Quote: Sarah Morris

My derm vet told me allergic dogs should be bathed frequently and definitely wiped down or rinsed off daily. He has some clients who shower with their dogs every day.

In this book, too: http://leerburg.com/971.htm
I learned that even if you do not use shampoo, frequent rinsing to keep allergens off the fur (and then of course from fur to bed and carpet) is a primary step. In addition, I keep a pan of frequently-changed water by the door in the worst seasons and the dogs walk through it and then over a thick towel on their way indoors from fields, lawns. Also, the allergic dog gets his undercarriage wiped off with hypoallergenic baby wipes.

This is not against contact allergies, which are pretty rare in dogs, but against tracking the environmental/inhalant allergens into the dog's 24/7 breathing space.

I recommend that book, BTW, because it outlines the many approaches to canine allergies, and I've learned over the years that allergies are almost never a one-step solution. I throw everything I have at them, from excellent fresh diet with no grains to fish oil and E to rinsing as described above to the two of the historically better (for dogs) antihistamines to the occasional well-thought-out dose of Pred if necessary to break a bad cycle.

I've had to do the skin tests and then the individual desensitizing injections twice, too.

I've had stubborn-case dogs, and I've learned that canine allergies can be a tragedy. I don't say this lightly; quality of life can be destroyed by allergies, from broken skin to recurring infection to no sleep for either the dog or the humans near the dog.

So fat, I've been able to manage allergies, but it takes, as I said, everything I have.

ETA: Yes, as Sarah says, a derm vet is going to save you money and time in the long run. JMO, but this opinion was formed over years of experience.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (10/29/2008 12:55 PM)
Edit reason: ETA

Thanks for the support, Sarah & Connie.

We picked up a bottle of antihistamines from the vet yesterday and run it for a course to hopefully reduce her itching. It will give her skin some relief from her constant 'abuse' and I can continue our holistic spray to sooth and heal the skin.

But I am totally in agreement if, with the additional baths and other steps to reduce the presence of allergens does not help, I am definitely taking her to the dermatologist.

I don't want her on antihistamines if possible, but I finally broke down and seek medical help yesterday.

This is so frustrating for owners.

I even wonder about her diet. She is on raw, and has always done well on it. She had such a beautiful coat, and now she looks like the cat dragged her through the bushes.

I am wondering if perhaps I should switch to a quality kibble (Orijen) to see if it works. But that is another thread altogether.

 Quote: Rei Chee

... I am wondering if perhaps I should switch to a quality kibble (Orijen) to see if it works.

Based on what reasoning? To give a different protein source? Food allergens (as opposed to food intolerance) are proteins. Food allergy is almost always mediated by IgE antibody directed to specific food proteins, or actually protein fragments.

The allergic (immune) response: (1) production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and (2) mast cells, which are pretty much everywhere in the tissue.

(The formation of IgE is usually inherited, BTW, which is a huge argument against ever allowing or facilitating the breeding of an allergic dog.)

So the individual dog is exposed to the protein food for the IgE to form and attach to the mast cells' outer lining. When that food appears again, its protein fragments trigger that IgE on the mast cells to release histamine. In dogs, the histamine receptors are mostly on the skin (as opposed to us, with lots of mucous membrane histamine receptors).

So in an elimination diet, the dog gets only foods s/he has never eaten. An elimination diet is strictly individual. A regular kibble would be very unlikely, with all the ingredients they have, to be an elimination diet to any dog. For example, you can be pretty sure that a dog who has ever lived with a cat has eaten fish (in used or unused form).

Also, although I used to do an elimination diet first (because of its relative simplicity), I now see that the results are not going to be clear unless and until inhalant/environmental allergies and flea hypersensitivity are addressed.

I figure there will be vitamins and other essential nutrients that perhaps I am not adding enough to her raw diet.

Apart from fish oil and joint support, I am not a big supplementer. I follow the basic balance of RMB to MM to OM, and use a variety of protein sources.

At this point where she seems to be battling allergies, I figure multi-vitamins might help, and it appears Orijen has had great reviews from GSD owners on another forum.

I doubt if it is food allergies. It is definitely seasonal.

Oh I should add too that I have done the elimination diet with Janka, and was very stringent about it too, following the basic protocol while doing so.

Offering a high quality kibble is a tough decision for me, and it occurred to me when a fellow raw-feeder mentioned multi-vitamins for Janka in her diet. I will not reject naturally feeding completely though, because I have seen the benefits for her.

I am just very open to all pragmatic possibilities to lessen the stress she carries now based on frustration.