I have a friend that has a pit bull and she said that her pit bull has allegorizes or at lest that’s what the vet said to her, because her pit bull was biting her paws and her eyes were red. Has anyone ever heard of this I guess she said that one of the paws was bad and bleeding. I asked her if her pit bull was loseing any fur and she said yes she was.

You don't state what the friend is feeding. If you change to a high quality dog food the problem might go away without anymore trips to the vet. We have some friends that had a similar problem and we convinced them to switch to a much better food than the Purina they were feeding. The problem was completely gone inside of three weeks.

Many on this forum are proponents of raw feeding and I also believe that it is probably the best but if you don't have the desire to do it there are very good kibbles that produce good results. Save the vet money and invest in a better food, you and the dog will be better off for it.

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I have a friend that has a pit bull and she said that her pit bull has allegorizes or at lest that’s what the vet said to her, because her pit bull was biting her paws and her eyes were red. Has anyone ever heard of this I guess she said that one of the paws was bad and bleeding. I asked her if her pit bull was loseing any fur and she said yes she was.

I agree with Glenn that a good diet will help strengthen the immune system, and allergies are an immune response thing.

More directly, the dog may indeed have a food allergy. However, that is the least likely of the various types of allergies she could have. Number one in likelihood is a flea allergy (which doesn't require an infestation to cause the reactions; one bite on an allergic dog can really do a number); number two is inhalant/environmental allergies; trailing pretty far behind are food allergies.

*However,* bad food (Purina, Science Diet, etc.) can really impair the dog's defenses. Also, many dogs with inhalant/environmental allergies also have food allergies. And food allergies can be pretty hard-hitting because of the continual ingestion of the allergen(s).

So whether it's a food allergy or not, I do agree that a good diet is crucial.
http://www.leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm

Here's an overview of atopic dermatitis, which is what causes the symptoms the poor dog has:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html

It's very common for the paws/toes to be the worst spot.

I hope your friend will read up and get a good picture of the subject. In my experience, vets are sometimes not very knowledgeable about canine allergies.

If this were my dog, I would start a very good food immediately, in this order of preference: (1) raw/fresh, (2) The Honest Kitchen (Embark or Force), (3) one of the kibbles on the Leerburg list. I would get salmon oil and Vitamin E to help with the inflammation.
http://www.leerburg.com/47.htm

Then I would ask the vet for a prescription for Hydroxyzine (which works much better than the OTC antihistamines and which works best in conjunction with the salmon oil).

I'd keep a very close eye on her ears, because secondary ear infections are so often triggered by allergies. I'd get her to the vet if I saw any inflammation in the ears, and forestall a full-blown infection with a Flush-Otomax (or the like) regimen (which the vet will prescribe and explain).

I would try to avoid a Prednisone intervention with the Hydroxyzine/fish oil routine, if possible. Steroids will probably help a lot in the short term, but they come with the danger of long-term side effects.

If I had to, though, I'd use the lowest effective dosage of Pred for the shortest possible length of time to interrupt the itch cycle and give the poor dog a break, especially if it's bad enough to keep the dog awake at night and/or cause skin infections.

I'd wipe the dog's paws and belly on the way back inside with baby wipes until I had some idea of the allergen(s). Lots of dogs have allergies to certain grasses. Even though it's not generally what's called a contact allergy, it's still true that carrying the pollen, etc., inside and onto the dog's bed or mat means that the dog continues to breathe in the allergen even when she comes inside.

There are skin (and, less accurate, blood) tests, if all else fails.

If you have questions or want more links, feel free to PM me. If your friend reads up and believes that there is a food allergy, this forum has full details of an elimination diet. I've been there with several dogs (mine and others) and have spent a lot of time learning what I could about canine allergies. It's something that can affect a dog's quality of life more than much more dangerous ailments. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Lots of people on this forum know a lot about canine allergies. Your friend might benefit from joining, or, at least, using "search" to read up. IMO, this is the right place, because of the unusual number of members who have educated themselves on the subject. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

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Lots of people on this forum know a lot about canine allergies. Your friend might benefit from joining, or, at least, using "search" to read up. IMO, this is the right place, because of the unusual number of members who have educated themselves on the subject. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

With Connie probably being THE most educated one of all <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> !

So true , one thing vets have no clue about is proper nutrition.I feed raw and when I took my male to the vet for allergies he told me to switch to Science Diet, when I told him it was not going to happen he told me that also he may be allergic to the floor we had in the house,(wood) and to change it (ya right)Then he said we had to do all kinds of tests and see what he is allergic to.We did that. Nothing came of it.He still eats raw and lays on the wood floor and does not itch as much anymore(can't tell you why) but we do give him meds now and then when it gets bad.He does not loose any hair or swells anywhere either.I think his immune system is not strong and therefore he is sensitive to the environment.That is why he is not a stud dog.I believe that those allergies or weak immune system are passed on.
By the way we changed vets since. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

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Lots of people on this forum know a lot about canine allergies. Your friend might benefit from joining, or, at least, using "search" to read up. IMO, this is the right place, because of the unusual number of members who have educated themselves on the subject. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

With Connie probably being THE most educated one of all <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> !

Having the biggest mouth helps me give that impression........ <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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......That is why he is not a stud dog.I believe that those allergies or weak immune system are passed on. ..... By the way we changed vets since. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

You're not alone in that belief. Tufts, Davis, and most authoritative sources I've read second that: dogs with allergies should not be bred.

Unfortunately, allergies often show up after the dog has been bred.

I've come to term with that.I have dealt with his allergies for a long time thinking it was food, the dry desert ect..I realized that nothing worked and nothing will(eliminate his itch) but meds.I think the more we continue close line breeding we will never get rid of that problem.But I'm no expert on this subject so I'll stop there.Yaggo does not know yet but he is getting neutered next week,my poor baby ,he thinks he is such a stud......