# what can you do or give for allergies in pit bulls?



## jeepmama (Jun 18, 2011)

I live with a pit bull who i absolutely adore but he suffers from allergies and patches of redness on his chest. what can we do for him? thanks


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Hi and Welcome to GP  We have alot of dogs with allergies on here and alot of people use benadryl. Here is a thread on allergies by one of the moderators on here.
http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/36474-tempests-allergy-diary.html


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## Wingman (Oct 21, 2009)

First things first. You need to figure out exactly what is causing the allergic reaction. Usually it's something new in the environment, different shampoos, different medications, but most commonly it's food. What brand of food are you feeding your dog? A lot of APBT's, including mine, have sensativities to certain grains. You should start at the top and work your way down. Eliminate anything in new in your dogs environment that could cause the issue. Give it a bath with some hypoallergenic shampoo, then lastly switch foods.

You can also go here: http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/32068-benadryl-dogs.html and read about benadryl. Now there is a good and bad thing with benadryl. It will take care of any allergic reactions, but it will also just mask them instead of actually treating them. It's a good way to figure out if it's actually an allergic reaction. Just do the things I Listed first, before giving benadryl. Also it will make your dog very lethargic and lazy.

Good luck!


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

^Yes! Figure out what your dog is allergic to first. Food allergy, environmental allergy, and to what? I had some clients come in for boarding where supposedly both of their unrelated dogs were allergic to chicken. They came in with a big bag of Ol' Roy. I read the ingredients, and one of the first few was "poultry meal," so they've likely been feeding chicken without knowing it. And to be honest, I found the corn in the food far more suspect than the chicken.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Blue_Nose_Bella said:


> Hi and Welcome to GP  We have alot of dogs with allergies on here and alot of people use benadryl. Here is a thread on allergies by one of the moderators on here.
> http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/36474-tempests-allergy-diary.html


:goodpost: Thanks for posting that. This thread talks about checking for contact, seasonal, and food allergies. You need to figure out what is causing it like everyone has said. I made that thread for questions like yours so it give what to try step by step to figure it out. If you have more question feel free to ask. many of us have dealt with allergies of some sort.


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## BullyDoc (Jun 11, 2011)

First things first...I always start with a skin scrape on a dermatology case, no matter what. Obviously you will need to see a doctor for that. You can do a blood test or skin test for inhalant or environmental allergens, but that is just if you want to know. There really isn't a way to keep them away from environmental allergens.

Benadryl actually does help with the allergic response--because it targets the cells that release histamine (thus the term anti-histimine). Some dogs do great with Benadryl and some need to go to the stronger Hydroxazine.

Getting the dog on grain-free is a huge step toward skin health. And getting a food with added (or adding) Omega Fatty Acids will help reduce allergies as well (we like a product called ProDerma). Corn, wheat, soy, etc. are big food allergy culprits.

Even with all of the above, some dogs still need steroid to keep them comfortable while the other nutritional things are taking time to work. Derm cases require diligence and patience.


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## Maximus146 (Apr 15, 2008)

I know others have said this...
My Max is allergic to grains...and switching him to Taste of the Wild grain free was what did the trick.
Good luck


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

BullyDoc said:


> First things first...I always start with a skin scrape on a dermatology case, no matter what. Obviously you will need to see a doctor for that. You can do a blood test or skin test for inhalant or environmental allergens, but that is just if you want to know. There really isn't a way to keep them away from environmental allergens.
> 
> Benadryl actually does help with the allergic response--because it targets the cells that release histamine (thus the term anti-histimine). Some dogs do great with Benadryl and some need to go to the stronger Hydroxazine.
> 
> ...


I would love for you to write a thread about this and talk about the tests available and what they look for and how accurate they are. These are new to me and I am very interested in learning more. Thanks!


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