Vet help or advice about my dog

[bersaguy]

I think we have a vet on the site and I sure would like to get some advice about my old dog. She has a dust mite allergy that is causing some severe itching and my local vet in out of commission with shoulder surgery and won't be back in his office till March 15th. Any advice would be greatly appreciated........Thanks

[TrickyNicky]

Poor poochie. :(

Hope someone can offer some advice. It's no fun watching a miserable dog.

[bersaguy]

I was getting her shots for it every month and giving her Zyrtec 10 Mg which I still give her one of those each night but without my normal vet I need more advice. It normally cost me $40.00 for office visit and shot. I called another vet her in town and asked how much a shot would cost and he said $125.00 for office visit and shot. I will pay it if there is nothing else I can do till my vet comes back to work. It' hurts to watch her scratching all the time. I use a brush on her about 3 times a day but don't want to do it so much it makes her sore.

Edited February 20, 2014 by bersaguy

[peejman]

A friend had Golden Retrievers with allergies.  They gave them Claratin and it worked great.  You might also try some of the various oatmeal baths to try and sooth the skin.  The brushing may be making it worse. 

[Dustbuster]

ive got a rat terrier that we rescued that had bad skin and itching problems. paid all kinds of money to the vet, complete waste, we wiped her down w baby wipes for a while,had her on benadryl,but she still itched, i did some research on canine itching and found this trick that worked,

 

she will drink out of a big water feeder, the tiny dogs wont.they drink out of coffee cups ( kids taught em that)tiny dogs dont itch.  her water tank holds a gallon.I started adding 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar per gallon. she slowly stopped itching to where i just add a teaspoon w every fill. her fur has grown back, she has zero hot spots. It just worked, i thought it was stupid at first but it did work.

 

only bad side is when the thing farts its nasty. after you drop it down to 1 teaspoon its transparent.once in a while ill catch her doing an ass drag on the carpet but its brief..

bottom line is it was cheap and it worked... hope this helps

 

PS we did the bath thing w oatmeal and medicated OTC soap, this medicated stuff is green and it comes from walgreens,its helped as well,u just have to keep em soapy for 10 minutes..

Edited February 20, 2014 by Dustbuster

[peejman]

That reminds me that you might try food that's heavy in fish oil or some sort of fish oil pills or something along those lines.  Fish oil is supposed to be good for a dog's coat. 

[bersaguy]

ive got a rat terrier that we rescued that had bad skin and itching problems. paid all kinds of money to the vet, complete waste, we wiped her down w baby wipes for a while,had her on benadryl,but she still itched, i did some research on canine itching and found this trick that worked,

 

she will drink out of a big water feeder, the tiny dogs wont.they drink out of coffee cups ( kids taught em that)tiny dogs dont itch.  her water tank holds a gallon.I started adding 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar per gallon. she slowly stopped itching to where i just add a teaspoon w every fill. her fur has grown back, she has zero hot spots. It just worked, i thought it was stupid at first but it did work.

 

only bad side is when the thing farts its nasty. after you drop it down to 1 teaspoon its transparent.once in a while ill catch her doing an ass drag on the carpet but its brief..

bottom line is it was cheap and it worked... hope this helps

 

PS we did the bath thing w oatmeal and medicated OTC soap, this medicated stuff is green and it comes from walgreens,its helped as well,u just have to keep em soapy for 10 minutes..

Well you have no idea how smart this mutt is that I call the queen. She will not drink tap water and I ahve ti fill milk jugs with tap water and let them set for a couple days till the chlorine evaporates out of it or she won't drink it. But I am going to try the apple vinegar  idea and my sinuses quit working years ago so her farts won't be an issue. The oat meal bath is out unless I can get help because I cannot lift her into the tub as she weighs 77 lbs and when she knows it's bath time she becomes dead weight. I tried benedryl tablet in her food and she eats all but the pill and I tried meds the vet gave me, Predisone tablets and she eats around them also but she will eat the Zyrtec tablets just fine in her supper.

[Dustbuster]

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-benefits-of-giving-apple-cider-vinegar-to-dogs

[luvmyberetta]

We've been through the same thing with our pets. First start off by washing all sheets, rugs, curtains, etc... If you don't already have one, get a good quality HEPA air filter for each room. You don't need the high dollar industrial ones either. They run about $20-$30 each for the small-medium sized ones. We have a small one in each bedroom & a larger one in the living room & they make a huge difference in the amount of dust in the air & on furniture & really help our breathing. You might also try a matress cover. Any dust mites left inside will die off & it will prevent new ones. A neat trick to keep pests off your dog is to wipe him/her with a dryer sheet. Good luck. Pets are people too.

Edited February 20, 2014 by luvmyberetta

[wileecoyote]

Been to multiple vets many times for allergy problems with multiple dogs. Tried nearly every treatment known regardless of cost. Found the following: OTC allergy pills such as zyrtec do help, but be sure to get dose calculated based on your pet's weight. Get some peanut butter and smear a quarter sized gob around the pill, most dogs will devour it including the pill. Or try cheddar cheese at room temp, warm so it molds around the pill, but keep size small enough that they can gulp it down quickly. Frequent bathing (up to daily if needed) does help, especially during spring allergy season. Use a hypo allergenic unscented shampoo, we found Allergroom (from your vet or online) works well, but also get a similar product sold by Sams & Foster on their website which works well too. Our dog needed it twice a week which is inconvenient for owner and pet, but it's cheap and it works, and dog gets used to it quickly. Put her in your shower or tub if needed so you don't have to lift her much, and close bathroom door to prevent escape. We only do about once every month in winter or non-peak allergy seasons. When you don't have time for a full bath with soak in the shampoo, at least do a quick rinse or spray the dog off with a mist hose and dry with a towel. It removes a ton of allergens. Reduce the area they can use outdoors via a fence or run or leash. Keep them away from heavy wooded areas, flower beds, high grass, or sand/dirt that they will roll in to pick up tons of allergens. After bringing in from outside, wipe them down briefly (especially paws and tail) with a damp towel. Use a clean towel each day. This pulls the loose allergens off their fur. Switch to a low carb high quality all natural diet such as Origen dry food. Spoiled dogs may take a few days to adjust but they actually love Origen as it is high protein made mostly of real meat without fillers, so they avoid foods that aggravate allergy symptoms, and they dump less often so they don't need to go out as often. The fish flavor is especially helpful during peak allergy season. This stuff costs more but is worth every penny and will improve their health all around such that you will save on vet bills. Edited February 20, 2014 by wileecoyote

[DixieDawg]

Hope this helps you but my lab had the same trouble started using xylecide shampoo and it helped with the itch and digging bathed her once a week or so in it another thing we done is we switched her food to the tractor supply for health brand a glutten allergy can mimic a dust mite allergy in dogs we done both those and she cleared right up hope it helps you -Dusty-

[bersaguy]

We've been through the same thing with our pets. First start off by washing all sheets, rugs, curtains, etc... If you don't already have one, get a good quality HEPA air filter for each room. You don't need the high dollar industrial ones either. They run about $20-$30 each for the small-medium sized ones. We have a small one in each bedroom & a larger one in the living room & they make a huge difference in the amount of dust in the air & on furniture & really help our breathing. You might also try a matress cover. Any dust mites left inside will die off & it will prevent new ones. A neat trick to keep pests off your dog is to wipe him/her with a dryer sheet. Good luck. Pets are people too.

I have spent a small fortune buying all the HEPA air Filters and they are in every room. I use to shampoo all m carpets every week to two weeks I have purchased about 10 mattress covers since she developed this and they are washed weekly. I have a nice neighbor lady that comes and dusts my home at least once a week for a small fee. My house only had Blinds and no curtains which the little lady dusts and washes when she is here. She even had a mattress cover on her memory foam twin size mattress she sleeps on that gets washed weekly. I don't mind spending the money on things that will work but the options seem to be endless and most of them have not worked with her. My vet told me to allow her to remain out side as much as possible and I do but this winter has been extremely harsh so on nights when it is going to go below freezing I bring her in. Her quilt in her outside house is washed weekly and he house is washed out and cleaned weekly. I cook most of her meals for her and the vet has told me what spices I should cook in them when i prepare them in the crock pot. He said garlic is great for dogs so all of her Chicken breasts are cook with garlic along with other spices. She loves vegetables so when I make beef stew she eats that also. She loves Chicken and rice so we eat that often with garlic of course. I asked the vet if by not feeding her dog food is there a possibility she may not be getting some of the things dogs need and he said if I will feed her dog food twice  a week that would be sufficient to get her what she needs.  Thank you for your ideas as any and all are very much appreciated......... :up: :up:

[dawgdoc]

Was she allergy tested to find out about the dust mite allergy?  I ask because most of the confirmed allergy dogs that I have seen have multiple allergies to tree and weed pollens, grasses, and a variety of stuff.  There may still be a product that you spray on bedding to break down the dust mite proteins (I haven't seen it in a while, and I can't remember the name).  Usually we test dogs if we are planning on using desensitization therapy; I personally have not tested many animals because the cost can be high for my clients. Often we have a suspicion of seasonal allergies (atopy) versus food allergies based on the pattern of itching and time of year when it occurs.  Also, all secondary infections have to be treated because thast will perpetuate the itching.

 

For years, the cornerstone of allergy treatment has been steroids, which are usually very effective, but come with lots of side effects.  As for antihistamines, I usually recommend Zyrtec (citirizine) first because in a clinical study, it was the only antihistamine with measurable effect, and even then it only helped 20% of dogs.  However, the dermatologists will recommend trying an antihistamine (Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, Bendaryl, Tavist, chorpheniramine) for 2 weeks; if you don't see any effect, then you probably won't ever.  Sometimes we get lucky and that particular dog responds to just one specific antihistamine.  (Caveat:  generics are ok, but make sure to get products that only contain antihistamines; no decongestants).

 

It sounds like your dog probably gets steroid shots.  When I use steroids, I usually use prednisone because if there are side effects, the drug can be withdrawn.  In your case, maybe the vet could dispense or prescribe prednisone (assuming the office is still in contact with him while he is at home).  

 

Omega fatty acids are useful to decrease the number of chemicals that lead to inflammation, but that is more of a long-term, ancillary treatment.

 

Just recently (as in, introduced in the last month), Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) introduced a drug called Apoquel.  According to all the vets (regular vets and dermatologists) who have got to use it in the pre-release period, it is a miracle drug.  At least that is what the clients are telling the vets because it stops the itching just as good as steroids, but does not have all the side effects.  I have only been using it for 2 weeks, so my personal experience is low, but all the vets I hear from are enthusiastic about it.  They are comparing the introduction of this drug to the time when heartworm prevention changed from daily to monthly administration; it is supposed to that type of dramatic paradigm shift.  The insert lists various side effects required by the FDA, but in practical experience, they are seeing no side effects.  In the dogs that I have used it on, I have not seen any side effects.

 

Apoquel, being a new drug, is going to more expensive than prednisone, but a lot cheaper than Atopica, which until recently was one of the only other treatments for atopy.  I believe, however, that Apoquel is going to be cheaper than an office visit combined with steroid injections for many people, regardless of their vet's prices.  That's a good thing because steroid injections should be used a lot less frequently than they are; my dermatology professors literally said, "DON'T use the drugs in dogs!"

 

If your vet is completely out of contact, and there are other vets in town, you might consider a visit to one of them and see if Apoquel is available.  I especially worry about steroids of any kind in senior dogs due to potential side effects.

 

Edit:  I forgot to add that garlic is toxic to dogs.  It causes a certain type of anemia.  Every "dose" of garlic a dog eat results in the destruction of some red blood cells. Obviously your dog is still alive, but it may only be because the bone marrow is producing enough red blood cells to replace the ones lost each day.  My recommendation would be to not feed any garlic (or onions) at all.  It's hard to not sound like I am criticizing another vet, but I think the majority of the modern-educated vets would agree that garlic is not good for dogs.  To quote a noted veterinary toxicologist from the Veterinary Information Network:  " ALL ingested garlic/onion will cause some degree of hemolysis in dogs and cats."  In other words, there is no safe, therapeutic dose for garlic.  The only veterinary use that I have heard of is for flea control, and it doesn't work for that.

Edited February 20, 2014 by dawgdoc

[kieefer]

http://www.dinovite.com/     :shrug:

[Tedro2022]

We take our dogs to Value Vet here in Nashville. The prices are pretty fair, and while some of the vet techs seem to be a little inexperienced (definitely not all of them) the vets are very knowledgable and helpful. I can't say enough good things about them. Look them up and give them a call if you have time. Hope you find some relief for your pup soon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk