I’ve spent at least $1,500 on vet bills and medication, trying to solve these problems that are plaguing my poor 1y/o Pitbull, Clover. She’s the sweetest dog and absolutely loves everyone and everything. It hurts me so much to see her in such constant discomfort and annoyance.
She’s been on a hypoallergenic food diet for 2 months, steroids, gets bi-weekly anti-microbial baths w/ “itch-relieving” conditioner. She’s been through a trial of 3 antihistamines. She also had 3 applications of Revolution, 2 weeks apart, in the possible treatment of scabies, if that is what she had. She’s having Fish Oil, Antioxidants, Yucca, and just finished antibiotics for like the third round due to secondary infections. I’m also just starting to apply Tea Tree Oil to all the rash spots. I don’t have high hopes, but it’s something I haven’t tried yet, so I’ll keep doing it.
So far, there has been absolutely no light at the end of this tunnel. Even the steroids show absolutely no improvement. She has bald ears, arms, and eyes. She’s semi-bald on the top of her head and neck as well. This is all due to rubbing and kicking. Sometimes I literally have to tackle her to get her to stop. We can’t leave her alone, even for 10 minutes, because we’ll come home to a bloody mess, literally. We take shifts watching her so someone is home with her at all times.
She has red spots all along her abdomen, belly, back, forearms, all four armpits, back of the ears, I mean basically…everywhere except her back and tail. This led my skin specialist vet to believe that it’s most likely not a flea allergy, but a food, contact, or inhaled allergy. Days after we stop the antibiotics, she develops pimples on her abdomen. She’s constantly licking her forearms, and chewing the knees on her hind legs. Constantly shaking her head, rubbing her face and body on carpets/beds/people. Constantly kicking her legs (as if being rubbed on a sweet spot.) I saw a video on the ‘Pinna-Pedal’ reflex, in which it usually means scabies, but she’s been treated for it, and definitely has that reflex. (When you rub her ears, she kicks her legs.)
She has been tested for mites, ringworm, and thyroid problems. Her bowel movements are normal consistency, but sometimes fairly frequent. She can have anywhere from 3-5 bowel movements a day. This is a clue that hinted my Skin Vet into thinking it is a Food Allergy. I can tell she’s very anxious, but then again, I assume its due to the constant agony she’s going through. I take her on daily walks, and long ones, to burn off that extra negative energy. Those seem to help a lot.
I guess the question is, could it be a food allergy even though she’s on a *strict* hypoallergenic diet of Rabbit and Potatoes? Has there ever been a case where these hypoallergenic foods don’t solve the problem, yet a food allergy still exists? Would anyone recommend a home-cooked diet with simple and/or raw ingredients?
Does anyone have any other ideas as to what it could possibly be? I’m desperate for any advice, I’ve been scouring the internet for months, researching what it could possibly be. I’m trying very hard to avoid the 700 dollar allergy test that apparently has false positives and only a 60-70% success rate, but if that’s the next step, then I guess I’ll find a way to pay for it. If you need any more information, please feel free to ask.
Thank you so much in advance for spending the time reading this. I appreciate it a lot, and so does my doggy, Clover. <333
- Charlie and Clover.
