Eczema in dogs

broganire

Has anyone got any advise for me, my dog has eczema and this time of the yea it gets really bad and the only solution thd vet has is steroid tablets.

andreac

Have you worked out the trigger for it? What are you currently feeding your dog? What breed is it?
Is it wet excema like hot spots?

broganire

No, it not like hot spots, he's itching all over. I think the trigger might be heat. It gets bad almost exactly this time of the year every year then again halfway through the summer and maybe a third time. That's why I thought its heat.

Usually I feed him skinners field and trial, but I recently got some barking heads food for him. I also add salmon oil to his food to help his skin.

I know when I bring him to the vet he'll get a cortisone shot and some steroids and he'll be sorted till the next time. But I'm trying to find some other solutions. I've heard maybe vitamin b might help.

DBB

If it only happens in summer, it's more likely to be pollen, or mites, or something summer-related... But unlikely to be heat.
In which case, whilst diet might help, it's not really addressing the cuause. Having said that, controlling a dog's exposure to pollen is nigh-on impossible, and the only realistic way to dealwith it is to treat the symptoms, usually via steroids.
But you won't know unless you get the dog tested, which can ve pretty expensive. But unless you know for sure, you're really only tinkering around the edges with diet changes.

broganire

Thanks, are allergy tests standard enough that any vet could arrange them or is it something that I would have to travel to a specialist clinic to do? I have pet insurance, it might cover testing.