# Tempest's allergy Diary



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Since we get so many questions on hot spots, missing hair and allergies I thought I would do a thread on how to properly figure out what is going on. Many owners get too impatient to find out what is causing the allergy and change too many things at once and never figure out what was causing the irritation. Tempest suddenly has an allergy issue and is 5.5 years old. We need to rule out what type of allergy it is to properly treat it. It could be a contact allergy, seasonal, or food related. I wanted to document what I did and the results to show how to figure out what is going on. I think if we can refer to a thread like this we can save some typing since this is a common issues for so many dogs. This is not a thread where I want input on what to try, if I get to that point I will post another thread, this could turn into a 8 page thread if we discuss that. 

Tempest is losing hair on her rear end and scratching her neck, belly and sides bloody. This started about a week ago and I know it is high allergy season so I am hoping it is just seasonal.

What to try

*First we rule out a contact allergy*

Give her a bath with Dawn dish soap to remove dirt and oil from any irritants
Clean crate with Dawn and warm water 
Wash any blankets or bedding she uses with a hypoallergenic detergent or baby detergent
If the reaction is really bad you can use cortisone cream to help with itching
Start on a course of Benadryl

I gave her a bath with Dawn, cleaned her crate, washed her bedding with detergent I have for my baby that I gentle on the skin. I washed her blanket 3 times because she is a dirt ball and I wanted to remove all the dirt.
I started her on a heavy dose of benadryl for a week straight twice a day.

*Benadryl dosage*
1mg per pound of body weight is the normal dose but you can give up to 3 times that amount for acute reactions. Tempest weighs about 45-50lbs so normally I would give her 2 Benadryl pills, each pill is 25mgs so a total of 50 mgs. For this reaction I gave her 100mgs and will do that every day twice a day for a week then back off to 50mgs twice a day.

I have some cortisone cream I got for her and will try that as well. For severe reactions oral steroids can be used but you should get that from a vet. I have dosages but if not done correctly can be dangerous so I will not even post it. I know she is allergic to the straw I put in the dog houses in the winter so it could be seasonal or contact. One note about using the Dawn dish soap, use it only once to remove the dirt and oil, any baths given after the initial one should be a good oatmeal shampoo. Dawn will strip the good and bad oils from the coat so it will dry out some for a few day and may get flaky. Any more than once and you will really dry out the coat and make the dog itch worse.

If that does not work and I do not see improvement in a week or so I will move on to seasonal allergies.
For seasonal I will keep her on the Benadryl and if seems to get better with Benadryl I can assume it is seasonal allergies. This may be something you just have to spot treat as the seasons change. If your dog has really bad seasonal allergies or just sever allergies in general you might want to consult a specialist vet. They can do a skin scraping test to find out what they are allergic too and give them a weekly serum to take by injection. It really helps in the long run but is expensive.

If all this does not help then I have to consider food allergies. I will stop feeding a grain food and switch to grain free diet like duck or salmon. I like TOTW but that is JMO. You need to cut all grains and treats out of your dogs diet and feed only grain free kibble for at least 3 weeks to cleanse the system. Some irritants can build up over time and stay there for a few weeks. Once the dog has had no grains and treats see if the allergies improved. If so it was an allergy to food. Add things back one at a time but give it 2 weeks before you add something else back in. Make a list and keep track, if a flare up happens write down what it was. Clear up that reactions before starting another food to add back to the diet.

If the allergies still occur then seek a vet that deals with allergies.

I will post pictures when I can.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

She looked much better today lets hope she stays that way!


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

Lisa do you use dreft? Bogart is allergic to regular detergent I wanted to know if dreft would be ok?


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

Bump lisa  LOL


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Yes dreft is what I use for my baby and what I used on her blankets. Dreft is made for sensitive skin and works great. You can also get the cheaper version of dreft at Babies R us, it is the store brand but works the same.


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

I'm pretty sure that I saw that Walmart has a store brand for it now too


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Tempest is much better but still had scabs all over so I am hoping the benadryl helps but if this persists we will have to try changing foods.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

most def. contact allergy because it's not a feet/neck/ear issue. Good luck getting to the bottom of it!


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## am1640 (Mar 28, 2011)

Lisa for a food allergy do you have to change the brand of food or is switching the formula sufficient enough to determine if it was a food allergy or not. For instance can I just switch from TOTW Sierra Mountain formula to the Pacific stream formula or do I need to try a different brand altogether?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

am1640 said:


> Lisa for a food allergy do you have to change the brand of food or is switching the formula sufficient enough to determine if it was a food allergy or not. For instance can I just switch from TOTW Sierra Mountain formula to the Pacific stream formula or do I need to try a different brand altogether?


If you are already feeding grain free I would look at other things you give her. Like treats can have hidden grains in them. Is there a thread about this I can look at?


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## am1640 (Mar 28, 2011)

performanceknls said:


> If you are already feeding grain free I would look at other things you give her. Like treats can have hidden grains in them. Is there a thread about this I can look at?


no sorry I didn't start a thread on it because the vet told us it was allergies two weeks ago and to start with changing food because it's the easiest to diagnose. So we stopped all treats and changed formulas of TOTW, but we are still having the itching problem and minor hives. So I just wanted to make sure that changing the formula was a sufficient change to diagnose the food allergy. We'll try what you wrote about seasonal allergies now though. thank you.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I would start where I did in this thread, food allergies is the last place I would start and if you dog has hives then I would bet it is seasonal or contact allergies. This thread will help you get started and if you are feeding a grain free already I would just cut out any treats till you figure it out. If you need more help let me know.


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

grain free is a good way to go, but you need a single source protein based food. TOTW is not going to cut it for ya, sorry bud. Also if it was only two weeks ago it is too premature to say if the food change was effective or not because your dog hasn't had time to completely kick any previous infection from the vet visit that gave you antibiotics.


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## Snookie0106 (Aug 12, 2010)

Hi All!

I am looking for some feedback about allergy. I have a 1 1/2 year old pit-bull that developed severe allergy when she was about 5 months. I have been dealing with this for about a year now and still looking for solutions. She itches all over her body and has hives all over her body too when she gets pretty bad. Her hair has become thin and dry. After taking her to several vets I decided to do the blood test to find out what she was really allergic to. It turns out she is allergic to 19 different allergens. I started her on immunotherapy and hope to see a change in the coming months. I would like to know if anyone has try immunotherapy and if they have had any success? I am exhausted to say the least and would like to receive some encouragement that there would be some light at the end of the tunnel. She is the life of the house and I love her deeply and would do anything to make her better. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks!


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## r0ckah0l1c (Jan 18, 2011)

I was wondering about distinguishing allergies from mange. If the areas of the rash are on elbows and chest/tummy is it allergic reaction and not mange? Because I was under the impression mange started around the ears, eyes, and snout? Thank you.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Snookie0106 said:


> Hi All!
> 
> I am looking for some feedback about allergy. I have a 1 1/2 year old pit-bull that developed severe allergy when she was about 5 months. I have been dealing with this for about a year now and still looking for solutions. She itches all over her body and has hives all over her body too when she gets pretty bad. Her hair has become thin and dry. After taking her to several vets I decided to do the blood test to find out what she was really allergic to. It turns out she is allergic to 19 different allergens. I started her on immunotherapy and hope to see a change in the coming months. I would like to know if anyone has try immunotherapy and if they have had any success? I am exhausted to say the least and would like to receive some encouragement that there would be some light at the end of the tunnel. She is the life of the house and I love her deeply and would do anything to make her better. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks!


I think you had a thread about this right? I think you did and we talked about it there if not start one and we will help out.



r0ckah0l1c said:


> I was wondering about disinguishing allergies from mange. If the areas of the rash are on elbows and chest/tummy is it allergic reaction and not mange? Because I was under the impression mange started around the ears, eyes, and snout? Thank you.


Yes you are right, Mange will normally start out around the eyes, ears, and muzzle. It also will start with hairloss vs a rash.


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## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

How did I miss this thread ... how is she doing ?


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

She is doing good but I need to keep her on Benadryl everyday or it flares up. This summer has the been the worst it has ever been.


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## jdawg (Apr 26, 2011)

I did your benadryl suggestion for my dogs allergies & it worked great!!!! Thanks!!!


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

YAY!! it s a safe effective way to help with allergies without spending and arm and a leg at the vet. I am happy it work for you and the dog.


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## juan b (Jun 8, 2011)

are there any pics of allergy's an also i have a blue name zeus an he is having a break out on his neck an back its bumpy an then will have a scab he cant reach it i notice it after i gave him a shower at a friends house from playing in mud with oatmeal shampoo i went to the vet he couldn't real tell me but we skipped the scrap an he gave me so antibiotics it helps but i think the paricit is still on him creating more bumps an he showers daily need help pleassssssssss


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## Xiahko (Feb 24, 2010)

Bruno is the king of allergies. I swear he is allergic to everything.
Glad this is posted! Hope it helps with Bruno.


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## Xiahko (Feb 24, 2010)

juan b said:


> are there any pics of allergy's an also i have a blue name zeus an he is having a break out on his neck an back its bumpy an then will have a scab he cant reach it i notice it after i gave him a shower at a friends house from playing in mud with oatmeal shampoo i went to the vet he couldn't real tell me but we skipped the scrap an he gave me so antibiotics it helps but i think the paricit is still on him creating more bumps an he showers daily need help pleassssssssss


skin issues in Blue dogs are common in any breed. Also don;t shower your dog every day! That will just make it worse!
You should never shower a dog every day! they need their natural oils!


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

juan b said:


> are there any pics of allergy's an also i have a blue name zeus an he is having a break out on his neck an back its bumpy an then will have a scab he cant reach it i notice it after i gave him a shower at a friends house from playing in mud with oatmeal shampoo i went to the vet he couldn't real tell me but we skipped the scrap an he gave me so antibiotics it helps but i think the paricit is still on him creating more bumps an he showers daily need help pleassssssssss


You can start here with this thread, it tells you what to do and you can go from there. If you need more help start a new thread and we can help you. I would not bath every day with soap that will dry out the coat and make it worse.


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## Papi_ (Aug 30, 2011)

Nice thread verry helpfull


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## Sugar and Spikes (Sep 7, 2011)

My Rotty had a ongoing problem with ear infections and an itchy flaky spot on her back at the base of her tail. I began using Diamond brand dog food and within 2 months her ears were fine and her itchy flakes were gone. I think she had allergies to the other dog food I was using.


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## Sugar and Spikes (Sep 7, 2011)

*change dog foods*



performanceknls said:


> I think you had a thread about this right? I think you did and we talked about it there if not start one and we will help out.
> 
> Yes you are right, Mange will normally start out around the eyes, ears, and muzzle. It also will start with hairloss vs a rash.


I use Diamond dog food and my dogs chronic ear problems and itchy flaky skin cleared up within 2 months


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## crystalcountry (Dec 26, 2010)

This was very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to make this a sticky


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

FYI I put Tempest on Raw just to avoid any food issues too.


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## Fancy419 (Apr 14, 2012)

*Rose&Domino&Oxe*

I had a pit bull name Oxe for about 2 years. His allergies got so bad that he smelt all the time & he would dig at his skin until he bled. The bumps on his body were full of puss. I think his problem was the fleas that we could NEVER get off of him. He became so depressed all he would do was lay on the floor with a sad look on his face, I couldnt let him suffer anymore so I put him to sleep. After that i got domino & Rose & there hair was fine until I gave them dog food with corn in it so I switched back to Diamonds Natural Large Breed Puppy with Lamb which is what they had at first. Domino's hair is growing back nice but rose is still having red spots on her sides and tail that she chews at. It's all bumpy. I use outmeal dog shampoo with baking soda & when they have fleas i use a special shampoo for that too. I'm going to start following the steps that you put up & hopefully it works. The white one is Rose, The second pic is Domino & the last 2 pics are Oxe. As you can see on the last picture Oxes hair on his back was was real thin


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## Kingsgurl (Dec 16, 2011)

If you have a recurring problem with fleas, it would be best to put them on some sort of preventative to keep the fleas off them. Some dogs react very violently to even a single flea bite (flea allergy dermatitis is common for dogs with this type of sensitivity) The flea shampoo is only going to kill off fleas that are on them, it will do nothing to break the flea lifecycle or prevent flea re-infestation. For every flea you see on your pet, there are thousands in your environment.
Sometimes, once secondary infections start in, you might need to resolve those before the dog will fully heal, even with the allergens removed.


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## G0nzalez (Apr 18, 2012)

Hi, Can someone please help me with my dog! I have a 16 month old bluenose that we have been battleing allergies since she was 7 months old ( she was on orijen puppy since 8 weeks old and only issue she had was diarrhea once in a while). She was on several rounds of seriods /antibiotics / immune suppresants. The vet told me that since I switched her food twice that it was most likey a environmental allergy ( she was on Orijen puppy then orijen bison/fish, then taste of the wild lamb and rice) Well winter came and she got so much worse on the lamb and rice food.

I made the decision to completly stop all medications and cook beef with Dr. Harveys pre mix dog food suppliment that you add to the meat. She improved sooo much but was still itchy. I decided to allergy test her (yes its very very expensive),well at least in nyc it is, and I found out shes allergic to the following : (NO ENVIORNMENTAL ALLERGIES) .. Lamb, Chicken, Bison, Veison, Brown Rice, White Rice, Eggs, Cannola oils, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Bananas. Blood work also showed she had an overgrowth of yeast in her system (from all the meds). 

I looked into every dry dog food and the only one that had none of these ingrediants was innova prime hearing and salmon.....well 2 weeks after I switched her she got worse, rashes, bumps everywhere once again.. I then stopped the dry food and everyone said do raw... Well I bought raw beef (vital essencials raw dog food) and she will not go near it... i tried cooking some ground beef and putting it on top, mixing it with yogurt.. I waited 3 full days of her not eating and started to cook ground beef for her again with some mixed veggies and of course oils, vitamins, keifer yogurt. Ive been trying to find out if theres some kind of pre mix dog food without potatoes or rice or egg, so far I only found Canine Life but I'm not sure how good it is.

Please does anyone have advice, I work fulltime and its extreamly hard to be cooking for my dog everyday.. plus buying 2 pounds of beef per day gets really expensive. Any advice would be helpfull! thanks


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

G0nzalez said:


> Hi, Can someone please help me with my dog! I have a 16 month old bluenose that we have been battleing allergies since she was 7 months old ( she was on orijen puppy since 8 weeks old and only issue she had was diarrhea once in a while). She was on several rounds of seriods /antibiotics / immune suppresants. The vet told me that since I switched her food twice that it was most likey a environmental allergy ( she was on Orijen puppy then orijen bison/fish, then taste of the wild lamb and rice) Well winter came and she got so much worse on the lamb and rice food.
> 
> I made the decision to completly stop all medications and cook beef with Dr. Harveys pre mix dog food suppliment that you add to the meat. She improved sooo much but was still itchy. I decided to allergy test her (yes its very very expensive),well at least in nyc it is, and I found out shes allergic to the following : (NO ENVIORNMENTAL ALLERGIES) .. Lamb, Chicken, Bison, Veison, Brown Rice, White Rice, Eggs, Cannola oils, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Bananas. Blood work also showed she had an overgrowth of yeast in her system (from all the meds).
> 
> ...


If you start your own thread in the Health and Nutrition section you will be more likely to get a response from others. 
In my opinion, your dog will eat whatever you give her when she gets hungry enough. You can buy rabbit, moose, pig, salmon, tilapia, and most other types of meat online. If you have a local butcher you could talk to them about scraps and such. Also, there are many frozen raw companies out there that preprocess and prepackage raw as well. Put it in her bowl. She'll figure it out eventually.


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## The3rd (Mar 16, 2011)

Awesome...Thank you for the advice. I will try some your remedies to see if it helps out. The one thing I know for certain is that my dog is allergic to fleas. Unfortunately the only way to prevent a reaction is to keep all fleas off but realistically she will get bit by a flea here and there. Nothing I can do about that; I use flea and tick prevention, spray my yard, am constantly washing dog beds etc. My problem lies with my neighbor who does nothing to prevent fleas in her yard and the spread to other peoples yards. I think that your remedies may help keep the reaction from getting as bad as it does when my dog does in fact get bitten by a flea. I was thinking benadryl originally but wasnt sure if it was safe for dogs. Again thanks for the great post!


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## KellyC (Jan 12, 2013)

Allergies can cause seborrhea - red skin, oily fur with a strong, distinctive smell. But canine seborrhea can also be hereditary, and not have any other underlying cause - sort of like having dandruff in a person. 

We found Lola in the street about a 6 weeks ago, and she was just a mess, covered in fleas and her skin was very irritated. The vet gave her a cortisone shot which helped quite a bit at first, but the effects wore off quickly. 

Since then, I've started giving her two 25mg benadryl twice a day (she's 40 lbs), and washing her once a week with Selsun Blue. I wet her down, lather her up, and then let the lather stay on for a while - about 5 minutes - before I rinse it off. I make sure I get it down on her feet good and in between her toes; bless her heart, she was putting her whole feet in her mouth and chewing them up. We're seeing a lot less scratching and she's so much more comfortable since I started the benedryl. 

I am considering switching her over to a basic brown rice/hamburger/veggie diet with a supplement. I live in Peru, it's hard to find a lot of food options that are available in the US.


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