Question by Felena: Anyone else’s dog ever had this problem?
My dog is a half black lab, half pit bull 1 1/2 year old gal. I took her to the vet a couple months ago trying to figure out if she had mange. the vet insisted she didn’t, and that it was a food allergy. She told me to switch her food to a different protien source and test different foods out to figure out what she was allergic to. Well, I started by eliminating chicken, and other things like corn and wheat, because I’d heard those things commonly cause problems. I’ve tested everything I feed her- I’ve even switched to a natural, home-made diet…her itching and redness never stops. I gave her Benadryl, like the vet said I could, and while she stops itching for a while I can’t tell if it’s cuz it helps or if she is just to sleepy from the pill to care.
Well, the dog is still itchy. And there are more symptoms.
Basically, her fur is thinning. Like, I can see her skin on almost any part of her body. It’s not coming out in clumps or patterns, just in general all over. And She’s itchy, and her skin is red. She’s got some little red bumps, like sores, in various places. I showed these to the vet when she was there.
The wierdest thing about this is that when we pet her now, we get little red bumps on our skin and it burns and feels itchy. I imagine that’s what my poor dog feels like all over all the time. She also become rather aggressive with most dogs which I think is related. I think she feels so messed up she just doesn’t want to be messed with. I could be wrong…
but anyway, I am making an appointment to take her to a different vet. I don’t think it’s an allergy to her food. I am doing my own research on what it could be, but I was wondering if anyone here has had the same problem with their dog? I don’t have a ton of money to throw at a vet who’ll barely take a look at her, but maybe if I can get a few ideas on what it could be we can try doing some tests for some specific problems and get it solved in less time with less money.
Thanks. i appreciate anyone taking the time to try to help us out.
Best answer:
Answer by BYB’s ? Shelter Death
It sounds like she needs some bloodwork done to see if there is anything else going on, like a thyroid problem or a systemic problem. Alopecia and skin problems are often a sign of an underlying disease process.
If the new vet can’t find anything wrong other than allergies, then she should get on the most basic food you can find (like Natural Balance fish & sweet potato) and you should also start eliminating household allergens. Carpet shampoo, febreeze, your shampoo, hair spray, or detergent & fabric softeners could all be triggering an allergic reaction.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
