My 4 mo. old miniature poodle has been scratching himself since day one that I got him at 9 weeks old. I started him on Revolution and still found a few fleas on him and after him being on it for 2 months I noticed flea dirt on his stomach. I switched him to Advantage Plus a week ago and he is still scratching behind his ears, rubbing his face with his paws, biting his lower arms and tonight I noticed his breathing was stuffy (almost like he has something stuck in his nostrils - which he doesn't), but very weird. Prior to starting him on the Advantage Plus I took him to the vet and his ears checked out fine (very clean/no mites or wax build up), but switching the flea med was recommended.
I am at a loss and am now wondering if its his food. When I first got him the breeder had him on Beneful (awful!), and I slowly switched him to Nutro Natural Choice Ultra Puppy Food which has 30% protien and brown rice/rice bran as its second and third ingredients. I have been reading that sometimes too much protien causes allergies as well as rice not being a natural food to dogs. Any recomendations on foods out there or thoughts on any of this?
Stockalper - My Snoops was eating Royal Canin Puppy and I transitioned him to Halo Spots Stew. Shortly after starting on the new food, he broke out in hives around his collar and chin. The vet suggested it was a) the food and/or b) his nylon collar.
He was given an antibiotic to keep the sores from getting infected. I also gave him a 1/2 tablet of Benadryl per day to help with the itching. I changed his collar to leather, and stopped the Halo... I put him back entirely on his puppy food. When he was better I tried the transition again.. this time with Wellness Core Chicken blend. He loves it and recovered completely!
The vet had told me that if it was a food allergy, the symptoms would have been evident immediately and would be somewhat severe. To find out the cause for sure, I should have had more of a trial and error - first switching the collar, then switching the food if the collar was found to be ok. I couldn't watch Snoops in discomfort anymore, so I just switched out both at the same time.
Sharing my experience with you.. tho your situation may be entirely different.
I should also mention that about 2 or so weeks (maybe more) prior to the hives, Snoops also had a mild bout with fleas. He took a capstar tablet and used Frontline and seemed to be rid of them...
When the hives showed up, the vet had initially suggested perhaps it was a flea allergy and to use Frontline again. I didn't follow this instruction...
Again, should have done trial and error but I didn't... hwell:
Snoops is just getting over a tapeworm now and the vet suggests that it may have been from that mild case of fleas - perhaps Snoops swallowed one at that time and the tapeworm was just rearing its ugly head now. Or, he had licked on a dead mouse (I didn't realize what it was - it was squished on the road! yuck!) a few weeks ago so he may have caught it that way. Either way, tapeworms and fleas/rodents seem to go hand in hand..
Hello and thank you for your advice. I just pulled off my dog Enzo's nylon collar off of him and we'll see if that is the problem - how long do you think I should give it? I am like you - I just want to help my baby feel better right away. One thing I did not mention was that Enzo has no sores or hives anywhere which is wierd to me because he just scratches obsessively off and on behind his ears and again bites his arms and rubs his face - but no sores anywhere.
Also, could you please tell me where you purchase your Wellness food. I live in Long Beach, California and I would like to get the "grain free" puppy food.
I didn't notice the hives/sores immediately. It took some digging in Snoops' fur for me to fully see the sores. Even then, it was more the scabbing that I noticed.
Not to be repetitive, but my vet had explained that sometimes nylon can cause an allergy. It seems the nylon is fine in the beginning, then it can break down (similar to plastics, ie/baby bottle scandal) it harbors bacteria which then rubs into the dog's skin. No matter how often you wash it, the materials have broken down to an almost toxic state. I switched Snoops to a leather collar, but a stainless steel chain was also recommended.
I would get Enzo a new collar and see if that alleviates any of the itching.
As for the Wellness food - go to their site and you can input your zipcode for a shop near you:
PS: it's also been mentioned that perhaps bowls can cause allergies - what are you using to feed Enzo? Again, plastics are to be avoided or used with caution. I prefer stainless steel washed regularly, or porcelain
Here are some tips to understand the flea issue. Even though you have put advantage on him he can still get fleas. The fleas will jump on him bite and die. Medications such as advantage do not cure the actual flea bite. So he could still be itching from the flea bites but does not have fleas.
Food tips:
if you dog is allergic to its food , do not go and buy new food without talking to your vet. Have him or her see what the problem is. You can not switch foods and expect instant results. A real food trial is 8-12 weeks long. You can not give you dog any treats while he is on the dog food trial. Do not feed you dog wet food , wet food is bad for dogs.
I personally do not like nutro dog food, Look into Natural Variety or Innova products.
I love you dog's name
My friend is going through the same issue with her pom. she was diagnosed with food allergies. Right now she is on Natural balance and she is finally starting to see results ( its been about a month and a half) She still says that she is itching a little bit so if this food does not stop the itching . I told her to get innova.
if you dog is allergic to its food , do not go and buy new food without talking to your vet. Have him or her see what the problem is. You can not switch foods and expect instant results. A real food trial is 8-12 weeks long. You can not give you dog any treats while he is on the dog food trial. Do not feed you dog wet food , wet food is bad for dogs.
I will vouch for this - once I stopped the Halo food, I put Snoops back on his Royal Canin for about a month before I attempted the transition again. He only just (last week) started having the Wellness Core entirely on it's own as his main source of food. The transition is complete.
Because I switched out the collar at the same time, I don't know 100% if it was the collar, the food, or a combination of the two... or something else completely. I noticed almost immediately a sense of relief in Snoops, but it was a long process before he was back to his old self. The itching continued but did get better over time.
Hi, thank you for your advice. I just took Enzo to get his final vaccinations and he is ready for walks. While at the vet the technician noticed open pustules on his lower stomach near the privates and suggested seeing the Vet for advice. I am done with my Vet for a lot of reasons and I feel I get better advice from people like you! Anyhow, I sprayed the pustule area with a Hydrocortisone Spray and am ready to switch out his food slowly. I think I am going to go with either the Natures Variety Instinct or the Innova Red Meat Small Bites (all very expensive, but hopefully worth it). Enzo will finally be groomed on Monday and I will advise groomer to use an Oatmeal based shampoo or something allergen free.
Lastly, I just realized that Revolution did not work for the fleas because it is mostly for heartworm, etc., but low concentrations for flea prevention. I was told I could use Revolution to cover potential worm issues, but to use Advantage in conjunction with it. What do you all think and any other suggestions? Thanks so much.
I believe alot of things in life are trial and error. If you are not keen on your vet, definitely seek out one whom you feel offers more sound advice. Go with your instinct- if it feels right then chances are it's a good choice.
Do you have Enzo on a monthly heartworm med such as interceptor? Also, take your location and surroundings in consideration to determine what will be best for Enzo. For example, animals in the south are recommended to be vaccinated for leptospirosis while up north it's not that urgent a concern.
Food may also be trial and error- dollar value won't determine if it is a "better" or "worse" food. Also, beware of the word "organic" because it is not always. Read between the lines, and the same goes for human food and products.
As for the pustules - I used a bit of diluted peroxide to keep Snoops sores clean. Keep them dry as well. Did the vet prescribe any antibiotics to ward off infection? Some people are opposed to "over-medicating" their pets, but that will be a personal decision
get well soon Enzo!
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