How to help my dog's allergies when vet treatments aren't enough?

Hello! Canine allergies can be a really difficult problem to manage, so I sympathize! There are two main classes of allergies- environmental and food. If allergy testing hasn't been done, it is an expensive investment, but it can give you a report of the most common environmental allergies. Most environments that are colder and snowier tend to have less pollens, allergens, and insects overall and many allergic dogs may cope better in colder climates for that reason. Dogs with environmental allergies benefit from regular baths and having their feet wiped down with hypoallergenic baby wipes after they go outdoors to mechanically remove any possible pollens, etc that may be stuck to the feet and triggering a reaction. Dogs that are primarily allergic to ingredients of their food may do much better on a different diet. Dogs tend to be allergic to proteins in their diet, such as beef or chicken. Grain allergies are possible but exceedingly rare- grain free diets are widely considered a marketing ploy by vets and not actually helpful. My own dog has a beef allergy and does just fine on over the counter food with no beef products, for example. It takes 8-12 weeks after exposure to the food allergen for the reaction to completely go away- for this reason, many people get frustrated with new diets too early and give up. The diet also will not work if she is being fed any outside table scraps or treats, so compliance is key. Trying a diet with a new protein she has not had before, such as fish or kangaroo, for an entire 12 weeks may be a beneficial idea to discuss with your dermatologist. If you do this, transition the food slowly over 7 days to let her GI flora adjust and make sure if you have a dog food bin, you clean it well between the two foods as to not contaminate the new food. The most important thing to remember with allergies is that she is likely constantly being exposed to them, so treatment needs to be just as constant to battle it. I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any more questions after your dermatology appointment!

Thanks for reaching out about your dog. Allergies can be very concerning for pet owners because they really bother our pets so much and seem to be so hard to control! It is important to work with your vet to determine what exactly is causing the allergy in severe cases. Some dogs are certainly allergic to grass. Dogs can be allergic to many other things as well including things like cedar, mold, and even their own food. They can even be allergic to fleas. What's more, since you have a bulldog (adorable as they are!) they tend to have very sensitive skin and are prone to skin issues! It might be good to talk to your vet about allergy testing or even to find a veterinary dermatologist in your area. Finding the root cause of the allergies is the best way to fight them. In the meantime, you can give the benadryl up to every 8 hours and continue to use the spray like your vet suggested. You can also use Oatmeal shampoo (but don't bathe more that 2x a month!) which is soothing to a dog's skin to help ease the itch. It is also a good idea to give fish oil supplements with the food. I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me via a private consultation if you have any further questions! I hope your baby feels better soon!

If he scratches and is itchy year round, it could be a food allergy or an indoor allergen. Discuss desensitization injections (allergy shots), hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials with your veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-trials-for-allergies-in-pets-what-to-expect https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-a-novel-protein-pet-food/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/food-allergies/

As your vet said This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. It is very important anyway , in order to rule out skin parasites, to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Buster collar may be useful to avoid further scratching/rubbing. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I'm sorry that Hatty is so uncomfortable with the itching. I am glad to hear that you have consulted with a dermatologist. Allergies and skin problems secondary to the allergies can be very frustrating to treat. Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, allergies are something that need to be managed long-term. I'm wondering if the dermatologist talked to you about either Apoquel or Cytopoint. They are fairly new to the market, but I have had a lot of success treating dogs with allergies using these medications. Apoquel is a pill and Cytopoint is an injection. I would recommend talking to the dermatologist or your regular veterinarian to see about trying one or both of these. They can be used together if the dog is very itchy. Bathing with a hypoallergenic or a medicated shampoo can also help dogs with topical allergies. I hope this helps and that Hatty gets some relief soon.

Hello, sorry to hear about AVA. Allergic skin disease can be very stressful and frustrating for owners, pets and veterinarians. As you probably know by now, allergies in dogs can arise for 3 sources. However, one must rule out non-allergic causes for itchiness such as mite infestations and ringworm. Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) is one that causes very severe itchiness over their back and tail base. Ava should be on strict, monthly flea preventative and your environment should be treated with insecticide at least once monthly especially during the spring and summer months. Remember, you don't need to see fleas on your dog in order for her to have FAD. A single flea bite can produce enough flea saliva to induce an allergic reaction. About 75% of the dogs that do not have FAD, have an allergy to something in the environment. i.e pollen, grasses, cat dander, human dander, trees, house mites, flies, etc. These are the hardest to diagnose and typically involve doing an expensive allergy test. There is a blood allergy test and skin allergy test for this. Once we have obtained results for this test, we typically recommend following up with desensitization injections which work by injecting a small dose of the allergens AVA may be reactive to with the goal of creating immunity so that she no longer responds with an allergic reaction. Treatment for this may last up to 8 months and the success rate is about 60-70%. The remainder 30% have also shown reduce degree of an allergic reaction. The last category involves food allergies. These are typically the least common kind of allergy in dogs and require a food trial with a novel protein diet (something your dog has never beed offered such as rabbit, duck, lamb, venison, or kangaroo) or a hydrolyzed protein diet. Diet trials should be administered for a period of 6-8 weeks without any other food source. (no treats, table scraps, or different kinds of food). Clearly, determining which kind of allergy your dog may have can take severe weeks to a few months. Therefore, in the interim, allergic pets should again be on strict flea preventative, allergy medications such apoquel, atopica, steroids, Cytopoint injections or antihistamines. Any secondary yeast or bacterial infections should be treated as well with antibiotics and anti-fungals. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Hi there and thank you for posting your question. In regards to allergies, there are multiple causes of allergy symptoms. If we are talking about environmental allergies, there are certainly multiple things you can use to help alleviate allergies. Bathing with a good quality shampoo (Duoxo PS shampoo is a great product) is a good start. Supplementing with Omega-3 fish oils (such as Canine Welactin) and topical essential oils (Dermoscent Essential 6 spot on) can aid in relieving allergy symptoms. Over the counter antihistamines can also be used. You can start with Benadryl and give 1mg per pound of body weight every 12 hours for allergy relief. If these fail to relieve the allergy symptoms, then I would suggest scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss other options that you may have for treating the allergies as there are many treatments available from your veterinarian to help. Hope this helps and do feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns that you may have!