Itchy & Scratchy

Cbrugs · Jan 23, 2014

I've been dealing with a very itchy and scratchy Jax for the past several weeks. He was on Pacific Stream Taste of the Wild and I am in the process of changing him over to a limited ingredient venison and lentil food to see if that will help. I have been giving him Benadryl but it doesn't seem to be working as good as it was, maybe his body is becoming immune to it? Is there any other OTC allergy medication I can try that is maybe better/stronger than Benadryl? Also, he scratches he face so much and so hard that it always looks like he has been in a fight, scratches and red marks all over, sometimes even drawing blood. I feel so bad and helpless and want to help him but I'm not sure what else to try to help relieve the itchies. I'm hoping once he has been on the venison food for a bit, the itching will subside.

Alice Kable · Jan 23, 2014

Have you had a food allergy test done? It is a blood test and the results will take the guess work out of picking a food. Ruggles is allergic to chicken, beef, pork, lamb, corn, potatoes and rice. That really limited his food choices. I feed him Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey.

Cbrugs · Jan 23, 2014

Alice Kable said:
Have you had a food allergy test done? It is a blood test and the results will take the guess work out of picking a food. Ruggles is allergic to chicken, beef, pork, lamb, corn, potatoes and rice. That really limited his food choices. I feed him Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey.

I have not had an allergy test done yet as I have read mixed reviews on them and from what I hear, they are not cheap so I thought I would try to figure it out on my own first, hoping it would be easy to rule certain ingredients out. I had tried the Nature's Variety Instinct LID Duck and LID Lamb and he got SUPER itchy and he was having trouble pooping. I am going to try this venison LID for a few weeks and see if that helps. If it does not help I think I will do the allergy test. I have spent so much money on different foods and am tired of playing the guessing game.

Alice Kable · Jan 23, 2014

Cbrugs said:
I have not had an allergy test done yet as I have read mixed reviews on them and from what I hear, they are not cheap so I thought I would try to figure it out on my own first, hoping it would be easy to rule certain ingredients out. I had tried the Nature's Variety Instinct LID Duck and LID Lamb and he got SUPER itchy and he was having trouble pooping. I am going to try this venison LID for a few weeks and see if that helps. If it does not help I think I will do the allergy test. I have spent so much money on different foods and am tired of playing the guessing game.

When we had the food allergy test done (5 yrs. ago) it was $120. I noticed the same thing, straining to poop so I give them apple chunks, carrots, green beans, etc. whatever we're eating in the fruit and vegetable line--NO GRAPES or RAISINS, so things move along well. Buster is eating the Lamb and doing really well as long as I keep the fruit and veggies coming.

Cbrugs · Jan 23, 2014

Alice Kable said:
When we had the food allergy test done (5 yrs. ago) it was $120. I noticed the same thing, straining to poop so I give them apple chunks, carrots, green beans, etc. whatever we're eating in the fruit and vegetable line--NO GRAPES or RAISINS, so things move along well. Buster is eating the Lamb and doing really well as long as I keep the fruit and veggies coming.

$120 is not expensive at all. I was told it could be anywhere from $600 - $1,000+. Jax usually gets a handful of either green beans or carrots each night. The vet said to give him salmon oil as well which might help with his itchy skin. I had started to give him coconut oil once a day but he is a tad overweight (31 pounds and only 9 months) so the vet thought that might be added calories and to stop. Jax has 2 more days to go with the new food mixed with old food then I will see how this new food goes as I know it can take a few weeks for the old stuff to be out of his system. I was just hoping to find some sort of relief in the meantime...I hate seeing him all scratched up.

Alice Kable · Jan 23, 2014

We just had the most complete food allergy testing blood work done, and didn't go with the environmental allergy test because I was already using unscented detergents, no carpeting, etc., and we can't change what's blowing in the wind! Both of our Bulldogs (Mack & Ruggles) had extensive food allergies. They were both allergic to the first 4 ingredients in their food. There was a huge difference when I got them on food they weren't allergic to. Mack had a rumble tummy all of the time which stopped as soon as he got food that agreed with him!

2bullymama · Jan 23, 2014

I am not sure of the dosage, but you can use Claritin or Zrytec.

Claritin a shot. Just remember,DO NOT USE Claritin-D. IT MUST BE REGULAR Claritin. ALSO, DO NOT USE THE FLAVORED (such as Grape) 5mg tabs as they may contain artificial sweeteners that can be deadly to our pups.

Cbrugs · Jan 24, 2014

Alice Kable said:
We just had the most complete food allergy testing blood work done, and didn't go with the environmental allergy test because I was already using unscented detergents, no carpeting, etc., and we can't change what's blowing in the wind! Both of our Bulldogs (Mack & Ruggles) had extensive food allergies. They were both allergic to the first 4 ingredients in their food. There was a huge difference when I got them on food they weren't allergic to. Mack had a rumble tummy all of the time which stopped as soon as he got food that agreed with him!

I just looked at the pet insurance I have for Jax and it looks like, if I am reading it correctly, they would pay a portion for allergic dermatitis and allergy test. So I think my plan for now is see how Jax does on the LID venison for awhile and if he does not improve, take him to a dermatologist.

Alice Kable · Jan 24, 2014

Cbrugs said:
I just looked at the pet insurance I have for Jax and it looks like, if I am reading it correctly, they would pay a portion for allergic dermatitis and allergy test. So I think my plan for now is see how Jax does on the LID venison for awhile and if he does not improve, take him to a dermatologist.

Sounds like a good plan!

davidh · Jan 24, 2014

I hope the new food works for him, it could also be the dry weather that winter brings.

bullmama · Jan 25, 2014

Poor Jax! I would also try two more things to see if they help, as he may have a yeast condition in his skin and that's sooooo itchy!

Try pharmaseb shampoo, it is antifungal and antibacterial. It does however dry out the skin so salmon or coconut oil is certainly good to use with it. The only reason I know it dries out the skin is because my hands get very dry after bathing my bullies in it. It really does curb the itchies. I recommend two baths in one week then not another one for awhile.

You can also try a vinegar rinse, after the bath fill the tub with some water and then add a cup of vinegar. Then rinse him off with the mixed water. Also be sure to rinse well after any bath, soap residue can also cause itchiness.

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Cbrugs · Jan 25, 2014

bullmama said:
Poor Jax! I would also try two more things to see if they help, as he may have a yeast condition in his skin and that's sooooo itchy!

Try pharmaseb shampoo, it is antifungal and antibacterial. It does however dry out the skin so salmon or coconut oil is certainly good to use with it. The only reason I know it dries out the skin is because my hands get very dry after bathing my bullies in it. It really does curb the itchies. I recommend two baths in one week then not another one for awhile.

You can also try a vinegar rinse, after the bath fill the tub with some water and then add a cup of vinegar. Then rinse him off with the mixed water. Also be sure to rinse well after any bath, soap residue can also cause itchiness.

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Jax has gotten worse since my original post. He now has open cuts on his under arms and is constantly scratching. He saw the vet Tuesday night so I don't think it's yeast. I have been rubbing his wounds with witch hazel and seems to be somewhat relieving. I took a picture of what he looks like but not sure how to upload it here using my phone. I will try the bath and vinegar too but will the vinegar burn/sting his open cuts?

bullmama · Jan 25, 2014

Cbrugs said:
Jax has gotten worse since my original post. He now has open cuts on his under arms and is constantly scratching. He saw the vet Tuesday night so I don't think it's yeast. I have been rubbing his wounds with witch hazel and seems to be somewhat relieving. I took a picture of what he looks like but not sure how to upload it here using my phone. I will try the bath and vinegar too but will the vinegar burn/sting his open cuts?

Poor baby!!!

It's so diluted I would not think it would burn.

Sometimes yeast and other fungal conditions are not visible. You can, however, smell it! The only way I can describe the smell is that it smells of corn chips.

Pharmaseb is worth a try for any skin condition... But it's not easy to find. I get it online but forget the name of the place. :/

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Cbrugs · Jan 27, 2014

Alice Kable said:
Have you had a food allergy test done? It is a blood test and the results will take the guess work out of picking a food. Ruggles is allergic to chicken, beef, pork, lamb, corn, potatoes and rice. That really limited his food choices. I feed him Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey.

I was looking at a website to a local dermatologist and this is what they said about testing for food allergies: An important point to understand is that neither blood testing nor intradermal skin testing are useful for identifying allergy to foods. Although some companies offer blood tests for food allergy, we cannot promote their use. For the same reason, we do not offer skin testing for food allergy. Instead, we use specialized hypoallergenic diet trials containing novel or hydrolyzed ingredients.

My vet has also said that you cannot detect food allergies through a blood test. This is discouraging to me but you said you have done it and it proved to be accurate.

bullmama · Jan 27, 2014

Cbrugs said:
I was looking at a website to a local dermatologist and this is what they said about testing for food allergies: An important point to understand is that neither blood testing nor intradermal skin testing are useful for identifying allergy to foods. Although some companies offer blood tests for food allergy, we cannot promote their use. For the same reason, we do not offer skin testing for food allergy. Instead, we use specialized hypoallergenic diet trials containing novel or hydrolyzed ingredients.

My vet has also said that you cannot detect food allergies through a blood test. This is discouraging to me but you said you have done it and it proved to be accurate.

Yes it seems that blood testing does provide false positives but it can really help give you a guideline.

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Cbrugs · Jan 27, 2014

bullmama said:
Yes it seems that blood testing does provide false positives but it can really help give you a guideline.

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I'm hoping that this new food will work for him. Right now I am trying to get his itching under control and the vet's office has a medication for me to pick up which should help. If after 6-8 weeks this new food isn't working, I will take him to the dermatologist and have him tested for environmental allergies and maybe switch him to raw feeding.

Alice Kable · Jan 27, 2014

@Chrugs, like Lisa said there can be false positves, but usually a false positive would have a low score and you can ignore it. Both Mack and Ruggles had a few 1s which we ignored, it's the 3s and up you need to eliminate. It helped us select food for both of them!