Could my dog's red spots, scratching, and itchy eyes be allergies?

It's very possible there is a food allergy, such as chicken, if you notice a reaction after he eats it. A food trial with your vet may be a good idea so that you can gradually reintroduce ingredients under direct supervision and note which cause a response. Checking treats and people food is also a good idea as the ingredients in those can cause reactions even if the daily diet does not. Food trials can take 6-8 weeks to see results, so you may need to have Buddy on a limited diet for a while to see if anything helps. Another option would be to seek out an allergy specialist that could test Buddy, or try out alternative allergy treatments to the steroid shot to see if anything has positive results for him.

This sounds like an environment or food allergy. The red is due to yeast proliferation from moistness in the hair. I would recommend a novel protein elimination diet for 40 days. Benadryl is a good anti-histamine but may not work as it only improves a certain type of allergy. Neosporin can be damaging to the kidneys so I would avoid using it. It also only contains antibiotics and so would not be helpful. Fish oils can also be very helpful at lowering inflammation in the body and improving skin and joint health.

Hello. It does sound like Dyce is allergic to something. It is best to have him seen by your veterinarian to try & get to the bottom of his issues, whether they be environmental allergies, food allergies, or even the presence of fleas or skin mites causing him to itch. We now have very good & very safe products to treat allergies, including Apoquel & Cytopoint. If you can not get Dyce to the vet, you can start him on a good fish oil supplement made for dogs, such as Dermapet & F.A. capsules. Most large pet retailers will have a good selection. You can also bathe Dyce 1-2 times weekly in cool water using a mild oatmeal based shampoo or one that contains either 1% hydrocortisone or pramoxine. These will give short term relief & when used regularly, may decrease the incidence of his allergic outbreaks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dobey. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. It sounds like he is very itchy. Has he had a recent diet change? If it happens after eating, he could be experiencing an allergic reaction to his food. How many bowel movements does he have per day? If it is more than 2-3 or he is having loose stool, then this is a sign the food is bothering him as well. Other possibilities are environmental allergies, a contact allergy or an infectious cause. His veterinarian will examine him and guide you on either skin tests or medication trials. In the meantime, you can bathe him with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to help soothe the skin. I hope this information helps!

Poor girl. This is what appears to be a skin allergy which can be to something in the environment or something in her food. The top food allergens are chicken, turkey, beef or lamb. I would suggest a prescription diet which is controlled and proven effective for food allergies. My top picks are Royal Canin Ultamino, Royal Canin skin support, or Hill’s Z/D ultra. California natural by Natura can also be tried without a prescription card. Here is a website link with more info on food trials in pets to rule out a food allergy. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499 For immediate relief I would recommend a topical shampoo (Duoxo calm shampoo) and allergy medicine (ie Apoquel) from your local vet. It can take anywhere from 6-12 months on average for allergy shots to start becoming effective in pets and usually around 75% of pets respond to these. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Simba relief from her allergies. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. It sounds like this possible infection may be significant though it is hard to tell without an examination. 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!

If you haven't yet had him seen by a vet, ideally I would recommend that you have him evaluated. He may have a secondary bacterial infection that needs to be cleared up with antibiotics, and he may benefit from prescription medications such as Apoquel which can make a big difference for these guys! If you are unable to get him to the vet, you can try him on an antihistamine such as Benadryl. See here for dosing info: https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/benadryl/. Try switching him to a "sensitive skin" food, such as this: (this s actually what I feed my dog who has some skin allergies/dry skin/itchiness) https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/hills-science-diet-adult-sensitive-stomach-and-skin-chicken-recipe-dry-dog-food You can also give some Omega 3 supplements, as this may help as well. Bathe him once a week to cut down on topical allergens being absorbed in the skin, and follow with a dog cream rinse. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-shampoo-with-vitamin-d3 https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-rinse-with-vitamin-d3 If these "at home" measures don't give him relief, though, get him in to see your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!