Quote Originally Posted by Bonny View Post
Last Thursday I took Baxter back to the veterinary. In August he had given him an ivomec shot & steroid shot along with front line for two months & said allergies to weeds etc. Well I am really getting frustrated. He just isn't getting any better. I had purchased Old Gold with Aloe to put on him when he itched, & gave him a serious of vinegar baths along with washing rugs & couch cover where he sleeps. I took him back to the vet on Thursday last week. He was given an ivomec shot & steroid shot thinking mites? Doc scraped of some skin scab, hair, & notice d yah his skin is reddened in areas. I mentioned lyme disease. So he drew some blood it came up negative to lymes, heart worms, etc. Baxter is still itching & we have a return visit in 7-10 day. The only thing I can think of is maybe his dog food? My other dog Missy itches some also & had been checked out with Baxter last August. She does not have the reddened skin or almost hairless areas from scratching. Our grandpuppy has stayed at our house & does not scratch & has eaten the dog food. I just can't figure this out. I guess last summer lots of dogs had allergies & were treated for it. Right now there is 24' of snow so there is no pollen in the air. Go Figure! This is driving me nuts! Baxters coat looks healthy shinny & clean. The places of itching are his flank area, ears, & tail, along with an area on his hind leg. Any in put would be appreciated.
I'm so sorry you and baxter are going through this. IMO, you should find a new vet. Yours is just taking your money, and not helping you find a real solution to your problems....


Ivomec is in the flea and tick control already... this can cause adverse reactions when used in conjunction with Ivomec used propperly for dogs. Also, this is a product when "injectable" is really used on cattle and pigs. Ivomec is not FDA approved for this, but it is a common pest control (often used for mange mites)in dogs. It even says not for dogs on the box. When treating a dog with Ivomec it is given orally not as an injection. To "cure" your dog of parasites the Ivomec is given for several days to several months, daily. Not speratically.

It could be a food allergy in conjunction with an enviornmental allergy. The way to go about doing this the most cost effective way is to go into your vets office armed with information. I will help you as much as possible since I've been through the ringer with allergies, and i'll cut to the chase and not try to sell you on the bogus crap that doesn't work which the vet will try to push on you first.

If your dog is scratching to the point of opening his skin.... he has a secondary infection which requires antibiotics. Depending on your dogs weight.... I have a 45-50 pound dog who is put on Ciprofoxacin 500 MG... another hint for you... those "steroid shots" do not show you improvement for another 5 days or so. Antibiotics and steroids are generally what most vets will give you to TREAT the symptoms, not preparing you for your next round with allergies. Also, benadryl only serves as a sedative, and will NOT help your dogs discomfort. It is a common myth. Your vet can write you a prescription to be filled at your local pharmacy for Hydroxazine... Now, there are two different kinds of Hydroxazine... one is basically benadryl...the other actually freaking works haha The hydroxazine that you want is Pamoate.

I'm assuming your pup has an infection inside the ears which are swollen huh? Baytril is the best... You want a good wash/rinse wait fifteen minutes then administer the baytril (often times doctors will push zymox which is a crappy product). You may want to check into a medicated Shampoo like KetoChlor which will make a coating over your dogs skin and fur so that the enviornmental allergens as well as keeping any yeast from building up on his skin.


Finally, what food are you feeding? You should try out single protein sourced foods which are also grain free... COMPLETELY grain free, don't get the stuff that has oats and what not in it. Fish is the most hypoallergenic protein source for dogs, so that's a good start. Which ever food you choose to go with, stick with it for at the least 2-3 weeks to see the final outcome. If you notice inflamation coming back, switch to another single protein source. Vets will often times push their food products like Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan Ect.... don't fall for it... You're going to be paying 3 times more than you need to.