Ferdie Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 We are watching a friend's puppy, a 5-month old choc. lab. When they dropped her off I noticed little bare spots of fur on her back upper leg. They mentioned that she had been scratching due to fire ant bites and the vet told them to give her Benadryl twice a day. They also mentioned that she had just been treated for fleas. Well, that was a week ago and she is still scratching herself constantly. Now the other side of her leg has bare spots. It is almost like she is allergic to something. We treated our yard for fireants a month ago so I don't think that it is. She is scratching so much that I am still giving her Benedryl twice a day. Poor thing. I really don't want to call the owners, (they are on a much deserved and long overdue vacation), but they are not due back for a week. Is there anything I can try for her?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 It does sound like allergies. A single flea bite is enough to cause an allergic dog to keep scratching and scratching. Benadryl is good. Pet stores sell "hot spot" spray to help numb particular patches if the dog keeps worrying one spot. It's not really something you can use whole-body though. It can also caused by food allergies. We had a shepard that had to be fed a lamb and rice diet. Regular dog food would set her scratching and she'd make little bloody patches on her skin. Still, I don't imagine you want to change the dogs diet while the owners are away. If it were me, I'd call their vet tomorrow and see what they recommend. Good luck! Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 Thanks! I wonder if it is her food. I think I'll call their vet tomorrow. Just curious about your shepard. Did she need a special diet her whole life? Also when you said rice and lamb diet, is that homemade from scratch or something you bought in the store? If homemade was it brown or white rice? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 The german shepard had multiple allergies, including fleas and ingredients in regular dog food. We used a lamb and rice packaged dog food that the vet recommended. It was years ago so I don't remember the brand name now. She had to eat that always. We couldn't even give her a regular dog biscuit or table scraps because we could never be sure what would set off another allergy attack. This dog wandered up to our house when she was estimated to be about 5 or 6 years old. She didn't have any hair on the back half of her body due to neglect and her allergies. It took months of care for her to look healthy! Despite her rough start in life, she was the sweetest dog I've ever had. Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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