allergy

edited March 2016 in Akita (秋田犬)
Hi to all
I have Akita for 7 years and in the last year he started develop allergy that make him lick and itch himself until he get hurt, I changed his food to Merick (salmon and sweet potato- grain free) and he get PREDNISONE but it doesn't help him too much.
At the areas he hurt himself the skin became very dark and the fur doesn't grow there very well.
If someone have experience with this situation and can help me please do.

Comments

  • Hello!
    Sounds like you may have to get his vet to run an allergy test. It will reveal what he has issues with, whether it be dietary or something else. If it isn't that, it would be best to see if they can take a skin sample and test for anything parasitic and at least provide a topical ointment if nothing else.
    Keep us updated! Hope it helps!
  • Hi,
    In my experience, this type of allergy is almost never food! You should do blood test to see which external factor is allergen responsible. For now I suggest you washing with CLOREXYDINE (2 or 3 times a week) in the affected area. You can use, in addition, o shooting foam for topical use. It will take time to see improvements!
  • My dog gets like that with his food allergies. An allergic flare up will take about a day to occur and will take weeks to clear.

    What was your dog on previously and how long was he on it for?

    Jesse
  • @Takayuki - Skin irritation is one of the most common signs of a food allergy.

    @dudinkash - With the presence of the dark skin, I would also suspect hypothyroidism, which is an autoimmune disorder that can increase the likelihood of allergies and fungal infections on the skin and in the ears.

    I have the same questions as above: what kind of food was he previously eating and when did you switch it to the Merick's? Also, is he getting any kind of treats or snacks other than the kibble?
  • edited March 2016
    Before you assume allergy over another autoimmune disorder, and before you can actually address the problem by removing the allergen, you need to have him tested. Dr. Jean Dodds Hemopet is the best. Dr. Dodds is a world renowned canine immunologist. You can order the test yourself without going to your vet / paying for a vet visit. And it's probably significantly better than what the vet would have, anyway. (Warning: Stay away from "ImmuneIQ" it is unscientific garbage!)
  • I have two JA, both get itchy, but the root cause and treatments couldn't be more different.

    My girl dog developed food allergies when she was about 2, she would lick and chew her legs and had yeast infection in the ears a couple of times, plus often chronic shitty poo poo. Blood test showed allergy to certain food proteins (ex, poultry, kangaroo, lamb, pork). We kept her on a bison/beef/venison diet for the last year and half. We recently retested her and learned she is no longer allergic to chicken, but she is very allergic to salmon and lamb, pea, oat, wheat, rice, corn.

    My boy dog developed signs of atopic dermatitis when he started shedding his pup coat around 9 months, he's also severely allergic to flea bites such that he developed a few hot spots from licking/chewing flea bites. He was put on antibitoics due to pyoderma a couple of times. We also did a blood test on food, and determined he is allergic to duck, lamb and rabbit, pea and potato. While avoiding these foods helped my boy, it didn't help w/ the chronic itchiness and I wasn't willing to get him shaved for a skin test. We put him on Hydroxyzine (antihistamine that metabolizes into Zyrtec) when he turned 1. That seemed to help during the winter months but as we approached spring, he continued to be itchy. Like yours, he's got some bald patches from where he scratched and chew himself (flea bites). That's when we discovered Apoquel. See if your vet can get you a sample to try.

    https://www.zoetisus.com/bmst-minisite-apoquel/index.aspx
  • Thank you all for your's advises.
    I did do him the test for hypothyroidism but it wasnt it.
    rikumom thank you for the information, does you know if there is list of food that akitas allergic to it? and what food do you feed them?
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