You know, Barbara, at least with me, this is all just more-heads-being-better-than-one. That is, I don't see any kind of carelessness or lack of knowledge from your vet.

(How do I gauge this? I say, Let's see, do I agree with the vet so far? Yes? Then GOOD VET! )

No, seriously, this seems like one of those many hazy things where the order and method of diagnosis is just not clear-cut.

And often the observations and "gut feeling" of the owner are worth a ton to the vet. Good vets, like this one appears to be, seem to welcome those little bumps in one direction or another when the scale just won't budge towards a clear course.

Think of the threads here where the dog ended up (safe) at the vet with a life-threatening condition that presented with nothing more than "He doesn't seem right. I'm calling the vet." The owner can have intuition that the vet, who after all is more of a stranger to the dog, can have.

I guess this is at the heart of my strong belief that the vet-owner relationship, for me, has to be a partnership.

It's pollen season.
Ms. Danke Doodle rubbed a good amount of hair from her nose and ears before we got on top of it this year.

The big spray bottles and walk-thru pans are back out, and we've started giving her vistaril on the really high count days.

Once you get in the habit of wiping the dog down after every trip outside and the crate down daily, pollen allergies aren't to hard to deal with.

Hers seem to be just tree allergies, so we put her bed away in the spring and vacuum the areas she lays in daily. Once the tree pollen drops, she can have her bed back.

 Quote: aaron myracle

It's pollen season.
Ms. Danke Doodle rubbed a good amount of hair from her nose and ears before we got on top of it this year.

The big spray bottles and walk-thru pans are back out, and we've started giving her vistaril on the really high count days.

Once you get in the habit of wiping the dog down after every trip outside and the crate down daily, pollen allergies aren't to hard to deal with.

Hers seem to be just tree allergies, so we put her bed away in the spring and vacuum the areas she lays in daily. Once the tree pollen drops, she can have her bed back.

I have one of these. The journal was a godsend, identifying for me the seasons and even the time of day that he was most vulnerable. The windows are kept closed and he is kept inside as much as possible in April and October and all summer at sunup and sundown.

That rigorous protocol to keep the allergens off the dog's fur and bed and the soft house furnishings is big (not for "contact" reasons, but for "breathing them in 24/7" reasons).

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: aaron myracle

It's pollen season.
Ms. Danke Doodle rubbed a good amount of hair from her nose and ears before we got on top of it this year.

The big spray bottles and walk-thru pans are back out, and we've started giving her vistaril on the really high count days.

Once you get in the habit of wiping the dog down after every trip outside and the crate down daily, pollen allergies aren't to hard to deal with.

Hers seem to be just tree allergies, so we put her bed away in the spring and vacuum the areas she lays in daily. Once the tree pollen drops, she can have her bed back.

I have one of these. The journal was a godsend, identifying for me the seasons and even the time of day that he was most vulnerable. The windows are kept closed and he is kept inside as much as possible in April and October and all summer at sunup and sundown.

That rigorous protocol to keep the allergens off the dog's fur and bed and the soft house furnishings is big (not for "contact" reasons, but for "breathing them in 24/7" reasons).

Wonder if these will work with human allergies. Cronic allergies in spring and summer.. Dreadful! I can just imagin how a poor dog or cat feels if those high count days lay me out for the count. .. I can just see my neighbors now saying "What is that crazy woman doing with the spray bottles and washing off all the time when she goes in?!"

I wonder if this is why Finn could be itching all the time.. or it could be the new collar.

 Quote: connie sutherland

And often the observations and "gut feeling" of the owner are worth a ton to the vet. Good vets, like this one appears to be, seem to welcome those little bumps in one direction or another when the scale just won't budge towards a clear course.

I fully expect this gal to be open to the discussion of a different "order" of diagnosis protocol. She has been nothing but open minded and generous with her time, as well as attentive to both Falcon and I. I'm honestly thankful to be working with her.

 Quote: Mary McKeever

... I wonder if this is why Finn could be itching all the time.. or it could be the new collar.

This would go in a new thread.

I'm kinda surprised the vet didnt mention much about treating the environment if they were treating for scabies. But if you do start treating for that again, I would get rid of any material type bedding and just use plastic crates. Good Luck with all this.

Thanks Steve. That issue is top on my list of questions.

 Quote: connie sutherland

"My heart of hearts tells me it isn't food related, but then, I really thought it was mites, so obviously my instincts aren't working too well right now."

My heart of hearts agrees with yours.

My heart of hearts said resistant mites.

But obviously, this is no obscure possibility that an allergy vet would not have thought of.

Does anyone know if it is possible to have mites (in our case it would be resistant mites) without the typical bare patches on the dog's body?

I'm going over my notes/thoughts to discuss with the vet tomorrow and keep going back to this possiblity.

 Quote: barbara schuler

 Quote: connie sutherland

"My heart of hearts tells me it isn't food related, but then, I really thought it was mites, so obviously my instincts aren't working too well right now."

My heart of hearts agrees with yours.

My heart of hearts said resistant mites.

But obviously, this is no obscure possibility that an allergy vet would not have thought of.

Does anyone know if it is possible to have mites (in our case it would be resistant mites) without the typical bare patches on the dog's body?

I'm going over my notes/thoughts to discuss with the vet tomorrow and keep going back to this possiblity.

I will be very interested in what the vet says tomorrow Barbara.
Please post back what he/she says.

I think it is entirely possible that the mites might be resistant.
Consider that in recent years that fleas have become resistant to things like Frontline, and I have been hearing cases of heartworms coming to maturity despite the fact that the dog is on preventatives.

Just like humans developing super bugs because of over prescribed antibiotics, well, the same concept/idea.