Dog Allergies!
jessilynnwilliams
member
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 dandriff (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?
Re: Dog Allergies!
Thanks for the suggestion!
Bleh, I can feel your pain. One of our cats has some sort of allergy that causes him to itch/scratch/lick himself to bloody bald spots. Like, when you pet him your hand would inevitably have puss on it. All.he.did.was.itch. One night it was so bad that I fashioned him a cone out of large construction paper (ha! was totally useless aside from keeping him occupied on something other than itching for five minutes). Our vet really didn't have much to offer us because, apparently, allergies in cats is rarely explored (for some reason... I find that highly strange). So my experience comes from troubleshooting... I tried changing: water sources, food, laundry detergent (because cats nap wherever they d@mn well please), cleaning supplies, litter, etc. The food seems to have made the biggest difference. Considering you know what the allergens are, my situation doesn't really allow me to offer much advice, but I can commiserate!
It seems like the shots aren't really working anymore; have you thought about possibly laying off of them for a week or two? I know it may backfire, but could it get any worse? Also, I read somewhere that dehydration causes skin irritation in cats so I give him wet food once a day. Maybe that would help a little? Could you give her a bone to chomp on a few days in a row to give her skin a tiny chance to heal?
ETA: Steroids (both injected and oral) did nothing for Max but stress him out more.
So sorry you have to deal with this with your cat....but I am glad to have someone totally understand! Maybe we'll try some wet food. We haven't tried that yet! I give her bones, rawhides, and other chew toys, but they don't seem to distract her.
Thanks for the reply!
She eats Beneful...the vet had ruled out food allergies, but maybe that's something we need to look into again! Thanks!
I also forgot to mention that she takes Zyrtec daily per her dermatologist.
I would definitely switch to a grain free food. We did this with my cat a few years ago when he had some skin issues and it made a difference.
Grain free is what we use, too... it has helped tremendously. You can find it on amazon much cheaper than in specialty stores.