Fama has been doing great on the raw diet and supplements, until a couple days ago.

She had a sudden onset of crusty ear with pink skin, itching, digging at her chest, licking her pink belly, keeping herself up at night digging...

Time for allergy testing.

Which tests do you recommend?

Any derm vets in the OKC area that you recommend?

I am treating the symptoms with Benedryl and ear cleaning. She is miserable, with a floppy ear and frequent plops to the ground to scratch.

It's not fleas. II have done a very thorough inspection and find no flea dirt, eggs, fleas... and she's not scratching the common areas.

Any advice is appreciated.

Frequent bathing to rinse allergens from her fur will help as much as anything until you get in to see a derm vet. Just use a mild dog shampoo and rinse thoroughly. I wouldn't hesitate to bathe as often as every other day if you can manage it.

Wash bedding, vacuum, keep the windows closed---whatever you can do to limit exposure to the allergen. With something as ubiquitous as airborne pollen, you won't eliminate it, but reducing exposure will help.

I'm confident that this is an inhaled (pollen/mold) allergy based on the body geography and the sudden onset. It may (cross your fingers) stop just as suddenly when you get a hard frost.

If Benadryl isn't doing much, you might try a different antihistamine, such as Zyrtek. They all work slightly differently, and their efficacy is highly variable in dogs.

On the itchiest spots, you can also use a topical gel or cream (any anti-itch cream from Walgreens). It only provides an hour or two of relief, but that's something.

If you can find a derm vet that can prescribe Apoquel, that is the new "miracle drug" for canine atopy, and my allergy dog has had unbelievable results from it.

Allergy testing is a logical next step if your (and the derm vet's) aim is to move forward with immunotherapy--"allergy shots." I have no experience with this. But it isn't immediately effective (you'll still need something for symptom suppression). It is also expensive and not a sure thing.

Good luck with this. Derm vet is absolutely the place to start.

Thanks for all the information Tracy!

I'll give her a bath today. I'm not used to bathing dogs in general, but it makes sense to remove as much of the offending substance as possible.

So you think that because of the nature of the onset, the allergen / antagonist is inhaled. That makes a bit of sense. It is also important to note that I monitor what she eats very well. I am aware that 85% of all immuno reactive dogs suffer from responses to environmental allergens, not food, so I'm thinking that the likelihood of dietary changes alone 100% alleviating her condition is almost impossible. The change to raw, and adding supplements, helped her general condition, and seemed to alleviate her immune reaction, for a time. She is not as bad as she has been in the past, but the condition still exists.

I have a big quantity of Zyrtec left over from my stay in Korea. I may give that a go until I see the vet. I go to the field next week, so it will be a bit before I can get her in to the vet.

Thanks again!! Lots to consider.

Just gave her a good bath and rinse. I think she feels better. She's jumping around like an idiot

You might want to change your house air filters more frequently until you know the allergen is gone. When everything is blooming I buy the really good filters and change them weekly. When the allergens go back down I switch back to monthly with just the basic filters. There's something that blooms for about 3 weeks out here that drives everybody's allergies crazy.

I had 2 shepherds recently with allergies...Katie used to get blisters on the pads of her paws and from May through October she was on a low dose of antibiotics. Jody used to scratch and itch and he was on a daily dose of Zytec and/or other anti-histamine pretty much year round. Thses remedies kept both dogs comfortable. Those kind of allergies for both humans and animals are really tough to track down.

This shampoo has helped Logan more than any of the others that I have tried. http://www.earthbath.com/shampoo/pints/pint-aloe.php

 Quote: David Winners

Just gave her a good bath and rinse. I think she feels better. She's jumping around like an idiot

In addition, you might set up a pan of fresh water for her to walk through after all trips onto grass, fields, woods, etc.

Then gently dry, especially between the toes (so as not to have damp yeast-friendly spots).

This isn't a contact-allergy thing; it's a way to reduce pollen and a zillion other allergens out of her bed and the carpet, etc., where she has to breathe them in 24/7.

I also use large unscented baby wipes to wipe off the undercarriage on the way inside if there has been deep grass, etc.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=34278&page=2#392747

"Fama has been doing great on the raw diet and supplements, until a couple days ago.

She had a sudden onset of crusty ear with pink skin, itching, digging at her chest, licking her pink belly, keeping herself up at night digging...

Time for allergy testing.

Which tests do you recommend? "


Tracy and others made all good replies.

A derm vet won't steer you into useless tests.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=33020&page=1#371937

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=33020&page=2

I would make getting some Apoquel my #1 priority.

My GSD, Brody, had some seasonal allergies last summer/fall, right around this time of year and a couple earlier in the summer. Nothing nearly as bad as Fama's, just some licking between the toes, red belly, etc. I made an appointment with a derm vet, then cancelled it right after the first hard freeze because his symptoms disappeared.

Since then I have also been giving him grapefruit seed extract (NOT grape seed extract!) every day. So far this year he has not had any issues with yeast infections or allergic reactions. It certainly may just be a different level of pollen/mold/whatever this year as opposed to last, but the GSE is good for him anyway!

Here's some info on it:

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/gse-for-dogs.html

Also some great information from one of my favorites, Dr. Karen Becker:

How to treat allergies in your pet:
http://youtu.be/6s3DVkDhBXw

Giving your dog a foot bath:
http://youtu.be/zb3bi-FQL2o

Good luck! Best wishes to Fama!