Allergies

[Katy's Mum]

Thanks for your replies - Katy is allergic to dust mites according to the vet. Not an easy thing to get rid off, she is not allowed upstairs in the house where all the carpets and places that dust mites can hide are. We have leather sofas and wooden floors downstairs with only one set of curtains in the living room. I damp dust just about every day and vacuum the furniture and curtains. My vacuum has a filter in it too.

She is on a hypoallergenic diet and DOES NOT get people food at all and she can go for weeks without any sign at all and then - bam - big nasty crusty scabs and bald patches, also it appears to affect her front end more than the rest of her body, usually her chest, ears and head, sometimes her front leg-pits. Also she gets greasy skin when she has an outbreak and smells like old coconut

I wash her in aloe vera shampoo which does seem to help as does the aloe vera gell in her ears, I was wondering if I gave it to her orally if that would help at all?

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

[dragonfly713]

My boxer is the same way. Major problem is that I AM ALLERGIC TO HIM!!!
My allergies are horrible to where I'm constantly on medication for sinus infections/bronchittis, I have asthma. My husband thinks I need to rehome him. I don't know how much longer I can handle MY allergies before I end up hospitalized! I know HIS allergies make mine worse as he is always scratching, smells oily, and therefore spreading more allergens. My husband bought him for me on our honeymoon so he's even more special to me. I am new here, and just posted in General, but I think I should've posted under Health. If anyone has any ideas, opinions see my post in General. dragonfly 713

[Katy's Mum]

Dragonfly

I had to take Katy for a steroid injection in the end, I hate to do it but she was so distracted with all the scratching, and her skin was so oily and flaky, she smelt like really old coconut, not nice at all.

The aloe vera shampoo works nicely though without drying out her skin, I have also been putting omega 3 on her food, when I wash her bedding I wash it at 90 but I dont put fabric conditioner or softener in, just the mildest of detergents. She is also on hyperalergenic foods, no people food allowed. She does get fish as a treat, usually steamed.

My husband has asthma too its when she is at her worst so is he, but as he is out most of the day and she is not allowed in the bedrooms its not too bad for him. He is worse with cats or hamsters because they are very fluffy.

I hope you can find a solution, there does'nt seem to be any one thing that can help them, though I must say she is now nearly 7 and appears (fingers crossed) to get her bouts of the itchies every 4 months or so, mostly we have it under control.

[mruffruff]

Welcome to Pet Talk!

I don't have any solution for you, but maybe it would help to put a T-shirt on her. It would keep the dust mites down to a minimum.

Good luck.

[Katy's Mum]

Thanks for the tip, I will try it