Any Vet's out there? (Allergies)

PawsRanch6 · #31 01-05-2005, 04:49 PM

There are also a lot of "new" drugs that can be used as well. I have a dog that is alergic to grass! We have no option but to keep him on 1 Benadryl BID. Works! We also put him on a Lamb and Rice dog food with Omega's in it to help...figured it couldn't hurt! I can not keep him off grass! We live on 80 acres of yes you guessed it GRASS! lol Predisone is also a steroid and may cause him to eat more and gain weight! It did on several clients the vet I work for has used it on. Anyway you might want to try a different vet and food. If you have a pet store near you go read lables! Sensible Choice dog foods are great they are lamb and rice period or chicken and rice! always worked for us! Hope I helped as well! feel free to contact me with any questions too! You might also add a supplement called "missing link" you can get it at pet stores or at some stores that carry organic veggies and health foods (Henry's in So. CA). good luck

Renee750il · #32 01-05-2005, 08:47 PM

Prednisone causes more than just weight gain and increased appetite. It's finally been studied enough to link it to tumors in dogs and cats.

EliNHunter · #33 01-09-2005, 07:19 PM

When my golden was about 2, I took him to a dermatologist because of his hairloss, itchi-ness, and hotspots. He put us on a regimen to find out if it was food-born or air-born allergies. Turned out to be "air-born" -- and he got put on weekly shots for being allergic to wool, grasses, trees, cats, etc., etc. Anywho, flea preventative was just begininning to get popular. I had always treated him with chemicals (how HORRIBLE to think back!). But then got him on the monthly treatments for fleas. I noticed a GREAT improvement. So, I backed down his shots to bi-weekly. Then I did monthly. After some time I saw he was doing fine and didn't give him any serum. He's 12 now and has no problems for like 9 years. So, thousands of dollars later, I found out it was due to flea dermatitus (sp?). Thanks to the "experts"...

Renee750il · #34 01-09-2005, 07:26 PM

Flea dermatitis is behind a lot of "mystery" skin problems. Glad you finally got to help him. I think most of us had to resort to some of those flea dips back in the day. Even the flea shampoo used to make my hands itch for hours after I'd washed one of the dogs and I always cringed to think of how it must affect their hides, but they always seemed relieved to be done with the fleas for awhile. Now I can get the flea shampoo with Neem - wonderful, non-toxic organic stuff.

ShihTzuLover62 · #35 02-22-2005, 10:11 AM

Just a little note to add, my Shadow has allergies too. We changed his dog food over to Old Mother Hubbards Wellness diet and I give my dogs cooked oatmeal 2 to 3 times a week. The antioxidens in the oatmeal really help, my vet couldn't believe the difference.

showpug · #36 04-22-2005, 12:42 PM

I am not a vet, but I worked in a vet clinic for 5 years and learned a lot over that course of time. Prednisone is a steroid and it has anti-inflammatory properties which help with the secondary inflammation and "itchiness" that is asscociated with allergies. Most vets will continue to prescribe pred. over and over again, but there are side effects! It makes them drink a ton and hence urinate a ton. Prednisone can be very hard on the major organs such as the kidney and liver, and can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding. It is always good to contact the vet when problems arise with our dogs, but in your situation, I would try a weekly bath with a medicated or cortisone anti-itch or anti-sebborheic shampoo (intended for dogs.) I would also consider a change in diet to something more natural. I have had a ton of good results with a "hollistic food" called Solid gold (any formula) and a product of theirs called Seameal. Canidae is also a very good food to try. I would also increase your dogs intake of essential fatty acids on a EVERY DAY basis. Examples are Derm Caps, Linatone, Vita Coat etc. These naturally help cut down on allergies and skin inflammation, hair loss etc. They work great and I sware by them. I have had no skin problems with my dogs since I have used these products. They have worked better than anything we ever prescribed in the clinic and they are well worth the money and saving your dog the discomfort of allergies!! Your vet may not be open to this concept as they have to approach everything from a strictly medical stand point. Here are some links to the food companies. If you decide to try this, make sure to give it six weeks to start new healthy cell and coat growth on your dog. I forgot to mention...allergic dogs always need good quality flea control such as Advantage or Frontline (nothing you can find in the grocery store!) One flea bite can start a whole reaction in an allergic dog.

Good Luck!
http://www.canidae.com
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com

Renee750il · #37 04-24-2005, 01:29 PM

Good advice, Showpug - just don't forget tumors on the list of side effects from Prednisone!

Karma (NaturaPet) is another good food for dogs with allergies, and dogs who have problems with grains do well on the Innova EVO formula.

moe · #38 04-25-2005, 05:31 AM

I have not read all the post in this discussion, but if your dog is suffering a pollen alergy, one of the best ways to help rid it is contact a local beekeeper, ask for some honey and give this honey each day, as the pollen is local to you and the bees make from local plants, the honey helps desensitize the dog, this actually works,

Mo

mrose_s · #39 04-25-2005, 07:14 AM

also, get advice from numerous vets, the extra opinions might cost you less in the long run

picnicpo · #40 05-11-2005, 01:34 AM

I have a dog who is part husky and had a lot of gastrointestinal problems and chronic yeast infections in her ears. I tried a lot of different foods over the years. She was also really fussy, but she always liked fish (we had to keep the cat food away from her) so I tried the Flint River Ranch Trout & Sweet Potato ("Fish & Chips"). Flint River Ranch is also made with natural human-grade ingredients. It's worked really well for her. The GI problems are gone and we haven't had any recurrences of the yeast infections in the ears since she's been on it. She's over 14 years old now and is really doing well. When people ask how old she is they can't believe she's 14!! Best of luck in finding a food that is healthy and that your fussy eater will eat.