My dog's allergies - HELP!

Jen, I think Lizard had some advice on itching. There was some discussion a while back on this subject.

--->JeN<---,
For Hot Spots and Itching, Mix 1/3 Original Listerine Mouth Wash (Yellow or Gold Color) + 1/3 Water + 1/3 bay oil, put in spray bottle spray on area then rub in by hand 3 to 4 times a day, let air dry ,you should see results in 3 to 4 days. If that doesn't work go back to your Vet and get "BETAGEN TOPICAL SPRAY" I would change whatever flea control you are using to another brand (call the mfg for common reactions to their product). I have a friend who sprays 4 and 1 oil on his dog and he claims it works. go figure! Good Luck! Becky R a past poster advised me on the Listerin and water, didn't work until I added the baby oil.

It's a very frustrating problem, and could take weeks or even months to get to the bottom of it.

One of my dogs, who had previously always been healthy, developed allergies after being vaccinated for Rabies. Did you have your dog vaccinated in the weeks before the onset of the allergy? I presume when you took the dog to the Vet they did some kind of skin - scraping to check for the cause. Seems like you already checked the food angle. What are you feeding your dog now? Remember even that little piece of cheese or bread etc is enough to break the diet. Since it seems to happen in summer months, it is probably being made worse by the heat. I know a/c is most likely out of the question thanks to WAPA, but if your dog isn't already short-haired, maybe you could shave it. Benadryl I would see as a very temporary measure, it can allow you and your dog to get a good nights sleep, but I think it is much more important to find the cause. Good luck with that!

Two products that I found useful were "Miracle Mist Skin Treatment" by Miracle Coat, a Tea Tree Oil based spray, that really seems to provide some relief. 1-800-635-2044 miraclecorp.com
and "Micro Tek Pet Shampoo" by Eqyss 1-800-526-7469 EQyss.com Frequent bathing with this helped a lot. Believe me, I tried many, many products!
I feed my dog "Wellness Core Ocean", a grain-free fish based diet. His allergies seem much better - plus we are now two years into the three year Rabies vaccination, so his system is probably recovering.

The vet can also give them a shot that helps for about a month. Dr Casey always trys to talk us out of it with the good dog food and the shampoo as well, but it never reall works well. The dogs still seem miserable.

Thank you to all. I printed this thread and will try the homemade spray this weekend. She was recently vaccinated for Bordetella (sp?) but she was vaccinated in the states 2 years ago for her 3 year rabies shot so that isn't due til July 2009.

The food she is on is a Salmon based food for Sensitive Skin and Stomach. I got it at Market Square Pets at the recommendation of the owner. She has only been on it since Monday. No other foods whatsoever except her HypoAllergenic Treats. It just seems she has worsened in the last two days. I HOPE she isn't allergic to Salmon!!!! argh.

She has been in A/C with me during the days for the last two weeks at work but we don't have A/C at home. I am always strict with her Heartguard medicine on the same day each month but not as strict with Frontline as she never has fleas. I applied it this month after finding one. She has been on Frontline for a long time off and on so I don't think it's that.

She has a grooming appt tomorrow so I will ask Debbie to cut it shorter than usual. Thanks again to all for the tips! I will hopefully have a positive update soon.

Jen

Jen, who do you go to for grooming?

Debbie's Dedicated Dogs in town on STT - She is WONDERFUL!

774-1981

--->JeN<---
I'm sorry, I Meant to say BABY OIL, sorry. Not Bay oil (the eyes are going)

We had friends who had a beautiful golden retriever. In the 9 months they were on island the dog lost almost 1/3 of it's weight, had hot spots everywhere and had to wear one of those collars (Elizabethian ?) any time it was alone. After much suffering and more than $3,000 in medical treatment, they left island. They are back in Florida and the dog is fine.

Hi All,

On Friday I started my dog on a supplement called Fresh Factors. She's only 7 lbs so I gave her 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 at night. She was INSTANTLY better. If anyone wants to try them, they can be ordered here:

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/88/2

Thanks again to all for your advice! I hope this link helps anyone else.

--->JeN<---
Glad you found a solution to your Dog's problem!

My Sammy has the same skin problems. What seems to work best is bathing 1-2 times per week & making sure she's completely dried!!
If the skin stays moist dwn here, it becomes infested with bacteria making her skin nasty red blotchy irritated mess. I also use a good flea control as well.
Good Luck!