# Whose dog has environmental allergies, and what do you do about it?



## emric (Oct 24, 2011)

Does anyones dogs have environmental allergies? If so, what are you doing about them? Medication?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

We had a doberman several years ago who did. We gave him Benadryl everyday and it seemed to help him.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

We have a dog with pollen/grass allergies. We've tried several different antihistimines and nothing seems to help much except winter. Hers comes by her eyes running this thick stuff day and night. And rubbing her face on the ground. From July-November we were cleaning her face and eyes at least six times a day. Now it's down to once every day or so. And she's still rubbing her face on the carpet.

I wish I knew how to fix it. It was alot easier to get rid of all her other problems by changing her food.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

I have a dog who I suspect has environmental allergies, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do about it. I'd like to stay away from drugs. Lots of baths and a light cleaning with a damp cloth when he'd come in from being outside for an extended period seemed to help.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

If I stay in NYC I'm going to get an allergy test next year (the skin test -- not blood). My dog has environmental allergies -- it was worst in July and October, but he itched a lot all summer. Now that winter is here he's barely itching at all. Antihistamines work in only 30% of dogs, and there are several to try. Frequent baths can help -- I'm going to do more of that next summer. You can bathe them up to twice a week, and it helps remove pollens from their coats and fight bacterial infections (with the right shampoo; talk to your vet).

I think the things that helped most with me were adding salmon oil to his diet and wiping him off with a new, clean microfiber towel after every trip outside.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

I have a dog with environmental allergies, luckily his aren't too bad as far as bothering him, he's not super itchy or miserable, he just loses hair and smells! Adding oils to his diet, fish and coconut has helped a ton, also I'll put coconut oil right on the bad spots, he gets bathed with a medicated shampoo as well, that seems to really help, antihistamines did a whole lotta nothing for him. We do try to wipe him down or rinse him off a lot in the summer and switched everything to non scented laundry stuff, vinegar water for cleaning, etc. We're not really sure what the issue is but it's always way worse in the summer. I guess good thing we live in a cold climate.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

Khan has environmental allergies. Like the above posts, they are worse during the summer months as with any human who deals with allergies. He is on an OTC allergy pill twice a day from about March until Sept. Again, as with humans, one may work better than another. Last year Zyrtec didn't help at all, while the generic Benadryl worked great. This year, the generic for Zyrtec worked, and others didn't. I have found that Wal-Mart has most of the generics for 3-5 bucks, so if after a week I don't notice him doing well, I just switch to another. I'm not a huge fan of medicating; but for those 4-6 months if a couple pills do the trick each day why not. 
He is also allergic to Salmon/Flax oil, so I can't add that into his diet. His allergies only affect his eyes, they get really red, and he sneezes a lot. He doesn't seem to itch or scratch his face.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

My chocolate lab has allergies to mites, grass, cats, and some mold and mites were the worst they are everywhere. I had a lot of moisture in home, I lowered that by dehumidifier and put covers on beds, only have rugs I can wash. Change sheets several times a week. All to make sure there is not a good environment for them. And the raw did the rest, brought her immune system back from the brink.:smile:

It took 6 months for her hair to come back...she had no where on her body that wasn't affected. It was terrible. Thank God her diet helped. I think it does a lot that we don't see also.


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## emric (Oct 24, 2011)

Thanks for everyone's replies. I'm curious because my dog scratches his face(mouth area) constantly with his back feet. It sounds like he's going to rip teeth out. He also scratches his sides. I have him on a medicated shampoo, and I've tried many different OTC antihistimines..nothing seems to be working. It's cold here in VT, and with snow, his allergies don't get better in the winter. I'm not sure what to do..I've been to the vets numerous times, and my last resort is an allergy test, and shots, which I would like not to have to do. 
I have no idea what he could be allergic to. I wash his beds in non-scented detergent, wash everything in hot water..any ideas??


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

emric said:


> Thanks for everyone's replies. I'm curious because my dog scratches his face(mouth area) constantly with his back feet. It sounds like he's going to rip teeth out. He also scratches his sides. I have him on a medicated shampoo, and I've tried many different OTC antihistimines..nothing seems to be working. It's cold here in VT, and with snow, his allergies don't get better in the winter. I'm not sure what to do..I've been to the vets numerous times, and my last resort is an allergy test, and shots, which I would like not to have to do.
> I have no idea what he could be allergic to. I wash his beds in non-scented detergent, wash everything in hot water..any ideas??


Why are you averse to allergy testing? The cost? 

I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction, but my vet told me that in his experience face irritation/scratching is often a food allergy. Have you ruled out food? It also sounds like his allergies are year-round, which would suggest food.

I highly recommend seeing an animal dermatologist/allergist rather than a regular vet for your dog's issues.


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

I just had an allergy panel done on Quinn. I guess Heska is supposed to be the most accurate. I will probably start the shots in spring and see if it helps.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Maybe he has a little dry skin from the cold? Try feeding some cold water fish? 

My dog still gets her shot but I am spreading it out to ween her off. She did very well this summer. I think she doesn't need it anymore. The vet who did the testing said that most dogs are better within a two year period and some recover faster than others. My dog was pretty young when he saw my dog.

I would also like to say that my male lab, same breeding, had some hair loss at the time also, I did not get him tested just put him on raw. He seemed to recover all on his own..?? Don't know if the female would of. Several other dogs from the same litter started loosing hair also. Just kinda makes you think. Vet also said all dogs are different and react different?


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Before assuming its allergies I would strongly recommend getting a skin scraping done to rule out mange first. Allergies are a PITA. I have read that if a dog is still scratching when there is snow on the ground you can rule out outdoor allergies as there arent any present. Personally i would have a skin scrapping down , then do a food trial to see if there is any improvement. If not, I would do the blood test for environmental allergies. These are never 100% accurate but they at least give you an idea of what your pet is allergic to and will help point you in the right direction for treatment.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Uno had horrible allergies the first 2 years I had him, I strongly suspect it was due to vaccine overload that the vet insisted on which send his immune system into overdrive. The only thing I vaccinate him against is rabies every 3 years because its required by law.

He still gets occasional contact allergy during the summer so I keep this product at hand which works better then benadryl:
Amazon.com: Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 Mg 1000 Tablets [Misc.]: Health & Personal Care

You can also use quercetin/bromelain combo from a health food store to keep inflammation at bay (I like NOW brand)
http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Que...ef=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1325778943&sr=1-2


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> Uno had horrible allergies the first 2 years I had him, I strongly suspect it was due to vaccine overload that the vet insisted on which send his immune system into overdrive. The only thing I vaccinate him against is rabies every 3 years because its required by law.
> 
> He still gets occasional contact allergy during the summer so I keep this product at hand which works better then benadryl:
> Amazon.com: Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 Mg 1000 Tablets [Misc.]: Health & Personal Care
> ...


Is the first product you posted the same as Chlor-Trimeton?

I tried Chlor-Trimeton, Claritin, and Zyrtec this past summer. Not sure if any of them alleviated the itching, but they definitely didn't make it go away completely. I have 3 or 4 more to try next summer.

Interesting what you said about vaccines -- I had my dog vaccinated on his birthday, October 18, and his itching got way, way worse a day or two after that. My allergy vet (different from the one who vaccinated) said the vaccine likely caused the flare-up.


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## emric (Oct 24, 2011)

Jack Monzon said:


> Why are you averse to allergy testing? The cost?
> 
> I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction, but my vet told me that in his experience face irritation/scratching is often a food allergy. Have you ruled out food? It also sounds like his allergies are year-round, which would suggest food.
> 
> I highly recommend seeing an animal dermatologist/allergist rather than a regular vet for your dog's issues.



The cost plays into the reason why I don't want to do the allergy testing, also because I would rather not inject shots every day. 

See, a vet I talked to a month ago said face itching is an environmental allergy. I hear so many different things, I don't know what to believe..

He's on a raw diet now, for a little over a month. 3 weeks on chicken, no diarrhea, still itching. He's now on turkey, no diarrhea, still itching.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

emric said:


> The cost plays into the reason why I don't want to do the allergy testing, also because I would rather not inject shots every day.
> 
> See, a vet I talked to a month ago said face itching is an environmental allergy. I hear so many different things, I don't know what to believe..
> 
> He's on a raw diet now, for a little over a month. 3 weeks on chicken, no diarrhea, still itching. He's now on turkey, no diarrhea, still itching.


There is a sublingual alternative to shots now. Its a fluid that comes in a tiny bottle, and you squirt it under their tongue twice daily. No needles. I understand being wary about the price. I was told $965. Ouch.

I would continue the raw diet for a couple more months if I were you. If no relief from that, go to an animal dermatologist and ask about testing.


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## emric (Oct 24, 2011)

Jack Monzon said:


> There is a sublingual alternative to shots now. Its a fluid that comes in a tiny bottle, and you squirt it under their tongue twice daily. No needles. I understand being wary about the price. I was told $965. Ouch.
> 
> I would continue the raw diet for a couple more months if I were you. If no relief from that, go to an animal dermatologist and ask about testing.



Woah, that is pricey!!

My parents house, he's pretty itchy, go to my bf's house, not very itchy..it all varies..it's hard to try and pinpoint what it is. 

The only reason I don't think it is a food allergy is because he's on a raw diet(I know just bc he's on a raw diet doesn't mean he's not allergic)..but he's been on chicken, and now turkey, and still itching.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

> Is the first product you posted the same as Chlor-Trimeton?


yes, same thing


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

annie was put on raw 9 months ago but her itching continued,tried antihistamines none helped,kept her off grass and wool with no difference ,exhausted with looking for an answer ive come to the conclusion that its yeast overgrowth,shes had an ear infection and was smelling like old cheese.started her on acidophilus and dandelion just over a week ago and bathed her in malaseb shampoo ,her itching at the moment is virtually gone,she hasnt paw licked for over a week ,ive ordered bovine colostrum to really boost her immune system so fingers crossed,ive also stopped giving her apple cider vinegar as ive read in some dogs it can encourage yeast!!,im praying she continues to improve ,so whilst looking into allergies ,yeast overgrowth is worth looking into ,also i have read that yeast symptoms mimic allergy symptoms,karen


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## emric (Oct 24, 2011)

lily said:


> annie was put on raw 9 months ago but her itching continued,tried antihistamines none helped,kept her off grass and wool with no difference ,exhausted with looking for an answer ive come to the conclusion that its yeast overgrowth,shes had an ear infection and was smelling like old cheese.started her on acidophilus and dandelion just over a week ago and bathed her in malaseb shampoo ,her itching at the moment is virtually gone,she hasnt paw licked for over a week ,ive ordered bovine colostrum to really boost her immune system so fingers crossed,ive also stopped giving her apple cider vinegar as ive read in some dogs it can encourage yeast!!,im praying she continues to improve ,so whilst looking into allergies ,yeast overgrowth is worth looking into ,also i have read that yeast symptoms mimic allergy symptoms,karen



Lily, thanks for the info. I have checked Emric's ears, and they don't smell yeasty..it's just strange that it's primarly on Emric's face..lips


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

lily said:


> annie was put on raw 9 months ago but her itching continued,tried antihistamines none helped,kept her off grass and wool with no difference ,exhausted with looking for an answer ive come to the conclusion that its yeast overgrowth,shes had an ear infection and was smelling like old cheese.started her on acidophilus and dandelion just over a week ago and bathed her in malaseb shampoo ,her itching at the moment is virtually gone,she hasnt paw licked for over a week ,ive ordered bovine colostrum to really boost her immune system so fingers crossed,ive also stopped giving her apple cider vinegar as ive read in some dogs it can encourage yeast!!,im praying she continues to improve ,so whilst looking into allergies ,yeast overgrowth is worth looking into ,also i have read that yeast symptoms mimic allergy symptoms,karen


Hey, Lily -- did you ever put annie on antibiotics? The annoying thing about allergies is that the allergy itself causes itching and licking, and then the itching and licking can cause a bacterial infection which can in turn cause itching and licking itself -- so you don't know whether she's itching from the allergy or from the infection. I'm not crazy about giving antibiotics, but when I gave them this past October, within about 10 days my dog's itching had stopped -- i.e., the infection had cleared. Now that we're in the dead of winter, I don't have to worry about whatever pollens aggravate him, so we're in the clear. Had I done nothing about the infection, he'd likely still be itching.


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