My dog's flea allergy bumps are still huge after treatment. What now?

Flea allergies can be very difficult to manage, I completely sympathize with your frustrations and below I will try to suggest some more tactics for you to employ; Treat your home for fleas as fleas actually spend more of they life cycle off of your dog then on it 3 solid months of topical treatment to end the flea life cycle Skin health supplements such as vitamin e and fish oils http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977955 Benadryl has been known to help provide temporary relief pets when they are facing itchy skin from allergies https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ I hope these tactics help you and Celeste, and please feel free to post any further questions you may have here on Petcoach!

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!

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Fleas can be so frustrating and I sympathize with what you were going through. What has to happen for your dog to heal and for the lump to possibly go down, Is for the itch cycle and the inflammation to be stopped. A visit to the local veterinarian is a must in this situation because they will have strong prescription strength flea preventative as well as steroids that can be given to your dog to stop the fleas and therefore the dermatitis that’s associated with their biting. I urge you not to use any further over-the-counter flea preventative or skin medications without the approval from your veterinarian. This will only delay the healing and may exacerbate the problem. The lump should go down with time as long as the fleas are killed and the inflammation of the skin is controlled. But, if the lamp does not go away within the next two months, you may want to have your veterinarian take a biopsy of it just to see if it is indeed even related to the fleas. Does that make sense? I appreciate you reaching out to our service. I hope I’ve helped you today.

There are a few causes for the bumps you are seeing. Fleas are still a possibility. Bravecto is an excellent preventative, but it can still take 3 months for all of the fleas in Elli Mae's environment to die. She could still have a bacterial infection. Sometimes these infections need a second antibiotic or a longer round to effectively treat. I have occasionally used antibiotics for 3-4 weeks to get infection under control. Unfortunately, apoquel does not work very well on an as-needed basis. It works much better when given regularly. It is typically prescribed for twice daily use and tapering to once daily use. It is safe for long-term use. You can also try a medicated shampoo as a treatment, like Dechra DermaBenSs Shampoo which will help to flush the follicles. If the problem continues for another week, I would recommend a re-check with your vet.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Gus. It looks like he has hives, which means an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions can get very serious and cause respiratory distress. He needs to see a vet now to get treated for this, please take him into a vet immediately. Best of luck.

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. 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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Poor Bruno! His abdomen looks very uncomfortable. I would recommend that you have a veterinarian examine Bruno so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. This looks like a severe contact reaction or a severe skin allergy. There are many treatment options for allergies including Cytopoint injection, which helps in cases of atopic dermatitis. There are shampoos such as Douxo PS Calm shampoo and calming sprays that contain a steroid and topical anesthetic to provide relief. Your veterinarian can guide you in the right direction and make the most appropriate recommendations based on the physical examination. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.