Labrador with allergies

[sunshine_sieben]

Hi,
last time I took our almost 6 year old yellow lab to the vet because of an ear infection, the vet pointed out that it looks like he has some problems with allergies as he had some irritated skin, mainly around his front feet.
Lately this seems to have gotten a lot worse and he scratches a lot. We regularly give him flea treatment and the usual, wormers etc. So I don't think it's parasitic.
He has started chewing his legs raw. He also scratches around his eyes, sometimes making his "eyebrows" bleed.
We've had to keep a bucket on his head to let it all heal up. But as you might know, these things are not only uncomfortable for the dog, they are also lethal for us. I can't let the kids play with him at all.

The vet's only suggestion was to book an appointment with a canine dermatologist. Didn't even know that existed. Unfortunately we are doing it very tough at the moment, so high vet bills are just not possible.

Does anyone know what we can do to relieve allergies?

ETA: I should add that we have checked our yard for plants that commonly irritate dogs. We do have wandering dew and are trying to keep it in check although it keeps coming back.

[Rivlas]

Our JR is allergic to frontline so I now use exelpet. She had a rash on her tummy, changed the flea stuff and it's gone. Could there be some grasses causing the problem?

[Phteven]

Have you started using any new products in your house or a new food? If it's worse lately it might be something that you have introduced to your home lately.
You can get hypo-allergenic foods. Making sure your vacuum filters are cleaned often (same as for asthma). Oatmeal bath might help.

My cat is allergic - she gets all watery eyed in spring. I think it's kind of wierd that a cat has allergies - I thought they were meant to cause them not suffer from them.

[~Kim~]

Our terrier was allergic to grass I know...what a stupid allergy for a dog. He needed to be on cortisone for his in tablet form.

[sunshine_sieben]

Thanks for your input, girls.
He's an outside dog.
No idea how I should give him an oatmeal bath... he's ginormous and heavy and not exactly cooperative ;-)
The Frontline angle is worth looking into. We use Advocate. Maybe that's when it started getting worse.
I think the heat and humidity are not helping him either at the moment although he has a large shady patio area (it's often the coolest part of the house. That area also has flyscreen all around it (it's more like a sunroom), so midgies and mozzies are at a minimum - not when he goes outside, of course.
It could be grasses. That was one of my first thoughts as we noticed it at the start of spring and because it's around his feet mainly. We've kept the lawn very short to keep that at a minimum, not sure what else to do, short of paving the whole yard....
There has not been a change in food at the time when it first started. But we have very recently changed to a cheaper one (we used to buy Eukanuba and just can't afford it anymore). No improvement or worsening since the change over. So I don't think it's caused by the food.

Thanks so much for the input. Keep it coming!

[sunshine_sieben]

Kim, what was the process of his diagnosis?

[christy]

Hi, I worked in vet hospitals for oh 13 years? Our labrador also had allergies to a certain dirt near our house in QLD as well as Wandering Jew.. its a weed and sometimes an ornamental garden shrub. 90% of dogs are allergic to it.

When an allergy is on the legs/feet, its often an allergy to a grass/dirt/shrub that they walk through often. Oatmeal baths soothe the feet, but won't help long term. A cortisone cream can help as well, but being a labrador they often lick it all off....

Our labrador outgrew the issue when she was 2 years old. I did have to use cortisone when it got bad, and often would give her baths in a solution that has chlorhexadine in it to get rid of everything on her skin, I would set up a shell pool, fill it with a soapy solution with chlorhexidine and feed her one kibble at a time for a few minutes while splashing around her feet....

HTH!

[sunshine_sieben]

Thanks Christy,
I hope ours grows out of it...
The idea with the shell pool is good. Will see if I can get one of those.
As I mentioned above, we do have some wandering jew. I try keeping on top of it, ripping out new shoots all the time. But I can't seem to stop it from coming back. It's pesky stuff.

He never seemed to have a problem before. It's only the last year or two. And he also keeps getting ear infections... Or maybe it just wasn't as bad and we didn't notice.

[christy]

I have a way to get rid of wandering jew..... chickens!!! Ours have eradicated it from our yard.... do you know anyone with chickens who will lend you them for a few weeks? They will dig up the roots and get rid of it.

The ear infections are another symptom of allergies.... mainly the contact sort

ETA: I forgot to add, humidity makes it all worse. Especially the ears. Skin issues which cause a moist like symptom on the skin, can become yeast infections very quickly.... most ear infections are yeast based. If you get something called 'Malaseb; it is a shampoo with the chlorhexidine in it. If you dilute it 1:40 you can use it as an ear wash to help kill that yeast in the ears and you can use it in the bath for his feet as well! We used it on our lab and for ears to prevent ear infections.

HTH!

[sunshine_sieben]

Christy,
That is sooo funny that you just said that. i was just looking into the idea of renting some chickens with a pen for a month or so, just for some education for the kids. Unfortunately, on the Gold Coast, we are not allowed any chickens in the backyard in properties smaller than 800 square metres. I doubt ours is that big. Our yard is pretty big, but not quite that big. I'd be willing to just keep them illegally for a while, though.
Would be a great way to get rid of our lawn grubs, too.

Yes, I know, the humidity is a killer. And it's been shocking, here on the Gold Coast. That's why having a bucket on his head is a double-edged sword: it gives his legs a chance to heal, but it makes his ears so much more prone to infections because of the reduced airflow around his head. Plus, it must be soooo uncomfortable.

Last time he was at the vet for his ears, he actually had to have a operation. His ears must have been so itchy that he was shaking and scratching them so much, that one of them blew up like a balloon. They did a test of the discharge in the ear and from memory it was a bacteria, not a yeast. We clean his ears out every other day to keep it in check. But it seems like we're fighting a losing battle.

Mmmm, I have some more chicken questions for you, but I might open a new thread for that and post the link in here.

[~Kim~]

SS I wish I could tell you but it was so long ago I can't remember. Hope he gets some relief soon.

[sunshine_sieben]

Thanks to everyone for our replies. The bucket is doing the trick. His legs have healed up and the hair is growing back. I've also been to a large pet shop where they've suggested something called "Stop-itch lotion". And I went and bought a clam shell pool. So I've been doing the routine with him, also carefully brushing him to get rid of all the dead undercoat. He seems a lot more comfortable now. I'm not quite game enough to take the bucket off completely, but I did for his dinner and he didn't even attempt to scratch anything. Well, he was too busy with his beef tongue.
I have also changed his diet to mostly raw food. I know that they say to make changes like this gradually. But I thought, as I had been giving him meaty bones and offal a couple of times a week anyway, I could make the switch quicker.
We'll see whether that will help.
Having very humid days with 45 degrees (in the sun), doesn't help, though.

Thanks for everyone's tips. I guess when the vet was so unhelpful and only suggested a dermatologist, I lost hope. When I told him that we could not afford it, he just gave me this judgmental look...

Sasa

[sunshine_sieben]

Christy,
Now look what you have started! I have been utterly obsessed with wanting to get some chickens since your post about them eating wandering jew. Not really for their weed control effect, but just in general.