What to do about a dog with bad allergies?

My dog has really bad skin allergies that the vet doesn't seem to be able to solve. It comes and goes and lasts for about a month. During that month she gets red spots and splothcy areas all on her underside. She will begin licking and scratching under her arms until they are raw and bleeding. Her whole body ends up in one massive scab and she still has the rash like symptoms. Right now I have her wear an ecollar almost 24/7, give her two doses of Benadryl a day, wash her regulary, and apply hydrocortisone 2-3x a day. But she is still itch, uncomfortable, and obviously becoming depressed. Any new ideas out there? I'm getting desperate!

What to do about a dog with bad allergies?
Have you tried changing her diet? Sometimes you need to try several different foods before you find one that agrees with your dog. Or, in the case of one severely allergic dog I owned, he couldn't eat kibble at all and I had to make his food myself (fish, potatoes and veggies).
Reply:Try Bag Balm on the sores - It's a medicated salve originally developed for the sores on cow utters. It won't hurt the dog if she licks it and will ease the itch and help to heal the sores. It's available at Pet Stores or Feed Stores.





Also, if you haven't already, change to a perfume / dye free laundry detergent and fabric softener - It made the world of difference in my lab's life!
Reply:You may be bathing her way too much. We had a German Shepperd that had a similar problem. The vet said that the irritation was caused by over bathing her and stripping her coat of protective oils...Don't know for sure, but it's an idea.
Reply:Talk with your vet. There are medications and injections that can help with severe allergies, but most involve considerable expense with the exception of the Benadryl you are already using.





Has she always had such severe allergies? If not, try to pinpoint what she may have been exposed to (new plantings in your yard, a new pet shampoo, new laundry detergent) around the time you started to see the initial reaction. Repeated exposure to allergens can cause worsening symptoms.
Reply:Awwwww why don't you feed her a better quality food.. and get a new vet.
Reply:Try switching her food to an allergy free type if you haven't already. I had a Chow that had bad skin allergies and they put him on cortisone injections.





Also, ask your vet about a topical cream called Diprolene, generically called Betamethasone. It is perscription strength cortisone. It works wonders!


http://www.medicinenet.com/betamethasone...
Reply:My dog also has bad allergies. She scratches like a maniac. I would try different medicines. My vet has my dog on hydroxyzine and when her allergies get really horrible, she'll give her a short-term dose of steroids. If your vet hasn't suggested a change in medicine or the use of steroids, maybe you should try another vet. Those are very common solutions. As well, I do give my dog benedryl when her allergies aren't too bad since it's cheaper, but always have to switch over the hydroxyzine when it's horrible.





Have you tried changing foods? Like giving her a food that doesn't have chicken in it and instead has fish? A few good resources:





http://www.pets.ca (do a search on allergies)





http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...





http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...





http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content...





If any of those links don't work, go to www.veterinarypartner.com and search on "allergies". Good luck. I really can empathize.
Reply:1st off, stop bathing her all the time, very bad for her skin because it is drying her out,


2nd get her some omega-3 pills at the human vitamin section ,dont know what dose should be i dont know her size, mine dog is 140lb, he gets 4 a day,


3rd change her diet, forget all those high priced ones , we had used them all, look for something w/o egg in it, try kibbles %26amp; bits HOMESTYLE chicken %26amp; vegies, my dog had all those same troubles for the first 5 years of his life, poor boy :(( , once we changed the diet he has had lush fur %26amp; skin ever since!!! %26amp; he is sooo happy :))


hope this helps!
Reply:1. could be just seasonal allergies


2. more likely it's the food


3. the meds you are giving are just treating the "symptoms" not the cause.


4. try switching to natural home made BARF diet


To those trying to "rate" me: give me a break!!!
Reply:I have a daschound with similar troubles, he's allergic to most kinds of grass, pollen, and many other outdoor allergies.


I give him oatmeal baths with this oatmeal shampoo I buy at PetSmart. He loves it, and it's very soothing to his skin. There are certain oils you can buy, such as baby oil, to rub on his belly, too. Your vet should also be able to give you something to rub on his rash, also maybe try rubbing some calimine lotion on the parts where he itches.