Allergy & Skin Issues

[lvoss]

Did you have a full thyroid panel run? Pat is right that skin and coat issues including hives and rashes can be caused by a thyroid problem.

[tanza]

Yes, please make sure they rule out Thyroid with a full panel. Like I said, my OJ had horrible, horrible hives and it was his Thyroid.. once on the soloxine totally gone, never a problem again

[sharronhurlbut]

Do let us know what you find out re your dog.

[marckle]

it could also be a topical yeast infection. omar had a 24 hour case of huge hideous hives followed by months of itching and scratching. he ended up bald on his sides and neck in places. raw chewed paws. awful to watch him suffer.
we bathed him with malaseb - [rinsing VERY well] a few times a week. quite an effort with a water loathing dog. but it worked! you can go have a skin scratch test taken to see if it is yeast. very curable. but you have to be diligent.
people think we are pathetic to take him to a doggie dermatologist/allergist. that's what we have insurance for!!

[nala121498]

Let us know how he's doing…

[Kairo]

Hi folks,
My Kairo has bumps and rashs on is chest were the harness meets. Is it the nylon strap or the metel ring? I did change his food out w/ no corn ingredients and he has cleared up from that. So should i get leather?

[Basenjimamma]

My other dog, the dachshund had the same on his neck and throat area, I was told it was a nylon sensitivity, changed to leather and it is gone..so it might be worth a while..is the harness rubbing him to much?

[lvoss]

I know some people have good results attaching felt or fleece to the back of their dog's harnesses to help lessen the rubbing and it seems to work. Sort of like using mole skin on your heel to prevent rubbing a blister.

[jys1011]

I know it's been a couple of months but we did a full thyroid panel & thankfully it came back normal. As a result of his bad allergies he got a terrible ear infection & we put him on another steroid cycle :(

The vet doesn't want to keep him on this at all….so she suggested putting him on Atopica (Cyclosporine) which basically attacks immune cells & blocks symptom causing effects. I've done some research & some dogs do well after a month & then you can taper to a maintenance level to keep the dog comfortable.

Anyone use this drug??

[MDSPHOTO]

Hydroxizine AKA Atarax is a great drug for treating severe allergies, it is by far the best antihistamine for reducing itching. It does have a high amount of sedation as a side effect and is also marketed as a sleep aid. OTC Zyrtec is a good alternative since it is a metabolite of Atarax and has less sedation. You may want to find a vet that specializes in allergy treatment and have the dog skin tested to identify exactly what it is and isn't allergic to. You could consider allergen immunotherapy to reduce and potentially eliminate the allergies.