Allergies...

[myguyalex]

My little Yorkie will be 5 years old this summer. About 2 years ago he was diagnosed with allergies. He will lick, rub and scratch around his nose to the point of it bleeding. They put him on ¾ a Benadryl per day. This works great in the winter, but now it appears to be allergy season again. Poor guy woke me up in the middle of the night, because he knows he isn’t supposed to lick or scratch. I also have him on salmon oil and use oatmeal and Aloe Vera based shampoo. His treats are made of oatmeal, and not of many different wheat’s that most dogs are allergic too. Am I doing something wrong? Is there anything that any of you could recommend? Help…Please!!!

[kp&nala]

my lhasa has allergies bad and when they start acting up we have some pills that the vet gave us for her. it helps with the scratching and chewing. sometimes when they get really bad she will chew herself raw even to the point to where she bleeds or limps b/c she has chewed her foot so bad, but when it gets like that we have to take her to the vet and get her a steriod shot. which isn't very good for dogs but we really don't have much of a choice.

[Mydogkelsey]

Ever since i got my yorkie poo she has been biting (like nibbling) at her skin and scratching..then one day I saw 2 ticks inside her ear, so I took them out. So i put her on the frontline plus and then a couple days after she was still biting and itching. So i asked the Dr. @ the vet and she said she could have allergies. ??? Why does my vet confuse me so much! They are always guessing things..if it IS allergies shouldn't it be treated immediatley?

[kp&nala]

some of my dogs allergies come from people food and i just recently read some dog foods with corn ,soy, fillers etc and we have switched her food but she hasn't been on it long enough to see a difference. if she has allergies then your vet can either advise you on what to stay away from (food) or maybe recommend benadryl and if they are fairly bad allergies (the biting, scratching and chewing) he may give you a pill to give her when the start acting up. when i get off work i will look and she what the name of the medicine is that we give our dog. hope this helps. if you don't feel comfortable with you vet try to find another one in your area and get a second opinion.

[Babbie]

I would say try to also change foods...it might help. I am so sorry that your boy suffers like that

[Passionfruition]

My uncle has an 8yr old yorkie who he takes to the vet for an allergy shot once a month!

Sully, our pup, has allergies too, and we're doing the benedryl thing. Poor little guys! My nose is acting up too! Wah.

[Yorkie_GirL]

a good food i recommend for dogs with allergies is either Innova or Canidae

www.naturapet.com
www.canidae.com

[YappyScrappy]

Originally Posted by Babbie

I would say try to also change foods...it might help. I am so sorry that your boy suffers like that

Yes, what are you feeding Alex...maybe his allergy has to do with his food...

[myguyalex]

I switched his food when my parents Golden died suddenly in the fall. My mother did research into many foods and what breeders recommended. I switched him to Wellness lamb. This food has no wheat, rice or many of the other by-products common in most foods. He seemed to be doing better on it. There was less of the itching and licking. However, the weather has turned to Spring here in Wisconsin. He will sometimes lick his paws, but it is around his nose and mouth that takes the beating. He licks and rubs it on the floor. It's interesting because it must hurt or he knows he isn't supposed to do it, because he will come to me and lay on my lap and lick my arm. He does this instead of aggressively licking, if he can. The vet I had been seeing about this problem didn't think highly of shot or steriods. He is small and she didn't want to take any risks. Plus, allergy testing is like $250 or so. I haven't taken him to the new vet. I have just recently decided to go back to the old vet. Yet, they also had just recommend the Benadryl.... So I am kind of at a stand still....I was hoping to find alternatives to helping him besides the meds...I just feel sorry for him

[azkaty]

I have started Ralphie On Wysong Anergen.. it i supposed to be excellent for dogs with food allergies. We shall see.

[Connie]

Allergy season is definitely upon us and I hope you find a way to relieve Alex of his symptoms! Allergies can be quite miserable for sure! I don't really have any suggestions...just wanted to wish you well!

[Mydogkelsey]

So how do you know it's a food related allergy? Just switch it and try to see if there's a difference?

[myguyalex]

For food allergies I think switching is the best and easiest way. I guess that's what I have heard.

[iheartyorkies]

Hi, I'm sorry you are going through this allergy problem. None of us want to see our babies suffer. My yorkie, Bo is only 6 months old so if he has allergies they haven't shown up yet. But my 8 year old Schnauzer, Woody has really suffered with allergies over the last 4 or 5 years, chewing on his sides till he made a mohawk, chewing on his feet, waking up in the middle of the night chewing, scratching his ears till the skin is now permanantly black and thickened, and rubbing against the furniture till his back would be raw and bleeding. As you can imagine, this drove us insane. We went thru the whole cycle of changing food, changing shampoo, taking Dove bar soap to the groomers to wash him with and telling them absolutely no scented spray, steroid shots, putting shirts on him, putting a big "lampshade collar" thing on him so her can't get to his back to chew, giving him Benedryl, giving him Elevil (anti-anxiety med), some other concoction the vet came up with to try to calm him, stomach medicine (cause he would also throw up a lot), antiacids (maybe the hair he was eating upset his stomach, who knows). Believe me, my vet and I have wracked our brains trying to come up with a solution. Nothing seemed to get him comforable at all. A steroid shot would work but only for about 1 - 2 months and he'd start all over again. And the vet said eventually they will stop working and this also damages a dog's health. It's been really really bad with him.
So, here's where we are now...In December we got Bo, to see if possibly a companion (even though I'm home all day most days) to romp with would make a difference. At first we were afraid we had made a huge mistake. Bo loved Woody but not the other way around. After about 2 months and Bo's persistence, Woody was finally won over. They play everyday now. And Woody will allow Bo to nap beside him. I know this has helped Woody get his mind off himself.
In January, I started home cooking all of Woody's meals. Just went cold turkey on this new diet that the vet recommended. It consists of cooked white fish, white potatoes and sweet potatoes (no skin on the potatoes). 1/2 fish, the other 1/2 potatoes in the same portion size that I had been feeding his kibble. It took about 2 months to see any change at all but the vet was reassuring me to give it time. So I was persistent. Woody had been overweight and lost back down to his ideal weight. That was good but he kept losing weight to the point where I had to do something different. The cooked ingredients were too hard to measure.
So, my vet told me of a web site for Flint River Ranch home baked dog food that was exactly the same ingredients as what I was feeding him, fish and potatoes, no preservatives or fillers. I switched to that 2 weeks ago so we'll see if it works out OK. So far, so good. After the switch to this diet his itching has been reduced by about 2/3 to a bearable level for us and for him. He will never be a pretty dog again and his hair doesn't grow back on his back very well anymore. But he's a good dog. The vet has told us that if he didn't have such a sweet personality things might have ended up differently, that many people she knows would have just had him put to sleep. My family would never do that as long as there was some way to give him a good life, something else to try. I've never had allergy testing done on him. Don't have facilities nearby to do that. Don't really think shots would work, but who knows?
Right now with Spring and grass mowing and pollen season it will be more of a challenge. He's back on Benedryl.
I wish I could give you a better report. I think Woody is 100% better than he was at Christmas time, but he's not cured. He enjoys family life and enjoys Bo. He hates to be outside. It seems to make him feel bad so he does his business and I bring him back in. As of now I do recommend the fish and potato diet. It's been easy on his system and he likes it.
Woody gets no treats other than raw green beans. He no longer goes to the groomer. The vet trims his nails, plucks the hair out of his ears, and takes care of the anal glands for me for about $10. I I keep his back trimmed down close so the difference on the sides isn't so obvious. I bought a grooming kit at Walmart. I wash him with Dove bar soap. I could not find one commercial dog shampoo that didn't make his skin more red and itchy!
This has to be the longest post in history. I appologize. I hope your baby's problems are not as extreme as Woody's have been and I can only pray that Bo doesn't have allergies. Right now Bo is on Authority Lamb and Rice Puppy formula. If he shows signs of allergies I will switch him to the Flint River Ranch food as well. The fish and potato diet doesn't come in a puppy formula as yet. Here's the link to Flint River web site:
http://www.flintriver.com/Default.htm
Two things: I do not recommend switching your dog to this diet unless you OK it with your vet first. Woody is a Schnauzer, not a Yorkie. I don't have any reason to think that it wouldn't work for a Yorkie, but I have to add that warning for your dog's sake. The other is, any change in food must be done gradually (although my vet OK'ed the cold turkey switch to the home-cooked diet) and keep close tabs on his weight. Yorkies tend to be picky eaters. Hope some of my sad convoluted story helps. We still love Woody and don't regret having him. Bo has been great for him and a very welcome addition to our family. Good luck!
Here's a pic of my two babies. I love them dearly!!

[myguyalex]

Thanks so much for your help. I am so sorry to hear about your Woody. That had to be so hard. Your stories were definately a help. I don't think Alex is that bad. His primary issue is his face and nose. He is smart enough not to lick, when he can contain himself. He comes and licks me or one of his favorite toys. I think I will consult the vet about that type of food. It is definately an option. I found this spray at a pet story it is called Colloidal Silver. It apparently is an alternative to steriods, or so it says. When he gets really bad I spray it on my hand and then rub it all over his face. With in about ten minutes he stops licking and goes to sleep. However, I seemed to be using a couple times a day when he is really bad. I still live it home and my parents have three other dogs. Plus, my mom stays at home most of the day, so he has plenty of stimulants. It stresses me out because I know he is uncomfortable. Anyways, Thanks so much for your help!!!!