Ongoing allergy & skin problems

Daniel Harlan · Sep 19, 2014

Hey everyone! Were new to the site, and hoping to get some advice with our food allergy and skin issues

My "Number One" Sausage is a purebred, almost 6 year old male, brendle with white markings, and around 36 lbs. Early May he started having a terrible reaction to his food (Blue Buffalo, that **** is poison) with extreme vomiting. After a week he couldn't keep anything down and refused to eat or drink anything other than vegetable broth. Other than "normal" dog stuff, he has no history of any allergies until this year. Some weeks are good, then turn horrible. Other than recommended changes from the Allergist and seasonal changes, everything within the home and schedule has remained the same. I maintain a clean diet, keep a clean home without using chemicals (mostly white vinegar and water) and use only dye/perfume free soaps, as I have very sensitive skin.

The initial visit to the vet she ordered 10 X-rays to make sure he didn't have a blockage, and put him on a bland diet. Nothing internal showed up, so I moved onto an AMAZING doctor with Animal Dermatology Clinics here in Indianapolis. By then it was obvious that his diet was affecting him; extremely itchy with bumps and pimples all over, hair loss, inflamed paws and fever. Dr Lori prescribed an antibiotic for the bacterial infection, prescription diet consisting of nothing more than Hill's Prescription Venison and Potato (with mini marshmallows to hide the pill in! who knew?!), and recommended a shampoo with cool water baths twice a week (Natural Chemistry, Natural Triple Treatment Shampoo). The antibiotics were great in clearing up the skin, he doesn't care for the food, but eats it...and the baths seem to help more than anything. As I said, everything is good for a bit, then back to square one. We tried to switch him off the special food this past week to Natural Balance Venison & Sweet Potato, but the skin issued returned, so back to the other. He is also currently on Tamiril-P to try and combat the problems. He no longer responds to Benadryl, with Claratin and Zyrtec showing little results.

Today on our walk I notice a spot of missing hair on his little nubbin tail. When I got home I realized how inflamed the spot actually was, and above it a very greasy-feeling, almost crumbly scaly infection very thick on the top-side, sides, and a little under his tail. Other than, well, dog butt, it didn't really have an odor to it. Maybe fungal? We went straight to the tub and he begrudgingly let me scrub it away. There is no bleeding or inflammation other than working the ick off. I put a little anti fungal cream on the hairless area...because...why not. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, and is showing no other symptoms out of the new-normal of kinda itchy and kinda red paws. So....WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL IS GOING ON!!!!

We have an appointment on Tuesday morning, but Im running out of resources, patience and money worrying with this all the time. Ive attached a couple of pics before and after the bath as reference if it helps.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you in advance!!

Dan & Sausage :heart:

davidh · Sep 19, 2014

WOW, poor baby, it may take a while to find a food that will work for your baby. You may even have to get an allergy test done to see what he is allergic too. I don't know anything about feeding raw, but that is also an option you may want to consider. We have some members who could help with that, but first you need to find out what he is allergic too. With our English we went through several foods till we found one that works for them and it is FROMM grain free. They do well on the pork and Peas and the Game Bird. Think about an allergy test, it should help.

Cbrugs · Sep 19, 2014

I was dealing with severe allergies with Jax earlier this year so I understand what you're going through. Jax's allergies are environmental (allergic to practically everything outside) and is currently on allergy shots and Ap

Cbrugs · Sep 19, 2014

Oops, hit reply too fast. On Apoquel. His regular vet had him on Temaril-P for immediate relief but I don't think it's recommended for long term use. I finally took him to a dermatologist for an allergy test and while Jax still itches a little, it's nothing compared to what it was.

Schimpfy · Sep 19, 2014

Sure hope Sausage gets better and you have Less stress, heard great things about Fromm also read an article about aging and a dog who had no aIIergies in the past once once older usuaIIy becomes allergic

Jakeyjake · Sep 19, 2014

Both of my babies have allergies. It is definitely a frustrating experience for both owner and dog. Unfortunately, allergy testing is not an exact science. It may give you some suggestions of what to try and avoid or your vet may suggest a serum be made up for allergy shots. Jake has been on shots since last December and he still chews and sucks his feet, but he no longer has hives. It is a bad season for us here in California now with the heat and all so who knows if he would be worse without the shots. He is only 19 mos. old so kind of hard to tell. We have tried different foods, Benadryl, zyrtec, and Claritin. From what the vets have told me it's more common for older dogs to develop food allergies vs. younger. Not sure about whether this is true. I know food trials can be daunting and it takes a while before you actually see a change. My vet recommended that my Stella do a food trial of RC Duck and Potato at 5 mos. old. After two weeks she was vomiting so bad I took her to the vet. He determined she was constipated and full of gas so he did an enema on her. Ugh. I recently did a saliva test for Jake to determine if he had food "sensitivities". The test is for 24 different foods and the cost is $280.00 and can be done through the mail. I'm not exactly sure if this is an accurate test or a scam, but I am willing to try anything at this point. So once I received his report, I switched his food to avoid any item that showed even a weak reaction. It's only been one week so we shall see. I am happy to share more info. if you are interested. Good luck to you!

2bullymama · Sep 19, 2014

... Poor baby and daddy! So, when he is on the bland diet, how does he do?

Have you had an allergy test done? Since he gets sick, I am wondering if he is allergic to one of the grains. My boy was allergic to rice and would vomit when ever he ate it

eeturk · Sep 20, 2014

I know some members here have had problems with dogs who are sensitive to potatoes. Have you tried a food that is completely free of all types of potatoes?

I'm another vote for raw if you can do it, it's been a godsend for us. Sorry you're going through all of this!!

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DCGator23 · Aug 3, 2015

Hi Dan and Sausage,

I am sorry to hear about your about the problems you are having and we feel your pain. We are experiencing the same issue with our Frenchie, and wanted to see if you were able to cure the problem?

MaplesMommy · Aug 3, 2015

[MENTION=1389]DCGator23[/MENTION]

The OP seemed to be inactive. He only had this one post and never replied, so I am not sure he will asnwer you.

But why dont you open your own thread with details about your situation? You will likely get more responses there

Cbrugs · Aug 3, 2015

[MENTION=1389]DCGator23[/MENTION] - as stated above, it would probably be best to start your own thread. Jax suffers from allergies so I might be able to provide some insight once you provide more details. There are a few others here that deal with allergies as well.