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Have you had the dog checked for mange mites? From your description it sounds like this is the poor fellow's problem. It often gets misdiagonsed as some sort of allergy. Usually it can be cleared up at him by a few dog dips that you don't rinse off. I forget the formula but I think it is a weak mixture of hydrogen peroxide and 20 Mule Team from the laundry.
If it's allergies it could be more than just a flea allergy. Our guy is allergic to everything from fleas to pollen & grasses to human dander (yes, the dog is allergic to people, ugh.).
They cycle goes like this....
Itching causes biting and licking that leads to yeast overgrowth/infection and then bacterial skin infections. He suffers from the allergies all the time but it's worse in the spring.
We have him on anti-yeast meds for a few months each spring (ketoconazole) in addition to an antihistamine, low dose prednisone and medicated baths, which he gets all the time. We resisted putting him on the prednisone but it's the only thing that's worked for him and it's cruel to allow him to be constantly itching and suffering. We also have him on a grain free food and have seen additional improvement in his condition. We only give him benadryl at night when his sleep is disrupted by the itching.
We were using Malaseb shampoo and that stuff was WONDERFUL but made by DVM so now out of production. We've been using some other anti-yeast shampoos but they don't work as well. We could bathe him every 3-4 weeks with the Malaseb but now it's every week with not as good results. I'm looking into alternatives or mixing my own shampoo with the same active ingredients as the Malaseb.
I hope you find something that will work for your dog, it really is a horrible thing for them to go through.
We have a 2 year old lab. We buy benadryl in bulk, and have just purchased a carpet steamer after the last course of steroids. We go to Waxhaw animal hospital, and are very pleased with the care and service that they provide. It was suggested that we could de-sensitize her, but it is time-consuming, expensive, not without risks, and may not even help much. The fish-oil definately helps, and we changed the food which helped a little. It does seem to happen more in the spring & fall. We recently moved from NY, and from what I hear about the allergies in the spring, I may look into the de-sensitizing. Hope this helps!
I have a Bichon/Poodle mix who is allergic to certain foods. She, too, was scratching all the time. I eliminated chicken, duck, turkey....she was obviously allergic to anything with feathers....because she's now doing much better and not scratching as much. Food allergies cause itching and skin problems. Hope your pet gets relief soon.
You would be shocked at the amount of filler food that is in the major commerical brands. If your dog does have a food allergy, that filler food is normally the culprit. Just cause something says "lamb meal and rice" doesn't mean it isn't leaded with wheat, soy, corn, etc.
After having so many itch related issues with my other two dogs, I did some reading up and realized what I thought was a good food (Nutro Max for Healthy Skin @ $45/bag), I found out the number 2 ingrediant is Wheat...which is the #1 food allergy in dog food.
After doing lots of research, I have started my new dog on the "Wellness" brand dog foods. No "high allergy" ingredients used and is rated 5 stars. You can get Wellness and Petco and other smaller pet stores (Pet Essentials, Complete Petmart, etc)
Spending the extra $10/bag is a much cheaper alternative than a couple vet visits or pee accidents from the steroids (been there, done that). At the very least, you know that it won't be the dog food. Sign up online and both of these companies send you dog food coupons that can help negate the costs.
You mention your dog has had diarrhea and gas when you've tried switching foods.
We switched our dog to Natural Balance as well. Her #2's are the best we've seen in years. No more diarrhea or gas. And, the itching and scratching and nibbling has all but disappeared.
Benadryl wasn't working either. The dog food switch really has made a difference.
Our German Shepherds used to have skin problems, we took the vets advise and switched to "Complete" dog food, sold at Southern States, an agricultural co-op. Southern States specializes in animal feeds, fertilizer and plant seeds. Our dogs now have lush silky coats, tons of energy, their fur feels more like a cat than a dog, and no more scratching and rubbing against things.
You could also try acupuncture. There are vets in Charlotte who do acupuncture on animals, but I am not sure of who they are. I am sure you can find one somewhere online, though.
There is a veterinary dermatology place on South Tryon. I've driven past it a million times, but never paid it the least bit of attention until I read this thread.
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same problem
