Allergies

[Stan1Sadie]

My 10 lb. Min Pin started scratching, biting her paws, and having watery eyes late in the summer. The vet said it was allergies and put her on Prednisone. This cleared it up, but now that the Prednisone is finished it is starting all over again. I bought some Benadryl but don't know how much to give her, how often, and for how long.

[RWDVM]

Dear Stan1Sadie:

I am a veterinarian and would be happy to help you out. Allergies are common in all breeds of dogs. Your vet did the right thing in treating with pred. I always treat first time flare-ups symptomatically to make the dog more comfortable with the hope that it is merely a seasonal affliction. Since this is the tail end of allergy season, it is not a bad idea to try Benadryl. Keep in mind, however, that Benadryl is an anti-histamine, and that anti-histamines are not always effective in dogs. The dose you can give your size dog is 1/2 the recommended dose of children's Benadryl every 8 hours as needed.

If the symptoms persist into the winter, the next step is to place the dog on a hypoallergenic diet for 8 weeks to rule out food allergy (a common source of skin allergy in dogs). Talk to your vet about which diet he/she prefers.

I hope this reply was helpful. I have just created a veterinary canine and feline veterinary advice and health management website that I would love for you to check it out and reply with any thoughts or suggestions that you think may make the site better or more useful. I would also appreciate it if you would put the word out about my site to any friends or family that you think may be interested. I also recently published a book to be released on January 11, 2004. You can see a preview of the book on my website as well. The url is http://www.askdvm.com Thanks and good luck,

Roger L. Welton, DVM

[iona]

Hi, my jack russell terrier has recently been biting n licking his paws a lot. They look red and slightly sore. Is this anything to be concern about?

Also, my other younger jrt scratches himself quite often and causes the hair on his face and head even around the eye where he scratches to drop! leaving him with bald patches. HELP! what can I do?

[bearsmom]

A lot of times, dogs with allergies will chew on their feet/toes. I'd recommend checking out his food. Food allergies are pretty common, especially soybeans and corn.

If it's a new thing, you might want to check out what's changed since before he started chewing - shampoo, flea treatment, new carpet...

Good luck!

[iona]

Thanks bear, thing is, i've not changed anything recently. The only thing i can think of is that his bed n towels are dirty, but i've had them washed since but the problem doesnt seem to go away. Any idea if it's an allery or could it be something else?

[Lou]

Could it be diet related?

[fullhouse9873]

My Husky pup Neko has seasonal allergies - and we put him on Benadryl. The vet warned that it may cause drowsiness.

But - if you read the label - it also says that it causes excitability in children. Same thing happened to my pup. I was lucky he was a laid back pup to start off with.
Just an FYI - you might end up with a dog sleeping all the time - or bouncing off the walls!

[iona]

I'm living in SIngapore where there're no seasons, its always summer here...so i dont think its seasonal allergies. hmm... what else could it be?

[iona]

ARG! I wish I knew, but all i've been feeding him is white rice mixed with dry dog food (pedigree chicken). But sometimes we get all caught up and feed him whatever we're eating! [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] i know thats sooo bad.

[Lou]

I had someone once suggest a lamb based food for some additional nutrients that were missing from the basic "grocery store" foods. Also, we have had Freckles on a totally natural dry food all of her life... no chemicals at all. It is a highly rated product made here in Texas, but I am sure there are many sources of a similar product. She is never bothered with fleas (and we live on a ranch), no doggie breath or doggie odor (unless she has had a day of rough housing and then she gets a bath). You might try a chemically free product...takes a while to clean the system out before you will see the results. And, not wise to change from one food to another too drastically..ease into it.