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My dog has allergies. What can I do about it? Please help.
Bill from Clinton, MO
I concur with the person who said Benadryl. I give my dog 25 mg (1 pill over the counter) every time I see she is itchy. She weighs about 45 pounds. It really works, and in my dog's case it is on an as needed basis.
Hey all, go to walmart and try this hydrocortisone spray it's in a blue bottle made by Hartz. It was like 4 bucks. I sprayed that on my pit's stomach underneath his arms and legs because he wouldn't stop scratching. It helped right away!
I had went to the vet and he didn't help at all. However I still have a problem with my pups eyes they are constantly itchy and runny... can't find anything for that. The worthless vet said the pup has allergies and didn't help me. He sure took my 300 bux no problem though. Anyway hope that spray works as good for u as it did for me. I know white dogs have a lot of skin problems.
I have a male weeny dog who is turning 10 this year. This past fall or a little longer ago, he started getting so congested that he was breathing out of his mouth and getting these scabby pus welts all over his belly.
I took him to the vet, and they said he has allergies, and to pinpoint exactly what kind it'll cost an arm and two legs. So, they prescribed a bunch of stuff along with shampoos and changed his food. I bought a humidifier and changed the filter in the furnace. None of the medicines have worked, and I gave him Benadryl with the vet's knowledge. It was working for a few weeks, but now nothing is working.
So I bought Zyrtec and was wondering if it's safe, or is there anything else that can be done for my little guy. He is 16 pounds. I swear I have a box of tissues in every room. What can I do about his congestion problem? He's miserable along with me. So please help. His skin is getting a lot better. I just want him to breath better.
By DLR
I have a Wheaten Terrier who has allergies also. He weighs fifty pounds and takes one generic Clariden tablet daily and generic Benedryl up to four times a day, as needed, at the suggestion of his vet. Adjust these medications according to your pets weight.
If your dog also has skin problems, swab the itchy areas with a fragrance-free baby wipe when he comes inside. This may be an allergy to grass or mold outside. Oatmeal shampoo is soothing, make sure there is no fragrance added.
Otherwise, make sure that your vet checks him to make sure there are no secondary infections which may require an antibiotic. Also, I was told that dogs with skin allergies tend to have food allergies too. A kibble without wheat or corn may help also.
I had a cairn terrier with many allergies. For his skin allergies I changed his diet to brown rice and canned salmon (bones and skin and all; they need it for the calcium and fat). This worked for him and he lived to be 17 without any further difficulty.
My friends wiener dog was allergic to lawn fertilizer. His belly would break out every spring. They or the Vet did not know what was causing it. I suggested they change to organic fertilizer and voila.... not more scratching and biting. They had gone so far as to put a muzzle on the poor little guy to stop the biting. Now he is 100%.
I have not had much experience with nasal allergies. Look for patterns in your dogs allergies. This helped me to figure out what was going on. Also you might try an air cleaner in you home. They remove allergens that are in the air. But it is a real mystery sometimes to try and find out what the culprit is. Don't give up and best of luck to you.
Unfortunately many dogs develop allergies to commercial dog foods. Low ingredient foods sometimes help, but if not, pet owners often try to provide homemade food.
Determining the cause of your pet's allergic reaction is the first step to treating and hopefully preventing reoccurrences. This is a page about treating a dog with severe skin allergies.
This is a page about feeding a dog with food allergies. Many dogs suffer from food allergies.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Any ideas on how to help dog with allergys? He is scratching himself like crazy and making himself bleed. I took him to the vets they gave him allergy pills, but he still scratches. The only thing that works some in cortisone shots, but vet won't do those anymore, wants me to take him to expensive allergy vet, that we just can not afford. $800 just to look at dog, then more money to treat. My mother-in-law takes her dog to him, and she said it costs her a lot.
Do you know what he is allergic to? We had a dog that had allergies and through research found that corn is a major allergen in dogs. Look at your food labels, many dog foods have corn listed as the first ingredient. Try switching food to one that doesn't contain corn and give it a couple of weeks for the allergens to get out of the system. Hopefully you will see big improvements. (09/17/2007)
By Dave
I had the same problem. To this day I'm not 100% sure what was going on but my dog had a lot of thinning hair and chewed on himself like it was his job. Anyway, I followed all of the steps for flea treatment, bomb, vacuume, bath repeat 6 weeks and of course some topical flea treatment such as Advantex. The thing that I think made the biggest impact was the change in his diet. I switched him to an all organic food made with fish and oatmeal. It runs about 45.00 for a 52lb bag, not cheap but well worth it. My dog's hair has grown back he doesn't smell bad, never chews on himself and has less eye mucus. (09/17/2007)
By Meghan
We have 2 bichons with terrible allergies. They weigh about 15 lbs each. We give per the vets advice 50 mg of Benadry to each dog in the morning and 50 mg of Benadry at night. It is the maximum dose allowed. We also feed only fish and rice dog food (Salmon and rice by Purina One) It is all natural and we buy it in the large bags. We watch for sales and coupons. We use human shampoo on them and human hair conditioner with a bath once a week at least. We use Frontline for fleas and ticks as they seem to have a bad time with the bites. We never give them beef in treats, scraps or any form. I believe that you can never be sure what hormone or antibiotic is given to the cows. (We don't eat beef either.) With one of our dogs he could get something with beef and within a few minutes be in a complete tizzy with itching. This problem just about drove us and the dogs crazy until we got a handle on it. We went through buying the allergy medicine every month and getting them to take it, and also the cortisone shots. It was an expensive ordeal but we got it under control. We also give them only distilled water to drink and don't feed dog food with red dyed pellets in it. Since they are white dogs, the red dye was excreted in their saliva and their feet and mouth fur was red tinged. We got this tip from a professional groomer magazine and it really does work. Good luck with your doggie! (09/18/2007)
I have a 13 year old Cocker that has always had food allergies. For a long time I gave her Purina, then lamb and rice. Last year I finally found a dog food that has given me the results I have been expecting. It is called "Wysong." It is made in Michigan. The product can be checked out online and I believe ordered also if you don't have a PetSupplies Plus near you. Wysong also has treats and canned food. Cinder is now on 'Duck Au Jus'. I have been extremely pleased and I don't give her any other dog food. Good luck with your venture. (09/19/2007)
By Judy
Try one capsule of Fish Oil, on top of a cut up hot dog, once a week. It fixes the dry skin and the itchies from the inside out. At first, ask you vet if you can give your 'baby' some predizone to help clear up the infection, start the fish oil at the same time. (09/19/2007)
By Kit
Get a second opinion, should be inexpensive, that would be the first thing to try. (09/19/2007)
My dog has allergies and was itchy even after I spent $1100 at the vet, switched her diet, etc. I did some googling, and found that Pepto-Bismol pills are very good for a dog with a minor upset stomach, so I decided to try them. She's been on them a week and she seems to have gotten a LOT better. She is also eating the Purina One for Sensitive Systems and that seems to be helping too. I've also been giving her daily fish oil all along as well. She actually likes the fish oil caps and thinks they are a treat, lol.
But before anyone gives anything to their dog, they should always check with their vet first. Please, EVERYONE, check with your vet before trying any sort of home remedy for your dog. (09/19/2007)
By Dana
I have a lab/chow dog with extreme skin allergies. We have tried everything, including having him tested for food and plant allergies. We then gave him allergy shots for nearly two years, but it didn't help. His worst allergy is ragweed and whatever else blooms in August and September. Every year he takes Prednisone (steroid) and Hydroxizine (antihistamine). This year our vet talked with a University that specializes in dog allergies. We tried a new medicine called Temaril-P that is a mixture of a lower dose of steroid and antihistamine. He takes 2 a day along with 3 of the Hydroxizine and it has helped him a lot. We will quit giving this when everything freezes here in Wisconsin. He still itches sometimes in the winter and then we give him Benadryl, another antihistamine, cheaper and can buy over the counter. Good luck. Toby used to scratch holes in his nose and head. (09/20/2007)
By Marcie
Put him on a an all-natural or organic food. The less ingredients, the better. Read the labels on commercial dog food, no wonder our pets are suffering from the same illnesses we are (cancer, obesity, allergies...). (09/24/2007)
By Tamak
