Question by kitzbits: Has anyone’s dog been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis? Success with treatment?
My 4 yr old dobie mix “Rommel” had the skin test done for allergies . He was allergic to many different grasses, trees, dusts, molds, etc. He started Atopica/cyclosporin, alergy shots, anti-histamine and an anti-fungal in early July. He has now lost 3/4 of his coat, developed tremors in the extremities and papillomas (warts/pimples) all over. The dermatologist prescribed a second round of tapered steroids…no improvement.

Since he is not improving and the side effects of cyclosporin are obvious I was considering going the holistic route….which would be to stop everything and start from scratch. I just started him on a strictly raw meat (Drawins) diet. Has anyone delt with this diagnosis before? taken the holistic route? Being in the medical field myself(w/ humans), I fully understand the immunological response…but Rommel is looking like an end-stage cancer patient.

Best answer:

Answer by chihuahualady264
I have dealt with it many times! the steroids themselves do not help if the dog is still in contact with the allergens. You need to have actual Allergen shots made specifically for him that cover the what he is allergic too. This will run you about 200.00, but when you factor in all you have spent already it is worth it.

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Question by SmallVoiceInBigWorld: Is Fronline flea treatment working for your pet(s)?
I’ve struggled for months with finding the reason & cure for my dogs persistent scratching, licking & chewing, thinking it couldn’t possibly be flea allergy because I was using the trusted Frontline treatment on her. Even the vet told me it was either food allergies or something she comes in contact with outside. When a change of diet didn’t cure it, I paid a high price for routine allergy shots. When that didn’t work I changed vets only to learn their office had been swamped with clients with the same problem & apparently fleas had become resistant to Frontline so this vet now offers Comfortis flea treatment, which I’m going to try when my dog is due her next flea treatment. If you search this Frontline question on Y Q&A, you’ll find members claiming Frontline hasn’t been working as far back as a year! What a waste of money & such unnecessary extended discomfort for these pets!
Anyone else here having the same problem with Frontline? If so, what have you found to work best for your pet(s)?
Considering ‘mcally’s answer, I wonder if only fleas in certain areas have become resistant to Frontline? Or perhaps a defective batch of Frontline was shipped to certain areas? I never had a problem like this in the 10 years I’ve used Frontline but’s it’s definitely a problem among pet owners now, here in Missouri.

Best answer:

Answer by mcally
I have heard that people are having the same problem BUT my dogs are flea free on Frontline. As long as it works for me I’ll keep using it.

I live in NC, so you may be on to something

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Question by Barb: What is a good non-toxic flea treatment for geriatric cats?
I have two white cats that are 14 years old, brother and sister, and I have had them since they were 6 weeks old. They are indoor cats and the only time they are outdoors is when they go to the vet in their carriers. They have developed a flea problem and a skin allergy from the fleas. I dont want to use a toxic flea spray on them especially the male since his skin is more sensitive. The vet gave me frontline but it had a lot of pesticides and worm medicine in it that they absorbed thru the skin. They werent supposed to have any kind of reaction but they both had very bad reactions both physically and mentally and it took several months for them to return to normal. They have developed fleas again but I dont know how since they are never outside and again the vet wants to put a spray on them that contains pyrethins which I am very leary of doing. Can someone tell me if there is an herbal or natural spray or shampoo out there without pesticides that I could use on them? I have been shampooing them every week in an Oatmeal shampoo with aloe vera in it and putting hydrocortisone cream on the worst places which helps with the itching. My vet assures me that there will be no adverse effects with the flea spray and the shampoo but I just have a bad feeling about them. The brand names are Mal-A-Ket Shampoo and Ovitrol Plus Flea, Tick & Bot Spray for Dogs, Cats & Horses. The reviews say that the fumes can adversely affect adult cats from the spray so why would you use it on them and to use it in an open environment. You cant do that if they are indoor cats. Hope someone knows of something else I can use on them that will be non-toxic and hypoallergenic for their skins. Thanking in advance for your replies.
Dont want to use any of the flea drops that are absorbed through the skin. Used frontline plus and nearly killed them. Does anyone know of a natural or herbal flea treatment that has no pesticides or pyrinthines in it.

Best answer:

Answer by Cher
the best bet is to use frontline plus for cats and wash everything in your house with hot water and and soap

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Question by Paige: Doggy with allergies!!! Treatment? Prevention? Diagnosis? HELP!?
I have Brittney Spaniel that is 10 months old and started having an allergy problem about 3 months ago. He gets red streaks on the bottoms of his ear flaps and he gets a small rash around his right eye. We have tried every type of food possible from changing the protein -> taking out the soy, corn and whey -> then going down to just a 5 ingredient dog food that just has venison, flaxseed, 2 types of rice and sunflower oil in it and nothing is changing so I don’t think it’s food related. We then thought maybe it was dust and hair build up in our apartment that our old vacuum was just not picking up. So we got a new vacuum and low and behold we picked up 4 canisters worth of hair and dust from our carpet (OMG nasty I know and it’s only a 2 bedroom apartment!) I couldn’t believe it so I thought maybe that’s it. Well he is still scratching at his eye but his ears actually look a lot better! So will his eye get better or is there something else that we are not doing???

Also we are giving our dog Benadryl (1mg per pound) but how many times a day can you give it to them? right now I am only giving him one dose in the morning and one dose at night

FYI we cleaned and vacuumed our house topped to bottom on Sunday so it’s only been a couple of day.

Best answer:

Answer by greenday.spongebob
nothing thata you can do but take it to the doctor.

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Question by Mackenzie: Treatment for Lab’s skin allergies/blisters?
My 3 year old Lab has been diagnosed with allergies by her vet. When she has a reaction she will break out in a small area with blisters/sores. The last time she had this happen it was caused by her food and the breakouts were around her mouth. We switched food awhile back and she had been doing good until a few days ago when I noticed these same blisters on one of her elbows.
I love my dog very much but just cannot afford to take her back to vet at this time. Can anyone suggest a way to treat her at home? With home remedies or over-the-counter medicine?

Best answer:

Answer by alexis88883
I would start on a very limited diet for the dog and slowly add things to it, one ingredient at a time so you can isolate the problem foods.

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