Skip to content

Possible allergies?

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Can anyone recommend a good dog food and safe treats for allergies please? My boy has had a nasty neck rash for months now. He doesn’t wear a collar so it’s not that. Vet seemed concerned but stumped - gave him a shot of antibiotics and a chlorhexidine mousse I put on him once a day - hasn’t really improved after a few days. He’s been on the same brand of food since he was a puppy (Open Farm). Moved from puppy formula to Beef at like 8 months but had loose stool so went to Lamb which was much better and now also consider trying Pork but nothing seems to help with his neck irritation so thinking of abandoning this all together and trying something completely new. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

  • What other than food could be causing this? A collar is the obvious thing, but you say he doesn't wear one. What do you walk him on? Anything in the house like laundry detergent, fabric softener, sprays like Febrese, perfume or aftershave that you wear and cuddle him, put your thinking cap on....

  • The best thing is to get him tested. Could be all kinds of things. We had a dog who was allergic to cotton. We got rid of the cotton bedding and voila, a lot less itching and licking. When you say rash do you mean bumps or open lesions?

    I'm thinking contact dermatitis rather than a food allergy but I'm not a vet. Like eeefarm I'm going down the path of laundry detergents, new blankets, and lotions.

  • @eeeefarm said in Possible allergies?:

    What other than food could be causing this? A collar is the obvious thing, but you say he doesn't wear one. What do you walk him on? Anything in the house like laundry detergent, fabric softener, sprays like Febrese, perfume or aftershave that you wear and cuddle him, put your thinking cap on....

    I'm always petting my pups on and about the neck line. Just how I love them right before I kiss the top of their heads. I'm wondering if maybe... hand soaps or lotions? I'm hesitant to say what I'm feeding mine because it doesn't address @jmgatt96 pup's allergies. I'd be sending you kicking a can down a path hoping to hit a target without even knowing what the target is that we're aiming for. Tremendous waste of time and money. That, and... I'm no Vet.

    Kinda curious if it's dry flaky skin, red inflamed irritated skin, or something different?

  • Give him some benadryl three times a day in liver cheese.

  • could there be something stuck in his neck, Izzy got a rose thorn that scratched his neck and irritated it inside so he was scratching on the outside. Vet gave him some meds to get rid of the irritation inside and he quit scratching the outside.

  • @jmgatt96 - I would suggest you seek an opinion from a specialist.

  • There are several different sensitivity tests that one can do at home. While some scientific literature doesn't think the testing is that great, my personal experience has been that it does help - and that addressing sensitivities indicated by testing has corrected many health issues, more than just a skin irritation.

  • Hi, Wondering if you found a solution to your boy’s neck rash? My boy 12 month old Basenji started about a month ago with same neck rash, vet says it might be mites, she plucked some hairs and looked on microscope and said it looks like demodex mites, prescribed Credelio and fish oil, but even though his coat seems better it didn’t do anything for the neck rash, has a lot of dandruff and now rash seems to be appearing in other parts of his body, although not as bad. I read that changing foods could help with this and someone recommended The brand Nutro but there’s so many options that I don’t even know where to start. If you have found any leads as to how to go about this rash I would greatly appreciate it.

  • Try switching to chicken or turkey based foods.
    Here's a link to an excellent evaluation of kibble brands:
    www.whole-dog-journal.com/food/whole-dog-journals-approved-dry-dog-food-list/
    I would also be careful what you put on your hands before cuddling with your dog; lotions, essential oils, etc. can cause allergies in dogs

Suggested Topics

  • Allergy to flea or mite

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    RugosaR
    If you saw tapes, that is something that requires a specific med. My vet depends on me to see them because they do not show up on a fecal that shows the eggs of other worms. Tapes can come from ingesting a flea, and it's possible the shelter did not SEE the tapes, so didn't give med for it.
  • Food Allergies Out of the Blue?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    D
    It might be a combination of food and seasonal allergies. The food/biscuits might be a slight problem but then added to the seasonal allergies, the allergies become major. Arnie has allergies and he rarely gets treats because of this and his kibble dog food is his treat. Does your dog also have a rash on his stomach area or the inner part of his rear legs? Arnie usually starts off with this and then if he is biting his feet I know the allergies are bad. He has not had this for a few years though! I would clean the area and this would help tremendously. Allergies are difficult to diagnose. The allergy season here in OH has been extended because of the crazy weather. If you have leaves on the ground that are/were wet, there could be mold, fungi, etc. on them and your dog is getting it on his paws. Jennifer
  • Possible Pancreatitis?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    41
    0 Votes
    41 Posts
    18k Views
    O
    So glad to hear that Nicky is back to her usual self. Hopefully, she'll never have it again!
  • Allergy/inflammation

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    28
    0 Votes
    28 Posts
    12k Views
    S
    We are going to talk to the vet again Thursday, and I will discuss all various suggestions with him. When reading on EPI, IPSID and IBD, all include symptoms as weight loss and diarrea. She does not suffer from any of these 2 symptoms. Her only symptom is vomiting on an empty stomach, and the stomach empties in no time at all which makes her vomit without the cortison. I will still go through the various conditions with the vet and take necessary tests to see if any of the mentioned diseases might apply anyway. IBD should have been tested during the Gastroschopy, only that it is called something different in Swedish. I will ask the vet. But more and more, I believe the problems were caused by myself giving her too big a variety of proteins, and too much food, when she was little. I am hoping to be able to go around this through finding the right food for Della, and cure her with a good nutritional balance rather than with medicine. Fingers crossed for Thursday/Sofie
  • What works for allergies ?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    10k Views
    BasenjimammaB
    I did have a Westie in the past that had severe allergies to….storagemites, which is in every dogfood that has been stored for a few weeks or more, i.e every food known to man, so he was on the raw diet, did great, he was also severly allergic to fleas, or the saliva from the fleas and to mold/mildew, which living in houston Tx there is a lot of. Poor guy was miserable, until we did the raw diet and decided to keep him inside all the time, when the other dogs went out to play he had to stay in..and it is funny he wanted to go out and the other dogs wanted to come in...figures. The few foods out there that are supposedly good for allergies according to my vet is grainfree ones, Dick Van Pattens sweet potatoe and duck, I believe was one of the ones he recommended. Try to keep the ingredients list as small as possible, cleaner food means less irritants. Just like our food, the less junk we eat the better we feel... Good Luck, I know how hard it is with a dog that clearly is bothered by something and you don't know how to help it. I do know that Petco and Petsmart here in Texas will take food back even though the bag has been opened, which is nice if you are having to try various/numerous different brands until you find what works. Basenjimamma
  • Allergies

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    50
    0 Votes
    50 Posts
    25k Views
    E
    Both my sons have allergies diagnosed by a professional allergist and do fine with Basenjis. We have just got our 3rd B two weeks ago and no sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes. I think for you that it MUST be something the dog is bringing in or perhaps your dog is one that performs one particular way and my family lucked out with 3 of the other way. Maybe someday they will have a test like the Fanconi that shows the DNA of this family tree has more dander and the DNA of that heritage has less dander to near none. I do agree with the smart person that has posted on this site the best idea I have ever heard: rub a t-shirt all over the possible family addition, sleep with the t-shirt, and THEN decide. I know it is too late for you but a good thing to repost for readers. Good luck with your situation.