cybercindy

Hi there. I am the proud owner of my second basset hound. Our first basset had absolutely no allergies. But this new puppy scratches his neck and feet, and he groans and moans. He's had flea medication--so it can't be fleas. I'm wondering, because he is almost 4 months old, if it could be a food allergy already--or dry skin. What experience have any of you guys had? My vet says to just try a medicated shampoo for now and a little benydril (sp?). But I'm tempted to switch his dry food already to something with fewer ingredients. Thanks for your help.....

lvnMattie

My hound has the same problems. Mattie (my hound) would scratch and dig and cry and moan. The vet noticed that she was red spotty on her belly and I told her about the scratching and digging problem and I don't really know what the problem is, she did give me a anti-bodi that I can give to Mattie when she has the flare ups. Which seems to work. I used the medicated shampoo, i used the oatmeal shampoo to help cool her skin, did not help not until vet gave me anti-bodi. It seems to me and my husband that Mattie has flare ups when she crawls across the grass. I don't know if that helps but I feel your pain with the stratching.

Beverly Anne

Well, I can't help you with the allergy problems but I would like to welcome to this great board!

__________________
Francis's Bevy

shallhb

You might want to check in with a veterinary dermatolgist, if you have one in your area. I've been told that allergies to grass and the like are quite common. I've also been told that switching to non-allergenic food is probably not a good place to start, because you have to be so strict with the diet to make it work.

__________________
Sharon Hall

Grace (puppy in training)
Bella, UD, VER, TD, RE, CGC
Pearl,UD, TDX, RE, CGC (Waiting at the Bridge)
Samantha, Theodore, CGC, Louella, Zeke and Arty, Bassets All; (All Waiting at the Bridge)

twobassets

Mine have allergies that showed up when they were puppies. They are six now and the only thing that has worked is strictly controlling their diet and Benadryl. Our vet gave me the recommended dosage (always check before you administer anything). We also use fish oil caps we get from an on-line pet retailer. We feed ours homemade food - it's more work but in the end it isn't more expensive than prescription kibbles. There are some very good reputable homemade diets for dogs available and we had our vet clear what we feed them. A side benefit is that it also keeps their weight in check. They still react to pollen and grass but we can control that with the Benadryl.

Welcome to the board! There are a lot of great people with excellent info to share. Make sure you post a picture - we all love those.

__________________
Suzanne, mom to Prince Luther & Princess Sammy who think they are Royalty and require they be treated as such!
Sasha Foo ATB July 16, 2002

AmyB

Spencer has had allergies most of his life (he's 13 now). We've determined that he has an allergy to wheat, as well as to numerous grasses & trees, dust, dust mites, etc. I can control the reaction to wheat by keeping it out of his diet, but the other allergies are so severe, I have to give him a shot every 5-7 days. When things are blooming, I have to supplement the shot with Temaril-P, to help control the itching. The shots work, thankfully, but if your baby has allergies, I feel for you. It was years before we had Spencer's allergies fully under control, and the itching is enough to drive both you & them crazy! Good Luck!

__________________
Amy, mom to
Sadie (ATB, 6/9/06) & Spencer (ATB, 8/19/10) - always in my heart
and Clifford (gotcha date 7/2/11).

cybercindy

Mikey T

That is far from the case. In a dog with Flea bite allergies a single bite can cause a strong reaction and the kill time for topical flea medication like frontline etc is not immeadate.

Flea bite allergies are far and away the most common allergy in dogs, followed by atopy ( inhallent and contact allergies) with food allergies a very distant third account for about 10% of all allergies in dogs/ Just as in human skin and blood tests are available to test for allergies and the specific allergen however blood test for food allergies are wholly unreliable.


Allergies are often a cause of itching but far from the only source. Bassset are prone to a gentic skin condition know as seborrhea the oily form is much more common in the breed than the dry. It is characterized by an oilly coat with dandruff. There is no cure, the only solution is frequent bathing with an antiseborrheaic shampoo.

They are also prone to yeast infections, these usually occur in skin fold or areas which can trap moisture, the leg pits, between the toes etc. It is often the source of the so called "hound odor" or "frito smell"

As has been mentioned most GP vets are not equiped to deal effectively with skin problem one is general better off with vet specializing in dermatology

Antihistimines as a means of controling itching in dogs are genenral not very effective, While histimines are comon in human allergic reactions they are less so in dogs. Any particular antihistimine is effect 10-15% of the time in reducing symptoms and if the 4 broad classes of antihistimes are tried upto 30% of the time can an effective one be found. The mpst powerfull itch fighter are steriods but longer use comes with it own set of risk so they are generally a last resort

find a dermatologist

ATOPY

Food Allergies

THE ITCHING PET: ALTERNATIVES TO STEROIDS

Malessezia dermatitis

seborrhea

samandben

try changing foods before visiting the vet. Give the new food 2-3 weeks to see if there are any improvements. I know that Wellness makes simple food solutions for allergies. Of course if its only some foods try the green bag by wellness first, its lamb and rice but cheaper than the simple food solutions.

vb3

Rosco had a bacterial infection on his stomach that he kept nibbling at, despite a weekly bath. Our vet prescribed some anitbiotics and now that problem is gone. He always scratches his neck and ears when he wakes up, some of this is due to his ears needing to be cleaned (an ongoing battle) but I think some of it is just being a dog.

__________________
www.jowlsoffury.blogspot.com