The theme song from the Simpson’s “The Itchy & Scratchy Show” runs through my head on a permanent loop. I can’t seem to get any long-lasting relief for these dogs.
Previously, I told you guys that I was convinced I was dealing with yeast, which is often confused with allergies. I thought all of the signs of yeast were there -that rust color on the coat from all the licking & biting; black spots on the skin; hair loss; constant scratching.
And for months (MONTHS!) I’ve been doing everything I possibly could to get this sh!t under control, internally and externally.
Finally, last week, we had annual checkups with Dr. B at the Kowaliga Whole Health Pet Care in Eclectic. She dismissed my yeast claim and said, “Allergies.”
Huh?
But but but… Evelyn has not had any foods that are on her trigger list since we found out a year ago what those were. Truman & Pearl have not been allergy tested because we truly did not have a problem with anything until about last August.
But Dr. B said there were no signs of inflammation, their ears showed no infection, their anal glands were normal, their teeth and eyes and face folds all look great. It’s really just down to the itchy skin.
(Truman had a laser treatment on a hotspot, hence the Doggles).
With that, we determined it’s not yeast, not diet related, and has to be environmental.
Great — bc controlling the environment is SO easy.
Evelyn is allergic to dust (aren’t we all?), feathers (me too), oak and pine (the 2 kinds of trees in my yard).
My house is clean, yo. And I’m not cutting trees.
Dr. B advised that I stop using coconut oil topically because it’s thick and greasy, and allergens stick to it.
Fine — makes sense.
She gave us a very lightweight herbal spray called Fidoderm, and it seems to be working. (find it here: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Animal-Essentials-FidoDerm-Herbal-Spray/148010.aspx)
I did not want anyone to go on antibiotics, and thankfully, Dr. B agreed. Antibiotics destroy good gut flora — which we all know is critical for a healthy immune system. Killing off the good stuff often triggers the growth of …
(say it with me…)
Yeast!
Anyhoo — we’ll also continue with the daily Benadryl. It does work. They stop scratching when I give it to them. It just metabolizes out pretty quickly, which is a good thing. I give each dog (all are close to 20lbs) 1 tablet per day, but I can increase that to twice per day if needed. (Not more than every 8 hours, tho. Benadryl is safe to give dogs, but check with your vet on proper dosage by weight of your pet).
So, what have we learned?
- Dr. Battistella is fantastic. Check her out.
- Don’t use coconut oil topically if the allergies are environmental bc it can make it worse by causing the dust, pollen, etc. to stick to your dog.
- I recommend Fidoderm spray.
- Benadryl works, but check with your vet first.
- Truman looks like a boss in his Doggles.
pugs & kisses,
The HOL Dog 