Spring allergies

[mkat]

We are a family of sensitive individuals, and our dog is no exception! Every spring, our 6 year old shepard mix gets horrible allergies that present as very, very itchy skin. I always know spring is here because the amount of dog hair on the floor at the end of the day, as a result of his itching and scratching, is unbelievable! He also gets "lick sores" where he licks and licks in the same spot on his body, causing red, irritated, (hairless!) patches.

Most of the time, the allergy season ends for him with a trip to the vet for antibiotics and other treatment. We would really like to avoid that this year, if possible. We are bathing and brushing him frequently; what else can we do to help him?

[Ola_]

Have you asked your vet about allergy medication? I understand there is a number of over-the-counter human ones you can use like Benadryl, you would just need to know the dosage.

One of my dogs has terrible allergies but hers are mostly in the fall (mine are too, funny coincidence). Last year we did a bit of Benadryl as well as some supplements that did seem to help. Vitamin C with bioflavanoids is a good one for allergies, I have also heard good things about Quercertin (sp?). For giving the pills I was surprised to find out that my dog will eat anything if it's in a blob of hummus (while she spies them inside cream cheese and pb).

For topical things we used witch hazel which has a cooling effect. I would apply it onto her feet (which were the worst part for us) with a cotton ball a couple of times per day after going outside. Then I'd have to distract her for a few minutes while it dried so she wouldn't lick it off, but after that it really seemed to help with her discomfort.

One of the trickiest things I've found with allergies is the secondary infections. Since Chaos' feet were the part she licked the most, the area between her toes would stay moist and I was always watching them for infection. I did some epsom salt soaks too (since it was for her feet I could just fill up a yogurt container and dunk one foot at a time) and made sure to dry really well after.

I hope that helps a bit!

[mkat]

Thank you so much for the ideas, Ola. I am def. going to try them!

[Sailor]

You could also give a fish oil supplement, which should help with skin. And, yes, Benadryll can be given to dogs.

I have to honestly admit I've never heard of a dog having airborne allergies!

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by Sailor

You could also give a fish oil supplement, which should help with skin.

I totally forgot to mention that! My dogs get fish oil normally anyway, but I increase the dosage during allergy season, since Omega 3 fatty acids are a natural anti-inflammatory.

You can go up to 1 1000mg capsule per 10 lbs of dog's weight per day, but start at a lower amount and work up to that (fish oil, like any other fat, can cause loose stools if you give too much at once). Chaos is about 35 lbs and when her allergies are really bad she gets 4 capsules per day.

The bonus with the fish oil is that most dogs actually like it, so you don't have to hide it in anything. The first time I pierced the gelcap and squeezed some out just so they knew what was in there. My dogs will do tricks to get their fish oil pills!