Guest my3greys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 My Spencer has such bad allergies. He just chews and chews on his feet and legs. We have taken him to allergist and just back to our vet few weeks ago. He was on a yeast medication this time but it has done no good. We give him antihistamines dailey. I guess the grass is the culprit because it is worse in spring, summer and fall..not so bad in winter. Drives us crazy watching him itch so bad. He also has lupus and has toenail issues, but that is under control now with meds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 What are you giving him for the allergies? Is it a script or otc? 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...
Batmom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Can't answer for all dogs. My foot chewer turned out to be allergic to fish and fish oil. Removed those from his diet, problem disappeared. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3greys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 What are you giving him for the allergies? Is it a script or otc? It is over the counter prescribed by the allergest. It is called chlorpheniramine......the giant orders it in in large quanity for us. It is mild and can be given up to three times a day... Can't answer for all dogs. My foot chewer turned out to be allergic to fish and fish oil. Removed those from his diet, problem disappeared. I sure hope he is not allergic to that, since he takes 8 fish oil capsules a day for his lupus!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 It is over the counter prescribed by the allergest. It is called chlorpheniramine......the giant orders it in in large quanity for us. It is mild and can be given up to three times a day My vet said this one was not that good on skin issues. Both Isaac and Mizzy take Clemastine Fumarate that I buy by the 100 from Allivet. This is the first year Isaac has been on grass in life I believe. He started getting bad around July. I've found that I need to get the lawn guy to cut the grass very short. Even Mizzy, who has been here two years, is a little red. She has not needed any more than the allergy pills, but Isaac has a spray and is taking pred every other day. I have an acupuncture treatment scheduled for him in a few weeks. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3greys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I will ask my vet about that,,,thanks,,he has to be careful because of the lupus as to meds he takes. He cannot even get vaccinations or rabies shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest luckydog Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 First thing to do is find out what the dog is allergic to. Then eliminate/reduce it from their diet/environment. I had one dog (not a grey) that was allergic to tick bites, so eliminating *that* was easy. He was also allergic to grass, so that meant wiping down his legs every time we can back from a walk, plus weekly shots. It's manageable, but you have to know what you are fighting first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 We just had to have Gee at the vet because her ears and face get red and itchy from allergies. She scratched her ear so hard she got a huge hematoma in the ear flap. We started her on pred and that stopped the itching. We had her ear drained and it's healed nicely. She only gets this way in the Spring and Fall when the pollen is at it's worst. 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...
Burpdog Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Ragweed is extreme here and has been for 4 weeks (high elm just ended). I think I'll try the washing feet when he comes in -- he goes out so many times and is a little skitzy (my sensitive clueless boy ) so not sure how long that can last before he flips out. Both Isaac and Pablo get red ears if fed chicken so no chicken for them. Mizzy's allergies are a little better this year. Maybe in time..... Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 3greysinPA Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Figgy has the same issues.... his feet are red and he just chews on them and chews on them... i have been giving him benadryl... but i hate to give him it every day... and we have been trying to change some foods around too... but we have had no luck... he is still chewing and biting his feet... they are very red... any suggestions for Figgy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3greys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 First thing to do is find out what the dog is allergic to. Then eliminate/reduce it from their diet/environment. I had one dog (not a grey) that was allergic to tick bites, so eliminating *that* was easy. He was also allergic to grass, so that meant wiping down his legs every time we can back from a walk, plus weekly shots. It's manageable, but you have to know what you are fighting first. As I said, we had him to a specialist few years ago. Due to his lupus, we opted out of having the skin tests done. We did the food trials and nothing changed. So we can only asssume it is outside allergy and most likely the grasses. It is just nothing he has taken has helped a great deal. I was hoping the antihistimines would help some, but not this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 3greysinPA Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Come to think of it.. when we first got Figgy is was early spring.. no grass here yet.. and he didnt have this problem... it flared up over the summer.. would it be safe to say it is summer time allergies and the grass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 More than likely. Forgot to mention that both Isaac and Mizzy are on benedryl every day too. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Probably summer and fall allergies. Other than giving the benadryl, you can try having a bucket by the back door and putting his feet in it before he comes in or get him some booties to go outside in. 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 SoulsMom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Archie was the same way . . .he was allergic to bermuda grass and chewed his feet raw. He ended up having to have an allergy shot every six weeks to keep it under control, but I hated doing that. If you think the culprit is grass, maybe try getting a paw plunger and washing his feet thoroughly each time he comes in from outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Archie was the same way . . .he was allergic to bermuda grass and chewed his feet raw. This year I didn't treat the yard so all the grasses grew choking out a lot of the St. Augustine. I think I have both bermuda and baha. Shoot Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SoulsMom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Diane, when we moved to Denton, TX that's when his allergies finally cleared up. My yard was all St Augustine (at first I thought it was crabgrass ) In hindsight, Archie also had very little fur on his belly, and that filled in too once we got away from the bermuda grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest luckydog Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 First thing to do is find out what the dog is allergic to. Then eliminate/reduce it from their diet/environment. I had one dog (not a grey) that was allergic to tick bites, so eliminating *that* was easy. He was also allergic to grass, so that meant wiping down his legs every time we can back from a walk, plus weekly shots. It's manageable, but you have to know what you are fighting first. As I said, we had him to a specialist few years ago. Due to his lupus, we opted out of having the skin tests done. We did the food trials and nothing changed. So we can only asssume it is outside allergy and most likely the grasses. It is just nothing he has taken has helped a great deal. I was hoping the antihistimines would help some, but not this year. If my memory serves me right, I didn't have skin tests done--it was done from blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IHeartDogs Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Sounds like Spencer has seasonal allergies. My Weimaraner has terrible allergies, especially in the fall, and have tried 2 different prescribed meds (chlorpheniramine and hydrozaxine) both didnt work very well, but what did work greayt is Genesis spray from the vet. A large bottle is around $30. Hope he feels better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 3greysinPA Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 More than likely. Forgot to mention that both Isaac and Mizzy are on benedryl every day too. How much benadryl daily? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheUnrulyHound Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Stepper has this issue too, red raw feet and itchy ears too. I have the genesis spray, have changed his food, I rinse his feet (which seems to make it worse, as does rain and dew on the grass) he has been on two capsules of benadryl twice daily for a few weeks and that does nothing at all. It gets better when it is dry, but since we have only had him for spring and summer I do not know if the cold weather makes any difference. The most difference I see is from the genesis spray but it is not enough to make it go away. When I had him at a vending event someone came over and said their hound had the same problem and described exactly how Steppers feet were and what they reacted to. She recommended bathing more often, rinsing feet and dipping them in a solution of water and vinegar??? I have not tried that yet as I do not know how much vinegar, nor have I heard that anywhere else. She said that her dog had a type of yeast infection and the treatment the vet had her do (pills shots I don't remember) did not make a difference. Soooooooo I don't quite know what to do about it either. Three of my hounds (Stepper included) are due for kennel cough vaccines so he will go to the vet for a skin scraping next week... or whatever they need to do I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3greys Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and hints. I will ask my vet about this genesis spray. We just finished pills for a possible yeast infection but they did not do anything. Being he has immune issues with lupus, this will probably be an uphill battle because he cannot take certain meds. It does feel better to know others are going thru the same thing as we are, or rather as our hounds are.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 (edited) I upped Isaac's benedryl to 3 twice a day which is what he should get for his weight, he's on 2 tavist1 a day (the generic as mentioned) and pred every other day. I have tried cream and it just makes him lick more. I too, have the genisis spray and use it on the days he doesn't have pred. Keeping the grass short is the only thing that helps him. After all the years and all the money I've spent to grow grass......arrrghhhh.... Vet did scraping when I took him in and nothing. He's been here since last October and this started in June or July. Edited October 9, 2009 by Burpdog Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IHeartDogs Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and hints. I will ask my vet about this genesis spray. We just finished pills for a possible yeast infection but they did not do anything. Being he has immune issues with lupus, this will probably be an uphill battle because he cannot take certain meds. It does feel better to know others are going thru the same thing as we are, or rather as our hounds are.... The genesis spray is a very very low/safe dose of prednisone, which I recall is okay to use with lupus. Good luck and hope he gets better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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