My Shih Tzu has been to the Vet and gets allergy/steriod shots once a month. I hate to think about what the steriods are doing to him. I have used oatmeal shampoo, the results are good but short-lived.The vet said to try 1/2 of a Benadryl tablet, it isn't working. Help me!!
My 5 yr old Shih Tzu has skin allergies with itching. I have tried several things for it, any suggestions?
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...
This seems like it may have some new ideas for you. Hope it helps.
Reply:Benylin Junior Grape Antihystamine Pills.....they are for kids but they work perfectly on my 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier. She is allergic to grass!!! We disguise it in a treat......a piece of meat.....bacon......donut something like that and she feels better and stops scratching and is less pink within 30 minutes.
Reply:Change it's food, add some salmon oil to it's food. Dont bathe it so frequently. Could be a number of things.
Changing the food to a HIGH QUALITY (low grain) food is probably your best bet. Your dog may be allergic to wheat/grains.
http://www.artemiscompany.com
Reply:Has the vet ever tried to figure out what is causing the skin problems? Many dogs have food allergies that mainfest as skin irritation, hair loss, and general itchiness. If you suspect a food allergy, you can try her on a trial of a prescription diet from your vet (Eukanuba's fish %26amp; potato is a good one, they also make a line that's kangaroo %26amp; oat, for extra tough cases; Hills and others have prescription diets for food allergies as well). Food allergies can develop over time, so even if your dog has been on the same food all her life, this could still be the cause. The hard thing with a food trial is that she has to eat only the prescription food for at least six weeks (that means no treats, no food she finds on the floor, etc.) to know if it really works. But, if it does, it's better for her in the long run; and you may be able to add back in limited treats and see how she reacts to them; special lines of treats are available also.
Her problem could also be inhalant related (such as pollens) or contact related, caused by fabrics she sits/sleeps on. Finding the cause of the allergy is the first step. You're right that steroids are not a good long-term solution, due to the damage they cause to the immune system, but in some cases even when the cause is found, steroids are still needed to help.
Reply:I've been through this with 2 of my cats for years. I know you have a dog but all of the same things apply more or less when it comes to allergies. Does the dog itch mainly around its head and neck? If so have the vet check its ears. They swab them with a q-tip and look under a microscope for infection. The cat that was the worst off (she had to wear and e collar for months - it was awful) has been doing beautifully ever since they did the test and she started ear drops. The test was like 30 bucks and another 10 or so for the drops. We only had to use them for 2 weeks. She has been looking great for almost 2 months now.
If it is an all over thing you may be dealing with a food allergy. Unfortunately this is VERY expensive to treat. You can only get the special food that they need at the vets. It's like $20 for a small bag. But it is better then the shots. The steroid shot does liver damage and will take a few years off of your dog’s life. I have a cat that gets it every other month for asthma. The pills didn't work for her so it became a question of quality of life over quantity. You did try the steroid pill on the dog right? It is a little less damaging to the system.
The other thing to look at is flea allergies. They kept telling us that was the problem for a long time. Try bombing your house and use frontline on the dog the same day. If he improves that is probably it. If not don't beat your head against the wall about the flea allergy like we did. It's something else.
Your last option is to get a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. It is expensive but they can tell you exactly what the dog is allergic too which will make it much easier to treat.
Good luck! There should be another effective method out there. I know how frustrating it is to see the little things suffer and not know how to help.
Reply:I believe they do allergy testing for dogs. This would let you identify the allergen/s and then it should be easier to address by knowing what the allergen is. If you've already done this and this is what they are getting the shot for, sorry I have no clue. Allergies are very tough to get a handle on.
Reply:Did you try changing the dog's food? There are some nasty dog foods out there.
Reply:Did you try eliminating certain foods. My American Staff, cannot have chicken, and now we are investigating a possible allergy to the Advantage Multi flea treatments.
Reply:I have a cairn terrier with allergy problems. Each spring and fall me goes berzerk scratching. Yes, I have take him to the vet. My vet will only give him 1 or 2 steroid shots per year. According to her, the shots cause liver problems in dogs...and my dog is young. She suggested an allergy test. We spend $150.00. The test showed everything he was allergic to, with oak as the worst. Great, huh--we have a Huge big oak tree in our back yard. The test results were interesting though. They can create vials of medicine to give him, based on his individual allergies. This was supposed to build up a resistance to those things he was allergic to. Yes, that was an additional $150.00. We had to gradually give him doses of the serum......each couple of days increasing the dosage. It didn't work, in fact he got worse with the scratching.
The vet gave me some little purple pills (no not nexium) to give him. It helps somewhat. I don't over bathe him, it tends to dry his skin out. Like you, I do use the oatmeal shampoos. I have used Avon Skin So Soft dabbed on cotton balls and massaged it into his skin on his belly. And, I've give him a small dose of children's liquid benadryl.
The vet even suggested special 'natural' dog food. But warned me it is very expensive and that I couldn't give him treats or table scrapes--that would defeat the purpose. I did keep him on that a couple of months. But, I use Science Diet for sensitive skin for dogs now.
Evidently these allergies are not uncommon for small breed dogs. Good luck!
Reply:Put a tablespoon of canola oil in with your dog food when you feed once per week. The extra fat in the diet will impact the skin and hair. It really works. There are plenty of other methods you can try also. Most vets treat everything with medication because that is what they do, but as most things there are alternatives.
Reply:Shi tu's are prone to skin allergies. Ask your vet what you can do to make the dog more comfortable. Sometimes switching their food helps when they have bad allergies because they could be allergic to something there eating.
Reply:Is this dog getting annual vaccinations?
People who have allergies have high IgE levels. Dogs have been tested and found to have very high IgE levels.
Vaccinations are good for many, many years and do not need to be repeated. See the Wisconsin University weblink
http://svmweb.vetmed.wisc.edu/articles/6...
Also good reading is Dr. Bob Rogers DVM from Texas
http://www.critteradvocacy.org He has lots of links.
Reply:Probably a food allergy. I had to stop giving my Shih Tzu many things as she got older. Even milk bones. We gave her Hypoallergenic food from the Vet and most of the itching stopped.
Reply:my dog has allergies and hell bite and bite his hands and feet. i bought calamine lotion and ill pour it on his hands and feet and that really works. he stops the biting
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