a questionable possibly chemical odor to them.

Also no yogurt... can feed any yeast on/in the dog. Probiotics would be better to give.

For the bath... wrapping him in a towel is fine, you don't want him to get chilled. Enough of the meds will remain on him.

Thank you Yorkiemom, I have confidence that this derm will work through all the possibilities and get Alfie as healthy as possible. Very expensive but worth it for peace of mind.

Thank you Kjc (my first YT friend). His first bowls were plastic and he also had melamine baby dishes for a while but after reading so much here I changed to glass.
For a time I was thinking polyester or nylon might be bothering him, he just about pulls all the fur covering off a tennis ball in minutes so he only has rubber balls I think they pretty much smell of rubber, but will check again. He loves squeekies and as these are his favourites he has a few (we have taken everything else off him poor baby)
We don't use any air fresheners as my husband doesn't like them.
He used to get puppy milk and a little Greek yoghurt every night as I read here it helps with getting ears to stand but dairy was one of the first things we eliminated from his diet.
Glad that it is ok to wrap him as he hates bath time anyway and I don't know
how else to keep him in one place for 10 minutes after torturing him with 2 shampoos.
Please let me know if you think of anything else as sometimes you just would not have any idea that something could be an irritant. Like when we got him a tea tree and aloe dog shampoo somebody said tee-tree was dangerous for dogs

Just to clarify: Tea Tree Oil full strength is toxic, but when formulated to 5% or less as in a dog shampoo it is safe, as long as the dog isn't allergic to it specifically.

Make sure that his bowls are lead-free... I used some old crystal bowls once and they were not lead-free!

Any new carpeting or flooring? Look closely at anything on his level, things close to the floor (cleaners/products used on the floor or carpeting) and where he spends the most time. I'd swap out the plastic/rubber/vinyl squeakies for plush although he may tear them up quickly, at least for a week or two to see if it helps or not. Some folks only buy human baby toys for their pups, as their manufacture is better regulated than dog toys, so safer and better quality toys.

My Tink defuzzes Tennis balls too, so now I put them in a sock and tie a knot in the end.

One last thing... I know you've tried many kinds of foods for him... have you tried homecooking yet? The reason I ask is that some dogs have allergies to the preservatives used in the manufactured dog foods, which can be a common ingredient in all of them. You could try just plain chicken and white rice for a week or two without any extra supplements to see if it makes a difference. If it helps and you decide to continue to homecook for him, you would have to add in some supplements to make a complete and balanced diet.

I just want to say too that I feel so bad for you, and for little Alfie. No first time dog owner should have to deal with all this going on, and I feel that you are doing an awesome job and being a great and the best Mom for him. He is truly lucky to have you. Hugs, Kathy

Best wishes to you Alfie. I'm praying that the medications, food, and treatments work for your sweet boy. He is a lucky boy to have such wonderful Mom and Dad.

Hi
 

Hello,
I am so happy to hear that your sweet little Alfie is feeling a little better and that your appointment with the dermatologist went so well, I really hope the medicine works. You must be so relieved that your little furbaby may be on the mend, it has been so tough for all of you, you are such a loving mother to him.
I read that you were interested in Canine Caviar and were looking for stockists over here. I also looked but couldn't find any. However I did find what may be some suitable alternatives available to buy here in Ireland and the UK, I'll PM you all the details/websites etc. One of the foods I'm interested in trying out on my own puppy is an organic, grain free food made in the UK, maybe you might be interested in it for Alfie at some stage. I hope he continues to improve!

Nothing much from the cytology, a trace of yeast in his ears and a little surface infection from the scratches he had. These are all cleared up now, he is doing great.

Poor little Alfie and poor you. You must have been beside yourself with worry about all this. I'm praying Alfie has good results with all that you are doing for him and he feels much relief. Also that you can relax a bit. Bless you and bless Alfie!

Geesh...it's one of those times where you really almost hope they DO find something so that you have an answer. So odd there was nothing there. Well, maybe he just has really severe allergy responses.

My Marcel gets really irritated at certain times of the year /w the bad pollens here in AZ, so we use Atopica. Back before we'd started him on it, he was waking up at 1am to lick/chew his paws bc of his histamine responses - it made me feel so bad for him! To feel so irritated that he'd wake at 1am :(, poor baby. Anyway, I noticed even within a week of started Atopica that he was having relief.