Dog has allergies, weight loss, skin bumps, but bloodwork is normal?

Hello, sorry to hear about Noise. Allergic skin disease in dogs can be very frustrating to manage for owners, veterinarians, and our pets. It usually involves a long process of skin testing, strict diet trials, and medications. I would suggest continuing to follow your veterinarians instructions while hopefully the apoquel cuts Noise's itch cycle. Otherwise, you can ask to see s dermatologist in your area to obtain specialized treatment for Noise. I hope this helps.

Allergies should not cause a dog to lose weight. He should be examined by a vet for a workup. Your vet can run bloodwork to look for kidney disease, liver disease, endocrine diseases, cancer, etc. Please call your vet to schedule an appointment and work-up. Your vet could also prescribe an anti-histamine to control his allergies.

Those spots on Brody could be several things including an allergic reaction (like hives), allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or skin mites (like scabies). Unfortunately, all these conditions look alike. 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. Allergic reactions are treated with steroids and antihistamines. 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. 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. I recommend to call your veterinarian and have Brody examined again. When pets don't respond as expected to treatment, it can mean that the real diagnosis has not been discovered. For skin health in general, 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 Brody wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Based on previous diagnostics I would proceed with a biopsy ( a larger sample) as well as a culture and sensitivity. If there is growth on the sample, I would proceed with a longer duration of antibiotics as indicated. It may be worthwhile in the interim to start a low dose of steroids to reduce any inflammatory/allergic response, but I would only start after collecting a good biopsy and culture. This could be an infection, but it is also possible that it is a type of neoplasia like lymphoma or mast cell and a larger sample is likely needed to determine.

If Airbud was suffering from hypothyroidism, you would see a dull and thin coat, with flaky skin. From your description, it sounds like to me like he might be suffering from allergies. A typical sign of allergies in dogs is paw licking. I would recommend having blood tests and intradermal skin tests done to determine if he does have allergies. If you feel your vet doesn't want to go further, I would see the opinion of another vet, or you can see if there is a veterinary dermatologist in your area that you can bring Airbud to in order to be seen and treated.

Hi there. What you are describing is suspicious of allergies. While I always recommend that my clients get a skin scrape first to make sure there are no mites, etc, if this is negative we begin the journey to diagnosing the possible allergens. Many dogs have flea allergies. If your pet is up to date on a good flea preventative, this is not as likely. Commonly, dogs can develop food allergies over time as well. The worst part of checking for this is that a true food trial (a new specialized diet) has to be the ONLY thing you feed and can take a few months to see real resorts. Allergy medications are available now through your veterinarian's office. Depending on what they see on physical exam, your pet might be. Candidate for Apoquel or chtopoint injections to control itching. I hope this information helps!

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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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!