skin allergy

I have two shihtzus.  The oldest is 6yo and the other is 4yo.  They both had recent bouts of a skin allergy where they had bumps under the skin that became like pimples then oozed and then crusted over and dried up.  I changed their food but that didn't help, only got worse.  They were both on steroids and antibiotics which cleared it up for a short time but it always came back.  I finally narrowed it down that it must be a flea allergy b/c I started using some kind of flea stuff my vet gave (use it once/mth...it is liquid...not frontline...can't remember the name...and its expensive) and the bumps went away.  Now my oldest one I noticed has a couple of bumps come back and some "hot spots."  What can I do?  What kind of flea prevention do you recommend?  I try to be very "natural" with  my health and my dogs and I don't like giving them stuff with alot of preservatives, etc in it.  Like the stuff I am using now has BHT in it.  I started giving them each half a dose of Omega 3/day to help with there skin and joints.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

It might be best to have both your dogs tested for allergies.  Once they have been tested they can be desensitized to the allergens.  Desensitization is performed by administering the allergen in minute amounts by injection.  The dose of allergen is gradually increased over time until the dog becomes tolerant and asymptomatic.  Flea could be one of the allergens included in the protocol.  This method is more natural than placing an insecticide on your dogs, however some dogs need both the injections and the insecticide.  There are numerous topical flea and tick products.  One of the safest is Revolution and it also kills the scabies mite which can cause extreme itching.  You must also rid your house of fleas either by an exterminator, or by bug bombs, or by other products.  Another product that I like is called Flea Busters for ridding the house of fleas.  It is very safe and is a natural substance.

Most dogs with allergies do have combinations of allergies and rarely are allergic to only one thing.  So your dogs' may have food and flea or other allergies.  

Hypoallergenic diets can be important.  These foods consist of one novel protein (a protein that your dog has not been exposed to before) and potato.  There are very few hypoallergenic diets available over the counter, they are available from your vet and are worth a try.  You should use a diet with as little grains as possible or no grains at all, because grains are inflammatory, and can worsen allergic skin.  Another suggestion I have for you is to  use filtered or bottled water for your dogs.  Some allergic dogs seem to improve on purified water.

No matter what, your dogs may occasionally need antihistamines and short courses of steroids to keep things in check.