# Bumpy skin...Allergies??



## jewell0227

Hi, I have a large dog who is half pitbull and half bull mastiff. He has had allergies his whole life, but we have been able to get them under control by buying expensive food, changing his bathing regime, etc. Just recently after about a whole year without, he is suddenly "bumpy" again. His back right foot is swollen and the padding on his foot is starting to come off as if it has scabbed up. We have tried doing all the same things as before, but nothing seems to work. We give him benadryl (not too often) to try and control the itch. It seems to work temporarily, but not for long. No matter what we do, we cannot seem to get these bumps to go away. They consume his whole body. Legs, butt, back, neck, face, you name it, he's got em. I was wondering if I used calamine lotion on him if this would work to dry some of these bumps up. I am all for natural remedies so if anyone knows any....or if anyone has this similar situation and knows anything that will help control these bumps, please please let me know. Thanks!!


----------



## MY MIKADO

I'm guessing you took him to the vet with this recent episode. 

Have you tried making a paste of Baking soda and rubbing that into his bumps. It is suppose to help dry and relieve the itch. I remeber my mom making ths up for me when I got alot of mosquitoes bites.


----------



## MetalGirl30

Sounds to me like he has Dermodex,,which is a type of hereditary mange passed down through the mother's milk...by what you are describing.
I would take him to the vet if I was you.
Does he have a bad odor to him also?
It can't be cured but can be managed using Vermectin. Which is also used for heartworms.
I would just take him to the vet to make sure that it isn't something that serious.
I had a dog with the same problem. Stress is what kept making her break out.
It would go away then come back..over and over again. I spent over 9 months going back and forth to the vets before finally I had to accept that she was doing nothing but suffering.
She had to be put down, vet said it was the worse case that he had ever seen.


----------



## MPRO112

Could be a bunch of things, could it be fleas? it is flea season. also like you said it could be an allergy, maybe a "new" one he has formed as he has gotten older. As for the padding falling off his foot that doesnt sound too good to me. I would consider that kinda serious and I know I would go to the Vet at that point before your boy gets a nasty infection that he has to suffer thru. Sorry not much help but Mikado's Baking Soda paste does work, Ive used it before on my dogs with mosquito bites.


----------



## Bleu Clair

I'd probably get your dog to the vet., with his foot being swollen and his pad in the shape you say it is. The bumps could be anything, including a contact allergy on top of what allergies he already has. Have you installed new carpeting, are you using any new cleaning products or anything in your home? You could try a 10 minute soak in a good medicated shampoo, along with the benadryl you're already giving him, and the baking soda paste as was suggested. What kind of allergies has he already been diagnosed with? Allergies are at a high right now so he could be reacting to that despite your efforts previously working in the past (sometimes allergies get worse or they develop a new one). At any rate, I think his vet. should see him to determine what's going on and to check on that foot.


----------



## keelahsMOM

*hi maybe I can help*

well i have a year old pit and she has the same problems as your dog. I recently have went and purchased new food for her and it seems to be working. The food is nature's dite. It doesnt have any corn or filler in it. all natural veggies and oats and thing's it seems to be working. I alos went and bought a hypo allergenic shampoothat is medicated for her to wash her in. Plus I use benadryl. It's doseage is 1mg/perlb. This has been working great for her. Also booties is another thing you could try along with a cone protector so there's not biteing or scratching of the sink wich in turn will reduce bacterial infections.Another thing you could try is after bringing him/her in yoou could try wipeing him down with a cool rag to get off any dirt or pollen that may be on his/her fur. If nothing works i would take it to the vet to have some testing done. I hope this help's!!!:doggy:


----------



## BedlamBully

I also have pit/Bullmastiff mix and he has mild skin allergies. They always seem to hit a little harder as it heads into fall, he gets a skin rash and gets itchy, but I can usually control it with a milk of magnesia(sp) soak. I fill the bathtub as full as I can and make him lay down in it for 20-30mins. I also always get a medicated cream from the vet. I can't remember what its called I will look it up when I get home.


----------



## Sampsons Dad

Have you had the dogs bumps tested for Demodex and or Ringworm?
That would be my first concern.
You should get the dog on Antibiotics in case of any infection from bitting the itchy skin.
Of course first diagnose then treat. If you start treating your just shooting in the dark and it may not help....and worst of all it might hurt.


----------



## MADBood

I know this thread is a couple weeks old but I thought I would mention Cephalexin. Cephalexin is a broad spectrum antibiotic used for treatment of skin allergies amongst many other things. My Vet actually prescribed it for my blue AmBully, Charlotte. She had the exact same symptoms descibed above. We tried oatmeal baths, zinc ointments, hot spot treatments, changing diets and nothing seemed to work. We finally took her to our vet and he prescribed her cephalexin. Of course they ruled out demodectic/sarcoptic mange by doing a skin scraping. It was just some type of allergy she had....very common in blue coated dogs. Anyway, the point is that you can purchase this antibiotic without a prescription. Here is the link....Veterinary supplies and wholesale pet supplies online for dogs, cats and horses at calvetsupply.com! They sell it for alot cheaper than your vet will charge and is sold "for fish tank use". It is the exact same stuff your vet will give them and most vet supply places require a prescription from your vet. This is where we buy all our wormers/vaccines from......so much cheaper.


----------



## harlowaustin

Thanks for your post, we both have blue pits with the same problem. Mine is twenty pounds now and I've done everything! Reading your blog felt like reading my own journey.
So I went to the link and now I can just order this medication for her? 
The vet said she'd have it for the rest of her life and that it's a very expensive illness. I felt like I had to give her up...but I love her too much. 
How is your pit now?? You give her this antibiotic and she's fine? 
Thanks for your time.


----------



## MADBood

Well if you have tried everything else and it didn't work, I would say try it. I do not claim to be a vet but my vet subscribed for my girl and it worked in my case. You can buy it in 250 and 500mg. 500mg per 50lbs. It's a helluva lot cheaper this way than paying ~ $40-50 for a two week supply and it's the same stuff. I have several dogs and am forced to seek ways to save $$ My vet told me the same thing...I would probably have to deal with this for a long time but after she did her 2 weeks on the antibiotics she completely cleared up and she hasn't had a problem since. I did also put her on a quality diet as well. I would suggest at least a 4 star brand of food. Here is a link to that grades different foods.....Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

I hope this helps


----------



## intensive

i thought my angel had skin allergies so i took her to the vet and it turned out to be a slight staff infection-looks like lil bumps and it didnt itch her to bad but it wasnt pretty!


----------



## Zelda

My girl Zelda is going through the same thing. Dry bumps on her skin and some bald spots from the bumps. I've spent hundreds of dollars at the Vet from skin scrapes, antibiotics, prednizone, and finally a skin biopsy but nothing seems to be changing. Negative for Demodex Mange. I need help just as much as you do.... I'm thinking allergy but it could be impossible to pin-point what she's allergic to.


----------



## geisthexe

Zelda said:


> My girl Zelda is going through the same thing. Dry bumps on her skin and some bald spots from the bumps. I've spent hundreds of dollars at the Vet from skin scrapes, antibiotics, prednizone, and finally a skin biopsy but nothing seems to be changing. Negative for Demodex Mange. I need help just as much as you do.... I'm thinking allergy but it could be impossible to pin-point what she's allergic to.


Get a referral to a animal dermatologist ... they will run a test so they can pin point what the allergy is if any


----------



## avaandmekah

*Poor girl and her bumps*

Hey i just found this site and thought i'd try and get some feedback. I read the bumpy skin thread. I was wondering if anyone had any results from their searches for solutions? My Mekah has Inflammatory Bowel Disease so the vet put her on Royal Canine Hypoallergenic HP dry food. She also just recently started having skin problem of rash/allergy. Vet did skin scrapes and other tests and hasn't pinned anything down. She thinks it might be skin allergy to something at home. I tried changing detergents for blankets and stuff she lays on and bathed her in some oatmeal shampoo and other antiparasitic shampoo the vet gave us. Nothing seems to work. Shes also taken steroids and a couple other meds to help ease the itching.

I dont know what to do to help her. My other dog Ava is unaffected. I wonder if she might be allergic to the Royal Canine food? Anyone have any ideas????? Thank you....


----------



## tosetti

Hello, I am going through the same frustrating problems with my girl. I am trying a grain free diet, also going to try a skin/allergy supplement that has had great reviews from my dogs nutritionist,vets and people who have dogs with random skin allergies. It is call Platinum Performance skin/allergy can be ordered right on online. I know Platinum Performance makes great supplements going to give it a try, just want to rule out a grain allergy first. I have found bathing her with malaseb shampoo (Anti fungal/Bacterial shampoo) 2x week is most effective in controling the itching/bumps/scabs until I can figure out what is causing her allergies. hope this helps


----------



## tkat

*skin allergies - suggestion*

I found a 6-8 month old mini pit mix Nov 2010 in the streets. He was riddled with skin rash and infection (among other icky things). After trying what my vet suggested (dips, shampoos, antibiotics, diet changes, etc) it was concluded he suffered from environmental/airborne type allergies and was put on Tameril P. It took a little while, be 100mg, 2x/day (breakfast and dinner) controls the rash. If I even try to go to 150mg/day, a rash begins to appear. I plan to use this course as he grows, and I hope he grows out of it or over time I can reduce the meds. Since he insists on rubbing his belly on the grass, I also wipe him down and bath him once a week w/ Chlorhexidine gluconate. Either way, it is working and he is happier for it.


----------



## [email protected]

*rash and spots*

My puppy of 7months has had her shots and is an inside dog. She recently has red bumps near her private area, and red belly. I noticed around her eye that her coat is spotting. An now a spot on her leg, spots on her belly. It looks as if she has alopecia. What's wrong with her? Can I take care of her without going to the vet. The vet is so costly.


----------



## [email protected]

Thank u for your advice, because she actually runs n rubs her belly in the grass when we walk. Her owner has allergies, now her! I'm going to use a combination of both your solutions to solve my issue.


----------



## performanceknls

If she has thinning of the hair around the eyes it could be mange. More info is needed is you want to make sure you are treating it correctly.


----------



## MikeCT01

About 2 1/2 years ago I adopted a red nose pittie and a few weeks after getting her, her belly and chest developed a rash. I took her to the vet and they did a skin scrape.. no mange or mites. They determined it must be allergies. I was given Simplecef antibiotic and she cleared up. She seems to go steeches of time with nothing then all of a sudden. I also have a yellow lab and another Pitbull that is mixed with something. Neither of them have any issues. Then last year, I adopeted a blue pitbull, and she is worse with the rashes. In additon, her coat develops the bumpsfrom the neck back to her tail. Went through same thing with vet.. no mange or mites. She got keflex and cleared right up. So, recently.. I took in a foster red nose. She has been here for 2 months and about a week ago, she develops the bumps in the fur, but no rash. Then almost like they were in sync.. my other red nose and blue broke out. The blue seems to have to worst of it. She has the bumps in fur, and rash. Her rashes always are at her privates and belly and then in her arm pits. So.. all 3 of them are now on Keflex and a different antihistamine: chlorphenamine. I;ve tried several things including switching them to lamb and rice food, I bath them in an antibacterial shampoo, even tired tea tree oil in the shampoo. Vet suggested just using the oatmeal shampoo and unfortunatly, pitbulls are quite prone to allergies. So, my experience alone shows this must be the case, third times a charm it would seem!


----------



## colombiana74

The posts that I have been reading is all to familiar. We have a 16 month old Blue Pit who has been having the same red bumps, itchyness, dry skin, which can spread thru out his whole body. We have gone thru 6 months treatment for Demadex , changed his food about 4 times and now we are giving him a grain free with Kangaroo meat ( cant remember the name ) & we have tried antibiotics as well. This has been very costly but hes worth it. We just finally realized that the shampoo we have been using is what is causing his this reaction because it has Oatmeal in it. In researching today apparently this type of breed it is also common for them to be allergic to Oat. Has anyone here looked in to this?


----------



## mypitgia

be careful with the tamaril p its basically benedryl with prednisone(which is a steroid) and can have long term effect s on all dog especially puppies. I would only use it only as a last resort, and very seldomly.


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella

I agree with Mypitgia.....My girl has had issues with allergies but I turned down the offer of steroids from the vet and have taken care of her issues with benadryl, diet and supplements. Antibiotics and steroids are only going to supress the immune system.


----------



## Pitbull Palace

Diamond gets skin alergies it looks like every winter. We got her last fall and by december she broke out with little pimples, she was only weeks old and left scars like chickenpoks can...this winter she turned 1 and sure enough in Dec she got the pimples again, but only 1/4 as bad. Benadryl stopped it inna week.


----------



## ames

My boy can't have grains thet mske his belly act up but does fine with an oatmeal bath! So crazy how different they can be. Try everything and eliminate some things to see if ur improved. Can even be your laundry soap causing a reaction.


----------



## ladyluck145

My dog has bad allergies, irritable bowel disease, etc. Years ago, her hair was coming out in patches, she had bumps all over her body and she was constantly scratching or licking herself. Based upon her (then) vet's reccommendation, I actually did try antibiotics and steroids for her treatment. BIG mistake on my part. My dog was miserable to say the least, and nothing really improved. The antibiotics killed much of the "good" bacteria in her gut and she ended up with even more infections -- both internal and external. She was still getting yeast infections too. The vet just suggested more antibiotics and my dog was bloated and lethargic from the prednisone. A few vets also wanted me to pay for an endoscopy which was well over $1000 and I could not afford. At the time, my dog was in such bad shape. The vets were baffled and acting like she was a lost cause.

Definitely look at changing your dog's diet to something with limited ingredients, utilizing supplements, gentle skin and ear products, etc. I even give my dog a probiotic supplement which helps a lot. Preventive care is much more affordable for me and my dog is now happy and healthy. If you don't know (for sure) what is going on with your dog though, it's always a good idea to begin by going to the vet for a proper diagnosis.


----------

