My poor poodle

**Owlbehere** · 06-13-2009, 02:34 AM

I have a toy poodle that has developed really bad allergies.

He is a poorly bred poodle, cute but an ugly poodle (probably a puppy mill product). He has turned out front legs, an under bite and is too long and short to be close to standard.

We had him tested for allergies when he started chewing on the back of his leg a lot. 350.00 dollars later it turns out he is allergic to dust mites and fleas. The poor baby is on Prednisone, Baby claritan, Allergy shots that cost 100.00 a vial, CapStar, Melasab bath every other day, and Flea topical drops.

He is now chewing on himself to the point his skin is tough and raw, he has secondary infections... Eye infections, ear infections, yeast infections...

I keep him shaved almost bald for ease of bathing.

We are now at a loss as to what to do with him to help. We are planning on taking him to the LSU Vet school. We want to see if there is anything they can do for him. He is only 4yrs old. It would be miserable to be itchy your entire life... He has about 10 years left to him!

Just wanted to share my troubles, thanks

**gabbyguppy** · 06-13-2009, 03:36 AM

Sorry to hear about your Poodles skin problems.

Have they ruled out food allergies?

I know you said he was allergic to fleas and mites, but dogs can also be sensitive to the grains in dog food.

I am a Vet Tech/Dog Groomer. I have more than one client that has a pet with 'food allergies'. Some dogs do really well when grains are removed from their diet. Others, bless their hearts, never seem to get relief no matter how much medications they take.

I hope your pooch feels better. It does sound like your Vets have worked hard trying to find the causation of his itching.

**Owlbehere** · 06-13-2009, 03:47 AM

Yea they ran the full allergy test on him because we were worried about food. All food is fine for him... Yea I'm a groomer as well and have seen lots of dogs with allergies... never thought I would end up with one. When we move we want to have a monte (his name) room. One that can be scrubbed free of dust mites. The fleas we can control but the dust mites are harder to manage.

**Sharon** · 06-13-2009, 11:42 AM

Poor little guy! My sister had a ShihTzu with an allergy to a LOT of things. She had to make special food, take a lot of precautions, but nothing seemed to help. Eventually, the jaw disintegrated from long term use of prednisone....

**Shelz** · 06-13-2009, 01:37 PM

I believe that good quality food & supplements help immensely when dealing with allergies and skin problems in dogs. The vet wanted to put him on allergy shots, but I refused to go that route. One of my dogs has allergies to fleas and even some types of grasses/tree pollens. I've been supplementing his food, and after a couple months they have all but vanished. His coat is soft & shiny, his energy level has increased...and just seems healthier all around. I also give it to my old dog of 14 yrs. and cant believe the change in him. You would never know he was as old as he is.Its kinda pricey, but worth it I think. I love this stuff.

heres where you can read about it.

They do one of those auto-ship monthly deals....but you can regulate how often ya want it shipped by emailing them.

http://www.thedogsupplement.com/

**Owlbehere** · 06-13-2009, 05:34 PM

Yea we hate the prednisone... We give it for a while then wean him off... Its a last resort when he gets bad. I also believe in healing from the inside out with food.

**Rue** · 06-15-2009, 07:41 PM

I have 2 dogs (out of 3) with allergies. The retriever has food allergies. The Am Bulldog's are environmental...I think...

It's not easy to deal with, that's for sure...

**Owlbehere** · 06-15-2009, 07:56 PM

We are about to get really aggressive with his allergies.
I believe a move to Idaho will help with the fleas as they prefer a Humid & Hot environment and its not as humid in Idaho as it is here so fleas will be easier to control. The vet agreed south Louisiana is not a great place for a little dog with allergies.
He is staying at the vet tonight to get a dental in the morning and he got his allergy shot.
Here is the run down of whats going on at the moment.
Allercept Immunotherapy shots for dust mites once a week
NO MORE PREDNISONE
Adding Fatty acids to his diet
The vet is checking him for bacterial and yeast infections
He gets Malaseb bath every other day
Firstshield trio flea drops for flea prevention.
We are also going to get some humidifiers to help with dust mites as we were told it helps. As if we didn't have enough humidity lol. And those air purifiers... Basically what you would do if a person had dust mite allergies.

I am told by the vet not to work so much on allergies but on his Atopic dermatitis caused be his allergies. If that makes any sense. He will never get over his allergies but if we treat his dermatitis by removing the allergen and treating his skin he may get relief from the itching. He was tested for allergies to everything and he is fine on food and grasses just the flea saliva and house dust mites. But we are putting him on a good food for skin to help the dermatitis just I don't have to worry about staying away from certain meats.

**Owlbehere** · 06-15-2009, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Rue

I have 2 dogs (out of 3) with allergies. The retriever has food allergies. The Am Bulldog's are environmental...I think...

It's not easy to deal with, that's for sure...

Yes its not. It will never go away. Have you had the bulldog tested for Demadex? I know english bulls are prone to it but I'm not sure about Am. My mixed breed has it but it is in "remission". Oh so many problems lol.

List of dogs- All rescued
Rhiannon, Lab mix - 5 years old: slight hip problems and Heartworm Positive. The vet is treating her with regular heartworm pills and ivermectin, She didn't recommend the actual treatment as it is very expensive and her Heartworms are not that bad.

Sweetpea, Terrier mutt - 13 years old: Neurotic, scared of any loud noises (went through a window) Heartworm Positive. Treated the same way Rhia is because the vet said she is so old it may kill her.

Armani, Pit bull Dachshund mix - 2 years: Demadex, Arthritis from his awkward build.

Chibi chan, Japanese chin - 1 year: NOTHING lol, okay so she eats everything and has had to be pumped a few times

Layla, Cavalier king charles - 5 years: Puppy mill rescue, Mild heartworms.

Monty, toy poodle - 4 years: Allergies!