Allergies:

More than Scratching the Surface on
Itching, Biting, Anxiety and Food

Copyright 2010, by Michelle Dyck

Like people, allergies in pets is becoming a bigger issue for many of us. Poor Fluffy or Buster seems to be scratching or chewing on her feet uncontrollably and we cannot understand why.

Recently, I adopted a dog with allergies and have tried a lot of different treatments with varying success. I will put the most important pieces of information up front and then I will tell Dessie's story.

There are two types of allergies:
Food or Environmental (dust or pollen).

In dogs, 80% of allergies are environmental, not food. One vet told me to try an elimination diet to see if it is a food allergy. My regular vet, who is more experienced and more practical, told me that if the symptoms point to an environmental allergy, do not bother testing food. He also said that skin and blood tests are not very accurate and results in many false positives.

If the dog has the following symptoms, it is likely an environmental allergy and an elimination diet may not be necessary:

• Dry flaky skin
• Itchy feet and skin
• Prednisone reduces or eliminates symptoms
• Symptoms may or may not be seasonal (pollen allergy is seasonal, dust is not)
• No gastrointestinal issues
• Symptoms are worse after a walk through the grass or through trails

If your dog has seasonal allergies, here are some simple steps to alleviate symptoms:

• Add fish oil or omega 3 supplement to their diet at triple to quadruple the recommended dose. If the bottle recommends one teaspoon, add at least three.
• Feed the dog a high-quality, grain-free diet
• Try raw food if it fits your lifestyle
• Add a powdered probiotic to their food (not yogurt)
• Dust, sweep the floors and vacuum the carpets regularly
• Use an air filter in your furnace that is intended to reduce allergens and change it regularly (as per manufacturer's instructions)
• Wipe your dog's feet after walks or any time out side
• Check the house for mold and eliminate it
• Make sure your bathroom and kitchen fans work and vent the moist air outside
• Wash your dog's bed once a week
• Bathe your dog once every other week if they have dry skin, once a week if they do not
• Give the dog a bone or rawhide after a walk

I am not sure if there is a cure for allergies. There are a lot of Web sites that claim that if you buy their product your pet will stop itching and scratching all together. I have not found this to be the case. Each action may reduce allergy symptoms a little bit. But when all these different methods are combined, you may notice a significant reduction in symptoms.

And now Dessie's personal story:

In July of this year I adopted a four-year-old female Kerry Blue terrier named Dessie, who was rescued from a Missouri puppy mill two years ago.

I was told when I adopted her that she had allergies and anxiety issues - she would scratch a lot and chew on her feet. After treating Dessie for an infection on her feet, caused by chewing, the vet determined that it was just allergies, not anxiety.

She was put on prednisone and antibiotics and for a few weeks the scratching and chewing went away. When the prednisone wore off, the itching and chewing resumed.

The vet said that it is very likely an allergy to the environment, not food. People sneeze and have runny eyes when they are allergic to pollen and dust. Dogs, in comparison, get itchy skin and feet. Because Dessie responded well to prednisone and had dry flaky skin, the vet believed that it was a clear indicator of environmental allergies.

At first I did not change the dog's diet and her allergies worsened as summer progressed. Dessie got so itchy some times that it sounded like she would chew off her leg. She would wake up in the middle of the night and have to scratch.

I was worried that she might have to be put on prednisone permanently. Ironically, her skin was incredibly dry but her fur was very greasy. The reason? The more a dog scratches, the more oil the skin produces. The oils trap dust and pollen making her itchier.

The vet gave me a shampoo with prednisorie and antihistamines. I had to give Dessie a bath once a week and let the shampoo sit for fifteen minutes before rinsing and give her antihistamines three times a day. Neither had any effect and they made her thirsty, resulting in accidents in the house.

I also can't stress enough the importance of diluting shampoo before using. Undiluted shampoo is difficult to rinse and may lead to further itchiness.

Unfortunately, the frequent baths just dried out her skin even more. The vet said that the only alternative was trying other antihistamines or prednisone.

I did a lot of research on the internet. Some of it made sense, some did not. Many holistic pet Web sites said that if you control the yeast population on a dog's skin you can reduce the allergy symptoms.

The grains in dog food encourage yeast growth and that increases the itchiness. They recommended adding fish oil, yogurt and apple cider vinegar to the dog's food.

Because I have two dogs, any change made to Dessie's diet applied to Murphy's diet (a nine year old male Kerry) as well. As such, I could not do anything too drastic. At first I added a half a teaspoon of fish oil to her food twice a day and half a cup of yogurt with their evening meals.

I tried adding apple cider vinegar but the dogs refused to eat their food. I tried shooting the vinegar into their mouth with a syringe but that resulted in annoyed dogs and vinegar all over the place.

So far, changing her food was not working. In fact her skin was so dry that it would crack and she would get tiny sores on her back. She developed hot spots as well. Despite all her itchiness she still has an amazing attitude and is always friendly and happy.

After further research I found that dogs with allergies should get up to three times the recommended dose of Omegas, so she is now on three teaspoons of fish oil in her food per day. That really helped a lot. He skin is no longer dry like parchment - it feels normal.

I also tried a raw food diet. I bought "Natural Variety" raw beef food for half price (C$17.50 for 6 lbs., normally C$35, for 6 days of food for the two dogs). At first it seemed that her itchiness was reduced significantly. I was thrilled!

But when I tried a different brand the changes did not seem so dramatic (maybe because I used chicken and buffalo instead of beef?). Recently, I ran out of raw food and I have not gotten around to getting more. The dogs are back on kibble and canned food. I have not noticed a significant difference in Dessie's itching.

I also added a powdered probiotic from the pet food store. The dogs have less gas and their solid waste is more normal. It is supposed to reduce the yeast population on the skin and in her ears. I have also added about 500 mg. of Quercetin to Dessie's food each day. It is hard to say if it helps.

Dessie has gone from chronic chewing of her feet and waking up at night from itchiness to scratching for about an hour after a walk. She now sleeps through the night with no disruptions.

I also give the dogs a raw bone after every meal. I kept the bones in the freezer so it usually takes a while to chew them. While it does not alleviate symptoms, it distracted Dessie enough so she wouldn't chew or scratch after a walk.

By the time she finished the bone the worst of the allergic reaction to being outside on the grass had passed.

I would give Dessie a bath every two to three weeks. Any more than that dries out her skin too much. I do not want to dry out her skin but increasing her fish oil intake has reduced that so I might increase it to once a week.

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