Allergy?

[Zippy]

Bandit is a 5yos cocker.He is itching and has dry skin.The vet says it is an allergy.We live in Fl.He says other dogs have been having it.Everthing has been tryed.Allergy food,Allergy shampoo,Allergy cream,Allergy spray,ect...We are at a loss.Thanks for any help you can give us.

[borzoimom]

Bandit is a 5yos cocker.He is itching and has dry skin.The vet says it is an allergy.We live in Fl.He says other dogs have been having it.Everthing has been tryed.Allergy food,Allergy shampoo,Allergy cream,Allergy spray,ect...We are at a loss.Thanks for any help you can give us.

What food is the dog on?

[areias]

Hmm..what does the vet say the allergy is? Food allergy? Grass?

The type of allergy food is important too...which kind was he on? There are many different types of food like that...you can try Lamb and Rice, Potato and Venison, Kanagroo Food...and you should give it a month or two to work out.

[borzoimom]

Hmm..what does the vet say the allergy is? Food allergy? Grass?

The type of allergy food is important too...which kind was he on? There are many different types of food like that...you can try Lamb and Rice, Potato and Venison, Kanagroo Food...and you should give it a month or two to work out.

Exactly- and even if it is a grass allergy- if the food is better, the immune system is stronger.
There are a few supplements I could recommend, but first I want to see if the dog is eating food that is higher in allergy causes than others.

[Zippy]

The way I took it was it was in the air and lots of dogs in the tampa area are having the same problem.He is now eatting natural blance allergy.He has just started taking omega-3 and allergy tabs.He was eating iams intil a month ago or so.

[borzoimom]

The way I took it was it was in the air and lots of dogs in the tampa area are having the same problem.He is now eatting natural blance allergy.He has just started taking omega-3 and allergy tabs.He was eating iams intil a month ago or so.

Okay it can take up to two months to detox from certain foods. Your omega 3 is a good idea- but you need omega 6 too. You can try either " Hair of the dog" which is rich in both- but its expensive. Another good one to try is Dr. Fosters and Smith vitacoat plus . Here is the link. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 . Of the two I like " Hair of the dog".
I want you to read your ingredients in the food. If corn is high or chicken- we need to move the dog off it. More dogs have allergies to those two ingredients than anything else.

[Zippy]

We got the allergy kit off drsfostersmith.The first three ingredients are potatoes,duck meal,and duck.It is natural balance allergy formula.

[borzoimom]

We got the allergy kit off drsfostersmith.The first three ingredients are potatoes,duck meal,and duck.It is natural balance allergy formula.

Thats good. check into hair of the dog. Attaching link. http://www.docsblend.com/H-Testimonials.html

[areias]

Potato and Duck sounds good...is Bandit overweight at all? Just curious (thyroid). Yeah..give it another month...if not, try a different combination. I love the Kangaroo food.

I know he's a cocker...he must go to the groomer, what kind of shampoo do they use? I know you said allergy shampoo...hmm...have you used Malaseb yet? Make sure you are rinsing really well when you bathe him, any shampoo left on can cause some skin problems.

If all else fails...and weigh your options...think about a cortisone shot. It does help, but at the risk of some organ damage in the long run. Doing one shot won't hurt, but if you get into the routine of constant steroid use, the liver and other organs will fail sooner in life.

Have you tried a benadryl everyday? How much does he weigh? 1 tab is 25 mg...its 1mg per pound..so if hes around 25 lbs, I would give him one benadryl tab every morning. There's also a little yellowish green pill...chlorahex or something, the name escapes me, that does the same thing and is vet-prescribed. I'll go look it up.

I know you said he's itchy...is there any open scabbing or rawness? He may have a staff/skin infection that needs to be cleared up before the allergies are addressed.

I hope that helps...

Edit: The medication is Chlorpheniramine. Ask your vet about it, it has similar properties to benadryl, and is fairly cheap.

[dragondawg]

Bandit is a 5yos cocker.He is itching and has dry skin.The vet says it is an allergy.We live in Fl.He says other dogs have been having it.Everthing has been tryed.Allergy food,Allergy shampoo,Allergy cream,Allergy spray,ect...We are at a loss.Thanks for any help you can give us.

Did the Vet do a blood work up to check for hypothyroidism? Until that is checked, one should not assume it's an allergy. If the thyroid checks out ok, then ask for a referral to a doggy dermatologist. If you are close enough the Vet school at the University of Florida is suppose to be very good.

[Freedom]

Is this dog primarily indoors with you? And is your a/c running more to dehumidify the environment? I think you've been having a good amount of rain, right? Could this NOT be an allergy? Especially as the vet says many dogs in the area are showing these symptoms. The environment is dry, causing dry skn, and we all know that itches! Try adding a table spoon of canola oil to the dry kibble each morning. It should help the dry skin in about a week.

[Flatcoatluver]

Hey Nikki, I am glad to hear you took my advice and switched to Natural Balance, give it another month, how does Bandit like it? But at least he is eating better ingredients, what kind of treats are you giving him?

[dab_20]

That's how my cocker, Sammy, was when I was feeding him Iams. It took a few months for his skin to become normal again and for his itching to stop.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Bitsy's allergies are acting up right now too. There's so much pollen outside right now. Benadryl usually works well for Bitsy. She's been put on prescription allergy pills before when her allergies were really bad and the benadryl wasn't cutting it.

We try to keep Bitsy outside for very short amounts of time. Also vacuuming often to keep any pollen off the floors helps. We bathe her often and wash her bedding often too. I also cut her hair shorter during this time of year, it makes it easier to bathe her and less of a pollen "trap".

Natural Balance is a nice food however if Bandit has an inhalant allergy as opposed to a food allergy than the "allergy formula" may not help him at all.

[Zippy]

Thanks everone for your great ideas and info.
Bandit loves his new food and I just looked at all the treats ingredients and we have desided to give him only baby carrots for treats now.