Skin problems

Skin Allergies question
(Christy: sep 1, 2011)
My black lab has skin allergy every (and only in) September.
He scratches and bits his skin and even seems to rub his eyes a lot. I've tried Benedryl but that only seems to make him itchy and tired. Any suggestions?

(Bob: sep 1, 2011)
My dearly-departed cocker spaniel (Cody) that I had to have put down three years ago suffered from unsolvable skin allergies for his whole life. I tried everything from trips to his regular vet for prescriptions when it got really bad (which was pretty much all the time as he got older) to allergy injections to a few trips to Dr. Cacciola (sp?) at the Animal Skin Clinic you mentioned on Olive.

Unfortunately, Cody wasn't one of those lucky dogs that was able to be cured of his skin allergies. Probably the best results he got was while he was being seen by Dr. Cacciola at the Animal Skin Clinic (I actually called the veterinary school at Mizzou in Columbia for a referral before taking him there; and the university raved about how Dr. Cacciola was one of the best animal skin vets in the Midwest). But, unfortunately, the results were only temporary, and Cody's skin troubles resurfaced a couple of months after completion of treatment. And treatment was quite extensive (as I recall, Cody was taking about nine pills a day for his skin allergies at one point; and I didn't want to put him through that a second time for a condition that wasn't life threatening).

My experience with Cody was that the good news for dogs with chronic, treatment-resistant skin allergies is that it is not life threatening, and dogs learn to manage dealing with it without any major issues. The bad news is that as they become senior-aged, they tend to have trouble growing hair on one or more of the affected areas(in Cody's case, he had trouble growing hair on his back in his senior years), and look somewhat mangey in those areas (that was the most heartbreaking symptom with Cody for me, as he was one of those cockers that was able to grow a beautiful, thick, show dog-calibur coat throughout his life).

Professionals who work with animals extensively can apparently spot dogs with allergies a mile away, as I remember the specialist that I took Cody to in order to have his hip problem diagnosed (which wound up being dysplasia, hence the need to have him euthanized a year after diagnosis) taking one look at him and asking me "Cody is an allergy dog, isn't he?". Anyway, for all those members with dogs having chronic skin allergy problems, hang in there, and take comfort in knowing that aside from the itching and appearance issues, your dogs do not really suffer any major adverse affects from the condition.

(Leslie: oct 27, 2011)
Zyrtec works better. Ask ur vet, but I use 1/2 pill once/day for a 25 lb dog. Everyone says the allergies are bad this year (Aug/Sept). I'm still waiting for them to end.

(Judi: oct 30, 2011)
My previous Dobie, Mamie, had severe skin troubles - her belly would break out into a very raw, red raspberry explosion....we could get it under control, sometimes, with antibiotics - but it would always come back, and sometimes the meds only partially helped. I did not like constant chemicals going into her system. We also tried variety of high end dry food and prescription food purchased through my vet. No go.

My vet - Patrick Tate at Webster Groves Animal Hospital (been going to him, now over 25 years) - suggested taking Mamie off all store bought food - and going completely natural (not necessarily all raw, but whole foods). He recommended following Dr. Pitcairn's healthy natural food diet.

Initially, the process was slow - as all of Mamie's inner linings needed to slough off and be regenerated - but over 2-3 months (as I recall) - she was in [b]tip top shape - and for the rest of her life - 5-6 years - she never had any skin or allergy troubles...well, cancer got her at age ten - but we do not attribute the cancer to her eating wholesome food.

NOTE: The start up is a bit of work - especially for large dogs, where you need a volume of food. I purchased 25-50 lb bags of rice, beans, lentils, etc from Jay's International on Grand, bought ground turkey in inexpenisive rolls and large oatmeal containers from Aldi's, and the required components like bone meal and nutritional yeast from health food stores or on-line.

Once up and running - it was easy and cost effective. I used to soak and cook beans several times a year -and bag them, freeze, and use as needed. I usually made enough food - in a large pot - and transferred to airtight plastic container for the fridge - enough to last 7-10 days - and then feed her twice a day. I will add that the beans seem to be digested more easily if you whip them through a blender or crush them a bit - otherwise, at least with Mamie - you'll see a few whole beans coming out the other end.

Dr. Pitcairn is nationally known and highly respected as a specialist in chemical-free nutrition and natural healing for pets. I highly recommend.

Pitcairin website -- http://www.drpitcairn.com
Pitcairin's updated Natural Health book, with tons of great recipes! --link--

Dermatologist and allergist for dogs
(Amy: december 6, 2009)
Does anyone know of a good Dermatologist/Allergist other than the one at the Animal Skin Clinic off of Olive Blvd? My dog has been going there 15 months, and the doc doesn’t know what else to do for her. In the past she’s been through allergy shots, all kinds of hypoallergenic foods, expensive meds, prescription shampoos/sprays and has been on a homemade diet. She has recurring cycles of scratching/biting (bleeding), staff infection, antibiotics (the kind that are toxic to humans..aren’t many left that work), and steroids (ugghhh!).

(Carol: december 8, 2009)
Veterinary Specialty Services in Manchester, or perhaps Mizzou's vet school for a consulation or referral.

(Susan S: december 8, 2009)
Animal Health and Healing on Big Bend? Dr Garden is a holistic vet and her approach is to work on strengthening the immune system. Tucher has been seeing her for the past 6 months and I like her very much.

(Amy: december 11, 2009)
Found out there is a more thorough allergy test, Interdermal, that a Dr. Senter at Mizzou does, where the Serum Allergy Test she had 6 years ago was inconclusive (I wish I knew about this a long time ago! She’s already gun shy when at the vet from all the allergy shots before). I hate to put her through them again (+ the expense).

I thought about having my dogs see a holistic vet before but didn’t know of one; Thanks! My nonallergy dog is on a holistic diet.