Guest Rach1323 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Hello all ...I have been reading a lot of threads about dog ichies ...and Im thinking my best bet to get an answer is to take Bow to the Vet ...I'm hoping some of you more experienced Grey owners can ease my concern for now.....Ok so let me start off by saying I'm having a bit of a stressful day my fishy frankenstein died this morning , I'm trying to pack up myself and my boyfriend for vacation we leave at 5am tomorrow, and Im trying to prepare Bow for a vacation at Grandma and Grandpas and then there Bow's iching ....Its concerning me somewhat ...shes been to the vet probably less than a month ago to get stitches out/first check up and he said she looked great....I guess it was a couple weeks ago that I noticed shed been iching quite a bit shaking her ears etc. I had some experienced dog owners(this is my first dog) tell me it was normal itching so I just chaulked it up to bug bites etc...but it still concerned me ...then she started shedding a lot I mean a lot ...I read a thread on here about other peoples dog shedding a lot this time of the year so that eased my thoughts a little but I am still concerned....THEN this morning she has biting at her paw like itching it and when I made her stop she had made it bleed a little ....I'm just unsure of whats going on I do not want to be an overconcerned first time dog owner but I dont want her to be hurting uncomfortable etc I did just give her a bath on Wednesday so maybe she has some dry skin issues? And its just upsetting me even more that I am leaving tomorrow and cant take her to the vet right away... I though I would tell Grandma to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse have them take her to the Vet and if not I'll just take her when I get back ? Does that sound like an Ok idea? Any advice would be helpful ? Thanks from a stressed out Grey owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Allergies, most likely. Could definitely be food allergies. Mine don't have any food allergies, but a few people I know cannot feed their dogs ANY grains. Good Luck with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MyBoys Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My guys seem to be shedding a lot more then normal this year also, it sounds like a lot of people are dealing with shedding. One of my boys had the same symptoms as your Bow, I had noticed the ear scratching and head shaking first and thought he might have an ear infection. Turns out it was allergies. My vet said his ears were a little red but no infection so she gave me drops to clear up the redness and told me to put him on Benadryl, that did the trick. Now as soon as I see him rubbing his head or scratching his ears I give it to him, we have not had any problems since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
September Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Allergies, most likely. Could definitely be food allergies. Mine don't have any food allergies, but a few people I know cannot feed their dogs ANY grains. Good Luck with this! Agreed. Food is usually the culprit. Quote http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc124/TgrrValily/CookieMac2009pt2/siggyyayayayayay.jpg Waiting at the bridge: Buddy James, Cookie Dough, Shelby, and Mac. My angels New dog mom to dachshunds Ginger and Ruger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Just talked with my vet about this with Wayne. Wayne has food allergies which is under control but he also has seasonal allergies and stays on Benadryl all summer. For some reason, he's really bad this summer so I talked to my vet and he is having me increase the Benadryl dose as apposed to trying something else because of the safety with Benadryl. I would try your girl on Benadryl(dose depends on weight) to see if that will help. It can't hurt and chances are good it'll help Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Paw chewing is more likley food allergies, You must do what you think is best, but for me iwould get to a vet before I left town, I would feel better while I was gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Paw chewing is more likley food allergies, You must do what you think is best, but for me iwould get to a vet before I left town, I would feel better while I was gone I'm curious, why do you saw paw chewing is more likely to be a food allergy? Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) Had 2 dogs with paw chewing, had no idea what was wrong, took to vet's and was told, when dogs chew paws, food allergies, usually beef or chicken, is where to look first,( as this is the most likley, you know the old saying, when you hearthe sound of hooves, look for horses, not zeberas) and to change food, to lamb, venison, bison, or salmon, hope this helps P.S. and it worked too Edited July 10, 2009 by kydie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 It could be allergies. I'd treat it like that first and if that doesn't help, have the thyroid checked. We went through this with Gee for months, changing food, Benadryl the whole works and nothing worked. It turned out to be a low thyroid. Started her on meds and she's fine. Even growing back the hair she was losing because of all the scratching. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MAXNAV Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 A friend's grey did the chewing thing, losing fur, etc. He ended up being hypothyroid. Put on meds and did great. The itching stopped, and the chewed raw spots cleared up, as well as the hair not falling out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 A friend's grey did the chewing thing, losing fur, etc. He ended up being hypothyroid. Put on meds and did great. The itching stopped, and the chewed raw spots cleared up, as well as the hair not falling out. I would be curious to see if there was a season change at the same time ---maybe it was seasonal allergies???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MAXNAV Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I would be curious to see if there was a season change at the same time ---maybe it was seasonal allergies???? She had already had him for a few years before the chewing started. He was also gaining a ton of weight which was another indicator, drinking a little more than the norm for him, and his fur was falling out. It wasn't the undercoat shedding. He was tested for thyroid problems based on these indicators and found to be low. He was put on .8mg of thyroxine 2x day. He did great after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Allergies, most likely. Could definitely be food allergies. Mine don't have any food allergies, but a few people I know cannot feed their dogs ANY grains. Good Luck with this! Agreed. Food is usually the culprit. I don't know if I'd ssay "food is usually the culprit." Anyone have any facts on food vs. other allergies? I do not, but there are many, many dogs who have seasonal allergies. Given the time of year, I'd be way more suspicious that she's allergic to some sort of pollen than food. Give her some Benadryl, and see if that helps. Make sure it's straight Benadryl, the pink pills, and not the allergy/sinus tablets. As to the OP's friends suggesting it's normal or from bug bites--you ARE treating her with a flea/tick preventative, aren't you? Some dogs are horrible allergic to flea bites, and even one flea can cause a major reaction! So it could also be that. Don't just to the food allergy conclusion too fast--and actually, according to two vets who saw my allergic dog, food allergies are usually the protein source, not the grain! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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