My black lab mix has always had allergy issues. Here's some of the history

Over the past year or so it's been worse, with her losing more hair faster, and the only thing that has helped so far is cortisone shows from a vet up in wake forest (wake north animal hospital). After she gets one of these shots, she's good for ~4-6 weeks after which the symptoms slowly return, and I would take her in every 4 months or so. Only problem is she's needing them more often now. 2 Months ago she had a shot, and then she just had another, and this time the vet gave me some prednisone to give her when this cortisone shot wears off. Is this too aggressive with the steroids or is it ok? Is there anything I should be doing while she's on steroids (increase food?). Obviously she drinks more water but that doesn't require me doing anything different.


And in case anyone is curious this is what I've been doing for the allergies (in addition to meds above).

1 - Grain free food seemed to help early on so I've stuck with it, regardless of the cost. Current food is Before Grain - Salmon Though after looking at that ingredient list, I might go with a different food that has actual salmon as the #1 protein ingredient. I tried 'Taste of the Wild' not too long ago and she didn't react well to that one. She doesn't get any treats or anything outside of her kibble (except the occasional romaine stalk or a carrot).

2 - 1 caplet of Benedryl with each meal (though I'm suspending this while using the steroids)

3 - Use cotton towels on top of her bedding and wash them every week or two.

4 - Vet gave me some real good ear flush to use weekly a couple months ago, which I haven't been doing nearly that often. Going to try to stay on top of it this time.


Any other suggestions, in terms of care or treatment options? I was thinking of taking her to a specialist at the vet school but am doubting how productive that will be. Reading back over that thread from 2007 I might ask my vet about Temaril-P...

Oh and what about flea/tick treatments? I've read that they should be minimized/avoided if possible if your dog has bad allergies

3/28/2011 1:34:35 PM

We give our dogs fish oil pills with every meal. (1 black lab, 1 pointer mix). Seems to really help with dry skin and helps reduce shedding.

My dog (the pointer mix) has always had issues with his ears. I keep a bottle of the drops in the fridge (Tramadol). I just try to keep an eye on him and if he starts head shaking or scratching at an ear, I put a few drops in. It usually clears it up over night.

[Edited on March 28, 2011 at 2:04 PM. Reason : a]

3/28/2011 2:04:07 PM

I'll have my gf take a look at this later.

3/28/2011 2:39:08 PM

^^tramadol is a pain med. doesn't seem like it would clear up an infection or anything, but just relieve the pain.

^^^as far as avoiding flea protections for allergies, that seems wrong unless the dog has an allergy to what's in the med. fleas are a HUGE allergen for dogs & the problem can be pretty severe. i clicked the link to the backstory, but only scanned bc it's a lot of words. have you had the dog allergy tested? if you're already spending that much anyway, i think it'd be worth it. it runs in the $3-400 range.

some dogs are just more prone to ear infections/problems. my brother's newfoundland gets them allllll the time bc he's got big floppy ears. the only thing to do is clean them out regularly & use drying powder. for him it's not an allergy issue, just the way he's made.

my dog is VERY allergic to corn, fleas, & has seasonal allergies. we've had lots of problems with food in the past & found that dogswell happy hips works well for her (also has hip dysplasia). if one flea gets anywhere near her, she will be tearing fur out & digging holes in her skin for weeks.

seems like base of the tail itching was a sign of a particular allergy but i can't remember what. i took that class like 23974163 years ago. i'll look around online...

3/28/2011 3:07:53 PM

If you're going to experiment with food, I highly recommend going to Unleashed. They'll work with you to find a food to try and if your dog reacts to it you can bring the bag back and they'll swap it out for another brand until you find one that works. They also have a frequent buyer program. Every 12 bags of food you buy the next one is free! With that free bag the grain-free food only ends up costing me $15 more over thirteen bags than the crap I used to buy.

3/28/2011 3:25:28 PM

I'm wrong, not tramadol. Tresoderm is what I have for his ears. Tramadol was what they gave him after his knee surgery.

[Edited on March 28, 2011 at 3:38 PM. Reason : a]

3/28/2011 3:38:33 PM