Allergies???

[bekah1001]

Brody is itchy all over. I've noticed this a couple of days ago. His skin is red and raw on his inner thighs, armpits, shoulders, and on his head. He had small red spots on his inner thigh that looked like they were bites (this was on the first day but it seemed to clear up and is now just red) but I don't think it could be fleas because I have inspected the other dogs skin and there were no bites or red spots. The other areas of his body is full and cuts and scabs because he has been scratching so much. So I've been thinking it is either allergies or an infection, I'm leaning more towards allergies because golden retrievers are known for their skin allergies. Brody eats Chicken Soup at my dad's house but at my mom's house he's been eating cheap dog food.....Pedigree . We've been at my mom's for most of the summer so he's been eating Pedigree but I bought a new bag of Pedigree (Vitality + to be exact) on Monday night and he didn't eat it till Tuesday which is when it seems to be when this thing had started. He did get a really bad reaction to something which gave him really bad infected armpits which I believed was from Beneful dog food. The two dog foods have something in common: corn.
Here are the ingredients of Pedigree Vitality +:
-ground yellow corn
-Meat and bone meal (not specified)
-Animal fat
-Wheat mill run
-Natural Flavour
-Corn gluten meal
-Wheat flour
and down the list chicken-by-product meal

I've heard that corn, soy, and wheat are common food allergies and Pedigree has both corn and wheat in it.

I'm hoping that I can take him to the vet if it doesn't clear up soon

 

[Adrianna & Calvin]

Hi Bekah

I would bathe him today if you haven't already. It's possible that he came in contact with something that is causing him to break out. There are a ton of things outside which can cause this, plus some household stuff like carpet/floor treatments and detergents.

Are all of the animals in both of your households up to date on their flea prevention treatments? He may react differently to fleas than the other dogs. The groin area is a prime flea spot; it's also a good area to show a 'contact' allergy since there is so little fur there.

Food and inhaled (ragweed, etc.) allergies in dogs usually result in itchiness in a few prime places: the feet, around the base of the tail, and the face. They can also cause eye and ear discharge. Allergies to food are always to the *protein* part of that food, so meat allergies, esp. beef, are common. To be blunt, it's a pain in the rear to do a real food allergy trial so I would make sure you eliminate fleas and a contact allergy as best you can before you tackle it.

If the itchiness keeps up, the vet can prescribe something to help her out. Please keep us posted.

 

[MaryK]

I can totally empathize with your problem. First bath Brody with a good 'relieve the itch' shampoo. And I wouldn't blow dry him either, just a gentle towel dry.

Then what I use, Zeus is THE most allergy prone dog I've ever known, is a product called DOGtoxX Formula. I swear by it, it's the ONLY thing which has completely stopped Zeus' allergies. He was so bad once, the allergy came up literally within hours and he had to be rushed to the vets at Midnight. Had a skin fold pi-derma on his foot, all his fur went around his mouth and eyes, all with a matter of hours. The vet recommended cold baths (poor chat HATED them, can't say I blame him either but he was such a good chap) they did help but brother I hated putting him through them. Meds by vet didn't work but the DOGtoxX Formula did!

We spent over three hours the next day having him tested for every conceivable thing which could have caused the allergies to no avail. Still do not know to this day what causes them but do know he's been clear now for years! And it wasn't fleas either, they normally show with red around the base of the tail, not all over. Plus Zeus has never had fleas either.

If I stop for any reason using that product, he will quickly show allergenic symptoms, so it is with Zeus an on going thing. But the dog cannot grow 'immune' to the product as it's a completely natural formula. They can become immune to some of the vet products though. And also you cannot over dose with the product, they could eat the entire jar and all that would happen is they pass through the excess and you're a bit out of pocket

It's available online too, if you pet shop doesn't stock it.

 

[bekah1001]

Thank you all so much for your input. It's bath time for Brody tonight. I'll look for the DOGtoxX Formula. THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

[bekah1001]

I can totally empathize with your problem. First bath Brody with a good 'relieve the itch' shampoo. And I wouldn't blow dry him either, just a gentle towel dry.

Then what I use, Zeus is THE most allergy prone dog I've ever known, is a product called DOGtoxX Formula. I swear by it, it's the ONLY thing which has completely stopped Zeus' allergies. He was so bad once, the allergy came up literally within hours and he had to be rushed to the vets at Midnight. Had a skin fold pi-derma on his foot, all his fur went around his mouth and eyes, all with a matter of hours. The vet recommended cold baths (poor chat HATED them, can't say I blame him either but he was such a good chap) they did help but brother I hated putting him through them. Meds by vet didn't work but the DOGtoxX Formula did!

I tried googling DogtoxX Formula but couldn't find it.

 

[MaryK]

Just googled and a lot of sites came up, mostly Australian, but it is world wide. Actually I started using it back home in the U.K.

For some reason my computer is not letting me copy/paste the url so have written it out and fingers crossed my typing holds up (will see what on earth the computer is up to later, it worked fine just a few minutes ago).

The is the Canadian Face Book Site for Pet Equinox

url http://www.PetEqinoxCanada/info hope this helps. When I've sorted out this darned computer's latest hissy fit, I'll look again. As a mass of pages came up and as you will see it's been voted the world's number one dog product/formula etc. etc.

 

[bekah1001]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[MaryK]

Computer over hissy fit

This is a site which gives you an insight into the formula. My older boy has Cushings and the formula works on him BETTER than the very, very expensive vet medication (over AU$300.00 for one lot of tablets plus blood test all up in excess of fifteen hundred dollars every few months ). Plus it's cleared up his allergies like lightening. But I do have to use it all the time with him. Mainly because he has, as I said, the Cushings Disease as well.

With your boy you maybe able to just give him the formula until the allergies clear up and keep some handy if they come back. Not sure on this though.
http://www.petequinox.com.au/clinical-phase-i.html

 

[MaryK]

Plus forgot to add, the dogs LOVE them, just hand the tablet to them like a treat, so much easier than trying to get them to take vet's medication which usually doesn't taste quite so yummy And you CANNOT over dose either.

 

[bekah1001]

A year later and he has another allergic reaction to something. I think it was something he ate again. He started scratching his mouth and rubbing his face to the point where he cut himself. (by his whiskers and ears.) His ears are red and scabby from scratching and his belly is bright red. He scratched his chest raw in a couple spots. Time to start the whole process all over again.

 

[MaryK]

Poor baby. He sounds like my Zeus used to be! If it wasn't one thing, it was another, and the vets just couldn't find out exactly WHAT was causing so many allergenic reactions.

I never take Zeus off DOGtor X now, if I do, he's back with his allergies again, albeit not nearly as bad. But to keep him totally free, I use it all the time. Plus of course he does have Cushings, and it's kept that under control too, without all the extremely expensive medications usually associated with this dis-ease.

 

[bekah1001]

We took him to the vets. He got an infection from the scratching so he is on a lot of pills. I need to get DOGtor X for next time.

 

[sara]

Sounds environmental as he's reacting at the same time of year. Is there something that blooms or grows eapecially this time of year?

 

[bekah1001]

That's what the vet thought and we took them on a nature trail a couple days before I noticed him scratching

 

[MaryK]

Does sound that way. Is there any Wandering Jew/Creeping Jew near you? That's a major cause of allergies here.

 

[bekah1001]

I think some species of it live near us

 

[MaryK]

If you suspect it is Wandering Jew/Creeping Jew then stay well away. Not sure if it matters which species it is, but I know it's one of the first things Vets here ask when a dog present with allergies.