NWR: Dog/skin question

Summer2011Bride

Oops meant to post this on chit chat, where it makes a little more sense. Oh well. I will keep it here in case any of you can help

We got Roxie from the shelter a month ago, and they said she had dry, scabby, flaky skin then. (She has been checked twice at the vet for fleas and is on flea prevention--no fleas). So I don't think it's an allergy she picked up at our house. Here's what we've tried:

-Prednisone for a couple weeks. This did work in stopping the itching, but it made her incredibly lethargic and we don't want her on it long-term because of side effects (neither does the vet).
-She is now on Benadryl three times a day which doesn't seem to have any side effects and will temporarily help the itching, but it comes back in full force when it starts wearing off. Again, I feel like it's just treating the symptoms but not the issues.
-We have been feeding her plain nonfat yogurt everyday because we hear the probiotics help.
-She's also getting fish oil once a day.

The itching continues. I plan to call the vet tomorrow if it's still going this way (we just started the Benadryl on Saturday along with the yogurt and fish oil). I just hate seeing her itching so miserably and want to help the actual cause. The vet had said it was a contact allergy because she had a bad rash on her belly. The rash has cleared up but the itching continues (she is mainly itching a spot on her back, licking her paws, etc).

Any suggestions of what has worked for you? Oh and we also only feed her grain-free everything. Grain-free homemade treats from a local dog bakery and Blue Buffalo Sensitive Skin Grain-Free food. She's a lab mix.

ETA: I do have another vet appointment scheduled for this Saturday,

OliveOilsMom

In addition to what everyone else said, try using an oatmeal based shampoo, it's supposed to help with dryness and itchiness.  Also, I have a lab mix.  She was a scruffy and furry pup when I got her, very unlike a lab's typical coat.  My vet recommend putting some olive oil in her food (funny, my Olive Oil needed olive oil!), it also helped moisturize her coat from the inside out.  It was about a teaspoon drizzled in each bowl she ate.

One of our old dogs had a severe allergy in her ears.  They cauliflowered up, smelled terrible, and she was constantly shaking her head/scratching her ears.  The vet put her on a diet to find the most appropriate food for her.  It ended up being a venison & rice mix.  Can't recall the brand, but we bought it at Petsmart.  Her ears improved, but it took so long to figure out her allergy, they had already permanently closed.  The vet recommended we get her ears drilled, but my parents couldn't do that to her.  It just sounds too painful.  So I would also try to figure out a food that could work better for your pup.

When you go back to the vet, see if they have a skin allergy test like they do for humans.  It might be worth the money.  Especially if the vet thinks its a skin allergy.

Summer2011Bride

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't know what else food to try though. We have switched her from Simply Nourish to now she is on Blue Buffalo Sensitive Solutions Grain-Free. It's for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies, so it has no wheat, soy, corn, etc. What other food would be better than that? We're up for trying anything.

We'll check out some oatmeal shampoo and olive oil as well and ask our vet on Sat. what she thinks. Those are good ideas.

I will try the hydrocortisone cream. Thanks for the help!

mochietoe

I will start by saying I work at a vets office. Her food is grain free but what is the main protein source?

A lot of dogs are allergic to very common proteins (chicken, beef, turkey etc). Switching to a diet with a novel protein (venison, kangaroo, ostrich, white fish) could do the trick.

Also Royal Canine makes a hypo-allergenic diet (potato and venison-they have other flavors as well). You could try switching her to that food and it is supposed to eliminate any chance that the allergies could be related to her food. Hills has a version called Z/D. Your vet may recommend that but I would go with the Royal Canine as it is much better nutritional wise.

I will warn you this food is expensive. If you switch to it I would find out from the vet how many calories per day your dog needs to maintain her weight (they just need to look in a book). Use this to calculate how much you feed her. The package will recommend more then she needs probably as food companies want to make money.

If you do not want to pay for the prescription food you can cook for your dog at home (what I am currently doing for my dog to rule out allergies). My dog is 120 pounds and buying the prescription diet (at cost- not with the markup) was way to expensive for how much he would eat. I am currently home cooking for him ostrich and sweet potatoes. If you end up going this route and need more information feel free to PM me. I can tell you where to get ostrich meat the cheapest-I did lots of research!

MrsGandthebeag

My dog has never had skin issues, knock on wood, but we do make his food.  We give him ground beef with white rice and shredded veggies (carrots, celery, etc).  We also mix in a 1/4 cup of California Naturals with that.  He likes the sweet potato/herring kind.  

Summer2011Bride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_nwr-dogskin-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:17bba7c1-95e6-4af3-845e-1969e65768eePost:1223b6ab-ccdb-4d9c-8945-61edcbba1616">Re: NWR: Dog/skin question</a>:
[QUOTE]She might be allergic to the whole grains in the food. I'm deathly allergic to whole grains.  I break out in a rash from wheat, bran, barley - and today's wheat isn't the wheat of fifty years ago.  It's all been genetically modified.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]

Her food doesn't have any grains or wheat in it. It's a very limited ingredient food meant for dogs with food allergies--no wheat, no grains, no soy, no dairy, no corn, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I might look into the "novel" proteins (her current food has deboned turkey in it) to see if that helps. I guess we could always try cooking up some venison and rice and feeding her that for a little while to see if it helps. I just want her to not be miserable :/ Thanks again!

Summer2011Bride

I'll have to check into that spray, Liatris. Thanks!

Peledreamsofrain

Has the vet ruled out a yeast infection on the skin? It can produce similar symptoms. The best thing to do to combat it is bathing the dog as often as possible. In fact, increasing baths would also help if food allergies are involved and the skin is excreting irritants. It won't completely fix the problem, but somewhat relieve the poor puppy's discomfort.