Why is my dog losing muzzle hair and itching? Zyrtec isn't helping.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Trace. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian if his current allergy treatment protocol is no longer working. Occasionally dogs will need oral antibiotics if the rash is severe enough. Prescription anti-itch medication can provide relief as well. Steroids are a common and inexpensive option, but can cause lots of side effects in the patient. Apoquel is a newer option that works very well with fewer side effects. Cytopoint is an anti-itch injection that is given by the veterinarian. It provides relief for 4-8 weeks. Medicated shampoo or mousse can be used for further control. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent any further self trauma. You can bath him with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to soothe the skin. I hope this information helps!

Poor Muskwa! If he is that itchy, I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian. There are medications like Apoquel and Cytopoint which can stop the itching but you can only get those from your vet. sometimes anti-histamines can help but they are not as strong as the above medications. You will need to call your vet for dosing because pharmacy law prohibits online vets from dosing medications. I hope this helps.

Yes you are right this is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, I would suggest 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. Low dosage of steroids works best as Zyrtec (antihistaminic) may not be effective, even in case of allergies. 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). Once all the differentials have been ruled out, food allergy can be approached with an exclusion dietary plan. I agree with you Acana is a good option. 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.

It is possible that Zuco has environmental allergies. As he is currently in discomfort, I would recommend taking him to a veterinarian, putting him on an oral prescription flea/tick preventative such as simpsrica, bravecton or nexgard to rule out flea bite allergies, inquire about a minimum of a 2 week trial of an allergy medication called Apoquel if indicated based on your vet's examination +/- a monthly allergy injection called cytopoint. Both medications have been life changing for many dogs with environmental allergies. If Apoquel +/- a topical prescription steroid/antibiotic/antifungal ointment such as dermavet does not alleviate the itching, a food trial with a prescription diet such as Royal Canin Ultamino for a minimum of 2 months may be indicated. Home remedies if you are not able to bring him to the vet immediately can include placing an e-collar to prevent biting/worsening of lesions, a moisturizing oatmeal shampoo such as Aveeno every day and a gradual transition to Purina Derm Defense diet. Additionally your regular vet may be willing to cite a dose for OTC Benadryl to give prior to your appointment if he/she already has an established relationship with your pet.

Itchy ears are most commonly a sign of allergies. Your dog may have food allergies, environmental allergies, or parasitic/bacterial skin infection. If he hasn't had a skin scraping to rule out parasites, or skin cytology/culture to look for bacterial or yeast infection, these things should be done. Some dogs actually have skin tumors or autoimmune skin disease that is causing the itching, and those dogs need to have fine needle aspirates or skin biopsies taken for diagnosis. Also, you should try a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d for 8-10 weeks fed exclusively to treat potential food allergies. It's really important to feed ONLY the prescription diet during this time. Also, I have had great success with the oral pill Apoquel for some allergies as well, and this is a medication that is much safer to use long-term than steroids like prednisone. If this course of diagnosis and/or treatment is not possible with your current veterinarian, pursue a second opinion somewhere else. If all of these options are explored and your dog is still itchy, it's time to visit a veterinary dermatologist specialist.

Allergies and mange would be at the top of my list. A vet can easily check for intestinal parasites (mange) and then figure out a treatment plan for allergies if you don't have any parasites. There are many many different way to treat allergies, depending on how much you want to spend on medications/testing.

I believe you are referring to the medication Apoquel. I cannot tell much from the photo - is this Bear's back? My suggestions would be: 1. Do an allergy test so you can find out what he is allergic to (if anything). ( http://petslady.com/article/new-allergy-test-my-pet-offers-home-testing-dogs-and-cats ) ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=allergy+tests&i=pets&tag=petslady-20&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 ) If there are allergies you should talk to your vet about immunotherapy instead of spending time and money on all this other stuff. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/allergy-testing-immunotherapy-in-dogs/ ) 2. Talk to your vet about the possibility of underlying endocrinopathy and test for them (ie: Cushing's disease, thryoid disease, etc) 3. Try using this line of anti-itch products. (Calm by Duoxo). There is shampoo, mousse and spray. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6679-douxo-calm-mousse-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6688-douxo-calm-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6674-douxo-calm-micro-emulsion-spray-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx ) With allergies, you need to find the underlying cause and treat that instead of just trying to just cure symptoms.