Possible allergic reaction?

Amylou · Nov 30, 2014

I started transitioning Louie, who is 5 months old, from Now brand dog food to Fromms Gold puppy in the pink bag last Monday. Wednesday we notices a few red spots on his abdomen and inner back legs and thought he'd been bitten by some ants. Friday his last two meals were all Fromms and Friday night those same spots started looking like hives and spreading. They have gotten progressively worse since. Does this sound like an allergy to something in the Fromms? The quality is so high I wasn't expecting any issues. I also feel terrible because I can't go back to Now until tomorrow when the place I get it is open again. Any advice? Thanks!

2bullymama · Nov 30, 2014

sure does... can you post a picture? keep in mind Fromm puppy has chicken and grain in it and a lot of bullies can have issue with it - since he is 5 months, may be look at a grain free (4 star Fromm)

Amylou · Nov 30, 2014

Here is a picture, lol he's not shy! The only other thing I thought of was that he did get his trifexis Tuesday night, but he has never reacted like this before.
So is it okay to give him non-puppy food at this age?

FrenchieDante · Nov 30, 2014

I was told by the Fromm nutritionist to try to stick with the puppy formula until at least 7 months. Allergies in a frenchie that young are usually rare. Off topic, but [MENTION=4]davidh[/MENTION] should chime in about the dangers of triflexis.

davidh · Dec 1, 2014

If I were you, I would throw the Trifexis away, it can kill your baby. Several people, one being a friend of ours lost their bully to Trifexis, it is poison. We only give ours Sentinel for heartwoms and it also works on fleas too. Your baby could be allergic to something in the FROMM puppy. We feed all our pups FROMM puppy, and have only had one allergic to it, so it does happen. NOW is a good food to, so if your baby does well on it, I would stick with it. The good thing is you can take the FROMM back for a refund.

Amylou · Dec 8, 2014

Thanks for the replies, we thought Louie was getting better and then Friday night it took a pretty drastic turn for the worse. He is now on steroids for the next three weeks, an antibiotic and benadryl until the extreme itching stops. The trifexis went into the garbage, I feel guilty that I had no idea it could hurt him. If his rash is not significantly better by tomorrow back we go again.

Amylou · Dec 8, 2014

Here is a picture to show how much worse it got just overnight. The vet feels that it is just an allergy to something and basically said, you have a Frenchie, get used to it. Do steroids, antibiotics and Benadryl seem like the proper thing?

Cbrugs · Dec 8, 2014

Steroids are not recommended for long term use but they should help with the itching in the short term. Jax was on Temeril P which is a steroid at the beginning of the year and his itching became almost non-existent but I did not want to keep him on that forever so I took him to the dermatologist for an allergy test and found out he was allergic to grass, trees, weeds, shrubs, etc. He is now on bi-weekly allergy shots and daily Apoquel. I suggest getting his itching under control so that he can be comfortable but it would be best if you can find the source of the allergen.

Amylou · Dec 8, 2014

Thanks Cbrugs, the steroids are a full dose for a week, then tapering off for two weeks. So there are vet dermatologists? I don't want him to have to go through this again, poor little guy. Do the shots and Apoquel work well for Jax?

Cbrugs · Dec 8, 2014

Amylou said:
Thanks Cbrugs, the steroids are a full dose for a week, then tapering off for two weeks. So there are vet dermatologists? I don't want him to have to go through this again, poor little guy. Do the shots and Apoquel work well for Jax?

He's definitely better than he was before he was on them. Before he would literally scratch himself until he bled. You can also try some medicated shampoos. The Apoquel has been a life saver but the vet's office is out so he is back on the Temeril P until they get more in which is supposed to be later this month. And yes, there are vet dermatologists out there! The ones in my area only do intradermal allergy testing and do not test for food allergies but I know other people have done blood tests and have gotten food allergy tests as well so you should do a search in your area and maybe even ask your regular vet if they have someone to refer you to. Once you can pinpoint the allergy source, you will have a better chance in controlling it.