Seasonal Allergies
Rakka gets seasonal allergies and the day before yesterday, I forgot to give her anti-histamines before taking her for a walk down by the river (with all the blooming plants! Major fail). Today when I woke up, her cheeks were huge and puffy and she's scratching like crazy! I've been giving her anti-histamines and ibuprofen and it really does not seem to be doing the trick. I know preventing these outbreaks is much more effective than treating them, but it's too late for that now.
Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?
ETA: She's also licking her paws. Is that another allergy symptom, or do I have another problem to deal with? There's nothing wrong with her paws that I can tell.
Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?
ETA: She's also licking her paws. Is that another allergy symptom, or do I have another problem to deal with? There's nothing wrong with her paws that I can tell.
Comments
What antihistamine are you trying? The vet recommended trying one type at least 3 days to see if it's effective. If it isn't doing anything you can then switch to another medication. For example, if you are using benadryl now, you can try reactine later. If you don't see improvement, I would visit your vet.
You can also use a bedatine wash, to clean the dog's paws when you come back indoors. It should also help relieve the itchy paws. Video here: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16/thirty-seconds-to-relieve-your-pets-itchy-paws.aspx
It's hard to tell, though, if the anti-histamine isn't working, because maybe she'd be even worse if she weren't on it and sometimes the puffiness just goes away on its own. So if it doesn't go away, is it still helping? If it does go away, is it because it worked, or did it just go away? All I know is, Benadryl before an outing always seems to work. Good idea, thanks!
If you're curious, I use the Paul Mitchell brand spray and shampoo... they test on humans, not animals.
Saigo will take 1 benadryl in the morning and 1 at bedtime. For his itching we use a cortate cream (he itches in his crotch area, probably because this is the only spot that touches plants when he pees on them). If it gets really bad, he goes on Vanectyl-P (which is a steroid) and this eases the itch quite a bit. The cortate and benadryl you can get at a drug store.
Last year, we switched him over to a raw diet with lots of fish oil supplements. The oils and raw diet did wonders for his skin and itching. I noticed that on kibble, Saigo required a LOT more water - I'm wondering if kibble in this sense might have caused some itchiness too.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/categories/allergies
I've documented what we've tried with Kouda in depth over there, but I can give the highlights.
Antihistamines: benadryl made him sleepy, but didn't help much for his itching. We've also tried claritin, zyrtec, hydroxyzine, and clemastine. Clemastine works the best, and is non-drowsy.
Steroids: good for temporary relief. But use only if necessary. Including sprays like Relifor and Genesis. Kouda is sensitive to them, and they make him incontinent, wetting himself in his sleep.
Testing and therapy: We did the intradermal allergy test, where they shave an area and inject various allergens for a reaction. With the results, instead of shots, we opted for sublingual immunotherapy - liquid drops that go under his tongue. He gets them twice a day, and thinks it's a treat. We started this in March, so are a long way from seeing full results. We also monitor his thyroid levels.
Cleaning: We wipe his feet and face after every outing with hypoallergenic wipes, and rinse his feet before bed with a baking soda solution. He gets a bath every 2-4 weeks, as needed. No oatmeal products, which can feed yeast. Could use iodine soaks, but I don't want to stain his feet.
Diet: food trials to eliminate additional food sensitivities. We avoid grains and goitrogens (because his thyroid levels are in the low range). He eats Real Meat Company and Vital Essentials.
Omegas, supplements: To naturally fight inflammation, he gets krill and coconut oils, and vitamin E daily. He also gets apple cider vinegar, pumpkin, and kefir. And a few squirts of Allerderm spot-on after a bath, which makes him really soft.
Moisturize: We've noticed his outbreaks are worse when the humidity is low. This coincides with our own hands getting dry and cracking, so we've started moisturizing his feet as well. We use musher's secret, and emu oil. Coconut oil can be used, but he likes the taste too much. I've been thinking I will try aloe as well.
Antimicrobials: I avoid using these unless there is an actual lesion. We've used Vetericyn, tea tree spray, and chlorhexidine.
And finally, if he's so itchy that he won't respond to a "leave it," he gets coned.
I also just remembered that last year I was feeding her salmon oil and that helped, because it's so dry here, it seems to keep her from getting as itchy.
I'll probably try all this stuff. She doesn't even want to go outside these past few days. It's really sad. On the plus side, the kids let the dogs out this morning and she only ran around a little bit before just coming right back to the door and wanting in, lol. Poor girl.