CHANG PLEASE FOLLOW UP

[tragdysangel]

tragdysangel
5/29/2007
C1  . 1. 9 years
2. no
3. yes she drinks alot
4.no
5.no
6.No its not new, for about 1 year now but its getting worse , its not seasonal
7.No
8.yes
9. Mississippi
10.all over but mostly down the middle of her back
11.yes she does
12. no
13. no
14.no
15.no I sometimes give her bendryal pill
16.I changed her dog food from corn to a soy bean dog food and it has not helped yet but that was 1 week ago.
.Please if you can give me some advice on how to make my baby so that she's not scratching all the time we would be very THANKFUL.

Thank You ,
tragdysangel
5/29/2007
C1  . 1. 9 years
2. no
3. yes she drinks alot
4.no
5.no
6.No its not new, for about 1 year now but its getting worse , its not seasonal
7.No
8.yes
9. Mississippi
10.all over but mostly down the middle of her back
11.yes she does
12. no
13. no
14.no
15.no I sometimes give her bendryal pill
16.I changed her dog food from corn to a soy bean dog food and it has not helped yet but that was 1 week ago.
.Please if you can give me some advice on how to make my baby so that she's not scratching all the time we would be very THANKFUL.

Thank You ,

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

Shihzu’s in general are an allergic breed.  I am surprised that your dog is not on heartworm or flea medication.  Heartworm disease can be common there and is so easily prevented with a once per month pill.  I just mention heartworm disease because it is common but does not cause itching.   Fleas are prevalent in Mississippi.  Dogs can have severe flea allergy dermatitis.  You may never see the flea on your dog (The flea could bite and jump off), but one bite from the flea can cause months of itching agony due to the flea allergy.  

Since you said that the itching is not season I assume it is all year round.  I believe there are fleas in Mississippi all year as there are many year round environmental allergies.  Environmental allergies are anything that is not food.  Food allergy dermatitis is a separate problem that can also cause severe itching.

I believe your dog’s problem can only be controlled under a veterinarian’s care.  She needs prescription medication and a hypoallergenic prescription diet to get this under control, at least initially.  Dogs can be allergic to soy as well as corn. Your veterinarian can also do diagnostic tests necessary to get at the root of the problem.

I am transcribing information from another recent question since all the same information applies to your pet.  If your dogs itching problem is primarily due to food allergy than the portion about food allergy will be the most important section for you, however, Allergies are seldom restricted to just one cause.  I have a feeling that she may have multiple allergies.

For environmental allergies there are blood tests and intradermal skin tests.  There is no reliable test for food allergies.  Dogs can be allergic to anything.  When a dog is as severe as your dog seems to be I look for secondary factors.  Secondary factors include: Ectoparasites (skin parasites) such as scabies, demodex or other mites, or fleas; or, skin yeasts (malasezzia, which cause smelly skin), or ringworm; or, autoimmune factors; or, endocrine diseases; or, pyoderma (bacterial skin infections).  Much of the time all of the factors have to be controlled to achieve complete resolution of the skin problems.  If your veterinarian has not done so already he or she should do a skin scraping, impression smear, slide of the discharge from the ear (if there is concurrent ear infection), or biopsy of the skin lesions.  He should then treat for whatever secondary skin infection he finds.  Blood tests are necessary to diagnose endocrine and some autoimmune disease.  Treatment can involve:  shampoos, topical rinses or conditioners, topical ear medication, steroids, antifungals, antibiotics, antihistamines, hypoallergenic diets, antiparasitic medication and a new medication called Atopica depending on what your veterinarian has found.  The new drug Atopica is very reliable for canine atopy, but only if the secondary factors are controlled.  I mentioned food allergies earlier.  To test for food allergies your veterinarian would have to place your dog on a hypoallergenic food such as venison and potato or duck and potato as a food trial.  Your dog cannot be allowed to cheat at all for 12 weeks while on the food trial.  In other words, no treats or flavored heartworm pills are to be given during this time.  After the 12-week period you introduce a small amount of your dog’s old diet and wait one week.  If the symptoms come back you will know that your dog was allergic to one or more of the components of his old food.  

In conclusion: The soybean diet may be the correct one for your dog but it will take 12 weeks to determine this.  If your dog has scratched and bitten her skin so much that she has introduced bacteria into the skin than she will also need antibiotics for the skin and an anti-inflammatory to get things under control.

I hope this helps.  Thanks!  Please feel free to ask further questions or make comments.

Dr Cheng

[tragdysangel]

Thanks So Much