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What works for allergies ?

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • If the condition is Allergic Dermatitis, which it sounds like it is, than the thepetcenter.com says treatment for it can be: 'topical medicated soothing baths, ointments and sprays…'

    This site is invaluable for stuff like this: http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/itch.html#Allergic

    Hope that helps.

  • Don't forget about any treats, bones, and/or biscuits you are feeding. My boy has allergies, probably food, and he rarely gets treats. He is also a chowhound and would gain weight from too many treats anyway. He gets fed either a fish, venison, bison, elk, etc and usually grain free or something with sweet potato. I do change food from time to time. When his allergies get bad, he will bite at his paws. I find it amazing what is in some treats and biscuits. Now it is easier to find treats that will not cause allergies but some of them are expensive.

  • 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

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    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.
  • Apoquel for allergies

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    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
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    We used to have a dog that had seasonal allergies with hives, every year, for about 2 weeks. We never figured out what it was, but our vet had us give 25 mg benadryl every 8 hours for a week, then stop. If the hives came back, we started again. He was funny, I always took him into the kitchen to get his pills. One night he woke me up in the middle of the night, when I petted him I realized he was covered in hives, when I got up he ran to the kitchen and waited for me, he related his pills to his itching…and to it stopping too, I guess. Of course that night I was out of benadryl, so had to run to the all night drugstore at 3 am! Definitely start giving benadryl and keep it up for at least a week.
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    @Vanessa: I was allergic to our basenji when he first came home. I would break out in a rash when he touched me. My eyes would water and become really itchy. Just wash your B and wipe him down a few days a week until you adjust. Also consider some allergy meds…Zyrtec works great and now you don't need a perscription. Agree, Zyrtec is a great drug for allergies, but can make some people very sleepy. There is a new prescription allergy treatment available called Xyzal that has shown equal symptom relief to Zyrtec in clinical trials, but has less sedation. However, I will warn you that it is very expensive!