My dog has allergies, bites skin, and wears a cone. What's next?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could also be mange for instance and an exam and diagnostics would be needed to know for sure. You can buy a cone though that is only going to temporarily help and the cause of the itchiness still needs to be worked up to get that resolved. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

It could be the allergies, or it could be something in her mouth, such as something stuck between her teeth, and infected tooth, or something else like that. I would recommend that you have your girl checked out by a vet for peace of mind. If her oral exam is normal, you may want to talk to your vet about other treatment options for allergies since wearing a cone only stops the damage they can cause to themselves, it won't take away the itching that causes them to lick or chew. Depending on her symptoms, she may benefit from allergy testing and drops or shots, a special diet, oral medications like Apoquel, or a monthly injection like Cytopoint to help manage her symptoms. Here are some links you may find helpful for allergies: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&sterm=allergies&species=All https://www.petcoach.co/article/allergies/

It is possible that Zuco has environmental allergies. As he is currently in discomfort, I would recommend taking him to a veterinarian, putting him on an oral prescription flea/tick preventative such as simpsrica, bravecton or nexgard to rule out flea bite allergies, inquire about a minimum of a 2 week trial of an allergy medication called Apoquel if indicated based on your vet's examination +/- a monthly allergy injection called cytopoint. Both medications have been life changing for many dogs with environmental allergies. If Apoquel +/- a topical prescription steroid/antibiotic/antifungal ointment such as dermavet does not alleviate the itching, a food trial with a prescription diet such as Royal Canin Ultamino for a minimum of 2 months may be indicated. Home remedies if you are not able to bring him to the vet immediately can include placing an e-collar to prevent biting/worsening of lesions, a moisturizing oatmeal shampoo such as Aveeno every day and a gradual transition to Purina Derm Defense diet. Additionally your regular vet may be willing to cite a dose for OTC Benadryl to give prior to your appointment if he/she already has an established relationship with your pet.

It's good that she can't chew but that doesn't fix the underlying condition. Being itchy is miserable and you don't want her uncomfortable. The two most important things are to prevent further injury (good job on getting the cone) and to stop the underlying problem. You must get the fleas off of her, otherwise she will be itchy (and thus unhappy) but she will also want to chew on herself as soon as the cone is off. The flea shampoo will last for about 24 hours but beyond that, she does not have any protection. If you can't get the recommended products, you can try Frontline. It doesn't kill fleas as quickly and there can be some resistance issues but it is better than most over the counter products. Please post again with any further questions.

Chronic skin allergies can be related several things including allergies to fleas, skin mites, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Simba wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Hanibal! It sounds like the vet is treating for a skin infection but Hanibal is very itchy! I would call your Vet and tell them how itchy he is and ask to have medication prescribed. Either a steroid taper or apoquel. Be sure they have kept mites in mind for his skin condition. Dogs do not tear up their skin out of boredom. I wish Hanibal the best!

Poor Shake! Itchy skin can be very difficult to figure out the underlying cause and can be really tough to manage, so I understand your frustration. I would discuss a plan with the vet you feel most comfortable with for long term management of Shake's skin. Most dogs that have underlying allergies are managed, not cured. I would also plan to do recheck appointments to make sure he is improving and you are seeing results. You may want to consider taking Shake to a veterinary dermatologist, if one is available in your area, as they are specialists and only deal with skin issues. First and foremost, I would make sure that Shake is on good flea and tick control to make sure that is not contributing to his itching. Many dogs that have underlying allergies that will often have severe allergies to flea bites as well. Although it is difficult to see what is going on by the pictures alone, I do suspect he has a secondary infection from chewing/itching, that may need to be addressed with oral medication. I would also recommend having the vet do skin scrapes on him to look for mites if this was not done already, and possibly put him on mite treatment just to rule it out as a possibility. Many dogs with itchy skin need multi-modal therapy, including medicated shampoo, omega 3 fatty acids, and oral antibiotics and/or antifungal medication to get itchy skin under control. There are some medications available through your vet for allergic dogs that may help, such as apoquel or atopica. The most important thing to do is follow up with the vet or discuss referral to a veterinary dermatologist to make sure adjustments don't need to be made in the treatment plan.