how to work out allergy

makka619

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#1
Hi,

My beagle has been scratching a lot. Even in the middle of playing he will stop and just start biting at a spot on his skin.

When I took him to the vet last time after he actually bit a patch of skin off... the Vet said it was likely an Allergy.

He gets light red-dy patches every now and then, and black little spots in some areas.. (the vet said that was dirt, we don't have fleas here).

So, the vet said to change his diet, to determine what he is allergic to - which i did

The vet gave me some drugs to feed him for 2 weeks, which stopped the itching and scratching completely.

The vet also gave me some Alovene shampoo which i have used since then.

But about 4 weeks after the last vet visit, he has begun to scratch and bite again. I haven't changed the diet, so I think it was the tablets I gave him that numbed the pain.

How do I work out if it's a plant or a tree, or dust or something else? I have no idea.

Is there anyway I can get allergy tests or something done to help me work out what it is? What other things should I do?

I'm going to take him back to the vet, and see another person there (we only have one Vet clinic in town), to get another opinion and see if they can offer any other suggestions.

Thanks...



edited: Just found the sticky on allergies! I will have a good read on that.

Also, after I posted, I just remembered that when i was at the Vet, I bought a bag of Eukanaba (sp). That ran out a couple of weeks ago... and I fed some other dog dried-food called Supercoat since then.

And it's only been for the last week-ish that he has begun all the scratching/biting again......

hmmm oh i hope this it. I will stop feeding him this dried food immediately, and go and buy some more Ekuanaba (sp)

Ekuanaba is a good dog dried food right?


This is Supercoat: http://www.supercoat.com.au/dogs-lifecycle-RealChicken.aspx

And these are the ingredients: Meat and meat by-products (from chicken and beef), wholegrain cereals (wheat and/or sorghum), wheat bran, whole linseeds, beet pulp, iodised salt, mixed natural tocopherols (vitamin E), rosemary plant extract, vitamins (A, D, E, K, B1, B6, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, choline, biotin, B12), trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, manganese), lutein, garlic and kelp.
 
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Buddy'sParents

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#2
I suggest allergy testing, they are often pricey, but worth it to know what environmental allergies your dog may have. Good luck.
 
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#4
First Ten Ingredients in Eukanuba:
Chicken
Chicken By-Product Meal
Corn Meal
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum
Ground Whole Grain Barley
Fish Meal (source of fish oil)
Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid)
Brewers Rice
Natural Chicken Flavor
Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed)

Corn and wheat are common allergens, so I wouldn't feed that. The supercoat also has wheat...

If you are going to go with a dry food, I'd suggest California Natural Lamb and Rice - it doesn't have a lot of other things in it, so you'd narrow down your allergens. They also make a herring and potato formula which is totally different, so you could try that first, or if the lamb and rice doesn't seem to work. Neither one has any chicken or beef in it, which could also be an issue from what I've found (my golden came from a litter where half of them couldn't handle chicken based dog foods).

What we do at work (boarding kennel/raw food supplier/training etc...) is suggest a raw diet consisting of whole animal patties from one source at first. Usually duck, elk or fish, then adding in different meats after a month or two of no issues. Then it's really simple, the dog is only eating duck, so if it's a problem, we know it's the duck, and can switch them to elk to see if that helps. This is usually after the client has gone through with allergy testing and several bags of kibbles from the vet that didn't work, and at the worst we make an improvement in the problems, if not clearing them up totally (now some vets give out our card).

Good luck, hope the scratching stops! My one dog has a seasonal itchy thing, not fun, she goes on evening primrose oil every year.

Lana
 

Laurelin

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#6
We have a dog with food allergies and a switch to California Natural has made a lot of improvement. (We were on Canidae first) We use the herring and sweet potato formula. The good thing about CN is they have very few ingredients so you can narrow it down and hopefully cut out what your dog is allergic to. Eukanuba isn't the best dry food out there, and though I've never heard of supercoat, just by going through the ingredients I'd not feed that either. It's not always food allergens, but it couldn't hurt to get the dog on a higher quality kibble. And there are quite a few dogs that can't handle beef or chicken and as has been said before wheat and corn are pretty common causes of allergies.
 

angie8023

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#7
I would agree with the others that said to get the allergy test done. I am still going through the exact same thing. We have been trying to figure out what Sancho is allergic to for almost a year. I think it's seasonal. He stopped scratching and pulling his hair out during the winter. Now that it's getting hot again the scratching has started. I plan on taking him in March to have blood work done. This was after 8 months of telling my vet it wasn't fleas! Let us know how it turns out. Good luck:)
 

nuvetmarie

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#8
allergies - Environmental and Food

Hi: Oh, poor kid!
yes, the food choices are something you need to think about.
Many times the VETS do not offer the right info when it comes to pet Nutrition. I have found one of the best is the Innova Evo-
You can get that at most quality pet stores. ( evo is NO grain at all)
No junk fillers in the Innova.

Another good brand is called " Wellness Formula" White Fish and Sweet Potatoe. Again, found is a pet store not the local grocery store.

If you would like other suggestions on foods... Let me know.
The other folks on this web forum also mentioned some good choices for dog foods...

As for Allergy Testing. Yes, After about 450.00 dollars you may get a list of 10 to 20 items your pet is allergic to. Many times the list will contain the following:

Allergic to : trees ( types will be named), cats, dust, pollens, Dust mites in dog bedding - toys - and human bedding, too...
carpet ( name the certain chemicals in carpeting), foods and food sources.

You can get an air cleaner. Oreck Vacume company makes a nice cleaner that works very well.. ( about 250.00 ? each)

Visit my web site for info on Supplements.

Best of Luck- The vet will give you products to mask the symptoms but will not get to the bottom of the problems. Sorry, We have to educate the vets many times on Nutrition.
 

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