Skin allergy advise needed

tk123

Posting for my friend - her red setter's legs and chest/tummy are covered in red bumps/scabs and he's really itchy. We think it's the cut grass in the park - they've started cutting it again the last few weeks and would normally cut a different area each day so there's grass clippings everywhere.

Any suggestions on what they can do for him? When Bailey gets this I'd normally give him an anti-histamine and use cortopin cream but its never this bad. She's been giving him pirotin every evening but the cream isn't really doable - his hair is too long/thick and he's covered in the spots/scabs. She doesn't want to take him to the vets just be given steroids because he's wiped out from them and not himself.

Diet wise he's fed a mix of Arden Grange fish and potato and chicken legs/duck mince. It took me a few years to convince her to change from chicken Arden Grange to the fish one - he's always getting ear infections and itchy feet but has improved since switching to the fish one.

DBB

You know yourself tk, ideally he needs to go and get allergy testing done, but if it's a recent-onset then you'd have to think there could be a seasonal component to it, or something linked with seasonality such as grass cutting. My hayfever is gone mental with the rape all in flower in my beck of the woods right now!
However, how about a soothing bath with a tea-tree oil and/or lavender and/or chamomile and/or hypericum shampoo. For when he's dry, perhaps a spray containing any of these ingredients to squoosh on his undercarriage before and after a walk in the park?

tk123

They don't have a bath (and have never washed him which I find funny lol - they always get him groomed) so will mention the spray. They get him groomed with a medicated shampoo (they don't remember the name) at the kennels they use - groomer is telling them it's either the river or too much protein in his diet :rolleyes: the kennels only use Arden Grange so a biased response.. I'm the same with my allergies the last couple of weeks and that's usually when Bailey gets it so I'm on the lookout for flare ups with himself or Lucy but nothing so far but we only walk in the park in the mornings - my friend would be there twice a day. My two are in the river every morning and no problems with either of them - Lucy especially since she's lower so get's wetter
I reckon its the grass but he def needs allergy testing because there's always something- doubt they'd get it done though!

I found this very interesting though - Jean Dodd's lab too btw so I'd trust it over anything we'd get done here! http://www.nutriscan.org/knowledge-center/frequently-asked-questions.html

borderlinemeath

DBB wrote: »

You know yourself tk, ideally he needs to go and get allergy testing done, but if it's a recent-onset then you'd have to think there could be a seasonal component to it, or something linked with seasonality such as grass cutting. My hayfever is gone mental with the rape all in flower in my beck of the woods right now!
However, how about a soothing bath with a tea-tree oil and/or lavender and/or chamomile and/or hypericum shampoo. For when he's dry, perhaps a spray containing any of these ingredients to squoosh on his undercarriage before and after a walk in the park?

.

Off topic you would probably die a slow death here - the fields right behind the house have rapeseed 5ft high in full bloom! It does look fab though.

Inexile

I do wonder about allergy tests. I got them done for one of mine and it came back that she was as being to dust mites.
I started her on a course of immunotherapy shots, one every month for a while and then we went to ever two months. I had been feeding her a good food, the green organic one, cant remember name, as I thought it may be food related but she was still itchy.
after a while I changed the food to Skinners. I notice that the dogs is not nearly as itchy as she was. Yes scratches but the skin is no longer red.

I haven't brought her to the vets now for a shot now in over a year. So Im not sure if she was misdiagnosed or maybe she is/was allergic to both dust mites and some food even though the food test came back clear.

I also did try a cream called Dermatix (sp?) which I got of the internet. It certainly helped but I stopped using it as it was a bit of strong smell and I didn't like that there were no ingredients listed on it - though its a natural remedy.

tk123

Ok so back again for more advise.... He had skin biopsies and bloods taken a few weeks ago - which came back as inconclusive but showed he had mites. At the time he had an infection so they put him on antibiotics which cleared everything up until this week and he now has itchy spots again that he won't leave alone. My friend's OH had an argument with Allianz last year and against my advice switched to a different company (run by Voldermort who's name can't be mentioned ) They don't cover skin lesions on dogs older than 3 years :rolleyes: They're now left with the option of more bloods which will cost approx €300 and are wondering if it's worth the money in case they come back inconclusive too. This set of bloods will bring them up to approx 1k.

The vet also suggested he go on some variety of Hills for allergic dogs but the OH is extremely reluctant to take him off Arden Grange. Does anyone know of a dry food available in a bricks and mortor shop they could try as they're also reluctant to buy online just to rule out the AG? They were mixing in Barking Heads fusspot with the AG but never actually switched him over to it. Locally in Glasnevin we have MaxiZoo, Petmania and PetWorld close enough but they'd be willing to travel if needed.

DBB

You don't mention it, but was he treated for mites?
Also, are they keeping up regular treatments for them? This is shaping up to be another really bad year for mites.

muddypaws

Completely out in left field, but a lot of dog owners have discovered that their dogs who appear to have allergies actually have thyroid issues. Maybe they could ask their vet about a thyroid test - and of course, if it is a thyroid issue, then the insurance would cover it?

James Wellbeloved is in bricks and mortar shops, only one protein source in each food to try and alleviate dietary issues.

Nody

Would they consider going with wet only for a few weeks? I'm thinking mites in the dry kibble as a potential cause / irritant and by going wet it could be tested relatively easy (and they could switch to a meat they don't feed now to see if there might be something there).

Only throwing out an idea here though; nothing more

juniord

titan pet food sell eden which looks a decent dry food, they have a facebook page or can be contacted by phone which is on their website , cant link but they seem to have places in clondalkin and donabate

tk123

@ DBB they use Advocate for him

@ Muddypaws - I think the vet did a full panel but not 100%

and

@ Nody - I've suggested wet only. They're anti JWB because when he was a pup they tried him on about 20 different bags of food without giving him time to get used to it :rolleyes: and none of them agreed with him...because they didn't wean him on to it! GAH!

DBB

How often are they treating him? I have to say, I never found the spot-on treatment for a big invasion of harvest mites to be particularly good.

tk123

I think just whatever the packet says - every month iirc? The fact that he was fine for a few weeks after the antibiotic is making them think it def can't be the food because that's all he was on. Interestingly enough he won't eat the food unless he's been out for a run and is starving. We dropped into them the other week and his bowl was sitting there half full - he had no interest in it and didn't care when my two hoovered up his dindins!