A few days ago we brought home Duke, a 7 year-old GS/Beagle mix. We're fostering him until he is adopted. I'm managing to train him fairly well, considering that his previous owner did nothing of the sort (he didn't even know "sit"!). However, we noticed right away when we got him that while he's in our house, he sneezes. A LOT. He's also started licking a spot on his right hock. It's raw, but he still licks it whenever he's lying down. Only that spot. I'm wondering if he could be allergic to our cats, because he never sneezes or licks when he's outside. His previous owner had one cat, which he didn't react to, but we have five. He's going to the vet on Sunday to get his teeth cleaned (boy are they bad), so we plan to bring this up.

Has anyone else experienced something like this before?

 Quote: ashley hiebing

A few days ago we brought home Duke, a 7 year-old GS/Beagle mix. We're fostering him until he is adopted. I'm managing to train him fairly well, considering that his previous owner did nothing of the sort (he didn't even know "sit"!). However, we noticed right away when we got him that while he's in our house, he sneezes. A LOT. He's also started licking a spot on his right hock. It's raw, but he still licks it whenever he's lying down. Only that spot. I'm wondering if he could be allergic to our cats, because he never sneezes or licks when he's outside. His previous owner had one cat, which he didn't react to, but we have five. He's going to the vet on Sunday to get his teeth cleaned (boy are they bad), so we plan to bring this up.

Has anyone else experienced something like this before?

Yes. Is it just the ankle or are his toes itchy too?

Sometimes a hot spot can be self-inflicted as a result of atopy, in a cycle of licking-biting because of the itch and then the irritated spot causes him to lick more at it.

Does he lick at or scratch at the base of the tail? Along the top (spine)? On his toes?

These are spots that can help narrow down the cause.

Also, since he's sneezing (not the usual canine reaction to allergies, but not uncommon, either; the most frequent first presentation is skin pruritis), though, I'd be suspecting inhalant allergy (or allergies, plural).

Cats are more allergenic (allergy-triggering) than dogs, in general. I have not personally met a dog who was allergic to cats, but your vet will be able to answer that.

I would vacuum thoroughly and see whether that lessens the sneezing. That will be a clue.

The pruritis on the ankle might now have turned into an infection. This happens often when the skin is breached by the scratching and biting that allergies cause.

I would start the dog on fish oil immediately (plus vitamin E -- vitamin E must be given when oil supplements are given to dogs because they use the E in processing the oil supplements). Regardless of the primary cause for the pruritis, it is inflammation, and long-chain Omega 3s from marine sources are potent inflammation-fighters for dogs, without side effects.

Then if the vet confirms atopy, I would ask for trial RXs of the most successful antihistamines for dogs (like Chlorpheniramine and Hydroxyzine; Benadryl is not particularly successful, unfortunately). Because dogs are highly individual in their reactions to antihistamines, I give each one ten days or so to try it out.

Fish oil and antihistamines work far better together than antihistamines alone.

(Not all, and in fact not even most, dogs are helped by antihistaimes. I've had dogs who were helped a lot, and I always give them a chance.)

I would get something to help relieve the dog right away, too, like "Relief" spray. http://www.marvistavet.com/assets/images/Relief_Spray.gif

Topical steroids might help a lot, and IMO are far less dangerous than injections and pills, even though the dog will lick it.

The vet might suggest a steroid RX (like Pred) for a short regimen just to break the itch cycle. I always think of Pred as a last resort, but when a dog is in misery and causing damage to himself, sometimes that intervention is needed. The major point is NOT to rely on long-term steroid use without exhausting every other possibility. Steroids have big short-term and long-term side effects.

I forgot to say that hot spots from any cause will be less focused on by the dog and licked less if the dog is well-exercised. In fact, hot spots are sometimes created 100% out of boredom and frustrated energy. In this case, with the sneezing, that's not likely ... but frustrated energy is still a factor in constant licking.

Also, Mike Armstrong (on this forum) suggested a book to me about probiotics, and I'm finding that the probiotics in good (live-culture) yogurt are actually having an effect on my allergic dog. 90% of his atopy was controlled with fish oil plus E, fresh raw diet, Hydroxyzine, and rinsing pollen off after each trip to grassy areas. But that last bit just lingers..... causing slightly inflamed ears and a little licking at his toes.

The probiotics have changed his ear color so that they're a normal pale color rather than inflamed-looking, and his toe-licking has decreased in just 5 days or so.

I think allergies are a multi-aid thing, and I do every step that has been proven to be beneficial. I am adding probiotics to my list.

Good luck to you and the dog; it's a frustrating thing to deal with allergies.

Feel free to ask any questions you have.

Thanks for the informative response! I've only noticed him licking that one spot. I try to discourage it, but obviously I am not able to correct him all the time. He also seems to sneeze more when he's excited, but that could just be the fast breathing makes his nasal passages more irritated. Something not related, but still odd, is that he absolutely REFUSES to play with toys or chew on bones. He won't even put them in his mouth. I have no idea why.

Sneezing is sometimes related to tooth problems.

Connie,

I read Mike's recent post about probiotics and allergies and I'm wondering if the book both of you are reading says anything about the use of probiotic powders. Is it considered as beneficial, or less so, as using live-culture yogurt?

I recall reading somewhere one of the disadvantages of using yogurt as a probiotic is that some or most of the *good* stuff doesn't survive to make it down to the gut/intestines??? This may be BS pushed by the makers of probiotic powders but I thought I'd ask. I'll happily dump the powder if yogurt is better.

 Quote: Sarah_Morris

Connie,

I read Mike's recent post about probiotics and allergies and I'm wondering if the book both of you are reading says anything about the use of probiotic powders. Is it considered as beneficial, or less so, as using live-culture yogurt?

I recall reading somewhere one of the disadvantages of using yogurt as a probiotic is that some or most of the *good* stuff doesn't survive to make it down to the gut/intestines??? This may be BS pushed by the makers of probiotic powders but I thought I'd ask. I'll happily dump the powder if yogurt is better.

Two schools of thought, and I'm reading a lot of sources about that issue.

Some say that live yogurt cultures have survived the acidity of culturing and are more likely to survive the stomach. Some don't say that. They *all* say that the more living cultures, the more are likely to survive the stomach. (We are talking millions v. billions.)

The book does indeed recommend some supplements, *and* living-culture yogurts.

Anyway, that is precisely my own burning question, and I'm reading as fast as I can.

 Quote: Ashley Hiebing

Thanks for the informative response! I've only noticed him licking that one spot. I try to discourage it, but obviously I am not able to correct him all the time.

Here's what I have discovered about correcting for itch-licking: you end up with a dog who does it in private and you don't know what's happening.

 Quote: Old earth dog Bob Scott

Sneezing is sometimes related to tooth problems.

That makes more sense. It's obvious that his past owner did nothing to care for his teeth, so an infection could probably set into his sinuses. And when he's outside walking, he's breathing through his mouth, not his nose, so could that be what keeps him from sneezing?

 Quote: Sarah_Morris

. . . I'm wondering if the book both of you are reading says anything about the use of probiotic powders. Is it considered as beneficial, or less so, as using live-culture yogurt

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of black/white answers in this area.

On the one hand, yogurt will start delivering probiotics into the mouth (a good thing) and along the entire trip into the intestine. The author says you can always just mix the contents of the capsule in food/drink and get a similar effect. I wondered how the difference between a canine digestive system and our own affects how these things react in the intestines. I'll look for a scientific article on this right after somebody does one to substantiate the benefits of raw feeding.

There is not enough research yet as to the exact effects of the many different cultures and blends that exist. Because of this, the author suggests getting a variety from different sources - yogurt, kefir, supplements, etc..

The author also notes there is no oversight of supplements, so regardless of what the label says, you have no guarantee of what you're getting. Plus, the usual ingredient listings are not specific enough about the exact culture used (there are many with the exact general names) to know which one you're getting.

I'm seeing fabulous results with yogurt and kefir, so I probably won't beat my brains out trying to find more things that might work better.

Mike