My dog Itches herself to death, and her skin is red, but NO fleas??!

[stop_testing]

What could be the problem?? I had a dog that was allergic to fleas, but it's freezing cold here right now, and no fleas? She just itches herself to death, and her skin is inflamed :( I need to take her to the vet soon...

Thanks for your help

[stop_testing]

Originally posted by casegura
Could be skin allergies. Try giving her a bath with oatmeal shampoo or oatmeal soak. Your vet will be able to give her a shot to decrease the inflammation and itching.

Yeah, i think her skin is severely allergic to everything! I gave her a bath with oatmeal shampoo, and that broke her out also.:eek:

['too crazy]

My dog used to chew on her feet and we found out she's allergic to chicken and beef so we have to feed her lamb and rice. Maybe your dog has an allergy to food.

[Furbaby Mom]

My poor Jethro had year round allergies and his skin was so hard to keep under control. You will want to talk to your vet about medicated shampoos as a starter, plus a possible change in diet (some foods can cause skin problems like you describe). We went thru about 6 different medicated shampoos until we found one that worked on his problem. It was LyTar, and yes, it smelled like tar, but kept him happy. Periodic cortisone shots or pills will also help when it gets out of hand. Yes, he was on them probably more often than what was healthy for him, but without them, he would have had a long, miserable life.

Jethro was miserable until we found the right mix that worked for him. Keep trying and work with your vet on this one!

[petfriend]

I have a Lab that has been suffering with the same problems.
Scratching, hair loss, feeling lousy, bad smell, flaky skin.
We tried steroid shots and pills, but it always came back.
He has been on an all natural food and skin suppliment formulated by a vet for about 6 weeks now and the change is amazing.
His coat is shiney, getting thicker, the sores from scratching have healed and his enrgy level is up.

I would say it very well could be a food allergy, even if the
pet has not had one before. My dog was fine untill about two years ago and this cycle started.



limulife@bellsouth.net

[RWDVM]

Dear stop testing:

Your dog is likely suffering from allergy. Allergy is one of the more frequent and frustrating problems I encounter in clinical practice. When presented with an allergic dog, the first priority is to provide the dog reflief. This is accomplished with combinations of some or all of the following: cortisone, anit-biotics, medicated shampoos, antihistamines, or topical sprays. Once symptoms are relieved, however, if the source of the allergy is not revealed, the symptoms will likely return.

Dogs suffer from two types of skin allergies: food and/or environment. I typically begin by ruling out food allergy, because changing the food is a simple matter. The hypoallergenic foods that I favor for this are either IVD or Hill's Z/D Ultra. Both of these diets are available only at vet hospitals for purchase. Feed the special diet, and ONLY the special diet for 8 weeks. If the food works, simply keep the dog on it for life. If there is no improvement in 8 weeks (and you are certain that the dog has eaten nothing but the special diet during this time), then the dog is likely environmentally allergic.

Environmental allergy can be treated symptomatically with the treatments outlined in the first paragraph if episodes are seasonal or periodic. However, if there is year round allergy, it is recommended that you pursue allergy testing and subsequent de-sensitisation therapy. The reason for this is that long term use of ant-biotics and cortisone can lead to health compromise. Please refer to the skin care page of my veterinary advice and health management website at the web address below for more indepth information on this topic.

Best of luck to you.

Sincerely,

Roger L. Welton, DVM
veterinarian, book author, webmaster http://www.askdvm.com

[stop_testing]

Thank-You for your help, :) I will ask the vet if he will do a allergy test, because she has this all year long!

I appreciate all you guys' help, Thanks

[MariaRosa]

All the above advice is A+......it's so nice to go somewhere
where there are friendly, caring people like all of you.

My dog used to get chronic skin infections on her back. The vet would give her antibiotics to clear it up, but it would always return. I started putting a supplement from the Solid Gold company called Life Exxtension into her food each morning, and that solved the problem. She hasn't had a problem w/ her skin since. I also give her 200ius of Vitamin E every other day.

Don't know if you can use this advice or not, but if you do decide to go the supplement route, please do check w/ your vet and get the greenlight from them first.