Dog itchy skin & diarrhea. Allergy meds failed. Should I change food?

Allergies can be very frustrating to diagnose since they have multiple cause (flea allergy, food allergy, environmental allergies or a combination). Consider an exam with a veterinary dermatologist to determine if Luna has allergies and what she may be allergic to. Discuss allergy testing, food elimination trials, hydrolyzed diets and antihistamine use with the veterinarian. Allergy tests using hair or saliva samples are unvalidated and unproven. Save your money on the home tests and use the link below to find a dermatologist. https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist

Poor Adah! I'm sorry that she's been itchy. If I'm understanding your question correctly, it sounds like you are concerned that some of the itching may be due to a food allergy. You're right that food allergies are a somewhat common cause of itching and skin issues in young dogs like Adah, so this is very possible. The best way to determine if this is the problem is to do a food trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet such as Hills z/d or Purina HA - many of these diets are approved for use in growing puppies, so your vet can help advise you on which one would be the best choice for Adah. Switching to another over-the-counter diet may or may not help, since it depends on what ingredient(s) she's allergic to - this is why it's much more effective to do a prescription diet trial, since these foods are specially formulated to avoid causing any allergic response. If she responds well to the diet trial, you can choose to either keep her on the prescription diet long-term, or slowly begin introducing other foods to see what she can tolerate, with the goal of eventually getting her back on an over-the-counter diet.

If Gemma was previously diagnosed with food allergies, then they don't seem to be better yet. What you are describing would definitely fit with a food allergy, so I'll give some comments about how I would address this problem. First, it can take several weeks for the allergy to go away after a diet change. So, if it's been less than six weeks after the diet was switched, then you'll need to wait a little longer before you know if it worked or not. Food allergies are due to certain proteins and they are usually animal proteins (beef, pork, dairy, etc.). To find the actual protein Gemma was allergic to, you must have done an elimination trial. If there was not an elimination trial done, then you would be only guessing at the source of the allergies. One way I often bypass the elimination trial is by recommending a hydrolysed protein diet such as Hill's i/d. In these diets, the proteins are broken down, so there is minimal chance of them causing an allergy. This would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian though. In the meantime, you may consider starting a diet trial to see if that helps to relieve the problems Gemma is having. Here is a link to a good article that explains how to do the diet: http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/ Keep in mind that your diet trial will cease to work if she is getting any treats or table scraps. Make sure that there is no possibility of this happening - especially if there are kids in the house. As always, it's always best to do these things in consultation with your vet. They can also ensure that nothing else is responsible for the diarrhea. I hope this helps and Gemma feels better soon.

HI, sorry to hear you're having a problem with Coal. In my experience, usually dogs are allergic to a type of grain or meat, not milk. But if that's the case, there may be something else he is allergic to that you have not tested for yet. I would put him on a special prescription diet for dogs with allergies. Also, ask your vet about medication to use when he is having flare up. Steroids can be helpful for this, but they need to be prescribed by a vet. there is another medication called Apoquel which may be available to you that is a great help. Good luck, i hope this helps!

Probiotics, antihistamines and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets may help but they may not cure the condition. When you can, have Lily re-examined by the veterinarian. I recommend to conduct a proper food trial with a prescription hydrolyzed protein diet. This is the best and only way to accurately rule out food allergies as the cause of itching. Other possibilities include environmental allergies and thyroid conditions. I hope this helps and your situation resolved quickly.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Luna with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Poor Aura! I'm sorry to hear that she's having skin issues. Allergies in dogs can often be frustrating to diagnose and treat effectively. For environmental allergies, treatment options include prescription medications like Apoquel, Cytopoint, and prednisone. Allergy testing and immunotherapy can also be considered as a treatment option. For food allergies, a 6-8 week diet trial with a prescription hypoallergenic food such as Purina HA or Royal Canin Ultamino is needed for diagnosis. If the dog responds positively, the prescription diet can be continued long-term as part of the treatment plan. I would recommend discussing these options with your veterinarian to see what he/she recommends as the next step for Aura.