very ITCHY pup - need to find solution! - Page 1

I am writing for some advice for my 5 month old girl, Jenna.  she has been itching for months now (not an exageration!  it's almost been pretty much since she was weaned!).  we have been trying to figure out the cause with my vet, and so far have not been successful.  she was treated for mites (with Revolution) even tho the doc really didn't think that was the cause.  but went ahead & treated her anyways, as he said that was a simple thing to out-rule.  did not phase the itching.  the vet thinks it is a food allergy that she is reacting to.  he has suggested we put her on Royal Canin (vet prescribed duck formula) but we just can't afford the $80+ for 30lbs. 

Her food history .... when weaned off mother, she ate Royal Canin puppy.  then i didn't like that it had corn in it (among other things) so we switched over to Taste of the Wild.  she has been on all 3 formulas.  no changes noticed at all with the itching.  (i hate to change that food, as i really did love the ingredients in TOTW, so am keeping Jenna's 5 year old mom on it).   

Just since Tuesday, she has now switched to Natural Balance (allergy formula - sweet potato & fish).  I hate that meat is not the #1 ingredient, but I am desperate to find something that might give her relief.  here is the analysis on this food .....

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1493&cat=all

Is there anything else I should try??  Other than switching to raw??  have debated about going raw, but am "chicken" and do not like the bacteria & bone splinter possibilities.  we have tried to be diligent with not feeding her any treats ... nothing other than her food.

she does not have a rash or dry, flaky skin from what i can tell.  she does not have hot spots or chew on her feet.  however, she does have waxy, itchy ears alot.   

thanks for any advice you can offer - i would really appreciate it!

I had a Fox Terrier with really itchy skin - had to put her on a mostly fish diet  which was great for her coat, BUT in the spring it got really bad - she'd lose all her hair scratching.  Ultimatley, her greatest allergy was something given off by cut grass.  She was fine in long grass before it was cut, but if she was allowed on a lawn that had been cut for less than 2 days - she had to go on antihistimines and sometimes steroids to stop the itching. 

Does Benadryl stop the itching?  If so, your dog probably is allergic to something - could be a food ingredient or could be environmental like cleaning products or pollen, grass etc.  Have you tried your dog on a food allergy elimination diet? That is a diet starting out with one or two simple ingredients like chicken and rice. You have to feed that for a week, and hopefully the itching will decrease. Tthen add in each new possible allergen like eggs and wait to see what happens with that. When you find the one your dog is allergic to you will know within 24-48 hours.

Could it be your dog has a zinc deficiency? I just found out that hard way that a zinc deficiency will produce itchy ears and skin as well as ears that look like they have mites (but no mites are ever found by the vet.) Add a good quality dog vitamin at the recommended levels and you will know within a couple of weeks if this is the problem.

for my dogs i use the coconut shampoo it seems to work fairly well

If you suspect food as the source of your allergy issues, the last thing you need to try is Chicken, raw or otherwise prepared. Chicken is one of the top food allergen sources, and it's an ingredient used in many, many dog foods. You need a restricted diet if you suspect food, with no cheating (table scraps, etc.). If you stay on Natural Balance for 14days and don't see improvement, food is not your problem.

Oh, you have a special needs pup. The dog food analysis site is very informative, but you have to decide what is most important to you with a special pup. The placement of the meat ingredient or scratching.  If you take their suggestion, just add meat to the kibble.......not chicken or beef. Good luck!

ps NO treats or snacks. You might be defeating the purpose. Many of those treats contain soy, corn, corn syrup, chicken, eggs, beef, wheat, grains, etc. All known food allergens. So restricted means restricted

Sounds like a classic food allergy to me. Instead of experimenting, why don't you ask your vet for allergy tests first? It is a simple blood test and the sample is sent off for testing. Once you know what your dog is reacting to strongly, you can even start desensitizing her with allergy shots.

Try this site/group : http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ALLERDOG/    IT can be so stressful and frustrating to have a dog with allergies and this group will provide you with a lot of great advice and support. My dog also has allergies and I got so much helpful advice there. I ended up giving my dog raw which helped, but still at times I still need to give her Temaril-P (an antihistamine with prednisone). 

I wish for you the best for both you and your pup..

Char

It soulds like your vet is going the course of rule outs that is very standard with the derm guys. I like that they are asking you to do food trials, starting with a single source protein  with no grain. Again if this still is not causing the issue skin test will be the next test. I am also in agreement that the use of diphenhydramine or hydroxazine if the iching is not letting anybody sleep at night.  One more thing have you had your carpets cleaned and disinfected, all bedding washed in hot water and hot dryer. I know that these things take time and can be a very stressful for you and your dog but in the end all will work out.

Always,

Cee

Thanks for all the advice, links, etc.  it sounds ilke i need to stick with the Natural Balance for awhile and see if the itching lets up.  the kibble pretty much just has the fish & sweet potatoes.  we have wood floors in our home (no carpet) so that's not the problem and my pup actually prefers to sleep on the floor rather than bedding.  it was also recommended to me by someone that i add salmon oil to her food.  anyone else heard of this?  i am trying to do as much as i can on my own before i have to go back to the vet again.  we've had lots of vet bills the last couple months, which is why i can't afford the real expensive hypo-allergenic food & need to hold off on allergy testing/shots.  So ... i will try to have patience & try some of the things suggested here. Sounds like i need to give time to see if this new food will make a difference first.  Thanks everyone!!

I use Alaskan Salmon oil and I believe it helps. Of course she is on a raw diet too, so it's hard to say what is really helping. Her coat sure is beautiful anyway! Digestive enzymes, such as Prozyme and Nzymes, have helped many itchy dogs. It's worth a try. My friends dog scratched like crazy and a month after going on the Nzymes the itchiness stopped completely. I've heard the same from others, but unfortunately I didn't have the same result with my dog. If Hydroxazine or Benadryl don't work, as a last resort you can try Temaril-P. It's an antihistamine combined with prednisone, so you don't want to use it long term, but it sure works! 

The best,

Char