Itching, Scratching and Biting at her Legs

The biopsies did not show any sign of mites so we are now back to exploring the allergy thing. Doing a blood draw this week that will hopefully reveal what it is that is causing this skin condition. This is really starting to get old. :(
 
Have a friend that had this problem with his Setter, the vet put his dog on prednisone and that seemed to stop the scratching and biting, seemed to work well, has to take him for a shot every so often, he says it's not to expensive.
Hope it works out soon.
 
Itching and scratching

The holistic folks swear by using honey and bee pollen for skin problems in dogs. Some folks are not into the holistic arena, but I figure what the heck, it's worth a try. Geez , with what you both been through I'm ready to roll you both a joint and see how that works. Gotta get it figured out before a reverse mortgage gets applied for!
 
Meller said:
Have a friend that had this problem with his Setter, the vet put his dog on prednisone and that seemed to stop the scratching and biting, seemed to work well, has to take him for a shot every so often, he says it's not to expensive.
Hope it works out soon.
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Prednisone is some nasty stuff and a dog should not be on it for the long-term. It suppresses the immune system. There are much safer drugs to have the dog on than Prednisone. Apoquel is one. Or there is an injection called Cytopoint that is suppose to relieve the itching for 4-8 weeks.
 
As I said not my dog, and it is veterinarian administered, I think he only has to do this Two or three times a year.
 
Meller said:
How did this turn out? Did you find the cause and the cure, or still having the problem?
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The first of May she was in tough shape. Several bald spots on her rear quarter that were inflamed. The vet gave her an injection of Cytopoint which is suppose to relieve the itching for 4-8 weeks. We saw an immediate improvement and by the end of May she had new hair growth in those areas. The 3rd of June I took her to a trainer in Colorado but before she went I had the vet give her another injection of Cytopoint. She was with the trainer for 2 months, just got her back about 10 days ago. Her coat looked great and all spots had grown back to normal. While at the trainer's he switched her from NutriSource to ProPlan and continued to give her the supplement to boost her immune system along with some salmon oil. Since she has been home we have seen some scratching and occasionally some biting but not sure if it's the symptoms coming back or just normal dog itching. By now that last injection of Cytopoint has worn off. I'm going to continue to monitor her and if we see signs that she if scratching and biting more than normal I will take in for another injection and also have her tested for allergies. But right now all is good. Thanks for asking.
 
So are you continuing with Pro Plan or are you back to NutriSource?

Interesting that things continued to improve while at the trainers and now is starting to get worse again. Could be the medication wearing off like you said. From where I'm sitting it would seem something in the home environment is triggering it, whether that something is in the home or airborne (Atopic Dermatitis) or food related. My 11 year old GSP suffered from allergies when he was younger. It would always flare up in the late fall and winter months though. Had him tested by a veterinary Dermatologists but didn't come up with anything. He was tested for 60 different common allergens and nuttin... Then as he got older the flare ups were less severe and didn't last as long until one year he quite having issues altogether and to this day has not had any more issues.

Other than Steroids which I didn't really like to use, one medication I remember using that had good results was "Atopica". Wasn't exactly cheap but it seemed to work. Start out with higher dosage and then gradually reducing the dosage over time.

Hope you find out what it is.
 
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Staying with ProPlan. Bree had a Cytopoint injection before going to the trainer that controls the itching for 4-8 weeks. I guess is that is wearing off. Seeing the vet tomorrow and will test for allergies and get another Cytopoint injection as her scratching and biting are increasing.
 
Dam DZ, I am sorry to see you all having so much trouble. :-(
 
Got the results of the allergy testing back. She really wasn't positive for much in the trees, grasses, weeds or mold panels. She was positive for various mites like grain mites, storage mites and dust mites. We are going everything we can in the house to control dust mites. The others I'm not to worried about. But in the Food Panel she tested Positive for Lamb, Peanut, Rabbit, Salmon, Tomato, Turkey and Yeast. She was Borderline to Positive for Chicken. So we are going to concentrate on the foods. One of the recommended foods I'm going to try is Canidae Grain-Free Limited Ingredient with Wild Boar, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Chickpeas, Canola Oil and Suncured Alfalfa. Kind of spendy at $60 for a 24 lb. bag but if it works it will be cheap compared to all the other expenses I've had with her.
 
This dog didn't have any issues until you got her? I would be talking to the breeder, it would suck to deal with these issues for the next 10 years. I know you have grown attached, but what a pain and expense.
 
Good Luck with the hypoallergenic diet, George. Give it a through test, though. If negative, it will at least eliminate one of the major causes of allergies in our pooches. And then you can focus on other things.

NB
 
Highvoltage said:
This dog didn't have any issues until you got her? I would be talking to the breeder, it would suck to deal with these issues for the next 10 years. I know you have grown attached, but what a pain and expense.
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I agree it sucks. I've been in touch with the breeder ever since I got her and he just claims he has never had any issues like this with any dogs he has owned or bred. In fact the last two times I emailed him I never got a reply. I'm just not going to waste my time and effort in pursuing it any further. I realize the added expense but it's not a hardship for me so it is what it is. Someone has to take care of this little gal. We have become very attached to her. She is a great dog around the house and has a big motor in the field. She was with my trainer in Colorado for 2 months and he says she is the "real deal" so I'm expecting big things from her.
 
Tori said:
Dakotazeb, have you considered feeding her a raw meat diet for awhile ... :)
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Not really. I worry that with a raw meat diet that the dog won't get enough of the nutrients that they need. Going to stay with the Canidae Grain Free Limited Ingredient with Wild Boar. for the next 2-3 months and see how she does. So far she is really liking the new chow. Gobbles it right down.
 
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