Pen Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) Vet thinks he has allergies. Took skin scrapings and ruled out Infection, mange etc. He is on changed food types and foot washes, but I’m not seeing improvements. Any thoughts on what might help appreciated. Coconut oil? Edited January 31, 2019 by Pen Ruled Out was left out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 We use Dermacool HC (1% hydrocortisone) spray for the skin problem, and green apple spray for the chewing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 We were told our dog had unspecified allergies. He also has trouble with his ears getting dirty. We were given an ear wash to use as needed and told to also use on his paws. It was a temporary solution but we didn’t have better ideas. When his ears got really bad we would take him to the vet for a cleaning. One day a few weeks back I randomly read that the dirty ears weren’t wax and dirt but yeast. I gave him plain yogurt with active bacterias in his food for about a month and he has stopped licking his paws and his ears have been completely clear. I’m not sure if it would help your dog but it was a cheap and simple solution for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 My dog who gets itchy from allergies has been helped tremendously by a medication called Apoquel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Very likely a pollen allergy . I'd wipe his feet with a baby wipe as often as possible, ideally every time he comes in from outside. Sorry, I know that sucks. I also very much like Zymox products for stuff like this, you can use the kind for ears on other body parts. And Apoquel is a wonder drug, but NOT cheap. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Possibly helpful -- Frequent baths High dose fish body oil An antihistamine (finding the one that works best for any given dog is a trial and error process; there are many that can be used) Probably very helpful -- Apoquel Cytopoint Atopica Allergy testing and desensitization (immunotherapy) shots 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Pawz4me said: Possibly helpful -- ... High dose fish body oil Fish oil applied to dog’s body? Or to his feet? or by mouth? Edited January 31, 2019 by Pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 31 minutes ago, Ktgrok said: Very likely a pollen allergy . I'd wipe his feet with a baby wipe as often as possible, ideally every time he comes in from outside. Sorry, I know that sucks. I also very much like Zymox products for stuff like this, you can use the kind for ears on other body parts. And Apoquel is a wonder drug, but NOT cheap. Our dog who passed away was on this. It was not that expensive ( 25 last refill). It did work when he was on it. Our friend’s dog is also on this and at her vet, it is not expensive. If they put your dog on this, check around for pricing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 15 minutes ago, Pen said: Fish oil applied to dog’s body? Or to his feet? or by mouth? Orally There is no hard-and-fast rule on what constitutes a high dose. I have two things recorded in my notes: 180 mg. EPA and 120 mg. DHA per every 10 pounds of body weight; and 22-40 mg. per kilogram of body weight of combined EPA and DHA EPA and DHA are the two main types of fatty acids in fish oil. The good brands will list the amount of each on the bottle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Apoquel isn't expensive at our vet, either. I don't remember the exact cost because it's been a few months since I last got a refill, but it is reasonably priced. Our dog was itching like crazy when we started him on Apoquel, and the relief was fast - within about two hours of the first dose, he stopped itching. Now, we start him on it every July when his pollen allergies kick in, and keep him on it until our first hard frost - so about 3-4 months of the year. The rest of the year, he doesn't need it. Licking and chewing can also be a compulsive thing for dogs, basically like an OCD behavior, and it can cause lesions to form called lick granulomas. If allergy meds don't help your dog, I would investigate that possibility. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 33 minutes ago, Selkie said: Apoquel isn't expensive at our vet, either. I don't remember the exact cost because it's been a few months since I last got a refill, but it is reasonably priced. Our dog was itching like crazy when we started him on Apoquel, and the relief was fast - within about two hours of the first dose, he stopped itching. Now, we start him on it every July when his pollen allergies kick in, and keep him on it until our first hard frost - so about 3-4 months of the year. The rest of the year, he doesn't need it. Licking and chewing can also be a compulsive thing for dogs, basically like an OCD behavior, and it can cause lesions to form called lick granulomas. If allergy meds don't help your dog, I would investigate that possibility. This is actually what we assumed with our beagle. I gave him the yogurt for his ears and was pleasantly surprised he stopped licking his paws. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Years ago with allergies, we were also told to change our boy's food to one that had a protein he had not been introduced to previously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 3 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said: Our dog who passed away was on this. It was not that expensive ( 25 last refill). It did work when he was on it. Our friend’s dog is also on this and at her vet, it is not expensive. If they put your dog on this, check around for pricing. Ok, curious as to the size of your dog? Ours is 67 pounds and it is 2 dollars per pills o $60 a month. So not the worst, but not cheap like beiedryl,w high worked for my last dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 15 minutes ago, Ktgrok said: Ok, curious as to the size of your dog? Ours is 67 pounds and it is 2 dollars per pills o $60 a month. So not the worst, but not cheap like beiedryl,w high worked for my last dog. He was 33lbs. Friend’s dog is 55lbs. Benadryl did nothing for us when he needed it. Do you know they have a shot for it now? Once a month and I think it is around 30. We didn’t do the shot as he got enough insulin shots and he liked pills( yes he was a weird dog lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 I ordered him Benadryl to try. And wipes with Chlorhexidine—not much Chlorhexidine in it, but the only form short of a gallon I saw to try without added fragrance. He is getting fish oil. Don’t know if high dose enough. We ran out of yoghurt. I’ll have to keep that in larger quantities. I have Zymox for ears. Should I try it on his feet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Ours is almost 70lb dog if relevant. On info about chlorhexadine I saw pictures of dog chins that show another problem our dog has had like an acne on his chin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importswim Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 3 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said: Our dog who passed away was on this. It was not that expensive ( 25 last refill). It did work when he was on it. Our friend’s dog is also on this and at her vet, it is not expensive. If they put your dog on this, check around for pricing. For our 65 pound Golden it was $50 for a 14 day supply from our vet. We couldn't do $100/month so she's not on it even though the sample that they gave us helped the itching immediately. Sigh. Where do you all buy it cheaper than this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 2 hours ago, Selkie said: Licking and chewing can also be a compulsive thing for dogs, basically like an OCD behavior, and it can cause lesions to form called lick granulomas. If allergy meds don't help your dog, I would investigate that possibility. A Lick granuloma was an issue a few years ago. We had gotten past it, but now it seems to be developing again. I am trying to head this off before it gets to a lick granuloma again. Some of the things that helped back then like green tea, now he hides under furniture at first inkling they are being prepared , and he seems perfectly happy to lick Bitter Apple, Bitter Yuck type products he had dog boots (hated them!) which had helped, but got lost during the time he hasn’t been going after his feet They were too big though so maybe I’ll get him a pair that fit better if I don’t find the old ones soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Hmmm. Our dog has always licked her feet, all four of them, several times a day. Since they weren't inflamed at all, the vet thought it was just a behavioral issue. Her ears do get gross, though. I wonder if trying yogurt would make any difference. She'll be thrilled to test the theory. 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 32 minutes ago, Pen said: A Lick granuloma was an issue a few years ago. We had gotten past it, but now it seems to be developing again. I am trying to head this off before it gets to a lick granuloma again. Some of the things that helped back then like green tea, now he hides under furniture at first inkling they are being prepared , and he seems perfectly happy to lick Bitter Apple, Bitter Yuck type products he had dog boots (hated them!) which had helped, but got lost during the time he hasn’t been going after his feet They were too big though so maybe I’ll get him a pair that fit better if I don’t find the old ones soon. We had a dobie-lab mix with lick granulomas. He was super high strung and took his job as a watch dog very seriously. Then he got diabetes and went blind and couldn't do his job anymore, so he was stressed out and started licking his legs and feet. We tried a bunch of different things and what ended up working for us were some booties that we had custom made. I can't remember the name of the company, but they specialize in making products for dogs with lick granulomas. I would wrap the affected areas in sports wrap and then put the booties on over the wrap, and that kept him from licking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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