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My Wheaton terrior is scratching like crzy- for months now. Have taken him to 3 different vets. Once did acupunture.One wanted him on steroids, one gave him anit biotics. All helped for a short while (we dont want to do steroids again) All said it was a seasonal allergy or food.(Its winter/snow covered now outside) The final sent us to a specialist who said he would do allergy testing for over 500$. We were told it often is food related so have stopped NATURAL BALANCE and have put him on CANIDAE this last week. We know it takes sometimes months to see a change so we were told by a breeder to try childrens Benedryl, 1/2 dose to give him some releif. This gvies me pause, just wondered if anyone has tried this, or has anyone noticed terrible itching in their dogs this year. ? This has been a terrible ordeal for our 6 yr old dog.
Sorry to hear that, we are kind of having the same problem only our dog has a re-occurring staph infection. Back on steroids and was advised to do the allery thing also. Vet said food could be a problem, went thru all that, not his food. Now we have given him benedryl on occassion and he was fine, seemed to give some relief for him.
My dog had allergy issues as well. He used to get the worst ear infections. Once we figured out it was his food, my vet recommended the same thing - benadryl. We gave it to him. It definately helped. I hope your doggie is feeling better soon!
My Wheaton terrior is scratching like crzy- for months now. Have taken him to 3 different vets. Once did acupunture.One wanted him on steroids, one gave him anit biotics. All helped for a short while (we dont want to do steroids again) All said it was a seasonal allergy or food.(Its winter/snow covered now outside) The final sent us to a specialist who said he would do allergy testing for over 500$. We were told it often is food related so have stopped NATURAL BALANCE and have put him on CANIDAE this last week. We know it takes sometimes months to see a change so we were told by a breeder to try childrens Benedryl, 1/2 dose to give him some releif. This gvies me pause, just wondered if anyone has tried this, or has anyone noticed terrible itching in their dogs this year. ? This has been a terrible ordeal for our 6 yr old dog.
Sorry to hear about your poor baby. Before you give him benadryl check with your vet to make sure you give him the right amount. The vet will base it on your dog's weight.
If his scratching is that bad, would prob. do the allergy testing. Although Canidae and Natural balance are great foods and Im sure are wheat, corn and soy-free, your dog could be allergic to a specific ingredient in the food, have heard of some who are even allergic to chicken etc. Also wouldn't give him treats other than the kibble he's eating (2-3 pieces is enough), anything else can trigger it. Would also stay away from carpet powders, foams or spray and use a mild detergent. It can be tough dealing w/ it but hopefully you'll get to the bottom of it. Best of luck.
A neighbor has a pomeranian with this problem. She also has a toy poodle that does not have the issue. I also have a pomeranian and a standard poodle that go with me when I visit this neighbor My dogs go everywhere with me. Whatever the issue is with her pomeranian, it has to be an allergy because it is clearly not contagious. This is a relatively new thing, started this year.
Her dog is getting shots at the vet every 6 weeks. I believe it is a steroidal medication. But this dog needs radical options because the scratching is completely out of control. After the shot. the apparent itching subsides, but never for the full 6 weeks to the next shot. Giving the shot more frequently is not recommended.
Children's benedryl. Well I do know that I asked my vet about this at one time when my rottweiler had an itchy rash and nothing topical seemed to work. My vet said not to do it. Meanwhile, said vet would not prescribe something that actually helped that was not a steroid. She was too young for that.
In every instance, there was a word of caution. Yes, you can give a dog benedryl BUT
you have to be sure you know all ailments of your dog, if there will be a clash with any other medication the dog is on (heartworm prevention, perhaps) and should never be an attempt at bypassing regular veterinary care.
If your case was my case and I had taken my dog to the vet and still had a suffering dog, I would find another vet. Allergies are very common in dogs. Any vet worth his education would know that and should be able to treat it without insisting you fork over big bucks for more tests. But, it may be that your vet didn't fully explain to you what he may think is going on. Still, where there is a failure to communicate with a client, there is a failure. Period. Time to find a new vet.
Now, I had a vet in Maine that refused to medicate a puppy that suffered from car sickness. I travel thousands of miles with my dogs every year. The vet's recommendation was to with hold food from the puppy for 24 hours before each trip. That's not even reasonable. It takes me three days to get from Maine to my winter home and it's a continuous drive. He was suggesting I starve the puppy for the duration because he personally was against medicating an animal for motion sickness. Obviously, that vet and I were not communicating. It was time for a new vet.
I am not going to say here what the new vet recommended because I don't want it to be construed as veterinary advice. Read the links. Note the precautions. Check with a different vet. There are medications in every drug store that you can safely give to your dog, your cat and believe it or not, your horses, too. But each pet is different with different alergies, different maintenance medicines and different levels of overall health.
The rule of thumb I use is this: If this were my mother rather than my dog, would I attempt this? If you have to think about it, don't.
benadry-one vet when my dogs went in for there shots always insisted they needed
to have benedry. the small dog was given it in liquid the other one 4 lbs heavier had the pill. this new vet when they had shots didnot do this. another vet i had when the
dog was not well said to go and give them benedry. the children size.
My dog has is somewhat allergic to insect bites, so when we have a really bad flea season or mosquito season down here (florida) the poor guy suffers. My vet also recommended children's benadryl, and that helps tremendously. She also says ok to use the topical ointment (within reason -- you have to really rub it in and watch to make sure he doesn't "eat" it) if there is a spot really bothering him. I use it sparingly and it does work.
Benadryl is a staple at our house...for itching and even if the senior girl is having a bad night and can't sleep (works for humans, too, I know this to be fact!). I'd try the kids dose or a half adult dose at first or if the itching is just unbearable....I have Rotties, so a full adult dose does little - but this has been endorsed by our vet as well. They would really have to have a massive amount to cause any harm...and I'd give it to my mom if she needed it, too! (I had to giggle at that one...never thought about it that way, but it is probably a good rule of thumb!)
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