Allergies, driving Lilly AND I BOTH nuts!
 

I wasn't sure where to post this but I guess it can be moved if it's in the wrong spot. :confused:

I've changed Lilly's food so I'm almost positive that isn't the problem or maybe it is, I don't know. I feed her Wellness Super 5 Mix Small Breed or something along those lines (can't remember the exact name) but keep in mind, I've only been feeding this for a week maybe a tiny bit longer.

She's STILL itching. Hardcore itching. It happens more after I bathe her than it does closer to the time when she needs a bath again. Like, I just bathed her this past weekend and she's itching pretty bad but up closer to her bath time again it's like her skin doesn't bother her as bad. I'm almost 100% positive her shampoo is irritating her. I use Crazy Dog in the Rainforest scent.

What do I need to bathe her in? I noticed whenever I used my grandmother's dog's shampoo on her she didn't itch that bad but then again she wasn't itching really bad over there to begin with. :rolleyes:

Any ideas as to what could be causing this? :confused: Do you think it's something in our house? If you recommend a shampoo, please be specific and give the exact name and kind.

TIA! :p

Edited to add: If at all possible I'd like it to be scented even if it's just a light scent.

Oatmeal shampoo is very soothing. I know other members will have specific recommendations for what brand to use. I only bathed Miko in oatmeal when he was having allergies to something else. I food processed about 1 cup of oats and then filled the tub with cool to lukewarm water and stirred it around with my hand a bit. Then, I put Miko in and just poured the "oat water" over him. This was purely for soothing purposes though, not for bathing/cleaning purposes.

Make sure that when you bathe, the water is not too warm because if your baby is having allergies, the heat irritates their skin.

If the food is causing allergies, it will take a few weeks after changing the food for you to see a significant improvement.
An allergy formula might be good for her like Natural Balance allergy formulas (duck & potato or fish & sweet potato) or California Natural because of the limited ingredients.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Great advice. If she is having a particularily rough day- children's liquid benedryl works great for Layla. i try and limit when i i give it to her to only when we are desperate-and it works great.. makes her drowsy though.

Itching
 

I have owned Yorkies for more than ten years and right nw I have three of them....best breed EVER! I love my babies, but I went through a lot of trial and error with shampoos in the beginning. If one of the two I had back then did not get itchy, flakey and irritated from the over the counter shampoos the other one did. Then I found out about Coathandler products; they have no perfumes or other "gunk" in them, rinse out easily and my babies look and feel great when they are done but can only be purchase on line. I now have three little dustmops and one of them is soooo oily, so fast [in days] after bathing and this is so gentle that my little "Oil Slick" can be bathed once a week if need be. When I adopted her, her skin and coat were just awful from neglect and a poor diet; she was all flaky, dry and itchy but after I used my shampoo on her and started brushing her on a regular basis it made a tremendous difference. I did see the post about oatmeal shampoo...if it works then stick with it as oatmeal is great for the skin and very soothing but if the problem does not go away give the Coathandler shampoo a shot. I have to buy a gallon f the concentrate for three of them and have mixed some for friends dogs and they love it.

Do you take her outside and in the grass often?

My three, particularly Britney, get very itchy after playing in the grass. It's usually resolved after a bath.

Thanks so much for your reply! Yeah, I understand that the food takes a little bit to show improvements, that's why I wanted to make it clear that she's only been on it for a week. She was on the Natural Balance for allergies before this food :( and I changed trying to get her on something better AND get her allergy problem fixed.

I definitely keep the water lukewarm, I make sure it's not too warm because I'm afraid of it hurting her so I don't think that's the problem either.

See, when I was at my mom's and used my grandmother's dog shampoo it was "Fresh 'N Clean" or something with oatmeal and baking soda (I think it was BS:confused:).

Thanks for all the great advice though! :thumbup:

No :confused:, she RARELY goes outside. Where I live, dogs roam around constantly and not only am I afraid of one getting her, I'm also afraid of what type of icky stuff they leave behind in my yard. Great advice though :thumbup:, I could understand the grass bothering them, it bothers me - if I touch the grass I have to wash my hands or I itch like I'm nuts.

Also, if you can buy it online that's even better as I live in the boonies aka BFE!

I switched to Spa Scents Revitalizing Shampoo. (NO conditioner is needed) I sell it on my website too.

ProductDetail

I have found that my babies skin have improved. Rogan had some flakes and now they are gone and the itching is gone too. It really keeps them cleaner longer too and smelling nice.

I like too that a seperate conditioner isn't needed. It leaves my babies so soft and clean and no itchies!

Do you think she could be having a reaction to the food? Did it start after u switched her food?

No, I don't think it started after I switched the food. She's been itching for quite a while now and started doing it even more after I bathed her this weekend which is why I think it's the shampoo I use. The shampoo is REALLY strong scented so I don't know :/!

Anyone else? I know there HAS to be someone who knows something! C'mon guys!

I wrote a response and somehow it didn't go through, so I'll condense it really quickly for you.
Miko had an allergic reaction awhile back...Two things were causing the problem simultaneously...I bought a new blanket and Miko had been sleeping on it...This was causing the horrible itching and pink skin...Once I removed the blanket and washed it in hot water and dye-free, perfume-free detergent, the itching stopped within a day or so.

The other thing that was causing him problems was environmental. We moved from an all tiled house with carpet only in the bedrooms to a home with all carpet and tile only in the bathroom and kitchen. Carpet holds a lot of allergens....I cleaned all the carpets, washed walls, etc...The respiratory/hacking cough/asthmatic issues stopped after this.

I'm just so torn as to what's causing this with her. It's breaking my heart. She's now sitting beside me biting at the same spot on her legs NON-STOP! I just don't understand it. It started either yesterday or today, I suck at keeping track of when things start. The only new things that she has had in the past week to week and a half are:

-Wellness Food
-Yogurt Drops
-Laying on her new blankets she got in the GE

and I think that's it.

I did switch detergent and washed the couch blanket in it today but she's only laid on it once.

I cleaned all the carpets in the house before we moved in so I don't think it's that? I have no idea.

I'm taking her to get her nails trimmed tomorrow but it's not at our regular vet but I'm still going to ask them about this and what I can do. I wish I had some Children's Benadryl so I could give her some right now - that's how bad it is. Her legs are pink in the spots where she keeps itching/biting. :(

Thanks for trying to help everyone.

Allergies
 

I live in Florida and there are so many allergy producing plants, fleas, etc. My Brady chews on his feet and sometimes it sounds like he is biting his nails!! He doesn't chew his hair off or get sores which I am thankful for. The Vet switched his food to Royal Canin Hypo allergenic which I get from her and she said it takes about 3 months to see any results. Also make sure there isn't any gluten in the food or treats. This is what caused a lot of dogs to die last year. I get his shampoo at Pet Smart - it's made by "Gold Medal Pets", Medicated Formula, Relieves Itching, Aloe Vera Panthenol, Medicated Shampoo. " WE used to put brewers yeast powder (from health food store) in my last dog's food and the one before him we ended up having to make our own food for him which helped a lot but he didn't have the crunchy kibbles to keep his teeth clean. Hope these suggestions help.:bed_time: (I'm such a night owl but 12:30 is early for me. Good Luck

My little Mickey is digging too, I know its his foods. I ned to talk to the vet about it because hes on Pricription U/D food and he itches alot and if I give him the can U/D it sets him off crazy, so hes still eating the Dry U/D and is still itchy. and I hate to see him like that.


I hope you figure out whats causing your baby to itch.

My Alyssa is three years old and she has terrible allergies. About a year ago I switched her food to Canidae and then a couple of months later to Life's Abundance. Both are excellent foods. I was wanting to get away from foods with wheat and corn. After changing her food I also checked her treats as for their ingredients. Most treats contain wheat, corn, or animal bi-products. Alyssa and all of my dogs eat Wellness treats and Yorkie Yummies. Most of the others have grains in them. You might want to check the ingredients on the treats that your dog eats.

I buy my shampoo at PetSmart. I don't remember the name but it has oatmeal and is advertised to combat the itching. It works but after I use it I use another regular shampoo on her.

Another thing to consider is are you using Frontline Plus for fleas? Every month when I would use it on her she would dig at her skin and whine and cry for 2 or 3 days. She was miserable. I finally took her to the vet and she prescribed a different flea medicine. Last month she took the beef flavored pill without having to hide it in cheese. There was no reaction and no itching and whining and crying when the Frontline Plus went on. Alyssa chewed on her fur so badly that she was pulling out chunks of fur. Knock on wood...but with these changes she is living itch free and enjoying life.

Hey girl, I just wanted to tell you good luck. I definately know where your coming from. Snoot has been itching like crazy for the past two weeks. He's always had seasonal allergies since he was little. This summer didn't seem so bad for him. I was actually very happy because it was already late July and I didn't give benadryl once to him. However, about 2 weeks ago he started going crazy. I have no idea why. I did start them on the Wellness food brand but I don't see how it can be hurting him worse than the other food.

He seems so miserable. :( Sometimes he walks a step and then stops to itch, then walks again and then stops again. You get my point. I just hope once the weather changes he'll go back to normal again. I hate seeing him like this. Anyways, good luck with your baby. ;)

I feel for you, I have one that has severe alergies to food. But the funny thing is he doesnt scratch, he gets yeast sores. So he is on presciption zd, my almost 6 year old, scratches all the time, but its worse from spring to winter. She gets so bad she scratches hunks of hair out. Now she is on the presciption food, on presciption shampoo, I wash everything with alergy free detergent and use no dryer sheets in any of their stuff, now I put a tank tshirt on her and give her 1/2 a benedril in the am and in the pm. Its a little better but she still itches. I shampoo my carpet like every two months, use no detergents in the mop water, they have no fleas. So I assume its something in the air, possibly the tree in my yard. At least the tree sure does make my hubby sneeze when he mows or rakes around it. Good luck finding the culprit. I sure hope you do.

Omg girl, this sounds JUST like how Lilly's doing. It took her almost a hour last night to finally go to sleep. Whenever she's up and walking around though she'll walk a little then stop and itch/bite at herself then walk some more, so on and so forth. You would think by just watching her that she was ate up with fleas but I've checked her 50 million times and I see NOTHING. The itching is in the SAME spot too.

You don't think it's the Wellness food, do you? Which kind did you switch to?

Allergies are a pain :thumbdown.

Going through the same thing with Roxy. She eats home cooked grain free food. She gets fish oil and vit E in her food. I do not use fabric softeners, and I wash with dye free and fragrance free detergent.

I do not use conditioner any more and I do not put anything on her hair other than shampoo - which I got from the Vet, it's a anti bacterial/fungal shampoo. I make sure to rinse her for a LONG time, making sure no residue is left on her.

I give her children's benedyl daily, as she needs to stop and let the skin heal.

I also give her 1/4 teaspoon of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of Lilly of the Valley Oral Aloe Vera Gel in her PM meals.

We have hardwood and tile and I vacuum every week.

I must say she has gotten better, but not 100% - allergies suck :mad:

I want a house with hardwood and tile floors so bad. We live in a rental right now so we can't do anything about the carpet, we're hopefully going to start looking at houses before long though!

I took her to the vet today to have her nails trimmed. I think I'm going to switch to them, they're sooo great! Anyway, the vet just said to give her Children's Benadryl (I forget how much he said:confused:), I'll call tomorrow though and ask again. He said if it doesn't stop with the Benadryl to bring her back in and we'll try something else. I should have asked him if maybe her shampoo is too strong but I forgot. If it isn't one thing it's another.

Thanks guys!

<heavy sigh> Rusty has a new allergy related thing.. his little eyerims are swollen and pink, not black.....I rushed him to the vet last week and I have to give him Benadryl 3 times a day. I give him liquid because he can find the quarter pill and spit it out, no matter what I hide it in.

Strange that I just switched him to WELLNESS kibble. This really makes me wonder if Wellness is not the cause of this new disorder............?

I'm seriously wondering this too ever since I saw the first person reply saying they had switched to Wellness and their dog had allergies too. I mean, Lilly has always had mild allergies but ever since this, it's out of control :eek: and I don't know what to do. I asked our soon to be new vet today and he said to give her Children's Benadryl. This is so aggravating. How can we find out if it IS the food? :confused: I'm not going to spend a load of money on a food that just causes my babies allergies to act up even worse. :(

I posted a new thread in the Health forum , but I am going to switch him over to anything but Wellness and see if this issue rights itself. I'm like you, I'm not gonna buy things that cause him to itch, no matter how well recommended they are....<sigh> I would switch your girlie too and see if it helps her......

So far Rusty is allergic to both Royal Canin and Chicken Soup, so it would not surprise me to learn that Wellness is not working either...

Yes, just found a website with many Wellness complaints:

Wellness - Reviews on RateItAll

Didn't have to search very far.... Also found this word of wisdom:

"People need to realize that not all pets tolerate "good" things in foods and that's why their pets can become ill. A lot of good quality foods including Wellness can be too rich for some pets which cause itching, loose stool, vomiting and diarrhea. Also when switching to a new food you must gradually make the change and not just switch them immediately over. In the past I tried Chicken Soup and Natural Balance and my pets had issues and refused to eat the food."

Wow, thanks for the info! I'm taking it back to Petco, it was way too much to just let it sit there and go to waste. I'm at a loss on what to try now. I'd switch her to Life's Abundance because she loved the food but I hate not having the option of paying a high price for something and not being able to take it back if it doesn't work out.

I went ahead and bought some soothing dog shampoo today and I'm going to use that in case the other shampoo I use is too strong and if it still proceeds, I'm taking her off the Wellness.

Thanks!!!!:thumbup:

Hi Emily! Sorry I'm just now seeing this but Life's Abundance DOES offer a money back guarentee!

If, for any reason, your purchase is not satisfactory, we will gladly replace it or refund your money . Just click here to read this: Trilogy Safe Shopping Guarantee

If you order the food and you see no change after you give it a chance you can return it for a refund if it doesn't help :)

Just click my siggy if you decided to order. I'm so glad she loved the food I sent you! maybe it IS the wellness causing the itchies. I hope this helps!

Chester needs tearless shmapoo his skin is so sensitive, chester gets his feet wiped when we come in from outside, and sometimes I just rinse him off with lukewarm water. I have used some apple cider vinegar with water once and it seemed to help. I have also used some stuff called buddy boo boo from cloud star I think and it has natural oils in and that helps unless its very bad then its not good to use.

I wanted to jump in here, not sure if you're still checking the thread or not. But Otis has hayfever and it has gotten so bad the last 2 weeks. Took him to vet. He gave me a prescription for the same meds he was on last year. Hydroxyzine 10mg 2-3 times a day. He said I could give 1ml of benedryl per pound of the dog ( but that seems like too much to me.) But not to give benedryl and hydroxyzine together. Otis was on wellness duck and rice. He suggested switching proteins to a fish based food because there is more oil in the fish. So I'm sticking with wellness but switched to whitefish and sweet potatoe. He's been on the hydroxyzine since wednesday nite and I notice a big difference. He's not itch free, but it's better than it was. Your baby may need medicine during these high allergy months. Also, I only bathe Otis once every month to month and a half. He also itches worse after the bath. I keep his coat short so he doesn't carry as much dirt around. Good Luck to you. It's so frustrating because you don't know exactly what it is!!!

a good natural shampoo for allergies is dr. bronners unscented mild baby shampoo and it is for pets also. It is all organic oils and castille soap and very safe. I use it on my allergy yorkie too -- there is a group for allergies that is very helpful called allerdog@yahoogroups.com. I is very helpful with this as i have been dealing with this for 4 years and into it about 5k with dermatologists and specialists. She is hypothyroid, mvd and severe atopic dermatitits and allergies start to occur at ages 6 mos to 3 years in yorkies and usually not food and in most cases environmental which is more difficult to treat. You are lucky if it is just food related. The best allergy diet with minimal ingredients is natural balance fish and sweet potato as it is lower in protein than duck which is important for yorkie breed.