fritofeet

It would explain the blah, too. This is actually very good news as thyroid problems are easy to control and the meds are cheap. It is actually exciting to see that Monty will get some relief, and you will get answers to the allergy questions!

It does sound like a contact dermatitis spot. You can put human cortisone on the spot. I use Cortaid on my dog if it is dry and scabby and it does help it go away.

Fantastic!!!!

I'd say environmental allergies if he was itchy before the switch. It doesn't sound like he is seriously itchy-if it was-you would see it more. Example would be, chewing hair off or you not being able to sleep from all the nightitme scratching.

Poor Monty! I hope the shampoo helps. I use it here too, but I think it is the 2%- it makes Hogan very shiney.

Oh no!!! Sheila, I'm so sorry.

I would recommend a blood allergy panel. The test is somewhat expensive-and you can get false positives and false negatives. It is best to do the test while your dog is not in an allergic state, as it can contribute to the false results. Hogan's panel was $300 from Spectrum Labs and included environmental allergies as well, testing for about 40 different things. He was in full allergy mode when we did the test, but it gave us a good place to start as far as food. We use Wellness Simple Solution Venision dog food, and it runs about $50 a bag. They have a Duck formula too, but the thing I like about the food is it does not have a lot of ingredients in it like a lot of allergy formulas. My dog is allergic to poultry, lamb, barley and oatmeal (among other things) which seems to be a common ingredient in allergy food. Honestly, I wouldn't monkey around with her food for awhile. I'd wait until she got adjusted to your home before even thinking about changing her diet, and unfortunately-allergy formula dog foods are expensive. I end up cooking for my dog a lot. I do recommend reading the ingredients on the food that she is on, and do not give any treats that have a different set of ingredients as small amounts can create an allergic reaction. You have to read the ingredients on everything, and I cannot stress how important this is. I thought I was giving my dog something he could have, and it turned out the sweetener in the yougurt was corn-syrup based but was labeled as fructose. BTW-Congrats on your new arrival! Pictures are mandatory.

You should PM me your addy since I have a full bottle for you. And the answer was yes, according to the vet-Hogan does not process prednisone well. His bloodwork was all over the place and had her scratching her head. Today's #'s look much better and my silly big red idiot is home and the food bully has left the building. It is obvious NOW that he was feeling terrible on the stuff. He was chasing his tail all over the house this morning. He's on a 1/2 tablet at the moment, and will be on every other day for a couple more doses. Thanks guys for all the replies.

Thanks Cynthia, Hogan weighs 85lbs, so for him to be grumpy-it's not fun around here. He's trying tonight to be super sweet, so the extra meals helped-but he can't eat that much food every day or he will weigh more than me! Plus, the special diet ain't super cheap either...

No prednisone ever before. He IS a dominant boy, but we are aware and on top of it. This agression is new since the medication and started about day 4. He usually takes 15 minutes to eat breakfast and dinner, but is now eating in less than 30 seconds. It is totally food related and I just don't see how his behavior could change so drastically in such a short time without it being related. Any food makes him slobber and the things he normally wouldn't touch he will inhale. Burpdog, I have tried some homeopathic remedies, but it seems he is allergic to something in them. I haven't tried the Tavist or Claritin, and the acupuncture vet and I don't like each other. He just got done building a new building and tripled his office visit rate.I don't mind paying for good vet care, but I don't want to pay for his new location. It has to be drug related, since he started taking the drug he acts like he hasn't been fed in a week. I have an appointment at the vet tomorrow to pick up the antihistamine and run a blood panel on the big red idiot. I'm just really upset because he hasn't been itchy and I thought there was hope for him. Plus we fed him 8 cups of food today and now he is being sweet. Normally he gets 2 cups per meal and has had 4 meals today and INHALES each one like he hasn't eaten in a month. He IS being very sweet and less food oriented tonight.

Most of you know that Hogan is a non-grey with severe food and environmental allergies. We came back from Japan and he had chewwed holes in his hide from being so itchy, and I went to see the new vet at the clinic who I liked immediately-as she agreed that Hogan can't live miserable like this. So she put him on Temeril P. The first night was heaven, he actually slept without scratching and slept for the first night soundly in months. Since then, Hogan has exhibited some serious food fixations. I thought some mild food fixation would be ok, but it isn't. Supposedly the dose of prednisone in the Temeril P is less than 5mg per tablet and he is getting 2 tablets per day. This weekend, he exhibited serious food agression towards Lucy and no longer takes his treats daintily. I'm used to counting my fingers after I treat the greys, but not with him. Lucy is so afraid to stand next to him while they are eating that I know something happened when I wasn't home. He has only been on the Temeril P for 2 weeks, and I started him with half the recommended dose-but when I spoke to the vet about taking him off it, she said I had to gradulally take him off or the lack of prednisone could cause a bad reaction. I think she said an adrenal reaction, but she is a new vet and used big words over the phone while I was stressed. She said I had to give at least one pill every other day for a week, and then half a pill every other day to get him off this stuff. I loved the fact that Hogan felt better and wasn't itchy, but I don't like the new big red bully in the house. She is also said that a straight antihistamine probably wouldn't give him any relief, and she recommended another new drug that I don't have the name of yet-but would run approx $50 a week for him. So I really have several problems, but the first and foremost is-the prednisone causing behavioral issues? And is it really that dangerous to take the dog off a low dose cold turkey? Then I'll tackle the other problems, but right now I just want my regular Hogan back. Thanks in avance.

A couple things have worked for us with hot spots. #1. Cortaid cream after a hot washcloth #2. If spot is wet, scabby and itchy- a little bit of Preperation H (Vet told me to do it) to help dry it out. Use only if the Cortaid cream is not working. #3. Vet gave an antibiotic spray combined with a "No Chew" or "Bitter Yuck" spray that worked until the taste was no longer bother some. #$. The new winner-It is an antiseptic oil-Mercurichrome or somesuch that smells like menthol, non-stinging, and kinda soapy. It has a little bit of Lidocane in it to help the itch and pain and dries things out nicely. The big thing with your pupper is to figure out if it is a true allergy or stress hot spot, or if it was a bug bite that turned into a bigger itchy boo-boo because of the chewing. Is he chewing/licking any other areas obsseively?

Terri, I am so so so sorry.

More prayers from here too.

I use Grizzly Salmon Oil and it is measured by the squirt. I like it better than fish oil capsules.

I'm very very sorry.

I hope it all works out quickly for you and your pup. It is awful to see them miserable, and unable to do anything. Painkillers shouldn't affect testing on a bacterial infection or allergies, so don't worry about that. Big prayers that they get to the bottom of this. My Hogan has allergies, and it is no fun. I can't even imagine what you are going through though.

Wonderful wonderful news!

Poor Penny poor you! I'm glad she's on the mend! Keep getting better sweetie!

That's great news for Flint and Bailey! Monty and Hogan seem to be in the same boat. Just when I get the food under control, things start blooming. I'll check out the website, but I am glad to hear of somebody else who has had their dog on it long term. Hogan's quality of life and ours is definately better in just a week.

Also, I use a cold washcloth and wash Hogan's face and eyes everyday to keep some of the grass pollen off him. It helps the eye rubbing a little bit. If Hogan's been running through the field, he gets a good rinse in the shower. Like Batmom said, 1/2 a dose helps too-as the full dose makes them sleep a lot.

Terri, we are so very sorry. Please know that you and your boy are in our thoughts and prayers.

I am so very sorry for your loss. He was a very special soul and will always be watching over you.

The new vet gave Hogan this, and we are going toward the maintenance dose. He hasn't been itchy for a week and he's really not sure what to do. He has been sleeping more and seems hungry all the time, but all the hot spots and chew lesions are starting to heal. The daily dose should be 100 to 200 mg a day, depending on what works. I understand it is a mix of a steroid and an antihistamine, and I'm wondering about long term use. Thanks!

1 mg per lb regular plain benedryl with no additives generic is fine too as long as it isn't a "special" formula like non drowsy