My dog has horrible allergies

[jas1984]

my dog has horrible allergies, i don't think its seasonal she;s been gradually getting worse since november. we had a food allergy test done on her and a few things have come up high but we illimiated those items from her diet, and there was no change in her reaction. she has no hair left around her eyes from rubbing them all the time, her belly is also bald and pretty well scratched raw, in between her "toes" are bright red and hot, her poor little ears are always hot and red also. there was even one time where she bit the main pad off of her foot completly, i feel horrible because we don't know what to do about it anymore. she constantly is biting at herself, scratching herself or rubbing around on the carpet. she can't even walk down the hallway without stopping to scratch, we are out of ideas and it seems like our vet just tells us to give her benedryl and that it. we need help she is miserable

[catarific]

My dog had allergies until my vet suggested we no longer give him beef!  Believe it or not, many dogs now have beef allergies.  So we buy only chicken based food (Science Diet makes a great one called Ideal Balance and the first ingredient is chicken.  You can also get another good chicken try food from Purine One called Smart Blend where the first ingredient is chicken.  We even buy all our treats now with chicken and the dog no longer scratches. Who would have thought?

[hannah687]

We have a 70lb mutt who had horrible allergies. For 2 years we tried EVERYTHING, from baths in borax to food that costs more per month than our own food, to vacuuming everyday. Nothing ever worked. His poor skin looked like a cracked desert surface and constantly oozed and bled. His eyes were sunken in and he was covered in scabs. At one point he was on 10 benadryls a day, and that wasn't helping the itching, it only helped him sleep a little.

******************GOOD NEWS- **************************Our new vet (We have been to 3 for his problem) prescribed Atopica. It is a non steroid. It is expensive- the bigger your dog the more it costs. BUT- you only have to give one a day for the first month, then one every other day, then finally on 2 times a week. If the allergies are seasonal you only have to give it seasonally. So- it gets cheaper as you go.
For our 70lb dog it was $200 the first month (YIKES), next month only $100, and then only $50 after that. The smaller the dog the cheaper the pill.
He has made a full recovery and is back to his old self!

[chasha33]

We didnt start having trouble with our bulldog until he was 2 yrs old.After each steroid shot he would get better for a little while and then it would hit again.There where times that his skin be so raw that he would bleed.He would chew his feet until the hair was gone and he would get lick granulomas.The Atopica has by far been the best med for him.We put him on the Purina Pro Plan Hypo food and Atopica and within a few weeks he started showing alot of improvement.He also eats Nutro-Holistic as well and i put Omega 3 on his food a few days a week.I hope your baby feels better soon Take Care

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Jas... What kind of dog is she? Just curious....First, get her on a grain free diet & make it high quality...If you need names, I can provide those..If you can't find them in your area, you can order online. Next, what started as allergies has probably turned into a bacterial & yeast infection. I have found that they go hand in hand. Does she have any kind of odor? That's your second clue.. Your first clue is that she's miserable. ;)
The antibiotic for the bacteria should be given for 6wks. and then the yeast is treated next. During all this, get her on a good probiotic from a health food store. The refrigerated ones are the best. Give it 2 hrs away from the antibiotic. This will help keep the yeast under control while you fight the bacteria...
Find another Vet that will recognize this as more than allergies. A Good Holistic Vet (Yes, Check his/her credentials) would be my choice and IMO will get to the bottom of this sooner.....Good luck and please keep us posted....Karla

[jas1984]

she just turned a year old in april, and has had allergies since november, but they have been gradually getting worse since then. the benedryl doesn't really give her relief but it does knock her out to where is sleeps and doesn't bite herself. yes there has been two different times where the vet gave us both steroids and antibiotics to try, we thought the first couple days we saw an improvement but then it all started up again while she was still on it. i just don't know what to do any more, she looks at you with sad little eyes and you can just tell she is miserable, but i will definately check into maybe an allergy specialist because i feel so bad for her

[chasha33]

My bulldog takes Atopica for his skin allergies.He has been on it for over a year and it has worked really well for him.We tried Benadryl and steroids for him  for awhile,But then we tried the Atopica and it has made a  difference.Sometimes he will get a few spots on him and we just treat him with steroids for a few days and then it clears up.If you take your baby on to another vet or your vet ask about Atopica.They take one pill a day for a month then every other day for a month and then they try to get it down to twice a week.I didnt like my baby being on steroids all the time and with the Atopica he doesnt have to be.Before we started using this med on him he would get raw spots all over his neck,feet and underbody.You could tell he didnt feel good .Well i hope your baby gets to feeling better soon.Take care and keep us posted.

[Jaybay]

Your poor little dog!  I can't imagine how miserably she must be suffering to have bitten off a foot pad.  I agree with Linda that you need another vet, and preferably an allergy specialist.  And yes, it's going to be expensive and you'll likely need your clinic vet to give you a referral.  Another resource for specialized care is a university with a strong veterinary program.  You still have to pay for care, but they'll be up on the latest and greatest treatments.

This obviously isn't a problem that a magic pill will cure.  If your dog has hot ears most of the time, she probably has a secondary skin infection causing fever and needs antibiotics.  You mention that you're using benadryl.  Most people don't use enough to do any good.  The correct dosage is 1 mg per pound of the dog's body weight.  Make certain it's benadryl only and not one combined with a decongestant.  Generic is fine.

How old is your dog and when did the allergy problem rear its ugly head?  Has it always been this bad?  Does the benadryl give any noticeable relief at all?  I wonder about an underlying immune system problem and if steroids have been tried.

Worst case, you may have to rehome your dog to someone who lives in a completely different environment if she is to survive.  I saw a case exactly like that on the National Geographic Channel show about Dog Town in the desert of New Mexico (or is it Arizona?).  It's a rescue facility of last resort for dogs with every imaginable physical and mental problem.  It took quite a while, but the dog in question improved a great deal with a lot of vet care, careful attention to diet and was completely normal and adopted in a few months.  It was the drastic change in living environment that made all the difference, and I don't recall that the vets ever did quite figure out a particular allergen in that case.

I also like Linda's suggestion of checking with the veterinarians here at Med Help.  They should easily be able to suggest a specialist hospital or university program in your area.  Do post back and let us know what happens.  My heart just breaks with these kinds of cases that seem like they should be easily treated - but aren't.  I'm praying for a happy ending for your girl.  :-)

[lindapalm]

I would try another vet.  I've learned this past year if you don't get any help from your first vet, why waste your mony and go back. Even if you have to go to another vet that is more costly, at least you'd possibly get an answer sooner, which would save you $ in the long run. If you click on Animal Health on the right side of this page, you can pose a question to a vet and maybe learn something.  Good Luck.