Dog Allergies!

jessilynnwilliams

Ok, I know I'm not the only one on here with a pet with allergies, so maybe you lovelies can help me out!

Our dog is allergic to dust, mold, basically every type of grass, pollen, weed and tree out there as well as wool and animal dandruff (I didn't even know dogs could be allergic to this!)

Well, her dermatologist has us giving her a full dose of her allergy shot once a week (up from every other week) and the highest dosage of her steroid (they said what they are already giving her will damage her kidneys long term, so they won't give her anymore). She is CONSTANTLY scratching...to the point she is bleeding and oozing all over the place.

I'm fed up and at a loss. I don't know what to do anymore. I feel bad for her...but at the same time I'm getting super grossed out thinking about her being in the same house as our baby.

Does anyone else have any experience/suggestions?

nanabanana06

Could she also have a grain allergy? Also, have you tried Benedryl? That way you can treat at home as well as with the shots.

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jessilynnwilliams

Thanks for the replies!

She's a lab/pointer mix, and she's 3 years old. The last time we had her tested was last September.

When we had her at the dermatologist, they ruled out food allergies, but maybe that's changed in the past 10 months. I don't know, I'm just clueless and frustrated at this point!

Oh, and thanks Nana, that reminds me, her derm has us giving her zyrtec as well. 2 pills everyday. 

kwitt22

I would try giving her an oatmeal bath. It might help relieve some of her itching.

nanabanana06

What are you feeding her though? Many dogs have skin and coat issues like that and it's due to poor food. Like with Ein. When we got her she was on Nutra Nuggests and it was awful for her, very similar to how you describe. We switched her to a grain free food (We feed Orijen Regional Red now and Evangers Grain Free wet) and saw loads of improvement.

Check out https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/. It lists all dog foods and gives their ratings as to how good they are for your pup. I won't do any lower than 5 for Ein, but a 4 star food is still a good food.

GrayGhost13

Allergies are a b!tch. So sorry you're dealing with that.

Food allergies and environmental are definitely not mutually exclusive, so it might be good to try her on a limited ingredient diet.

If you're not already doing an antihistamine you might want to talk to your vet about one of those. A medicated bath can also be helpful but talk to your vet about the frequency because too frequent bathing can sometimes make things worse.

For itchy dogs, the chewing can also become a compulsive behavior, even after the allergies are treated, so you might try redirecting the chewing when you're able and giving her other items to chew as well (plus making sure she has sufficient physical and mental stimulation).

Finally, I wouldn't worry about your baby. We have one dog who has severe environmental allergies, who sometimes gets "hot spots" and it has never been an issue with our son.

ETA: Missed your update, so ignore my rec re: the antihistamine.