Any suggestions? Help... Allergies

[argos]

Hello everybody........from Greece.
I need some feedback on allergies....
My 2 year old male boxer argos is really into them ...fortunately besides a really bad attack last year - swollen face and bumps all over his body - which was treated with cortizon shots, this year we only have to deal with his legs that from white turn red - some kind of dermititis. The first two weeks was on cortizon pills to prevent further swalling and itching and showed remarkable improvement but as soon as he was taken of them the redness came back at a milder form - without the swelling - thank god... Unfortunately the allergies test showed nothing...we tried anti - histamine pills that really made no difference...cortizon is no longer an option bec. he had his share of the drug and it is really difficult for all of us and him, due to the side effects...The doctor suggested that we should try accupuncture but there is no way i could think that a 2yrs old boxer will stay put with needles all over him without narcossis...and narcossis for him is not an option too...

This is the picture more or less...
Any suggestions or tips ??????????
Thank you very much
Eleni + Argos 2yrs old male fawn restless + lately red legged boxer

 

[jaimie]

What are you feeding Argos? This maybe something inside the food, depending on what you are feeding him. Possibly the preservatives in it or the kind of flour they use. (Some use wheat flour and stuff similar to it) I have my girls on Wellness Fish & Sweet Potato for their allergies, but research in your area and on the internet and found out what is available to you. You may be surprised on how much of a difference it makes. Also, make sure you haven't used any new shampoos or flea stuff on him sometimes those will make him hypersensitive too. Good Luck I hope things get better for your guy.

Jaimie

 

[argos]

Dear Jaimie, thanks for the advice but we are already on a hypoallergic diet, suggested by the dr. (Hill's) and we use Allercalm shampoo which is for soothing allergies...Still, allergies persist...

 

[Thomas Liggin]

It still could be food related. Any animal including humans can have an allergy to any substance. It could be meat or vegetable.

Our first Boxer, Rocky, always had a scaly area on his nose. We switched to chicken and rice, then lamb and rice which improved, but did not eliminate the problem. We fed him Eukanuba. Knowing better now, I wish we had fed him a "premium" brand.

We also applied a zinc ointment which helped greatly. When we were diligent in applying it, the scale would disappear. The slightest lapse in treating the affected area resulted in the return within a couple of days. Be sure to get an ok from your vet first.

It could also be a contact dermatitis. With any dog, their muzzle is the most vulnerable area because they put it everywhere and because some of its tissues are the most sensitive. If you feed or water out of plastic bowl, switch to stainless steel.

You may have more than one allergy affecting Argos. The switch in food has helped, but there may be something else going on. It can be difficult to determine what Argos is reacting to.

When he is outside, it could be molds or spores which are commonly found in grassy areas. Some years Indy got strong reactions to mold spores in the late summer and early fall, while other years he wasn't bothered at all.


Tom

 

[argos]

Dear Tom,

Argos too has a red area around his nose (wherever there is white) - but i am more concerned about his legs - you see it is easier to lick them to death and that is certainly not making the situation any better -they are constantly dark red .

I did switch to chicken and rice and then lamb and rice (Purina) and the ID Hills - the later (lamp and Hills) improved, but did not eliminate the problem...

He has always been fed and watered in stainless steel bowls...

What is a zinc ointment??? sounds Greek to me...i am thinking about using propriogenta ointment it works for my allergies..

The thing is that while spring and autumn are the high seasons for allergies, Argos season begins in mid-November and lasts until???????

Any feedback on accupuncture????

Thank you so much for taking the time to help us

 

[Thomas Liggin]

I should have said zinc oxide ointment. It comes in a tube like toothpaste. People who are sensitive to the sun will put it on their nose and tops of their ears. It is white and smooth, about the consistency of vaseline jelly.

It is for external use only. It is used for any number of skin conditions. Check with your pharmacy, it should be available over the counter. I don't know if a dog will tend to lick it off, but suspect they'd try.

It's a topical treatment, and you could probably work it into the skin by rubbing like hand lotion. I'll do a search to see what info I can find. You can do the same. Whatever I find, I'll get back to you with the info.

Check with your vet before using. I doubt it would cause any problem, but I'm neither a pharmacist nor a doctor.


Tom

 

[Thomas Liggin]

This was one interesting article I found. I'll keep looking for info on zinc oxide. I'm self employed and working right now but I will continue searching later.

The web address is: http://www.belfield.com/article6.html . This has some interesting info.

The other thing we used on Rocky was liquid vitamin e (I believe), on his crusty areas which cleared them up. Again, check with your vet. The vitamin came in small plastic ampules with a snout on them. You'd snip the snout, the squeeze the ampule to force the liquid out, and onto the affected area. It did clear up the scaly nose condition.


Tom

 

[bustermom]

If the allergies come on in November, is it possible that he's getting dry skin from the inside heat? My Maggie was much the same way, as soon as it got cool outside and we turned on the house heat (forced hot air), she would dry out and scratch like mad, to the point her feet would be bright red and her elbows would be raw.

She has allergies and very sensitive skin. What worked for us was a change in diet (I know, I know, it's what you've heard before but we went through many foods before finding one with a combination which didn't make her skin erupt) as well as the addition of flaxseed oil to her food. Flaxseed oil is wonderful for the coat and skin, and helps soothe the irritation. Here, you can buy it in bottles (has to be refrigerated) or in gelcaps which you can puncture and sqeeze onto his food if he won't eat them. A few teaspoons a day is all it takes.

You can also take a look at his habits - what changes in November? Is he inside more or less? Do you change something in the house at that time of year? See if there are any trends to his allergy attacks (time of year, time of day, where he's been, what he's eaten).

I actually had a dog with latex allergies (allergic to rubber and rubber products). Our area rugs had rubber backings and he would break out in a mild case of hives after laying on them, no matter how frequently they were washed in hypo-allergenic detergent and rinsed a million times. His face would also get all pink when playing with rubber toys like kongs. You'd be surprised at what these guys can be allergic to!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[jfirly]

Allergies

Hi there. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH!!!! My 3yr old boxer goes through the same thing every Aug-1st frost. His nose gets really itchy, his ears get itchy and turn red and he bites his paws uncontrollably. We thought it was initially a food allergy.....but realized after trial and error.....along w/ tests from the vet, it was inhaled allergies. I dread every August now :( There is a spray ointment that I use called "Relief Spray" that has colloidal oatmeal and Pramoxine HCI in it. This seems to help relieve the itchy paws. He also gets 1 20mg prednisone (a steriod) every other day (we tried cortizone and histamines too and they didnt work). Since he's not on them for more than 5 months at a time, Im not worried. The combination of these two has helped a lot!!!!!! Also - I've heard that the addition of Omega 3 oils to the food can help. You can get them in gelcaps and pop the gelcaps so that the oil spills onto the food. This has completely enhanced his coat!!!!! Good luck!!!!!

 

[Thomas Liggin]

We went through the ears and paws thing with Rocky. It was caused by a mold spore fungus which is frequently found on lawns and grassy areas in the late summer into the fall.

One of the treatments we used on his paws was Gold Bond Powder. Initially, we applied it with Q-tips to get it between his toes. Then we used a sandwich baggie. Put a couple of tablespoons of the powder in the bag. Place his foot in the bag and poof his paw around in the powder.

It provided a nice coating of the powder on his paw and between his toes with no mess. It was quick, easy and effective. Gold Bond Powder has some ingredients which greatly relieved the itching and the redness.

Most of the redness was caused by incessant licking, and the saliva was actually digesting the surface tissues, adding to the irritation and inflammation. Kind of like licking chapped lips in the winter. It only made things worse.

That, combined with benedryl when the allergic reaction started, kept things under control.


Tom