I have a cocker spaniel with severe allergies. I have tried everything, allergy testing, organic food, allergy tests, Prednisone, and Benadryl. I am at the vet at least once a month because she is biting and itching about 90% of the time. She has sores on her back and bottom from biting so much. I have hair all over my house and she has started going to the bathroom in the house. What should I do?
By kristin from St. Louis
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Well, what did the allergy tests say she was allergic to? Does she have even 1 flea? Maybe another vet would have an answer.
I had a cocker many years ago with the same problems. (We have had several cockers through the years, and she was the only one with this problem.) We did and tried everything, from what the vet recommended to anything else we could think of.
What do you feed her? Two of my dogs are highly allergic to corn and beef (I found out a lot of dogs are) if they eat even a small amount of food with either in it, they scratch themselves raw.
I had a cockerspaniel with the same problems. I ended up feeding her Kibbles & Bits because it did not contain corn. It is not one of the best pet foods (too much fat), but it worked for the allergies. I also gave her olive oil for help with her dry coat (any oil would work).
Does she have fleas? While my dogs aren't allergic to food, my lab mix will scratch herself raw if she gets fleas. I use one of the monthly topical flea products on her and it keeps the fleas away and keeps her from scratching. Good Luck!
Try feeding your dog Purina ProPlan for Sensitive Stomaches and Skin. It has no grains and it's first ingredient is Salmon (lots of fish oil).
Order Garden's Alive Organic catalogue and look towards the back for organic pet foods that cure that.
Read their articles and directions well. It's well worth it to save vet/ RX charges! Good luck and God bless you. : )
My friend had a cocker with the same problems. My friend was told the dog had an allergy to normal dog food and the dog was put on special allergy formula. Well, as it turns out, the dog wasn't allergic to the dog food, but the particular Heart Worm medication that was given once/month.
I also have a dog with allergies, he is a lab/chow mix. We had him tested for food and plant allergies, tried the allergy shots for two years, no help. The only thing that helps is we avoid the foods to which he is allergic (wheat, pork, milk). When his plant allergies are the worst (August thru Oct), he takes a kind of prednisone-antihistamine mix called Temaril-P. It cuts down on the amount of Pred since there are so many side effects. He also takes a different antihistamine called Hydroxizine, a prescription drug, that helps.
My male scottish terrier is allergic to a wide variety of foods and plants (including soy products, poultry, carrots, cod, salmon). After blood tests and biopsies, many months of hydroxizine, termaril P, prednisone, etc; we finally convinced the vet to try Atopica and he's a totally different dog. You will start off with one tablet a day and work your way up to one tablet every four days or so. Be prepared tho, it runs about $70 for a box of 15 tablets. It's expensive to start with, but once you get the doses spread out, it's not bad. Good luck.
Purebred dogs have lots of inbred issues. My rescue cocker spaniel is allergic mostly to the shampoo and dog food that I feed her. She bites or rather gnaws on different spots of her feet. The vet said Cockers have a very yeasty body (ears, skin between toes...etc.) Try a little tea tree oil mixed with warm water or aloe vera and apply a compress to her spots several times a day. Also make sure you brush her teeth daily and try giving some veggies with the daily meal. Every dog is different but I hope this helps.
By the way, most of the commercial dog food is distributed by one company even the high end ones from your vet. Google online to supplement your processed dog food with homemade ingredients, brown rice, carrots, beans and fish. Good luck!
My English cocker spaniel has the exact same issues - licking, gnawing her paws, scratching, head-shaking, hyperactivity, and now using the bathroom in the house. I've tried multiple vets-to include a vet dermatologist that's over $500 a visit. The dog which I adopted 6 years ago is now 14.5 and I just wonder at what point, it is both kinder to yourself and your beloved animal, to put them to sleep. Hurts so much to consider, but the situation is miserable for all concerned....
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