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Poor dog, i know he's in bad shape, but i did not read it you too you dog to the vet or not!! I just went threw hell with my  male with eating BENIFUL.. I guess he was allergic to the corn, and he went down hill with in 3 days of eating that crack to were he could not walk and his eyes were blood shot and his nose was falling apart literally.. I took him to the vet and they found out is was the food and hook the lil bugger up. i e-collared him cause he'd itch his eyes till they would bleed..and his nose was all jacked up and skin was falling off.. But now he's fine and he has a scare over his eye and he's back to running around agian, but it took me two different vets and 500+ later to figure out  he hell he was going threw...


well get him on meds asap and e-collar him too.. don;t baith him but every two weeks and try not to dry out his skin cause it will only get worse...I 'll pray for your dog to get better soon

Having dealt with two allergic dogs, I really feel for you. This yahoo group is great and it is where I received a lot of valuable information and great advice. : http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ALLERDOG/

As for using an e-collar, can you imagine being terribly itchy and not being able to scratch? It's got to be close to torture. Ask your vet about  putting your dog on Temaril-P (antihistamine and low dose prednisone) for a period of time to give him relief while you figure out what is going on. It should help the itching a lot.

As for diet, it might be worth trying a raw diet or grain free diet such as Taste of the Wild. Try digestive enzymes (prozyme or Nzyme) and a broad spectrum probiotic, along with the salmon oil.

Try to use scent free everything. Some dogs are very allergic to natural products such as Tea Tree oil, so beware.

Hang in there- your boy is worth it!

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vomzeller,

If you're going to get him allergy tested next week he can't have any prednisone, but I am guessing your vet already told you that. Are you doing the blood test or the skin test? I really encourage you to check out the yahoo allerdog group. 

Your dog is lucky to have you :)

The best,
Char

BOY DO I FEEL FOR YOU. I took in a rescue that has pyoderma (and or some other allergy) and its been a f****** nightmare. There are no other words to describe what Ive spent on this dog for him to have a somewhat normal life. Protocol states for me to treat with antibiotics and pred and that only made him worse. Here is what Ive tried and has failed:

1. Raw Diet (I usually feed raw but this has only made him worse) Ive tried 4 different meat sources
2. Antibiotics but they didnt do anything since an allergy is not bacterial
3. Pred but I HATE this drug and only used it sparingly
4. Bathes with benzol peroxide weekly (didnt work), and just about every other suggestion made
5. Bagged food with one protein one veggie (no grain - didnt work)
6. Dog tested low thyroid so I started a low thyroid regime. (didnt work) still broke out


This is what has worked

1. Holistic dry food twice a day and in it I add: milk thistle, holy basil, choloestrum, tyrosine, digestive enzymes (human grade) Vit C and Vit E (three days per week).  I suspect this 6 yo boy has cushings and his coat has actually gotten much better. Pending testing for cushings. Treats are salmon.
2. 1 Benedryl
3. When he starts to break out with the bumps you mentioned Im on it and actually found that a ear wash I make works the best. The ear wash keeps the staph down and controls the yeast on the surface of the skin. I tried 1000 different things and nothing has even come close to the ear wash.

This dog was treated for years (obtained old vet records from owner) on antibiotics and pred . Vets dont have a clue most times and guess IMO. You can do what Ive done and wash ONLY THE AREA leave the rest of the skin unwashed. That works too. It gets old to try and find reasons why. Ive been able to come up with a protocol that works for the most part . Ive actually thought of puting this dog down during really bad episodes. The pyoderma causes huge lesions that break open ooze and bleed. It breaks my heart to see this happen. But he is such a happy dog that I just keep trying to make him better. He hasnt had a bad episode in awhile so maybe things are getting better. I can only hope. 

One more note on the food. Often the bigger writing on the bags states the main protein source only, but when one reads the actual ingredient list there are other meat sources listed as well. The same for the grains. I have been told as well that often kibble of lower fat containing meats (like venison, fish, fowl) are "sprayed" with chicken fat to increase the overall fat content. Sometimes this is not even listed on the bag.

Even though the RC Venison/potatoe prescription diet worked well for a while (until the kibble looked different), the Venison/potatoe from Natural Balance with the same ingredients listed on the bag did not work at all. Same for Taste of the Wild, pacific stream, whereas Wellness Core fish works.

The RC from the Vet worked so well that it made me belief that there are steroids directly mixed in. Thats a hard accussation with no proof, yet my dog showed all the typical signs of being on steroids: hyper, incredible food hungry, rapid weight gain, looking good and drooling, OMG the drooling.... drools like a foot long hanging off his mouth....

I should add some things that clearly have worked for me:

Spraying colloidal silver on the localized staph infected areas. Spray daily, twice a day. My  girl tends to get the breakouts in her private area. Due to using the colloidal silver I have not had to give oral antibiotics for about 6 months. I used to have to give them once a month due to the breakouts.  You can get Colloidal Silver at any health food store. I buy Sovereign Silver in the spray. I was skeptical at first, but it really works.  Of course, if the breakout is generalized oral antibiotics (Cephalexin) are a must.

Using a non-soap based (I use coconut based), hypo-allergenic shampoo with NO scents AT ALL and drying with a blow dryer (cool setting). Dogs that are prone to skin conditions can break out over practically nothing so drying them completely is important. I used all the medicated hypoallergenic, anti-itch, anti-allergy shampoos that were recommended by the vet and they only made matters worse. 

At times when the itchiness gets excessive Temaril-P is a miracle drug. Try not to use it long term because it does have low dose prednisone in it.

Strangely enough, Mane and Tail conditioner (formulated for horses)  mixed with water and sprayed on periodically helps- don't know why. This was recommended by a Golden Retriever breeder. The ratio is probably 1 part Mane and Tail to 20 parts water. I should add that my girl also had dry skin and I think this is why the Mane and Tail conditioner helped her. I lightly spritz her and brush her for about 4-5 minutes.

Brushing daily helped- it brings out the skin oils.

I have tried a LOT of other things and my girl is SOOO much better than she was a year ago, but other than the things I mentioned I am not sure what else has helped. She is on a raw diet (varied protiens-  turkey, pork, beef, lamb, duck), Alaskan Salmon oil, digestive enzymes, probiotics, chlorella, spirulina, milk thistle, kelp- not all at once of course. 

Again, dealing with an allergic dog is a living nightmare and my heart goes out to all out there who are dealing with it. Hang in there for the sake of your pups! I hope and pray you can find a way to give both your pup and you relief!  

PS IMHO an e-collar is not the answer.

To discourage an alkaline pH, I add 1 tablespoon Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar to the morning moist raw diet. I agreethat your dog has reecurring staph pyoderma infection--and possible a secondary Yeast infection. For the the latter, I have had good results with topical Tinactin antifungal powder. It keeps these moist areas dry: inside thighs, umbilicus, arm pits. A bathe with Veterinary Solutions Universal Medicated Shampoo provides topical relief  because it has both antibacterial and anti fungalproperties.

At this time of year, there is much pollen in the air outdoors, Temaril_P and benedryl provide effective relief.

After ruling out fleas, When I've experienced skin conditions such as those you've described, they appear to be a form of vaccinosis in response to rabies and polyvalent vaccines.