Alyssa,
Ugh! Sorry to hear that Danke is having to deal with these darn allergies as well.
I feel for you, as I have been going through this as well with my two GSD's.

I have had some good results with a multi-pronged approach doing all the things that Connie suggests.
I can vouch for the increase in good quality yogurt and kefir which I now give three times a day, in addition to probiotic powder.
I have trialed both chlorpheniramine (Chlortrimeton ) and it has helped quite a bit, along with a variety of other holistic
approaches as well. Chinese herbs, as well as homeopathy and it has helped pretty well, although they are not entirely itch free,
I believe that they are "comfortably itchy' if there is such a thing!

I did just get an order from LB of the Herbsmith "Clear Alleries" and also some "Yucca Intensive" to trial as well.
I am searching for a natural way to mimic the positive effects of prednisone as well as the antihistamines.
It is a personal choice for everyone, but this is what I am trying to do.

If I had a couple grand that I could drop at the Derm Vet, I would be there now, but I just don't have that kind of money to do that right now. However, I agree, that it is the best thing in the long run. Knowing what the actual allergens are, is likely the best way to know what to avoid if at all possible.
It seems that until that is known, all we have is trial and error for each thing we try.

They're trying to find me an appointment at a Derm vet down south. I guess the guy is supposed to be the best in the area (we'll see), so he's pretty booked up.

I really don't want to wait a month and a half to get her there, so I'm on a "stand-by list". Hopefully he'll get a cancellation sometime soon.

In the meantime, I'm going to buy an attachment for the hose and a nice cattle trough to stick by the back door for "undercoating" as the hubby is calling it.

She loves water, so she'll really enjoy hopping in and getting hosed off (getting her out is a whole 'nuther story).

We vacuum every other day to keep the dog hair down, and I launder her bedding pretty regularly (weekly or so) because I'm allergic to dogs so I have to keep her hair at bay.

I'll give her a nice bath tonight and make sure all her bedding is clean...

Thanks you guys. I just want my girl to be healthy and happy.

"Cattle trough" sounds great!

I used to use unscented baby wipes (the big ones) but switched to a pan of water with a thick towel to walk on after the water for the paws. (I still use the wipes for the belly and armpits and groin.)

I change that water often.

Conne, can I use the baby wipes instead of the vinegar and water for the wiping off due to allergies? Is this what you mean or am I missing a point somewhere?

I was saying that I use them for removing pollen, etc., after the dog has been in a meadow/field/lawn.

But the paws/toes are trickier to use baby wipes on, so I use the pan of water to get more surface "wiped."

Gotcha, thanks.

Just curious, my dog appears to start itching (licking/nibbling front legs/chest/thighs) around December. Could this possibly be related to environmental allergies? We are in MD and I don't think there is a pollen problem in December. He was very itchy last month. I use a strong nettle tea on his food 2 x day and Licorice tincture (non alcohol) plus Animal Apawthecary's Spring Tonic. I make a strong tea with Calendula/Plantain/Chamomile/Yellow Dock and sponge it on the itchy areas just before we go for our daily walk so he can't lick it off. So far we have managed without meds. anne

 Quote: annhishmen

Just curious, my dog appears to start itching (licking/nibbling front legs/chest/thighs) around December. Could this possibly be related to environmental allergies? We are in MD and I don't think there is a pollen problem in December. He was very itchy last month. I use a strong nettle tea on his food 2 x day and Licorice tincture (non alcohol) plus Animal Apawthecary's Spring Tonic. I make a strong tea with Calendula/Plantain/Chamomile/Yellow Dock and sponge it on the itchy areas just before we go for our daily walk so he can't lick it off. So far we have managed without meds. anne

Much more info needed: Does he have skin pruritis or does it look normal (not red, bumpy, or broken). How do the insides of the ears look? Any inflammation?

Is the dog's sleep interrupted with scratching? Is there paw itchiness? Is there any sign of fleas at all? (A hypersensitive dog can be driven crazy with one exposure.)

How old is the dog?

Environmental doesn't necessarily mean pollen, BTW.

Nettle has topical antipruritic properties, as I recall. Have you tried the nettle topically?

Also, isn't it a diuretic? Are you giving extra water with it? And I think that I have read that while some parents give it to children as an anti-allergic med, it's dose-sensitive at low weights. How big is your dog?

Funny enough, i have the same symptoms. My GSD has been somehow itchy for his entire 8 months now. At first was fleas (my first vet..now ex-vet told me at the time "dogs are itchy"), then after getting rid of these, just light itch but since 2 weeks he's scratching enough to make blisters under his eye and some hot spots on his knee.

he also happily scratches with his teeth, front paws and hind legs enough that it makes a rather disturbing sound of teeth on bone.

Went to see a vet (Coastal Holistic in pacifica, not sure if you know them Connie) and he said it was probably Liver Blood Deficiency since there was itchy skin/superficial dryness at the feet, skin, anal area, ears (not smelly but very dirty almost every two days)...

The now very bald spot on his knee is bumpy but not red.

so I'm giving more liver and eggs. so far its getting worse, can't wait for the recheck in 2 weeks!

I've been also using Embark from THK every day to give them the supplements, not sure if it's just a coincidence...

(sorry for the hijack)

Mike, I have just been thru he!! with mine and itchiness. It started last year with a flea allergy and eventually turned in to a skin infection. She's been on antibiotics for three weeks plus had a shot of steroids.

Did the vet do skin scraping?

Connie and others are experienced whereas I'm not. Only my dog's experience.

But due to bad vet advice last year, I think my dog has had this skin infection since then. I went to a different vet, too.