My dog has allergies, itchy skin, and ear problems. How to help?

It could potentially be an ear infection. I would recommend taking Diesel to the veterinarian to have them evaluate his whole ear canal to make sure an infection isn't deep in the ear canal. If you wanted to switch dog foods I would go to a salmon based formula to get some omega 3s in his diet. It is not a hypoallergenic food but it may help a little. Make sure you get the puppy version of the food and do a gradual transition to the new diet. I hope Diesel feels better and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. It does sound like Dyce is allergic to something. It is best to have him seen by your veterinarian to try & get to the bottom of his issues, whether they be environmental allergies, food allergies, or even the presence of fleas or skin mites causing him to itch. We now have very good & very safe products to treat allergies, including Apoquel & Cytopoint. If you can not get Dyce to the vet, you can start him on a good fish oil supplement made for dogs, such as Dermapet & F.A. capsules. Most large pet retailers will have a good selection. You can also bathe Dyce 1-2 times weekly in cool water using a mild oatmeal based shampoo or one that contains either 1% hydrocortisone or pramoxine. These will give short term relief & when used regularly, may decrease the incidence of his allergic outbreaks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Itchy ears are most commonly a sign of allergies. Your dog may have food allergies, environmental allergies, or parasitic/bacterial skin infection. If he hasn't had a skin scraping to rule out parasites, or skin cytology/culture to look for bacterial or yeast infection, these things should be done. Some dogs actually have skin tumors or autoimmune skin disease that is causing the itching, and those dogs need to have fine needle aspirates or skin biopsies taken for diagnosis. Also, you should try a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d for 8-10 weeks fed exclusively to treat potential food allergies. It's really important to feed ONLY the prescription diet during this time. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. If this course of diagnosis and/or treatment is not possible with your current veterinarian, pursue a second opinion somewhere else. If all of these options are explored and your dog is still itchy, it's time to visit a veterinary dermatologist specialist.

Hello, and thanks for your question about Mya. Allergies are very common in dogs, and they can be frustrating to control! I recommend asking your vet about Cytopoint, which is a monthly injection, and Apoquel, which is a daily pill. These are very effective non-steroid allergy medications that can either be given individually or (in more severe cases) together. For young dogs like Mya, I usually prefer the cytopoint injections, and then add Apoquel if necessary. If the a strict feeding trial with the Royal Canin Ultramino diet didn't help, then her allergies are less likely to be related to food, and are more likely environmental. Of course, also make sure she's kept current on a high quality flea/tick preventative, to make sure an external parasite can't be complicating things! And if a skin scrape has never been done, that may be advised as well - I've had skin mites get misdiagnosed as allergies before! If it comes to it, I've certainly had patients who did best on steroids - and that can be done pretty safely if you're weaning to the lowest effective every-other-day dose. Hopefully this helps! Of course, I'd defer on all points to a vet who has seen Mya in person!

Oh my. Poor girl. Only a very small percentage of dogs actually have a grain allergy. Allergies to beef, chicken, turkey and lamb are more common. I would try to avoid these proteins in her food. Also food alleriges are not as common as environmental alllergies or flea allergies. Here is a website link that talks about pet skin allergies in detail. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1535 However, the best thing you can do to help her right away is to take her back to the vet and request actual allergy medication to be prescribed for her. I have the most success prescribing Apoquel to my patients, because it isn't a steroid and is fast acting (within 24 hrs). OTher choices are Temaril P and Atopica. Pet formulated fish oils (from your local pet store) can also be given in addition to the allergy medication to provide some natural skin anti-inflammatory properties. I hope that Maisy is able to get some relief from her skin allergies soon. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. It is possible that allergies are to blame for her ongoing skin disease especially if her problems are somewhat seasonal. There are two great new allergy medications used to control itching and licking. They are both very effective. Typically if the itching can be controlled and medication such as an antibiotic can be used to treat any secondary infection, the skin will heal. This will take away the odor. The two medications I used most commonly for environmental allergies are Apoquel and Cytopoint. It is important to rule out other allergies such as fleas and diet. She may need a prescription diet trial. I hope this information helps!

Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose and treat, for the pet, the pet owner, and the veterinarian! It is the most common cause for itching in dogs. Medications like Apoquel can eliminate the itch due to allergies, though it won't work if there is a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. Food allergies won't be treated simply by a better diet, they need to be strictly on a prescription hypoallergenic diet without other dog or human treats, and even then it can take 3-6 weeks to see positive effects. Until then, anti-itch medications, steroids, or shampoos/topical mousses can be used to minimize the itch and treat any present infection. I would recommend continuing to work with your vet to find the best solution to Toes's itch issue.