Best remedy for your dogs allergies?

[midnitemoon]

My poor boy (1yr shephard mix) is itching himself crazy!

Ive had his skin checked and he is on flea and tick prevention. I really think it is allergies based on the timing and places hes itching.

Ive switched his food to a different protein which hasnt seemed to help, and have begun fish oil in his food.

What are some things you have done to alleviate your pets allergies?

 

[klpotte3]

@midnitemoon Go to the vet. There are medications available that can help until you figure out the allergies.

Food allergies in dogs are not super common. Environment allergies are much more likely. You can do an allergy test to see what your dog is allergic to.

If you think it's food allergies, talk to your vet about an elimination diet. Your dog would be put on a hydrolyzed protein diet (and absolutely no treats or any other food) until their symptoms go away (with food allergies that could be as much as a month or two). Then your dog would stay on this food as you reintroduce one ingredient at a time. The whole process can take quite a while, but it's the only way to diagnose food allergies.

 

[paulw2647]

@klpotte3 I agree with this completely. Only thing I'll add is while waiting for an appointment you could try zyrtec. Common misconception but Benadryl does not help canine allergies like humans. But please see a vet, preferably a dermatologist

 

[lv1515]

@paulw2647 just adding to your comment for those who may not know, Zyrtec is a brand name for the generic drug cetirizine, a second generation (newer) antihistamine.

Benadryl is a brand name for the generic drug diphenhydramine, a first generation (older) antihistamine.

 

[paulw2647]

@lv1515 Yes thank you!

 

[annointedgirl77]

@lv1515 Hi
So can you give dogs human antihistamine?

 

[monowhite]

@klpotte3 This, but it takes up to 6 months for a protein to be eliminated from a dog’s system, so trial diets may take up to 6 months to assess.

 

[zeljko]

@midnitemoon For us it was cytopoint shots. Thank God we got insurance

 

[valewv]

@midnitemoon Cytopoint works well for dogs with allergies

 

[mgundy]

@midnitemoon Go to a veterinary dermatologist.

 

[drdux]

@midnitemoon My dog has the same thing. We did the elimination diet and didn't see anything that would cause him to itch as much as he did. Had him checked for ticks, fleas, etc. Finally settled on environmental allergies. We think it's the dirt in our yard. We have him on a medication called apoquel. Cost us $360 for a 3 month supply. It is very effective and has no long-term side effects that I could find. We have another dog, and she doesn't have the problem that the male dog does. Just a quick edit: we also tried all the shampoos that we thought would help, like oatmeal and other such products. They didn't help him. He would scratch so much to the point of him bleeding and developing scabs. Now with the medication I mentioned above, he never scratches himself as violently as he used to.

 

[zachgreenlee]

@midnitemoon Yeah apoquel and short term Prednisone for treatment. Our pups gone through every possible thing we can research & / or think of.

All diets under the sun including elimination, raw, hypo etc. supplemented things like fish oils and immune modulators.

A few things help, many make things much worse. But after a long defeating handful of years with a lot of knowledge and effort. Apoquel consistently and Prednisone when she flares up beyond apoquels help

 

[a43]

@midnitemoon Apoquel

 

[hikairop]

@midnitemoon With the ok from my vet we went to a dog nutrition specialist put her on a raw fed diet and she gets Benadryl. Tried meds from the vet but she had such a bad reaction to them.

 

[newmommie305]

@midnitemoon I had to make sure to completely eliminate any kind of chicken meal, chicken byproduct, chicken ANYTHING from his food AND his treats. For my pup, it made a world of difference. Good luck. It's a frustrating process to figure out.

 

[converting2christ]

@midnitemoon I just watched a tiktok about quail eggs having something in them that helps relieve allergies and asthma . Worth a shot

 

[carolee]

@midnitemoon I would try to cut out poultry completely. I have a mastiff that is allergic to anything with chicken in it and she would scratch like crazy. I switched to a fish fish only protein. She doesn’t have any issues. Her coat looks great. I get compliments all the time no duck no chicken no turkey get all the foul out of her diet and see if that helps but you have to give it time. It’s not gonna happen overnight at least two or three weeks, or one bag of cycle

 

[carolee]

@midnitemoon And I want to add one more thing be sure and I’m sure you already know, but just in case to read the back of the bag because even if it has a different “protein listed on the front of the bag, a lot of foods have chicken and foul byproducts in there so make sure that there’s no chicken in there Cause from what my understanding is a lot of dogs suffer from poultry allergies that seem to have been the case with my dog hope that helps good luck and I hope your dog gets on the good foot.