Can anyone HELP my poor dog.....

My lab, Tipsy, has alergies. She's always itching and scrathing. But it's her ears and paws that are the worst. She scatches her ears so much that she now has bald spots. and she LITTERILY chews on her feet. One time she was chewing her feet sooooo bad they started bleeding. and she had an infection. there was a bouble that would oose. We took her to the vet (we still do ALOT) We've tried all sorts of medications.
Any suggestions on how to stop her from scatching her ears and chewing her paws so much.
I hate it when she gets so uncomfortable. It bothers her sooo much.
please help......thanks.

-Nicole

 

Did the vet say what may be causing the itching??
Has she possibly got any mites of something??
Or maybe she is allergic to something in her food..
Or allergic to something outside..
Id look into it a bit more, maybe give her a bath with some shampoo to ease the itching, something herbal or natural, maybe something with alovera in it

 

Have you tried the medication Temaril P? It is really good but it should only be used occasionally.

The vet should have recommended some sort of allergy testing if she is constantly having problems. My dog has allergies too but they are every now and then - not all the time. If it is all the time, I would do allergy testing and try to get the dog on some sort of shot regimen.

You could also try some special allergy food. Or any different type of premium food. Calif Natural is good. Just try to find a premium food that has different ingredients than whatever you are feeding now.

Also, another temporary suggestion is to use an e-collar just to stop the chewing. But you can't do that all the time.

 

what type food do you give your dog? i think food allergies are pretty bad in some dogs. (especially lab type dogs)
i think honeybears has a dog (also a lab, i think)who has food allergies and she had to switch foods alot until she ound something he could eat. i don't know what she ended up with though, maybe raw diet?

 

Hi, I know what you are going thru been there, done that. Like LIl said I know have my lab on Raw because of his constant chewing and licking. Even though I didnt do allergy testing I found something I think in all good foods was causing Jakes reaction, flax and sunflower seed oil

I would get her on a good allergy food asap as possible. As LIL said food allergies are very common. This is usually the first place place to start.
try foods like California natural allergy food, only has 3 ingredientss. and Natural balance duck and potato. you can can natual balance and Petco and california natural and feed stores. This does take time liike 6 weeks to start to see a difference. Also supplements like below. If you do not see start to see improvement inhis 6 week time frame I would then do allergy testing to

Product: What it contains/does: Especially good for:
Biotin (for dogs and cats) Biotin is a B vitamin that reportedly increases the efficacy of fatty acids. On its own, biotin is necessary for growth, muscle formation, and the repair of skin

and haircoat. Commonly used in combination with fatty acids to enhance their role in inflammatory conditions. Best for use with oral products containing fatty acids (*starred items) to control allergy symp

Vitacaps* (for dogs and cats). Available in liquid and capsules. Contains a high concentration of Omega-3 marine lipid fatty acids, which can be used in inflammatory conditions, and antioxidants including zinc, which is necessary to help your pet begin to build healthy skin. Best to use for ongoing allergy problems because of the high concentration of marine lipids and antioxidants. When combined with Biotin, Vitacaps are great to use in cases of itching and irritated skin.

good luck

 

I am glad you answered, I was pretty sure it was you/Jake but not positive It has been a while since you have switched over though hasn't it?

 

We've switched her food MANY times. It's no that. But, I'll try different medications. thanks for your advice everyone!!!! =]

-Nicole

 

did you try allergy foods? and did you wait the 6 -8 weeks to see improvement? If you didnt do this you may still have hope, if you did, next step would be allergy testing. I did allergy test on my cat, he was allergic to so mnay pollens

 

one thing I read is the problem can be solved but the dog still bites licks scratches, out of habit kind of like nail biting. And recommend wearing an e collar for a few weeks to get them to break that lick/scratch,chewing cycle that now has become a habit vs a problem

LOL that is what I need to get to stop biting my nails!

 

haha. yeah, me 2. lol. Well I think we put her on alergy food 1 time for like 2 or 3 months, but that didn't help. but, I COULD always try other brand and type alergey food. thats a good idea. thanks

-Nicole

 

ohh and they say to now stay away from lamb for allergy foods so yo could try something like this

http://www.naturalpetmarket.com/product ... goryid=175


have they ruled out fleas? one measly flea can trigger symptoms you are talking about too

 

hey thanks for the link "honeybears". I just bought an all natural food for her, and it dose help. but, I think after she finishes off this bag, I'm going to try that "natural pet mafket" stuff. It might even be better than what she's got now. um....no, I don't think it could be fleas. She's a totally indoor dog, and she's already had her alergies for 4 years, and we've taken her to the vet for it too. But, I DEFFINATLY will give that food a try.
thanks again. =]

-Nicole

 

Hey Nichole,

My dog Duncan had some real bad allergies last year, so bad he lost about a half inch of fur area around each eye, he chewed the fur off of all his feet, and he was losing his fur all over his body. Being he is a big Chow/Rott mix it was a horrible sight.

When I took him to the vets she gave him an antihistamine shot and a perscription for Prednizone and suggested I change his food. The food I was feeding him at the time was chicken/rice based and he usually had lamb/rice. I put him back on the lamb and gave him the meds regularly. He cleared up in 2 weeks but he still has seasonal pollen attacks and has to take benadryl once a day during the heavy pollen days. I did get him another batch of prednizone but it is a strong steriod drug that I would preferre him not to be on.
A bath once a month and a antihistamine hidden in a hotdog keeps him itch free most of the time. I use head and shoulders shampoo+ anti-itch on him and it really seems to make him feel good.

 

We do get around to giving Tipsy baths, but probably not as often as we should. We got specail anti-itch shampoo too. It's just that I have a little puppy too. And he gets into EVERYTHING, mudd, garbage, poop. you name, he's rolled in it. So I'm always bathing him, when I should be bathing Tipsy. I'm going to change her food to the kind that "honeybear" sent me in a link, but I never thought about the bathing. thats a great idea. A bath at least once or twice a month.
thanks.

-Nicole