My dog is itchy and whines after grass. What helps his allergies?

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!

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I would avoid putting anything on the skin until the infection is under control. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Poor Oakley! I would discuss steroid use in him with your vet. He may benefit from a shot such as Depo Medrol to help with the allergic reaction to the grass. I would also ask for a referral to a veterinarian dermatologist. As an expert in veterinary dermatology, they may have more treatments available to help Oakley with this problem.

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/

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!

You could bathe her with DOUXO® Calm shampoo and see if that helps. Also, limit the time she is outside and keep your windows closed. You could also use an omega 3 supplement, Free Form Snip Tips or Wellactin. Otherwise, you would need to talk to your vet about using an anti-histamine, corticosteroid, or a newer allergy medications (Apoquel or Cytopoint).

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. It is important to establish a diagnosis first in order to give the most effective treatment. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, 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). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!