Still Scratching and Itching...
Currently he is getting Purina One Lamb and Rice, a feood he has eaten for many years. We had switched last year to a different food before this started and I thought that perhaps it was an allergy to the new food. But we have been back on the lamb and rice for well over a month with no relief. In the past it has helped to shave him down completely but I hate to do that in the midst of the winter. I'm not sure if that really helps or if because the hair is short there is less to grab and pull and thus he makes less raw spots. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would not mind the $500.00 if there was more assurance that it would work but the Vet seemed pretty ambivalant about it. Poor Tasker  |
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| Purina ONE Lamb and Rice has whole grain corn in it. MANY dogs have allergies to products with corn in them.
I have a Boston Terrier that has an allergy to corn. We were feeding Purina ONE Lamb/Rice but it didn't do a thing to help her allergies. We switched her to Purina ONE Sensitive Systems. It doesn't have whole corn in it, it does however have Corn Gluten Meal but this doesn't seem to bother her allergies like whole corn did. Within a month her hair grew back and she no longer sat around scratching, chewing and rubbing herself raw. She has never looked better. Her coat is bright and shiny, she is full of energy and is a much happier dog now. This was just our experience with this particular food. But thought I would share. http://www.purinaone.com/products_dog_ss.asp |
| Ginny, I'm so sorry that Tasker is still having of hard time of it. I know this is a pain, but could you prepare food for him for a while so you know exactly what he's getting? My parents' dog was just sick and they had to feed her boiled chicken and rice for a while (she loved loved loved it!) and my mom would just make large batches to last several days, so it wasn't really more work to feed her after the initial cooking...and that way you can see if cutting out all that extra stuff that comes in dog food could be a culprit... |
I actually need dog food today, it's worth a try!!! I have done the chicken and rice route as well..... may pick up the sensitive systems and see how that works before the chicken and rice  .
I have two patients who are Vets and both are skeptical of the allergy shots, they say that just like with people allergies can change and that the shjots are minimally effective. One suggested adding a tablepoon of oil that it may be dry skin..... |
| Ginny, Flannigan also is itching and scrathing. Has for yrs. I was told to look at his food and see about the amount of corn in it. Most have it I know. We now use prina but pro plan lamb and rice. It has cut down on the itching. There are some foods that contain no corn. Wellness is one.
Another reason we know is Flannigan get nervous almost like a panic attack. High strong. Barks at every little noise. I have used benadryl and he gets some releaf from it. Thats all I can offer to help. Good luck, if you find out let me know!!! Deana please excuse spelling |
| Thanks Deana, Tasker is the least nervous dog I know (at least on the outside). We've tried the benedryl with no success. Right now he's on aome other antihistimine that doesn't seem to be doing anything. I'm still thinking about shaving down his backside..... if nothing else ther won't be any hair to grab and it'll make it less "sore".
Does anyone know how long it will take to know if it is the food once I change? |
| Hi. Sorry Tasker is still so itchy. Thought I'd give you some input as well. My Mom has a Tibetan Terrier who has always had really bad allergy problems. We went through the allergy shot process with ther for a few years...we found it to be a waste of time and $$$.
Cutting her hair down short and given frequent oatmeal or medicated shampoos seems to help and to soothe her skin. This had a more immediate effect. Sensitive food diet seemed to help her as well. I think it would take about a month to notice any significant difference. We also tried numerous allergy meds. Prednisone is the only med that worked for her, but only use it it as a last resort. |
| It will take a minimum of a week before you can decide if the new diet will help. You also have to avoid messing up the results by adding treats during this time. Allergists recommend adding one new food back in per week, just like you do with babies. I am not sure what the most common food allergies are in dogs, but people tend to react to nuts, corn, wheat, soy, eggs, milk, wheat and then a misc group of other things.
Allergy shots either work very well or not at all, just like in humans. How much benadryl are you giving Tasker? Our vet lets us give the upper dose for the same weight in people, if needed. Sometimes we can get away with a 12.5 mg tablet twice a day, sometimes he will require a larger dose every 4 hours. Because he has both grass and food allergies, we also have routine of washing his feet down when he comes in (or he wears those rubber hunting boots when he goes out). He gets combed out daily and bathed once or twice a week with oatmeal shampoo and cool water. Ice packs to the itchest areas are also soothing (I hold them in place for 10 minutes - Ben is a chewer so he can't be trusted alone with them). I check Ben's ears daily as they are a good indication of whether he will need the benadryl. My vet has given me prednisone to have on hand, but I do not like the long term effects so it is a short course as a last result. But you also have to be careful in shifting food too rapidly, my dogs are prone to getting diarrhea if they are switched over too quickly. |
| Tasker is definately a "sketchy stomach" pup so I'll have to switch over carefully. We had him on 75 mg of Benedryl 3x's a day (enough to drop the proverbial horse) with no effect (not even making him drowsey). I have not tried the oatmeal bath, in fact have avoided bathing on the advice of the vet but it is worth a try.
What puzzels me is that he is only chewing his sides and flanks. Absolutely no chewing of his feet. I always thought that with allergies the feet were the first thing to start itching. Which is one reason I'm wondering if it isn't dry skin....... |
| Have you tried steroids? Cortisone or prednisone? I know it wouldn't solve the problem but it should allieviate a lot of the itching. |
| Have you tried steroids? Cortisone or prednisone? I know it wouldn't solve the problem but it should allieviate a lot of the itching, at least temporarily. |
| We did a short course a few months ago but it may be time try again. I think I need ONE MORE trip to the VETS |
| Have any of the really itchy spots become infected? We went through this with Norman and Carl. Norman with his allergies and Carl from Toby pulling and yanking on his hair. It turns out that they had gotten infections post scratching and it was exaggerating the problem. Once they had one round of antibiotics, everything was resolved. Norman also got a steroid shot with his.
The area was just pink and warm, no other symptoms associated with it. (Except the itching/scratching.) |
Maxmm wrote: Have any of the really itchy spots become infected? We went through this with Norman and Carl. Norman with his allergies and Carl from Toby pulling and yanking on his hair. It turns out that they had gotten infections post scratching and it was exaggerating the problem. Once they had one round of antibiotics, everything was resolved. Norman also got a steroid shot with his.
The area was just pink and warm, no other symptoms associated with it. (Except the itching/scratching.) Nothing looks infected......we have an apt with the Vet at 5:15 tonight. |
| Ginny, I have really bad allergies (environmental, not food) and I was miserable so I tried the allergy shots. It took them for a total of a little over a year. It took a really long time for them to work. I'd go into the office and the allergist would say, how're they working? And I'd say I don't think they do anything. Then, about 9 months into it, my allergies got much better. I had also just had nasal surgery to fix a deviated septum, so I don't know if it was the combination of surgery AND shots...so I stopped taking the shots when I moved to VA and my allergies were still much better, but now about 2 years after stopping, my allergies are coming back...
Not that you wanted to know any of that, or that it was relevant or anything, but just letting you know that the shots eventually worked for me! |
| Ginny, If you scratch him where he is itching does he arch his back and dig his nails into the floor? |
OES Mommy wrote: Ginny, If you scratch him where he is itching does he arch his back and dig his nails into the floor?
Absolutely.....does that mean something? |
| It sure does. our vet says he is itching from the inside out and THATS alleergy from food!!!!!! corn or anything like it flannigan is doing much better since we got him on Pro Plan but your dog might need no corn or by products. Wellness has that.
They say no corn but read the lable its important!!! |
| Hmmmmm. isn't that interesting!!! |
| Ginny, Have you read the label on your dog food yet, does it have corn or ANYTHING with a corn name. You said you were going to buy food soon. Now is a good time to change.It will take a few weeks but its better than spending $500.00 |
| Doug just called, he found the Purina one sensitive system. Maybe we should have waited til after the Vet tonight or gotten the Wellness. I'm going to ask to try a trial of the prednisone and see what happens.
I spoke to the Vet tech this morning, she seems to think I should go ahead and shave him down. But she also thinks that the allergy shots "always" work............ Do they make a sweater big enough for Tasker? It would take me a LONG TIME to knit one that big (and I'm a pretty fast knitter ). |
| You could just piece together all of Ty's. |
Maxmm wrote: You could just piece together all of Ty's.
Very funny!!!!!! |
| I don't think thats what you need. He is not sensitive ( tummy proublem) but he is algeric to it. He has a receipt and just change it to one with out the corn.
http://www.purina.com/home.aspx |
| It looks like they all have corn of some sort...... I'm not sure where to get Wellness around here. No, wait Pro Plan Extra Care doesn't have any corn products in it. |
| ok good, exchange it for that. Its worth a try. Won't hurt at all. Nothing to
wellnes sight>>>>> http://www.omhpet.com/ |
| I know what you're going through. It was so frustrating... we tried different foods, different meds, changed detergents, etc. and finally did the allergy testing. Darby was scratching until she bled- http://www.pomeroys.com/EmmaDarby/Allergies.jpg Did you try Tavist to see if it would give him any relief from the itching?
Just my experience... Darby has been getting allergy shots since September 30th. I give the dust mite shot every 2 weeks now and the mold shots every week still. It will eventually be every 3-4 weeks and it can take 9 months to see any results so you have to be in it for the long haul. She required 2 vials because the serums couldn't be mixed. It was close to $400 for these 2 vials plus $20 per shot at the vet for the first 8 of each so it is quite expensive. We are still on our original 2 vials though. I come from a family that has several members with allergies. I definitely had my doubts about the effectiveness of these shots. Because of Darby's severe itching, scratching and licking, it was either try the shots or start steroids. My dad and nephew were on prednisone at different times for other conditions and while they do help, I wanted to avoid them unless there was no choice. I have always been a big skeptic about allergy shots but for now Darby is doing great and isn't on any form of meds except for her thyroid pill. Note that food allergies are much more difficult to diagnose and I'm not sure a blood test is good at detecting them. I think it's more starting with a restricted diet and going from there. If you don't see improvement in a month or so on the new diet, you might want to have the allergy tests done to see if they can determine a different cause. Our vet said that allergies often appear at the age of 2 years. I don't know how accurate this is but I've heard say that if they are itchy on the front half, they look for allergies... on the back half, they look for fleas. I hope your boy starts to improve soon. Keep us posted? |
| So...even more confusion.......... the itching is definately back half!!! I suppose that since it has never really gone away since the fleas it could be a flea "hang over", itching begats itching......... To add to the problems I got home a bit ago to the report that poor Tasker had been vomiting all day and now on top of everything seems to have an ear infection as well |
| Have you had him tested for possible thyroid problems? That would be my first step.....
I would definitely give him another course of prednisone as well. |
| Useful link....
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/p ... gsitch.pdf |
| Will add the thyroid question to the list! We are off!!! I just realized that I doubt they will do the allergy testing tonight anyway, he has been on the antihistimines regularly, I think they have to be off for a period of time.
Film at 11....... |
Quote: Have you had him tested for possible thyroid problems?
Yes! Definitely have him tested. As unbelievable as it may sound, I've got 3 girls on Soloxine x2day for low thyroid... one sheepie and my two mixes. Panda recently tested in the "gray zone" with elevated cholesterol- which seems to go hand-in-hand with the disease- so we'll be testing her again in the Spring. I've asked my vet, "What's with my dogs & low thyroid?!". Here's another good article- http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... isease.htm Has anyone ever had blood sent off for thyroid testing by Dr. Jean Dodds? |
| We are home. $250.00 poorer Another lengthy discussion about allergy testing. Which I have once more declined, I want to try a few things first. Had a Thyroid panel drawn. I do think this harkens back to the flea problem in the fall and I think that the bites set off some kind of allergic response which has never cleared up. The Vet thinks it may be possible since the only area affected is the flank and back side. Soooooooo the first thing we are trying is a Depo Medrol shot which hopefully will break the inflamation cycle. I also got hims some Resicort conditioner ( a leave on conditioner with an antihistimine in it) and an Aloe and Oatmeal Shampoo. He got a PCN shoot because of the Medrol shot and the fact that he does have an active ear infection. I'm starting him on an Omega 3 Fatty acid supplement (Derm Caps) for his skin.
Teh Vet said the steroid shot should ammke him improve dramatically in the next week and that if it is from the flea bites the improvement will be long lasting but if it is from another allergy that the itching will return in 2-4 weeks. In the meantime I'll have time to get the result of the Thyroid test. We also discussed food at length. For the moment I'm sticking with the purina one. He was telling me about a food that Hills has called Z/Z which is a hydrolized soy protein that they put dogs on to r/o food allergies. A lengthy explanation about the size of the protein molecules. The z/z is a temporary food that you feed for about 8 wks and then reintroduce different food to see if it is a food allergy. Very high tech sounding. It didn't make sense to change too many things at once, then how would I know what was actually causing the improvement. So for the moment Tasker is tired and I am broke  !
Thanks for all your helpful hints and advice!!!! |
| Thyroid problems are extremely common in OES.
Dr. Dodds has done huge amounts of work in regards to this. |
| I aologize, Has Tasker aalways been an itchie dog? Or is this somrthing new since the flea episode? Has your vet considered mites(sarcoptic mange)? A pain to diagnose, but much easier to get rid of these days with Revolution. Treatment followed by relief ,is the best diagnoses.Just a thought. Good Luck! |
guest wrote: I aologize, Has Tasker aalways been an itchie dog? Or is this somrthing new since the flea episode? Has your vet considered mites(sarcoptic mange)? A pain to diagnose, but much easier to get rid of these days with Revolution. Treatment followed by relief ,is the best diagnoses.Just a thought. Good Luck!
Tasker has always had "bouts" of itching, usually lasting a few weeks then stopping. Never this long. We did not discuss mites......I'll add it to the list for the "next visit" if the current treatment doesn't work Thanks! |
| 250.00 isn't too bad... if you can find out what is actually wrong you may save a bundle, not to mention Taskers skin and sanity, by preventing these bouts.
I hope they figure it out. I like your vet, sounds as though they are very thorough with taking time to explain everything. |
| My vet is really wonderful. I have used him for 20 years and he has taken care of Tasker since he arrived. He's a combination small and large animal vet and I have always found him to be very reasonable and good about explaining things.
He always gets right down on the floor with Tasker. It was a pretty funny sight last night. He was drawing blood with Tasker on the floor, me holding him with his nose in my armpit and leg over his back (Tasker, not the Vet ) and Terry (the vet) practically laying flat on the floor to reach his paw. I'm not sure where the vet tech was during all this, most likely trying to figure out why we were all rolling around on the floor instead of using the perfectly good exam table (Tasker hates the table).  |
Willowsprite wrote: 250.00 isn't too bad... if you can find out what is actually wrong you may save a bundle, not to mention Taskers skin and sanity, by preventing these bouts.
Yeah, don't feel too bad. It cost me over $300 last week for my 2 perfectly healthy dogs at the vet. At least your vet is working for his money. All mine did give them a couple of shots and a once over! |
| EEEEEEEEEK |
| Sorry that I havent posted....I hope Tasker is feeling better....But I really have to move on...Im starting to itch..... |
| Ginny sorry you're having such a terrible time, hope they can get on top of the itchy problems soon. Thinking of you and keeping fingers crossed that all will settle down for tasker soon. |
| Hi Ginny,
My sister's Golden Retriever had a similar problem. Started out as a suspected flea allergy. Resolved that but there was no improvement. Thought she was doing everything right with her diet until she mentioned the extra bread sticks they ordered in with their pizza a couple times a week. For the dog! Many dogs are allergic to wheat gluten. Luckily, Lex likes fresh fruits and veggies as much as breadsticks. Also changed her kibble to a holistic/natural food. She just visited the vet for a checkup and he was amazed at the improvement. Just goes to show this forum has helped more than just OES. Hope the thyroid test comes back okay. We can certainly relate to Tasker's medical bills! Nita, Maggie McGee IV and Nelson, Jr. |
| I can relate to the bread sticks!!!! I've been so careful about what Tasker eats. Got home tonight and discovered that he had gotten into an entire batch of cheese bisquits off the counter while Doug was in the other room!!!!!!!!! FLOUR CHEESE AND BUTTER , Can't wait to see what his stomach does tonight!!
Ya gotta love 'em!!!!! |
| Do you know when you are supposed to hear back about the test results? |
| My Vet sends all blood work to Cornell so I don't expect to hear till the end of next week with the holiday and all. I've been watching Tasker tonight and I THINK he might be looking a bit more comfortable. Tomorrow I'll wash his backside witht he Oatmeal and Aloe and use the antihistimine conditioner and I'll be able to tell from there how much chewing he does. That and how many times he wakes me up tonight
Saterday: So, I'm sure you are all sick of the topic but what do you think about clipping him down? The Vet tech thought I should, the Vet didn't really say so. In the past when he has itched basdly I've cut him short to keep him from pulling the hair and making it worse. If it were summer I wouldn't hesitate but with it being winter I'm worried that he'll be cold. I gave hima bath this morning and he's pulled so much hair out of his back side he looks awful. I'm wondering if I dhouls just clip him down...... |
| We had the same problem with our dog Hollie. We switched to the Purina One for sensitive systems and that seemed to help some. Then we started pouring 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on her food every day and we noticed a BIG difference after about 3 weeks. After 7 years of ithing, scratching, and chewing herself, she hardly does it at all anymore. People had told me to try this for awhile and I don't know why we waited so long!
LAS Ohio |
| I just found this topic through google. Did Tasker ever get better and if so, what helped? I have a Tibetan Terrier (Lilli) that goes through these spells of itching, usually when the heat comes on in the fall. This year is just terrible. But, we have had multiple changes and I can't figure out what caused it. We went away in August for 10 days. I had a friend stay at my house with Lilli. We had lots of thunder storms during that week and Lilli began having diarrhea in the house...everywhere. My friend would have Lilli go outside, she wouldn't do anything (or would sometimes) and then come back inside and poop. When we got home I took her to the vet and they said it was an upset stomach and put her on an intestinal diet canned food (I had been feeding California Natural chicken and brown rice dry food). After 2 weeks, my family and I went away just for the weekend and I left Lilli with a friend at their house. She has other dogs there too. She fed Lilli the same intestinal diet food. After we got back home, Lilli began the scratching...I thought at first it might be fleas. I did just a medicated shampoo and vacuum frequently, but don't see any fleas. Now it's been about 5 weeks since she's been itching. I took her to the vet again and they just gave me an antihistamine (I've been using that once a day and Benadryl once a day) and an inti-itch shampoo, with very little help. She is walking around at night, scratching, panting, really miserable. Her skin looks dry and irritated. I'm going today to get a different food (the i/d food has corn in it...can you believe that?) in the hopes that that is what it is and that the diarrhea doesn't come back. KG Connecticut |
This thread is quite old and Tasker passed away some time ago.  Since then there have been several other dogs with similar problems and various things have helped them out, from food to antibiotics to changing laundry detergents etc., etc. etc. Lots of experience here on this board from people still fighting this problem with their dogs.  They'll probably chime in here with suggestions. |
| You mention it started when "the heat comes on in the fall". Allergies come to mind... but also simple dry skin if the humidity is low. Has she been on any fatty acid supplements? Ask your vet first since she had problems with diarrhea but adding just a little olive oil to the diet can make a difference if it's just dry skin. See the article at this address for details- http://www.vetinfo.com/treating-dogs-dr ... e-oil.html Kobuck started having some flaking and itching last year. With what Bumble's been through over the past couple of years, an itching dog can now make me panic. We added a little olive oil to Kobuck's diet and his skin has been great ever since. Trying to find the cause of itching/scratching can be a shot in the dark. Hoping it's not an allergy and that you'll find a quick and easy solution for Lilli.  |
| I know you said that it isn't fleas, but fyi, fleas have been really bad here in Upstate NY this fall. My Winston is scratching and biting at himself constantly too, but I have seen a few fleas on him that I quickly remove (yuck!) He doesn't seem to be infested though so I wouldn't think he'd be going crazy like this either. It's not his paws either. I feed him the Pro Plan Lamb and Rice. Let me know if you find anything that works because I really don't think it's the few fleas I've seen. (Note - I've made sure to fog the house, give flea baths and do everything possible to make sure of the flea issue.) Where in Upstate NY are you? Jacqui |
| Your dog may have mange. I say this because I had a dog who started scratching, his skin became red, dry and scabby, and eventually he lost most of his fur. I spent hundreds of dollars on every kind of test, including thyroid (he was put on medication which made the problem even worse). One vet supposedly checked him for mange. In desperation and as a last ditch effort, I took him to a well respected vet that someone recommended, telling her that if we could not find a cure I would have to put him down, he was that miserable and had been suffering almost a year. She asked if we had treated him for mange. I told her that one vet had checked for it. She said there is not a reliable test that can be done in the office and they often come back negative. She said the first thing to do with any dog suffering with a skin ailment is to treat with Revolution, if that doesn't cure it then pursue other options. For a cost of $12, my dog stopped scratching almost overnight and after several days stopped scratching completely. His fur grew back and he was his old self again. Interestingly, old timers who saw him kept saying, "That dog has mange," while the vets I was seeing were ordering all kinds of expensive tests, in addition to a small fortune on special shampoos. I don't know what you've tried, but the Revolution might be worth a go; when I think of all the money I spent and the cure was $12 away it makes me furious. |
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