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My dog has allergies and I don't know what to do?

I got my first dog two years ago, she's 7, and I was told by my vet that she has skin allergies. They didn't do any kind of tests, but they said it's probably caused from outside pollen. Zero medicine helps, the only time she has relief is when she on steroids for a short time. I bath her A LOT, which I think is causing dandruff. She's the kind of dog that like to be outside and roll around in the grass. I'm not sure what else I can do to help her skin.

She's a pitbull mix, which I know is a dog prone to allergies

5 Answers

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Erica M.

There are allergy tests that can tell exactly what your dog is allergic to. I would recommend getting a second opinion from a different Veterinarian. There are so many different dog medications for allergies. Granted it is a trial an error process to find the best medcation that works for your dog but if you hang in there comes relief for your puppy. Best of Luck!

P.S, -Be careful with bathing her a lot. That will dry out her skin which will also cause her to itch. You should also give your dog fish oil pills which will help conditon her coat and skin ( it also helps with her joints)

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Karen R.

Book a Stay
Chicago, IL

To actually find out what your dog is allergic to, you will need to take her to a dermatologist.

I didn't want my dog on steroids and saw no results on other dogs from Apoquel. However, the Cytopoint shot works like magic. It is a biologic and not a steroid. My dog stopped itching and licking his paws immediately. The shot is given every 4-6 weeks, although we go longer now between shots, especially in winter.

I worked on his allergies, changing foods, making his food, and using a zillion different supplements, for years without any improvement.

Malaseb shampoo was recommended and that's what we've been using for at least 4 years.

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Renee B.

I found a good vet who helped me get allergy testing and give shots to my dog. I hated paying for apoquel constantly and trying to figure out what he was allergic to. Turns out he was allergic to a lot of things. The shots were expensive but he got better. The company was spectrum vet and they give you a list of foods that don’t contain the dogs allergies.

I had another vet tell me you can trial and error foods and get the same results but that never happened and it’s because my dog was allergic to a lot of things in dog food.

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Patricia V.

My vet recommended cutting a 25mg Benadryl tablet and break it in half and give it to her in a pill chew. It really helps.

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Kelly L.

I’ve had pit bulls all my life and almost all of them had problems with allergies. First of all I agree that simple inexpensive Benedryl worked well for almost every one who was allergic. However if you want it to work there’s an exact formula for the correct amount of mg of Benadryl by the amount in pounds your dogs weighs. Just google it and just make sure you pick a reputable website. Make sure you’re consistent in giving the correct dose at the correct time. I had to figure this one with my very first and back then there were a lot of conflicting opinions and we didn’t have the money for all the expensive testing and repeat visits for no results so I figured it out myself. So for my poor baby that only got partial relief from the Benadryl I changed their diet to a corn free with a lot less additives dog food and worked like a charm. And a no people food rule (hard for the kids!) Back in the day I actually bought it from our Amish neighbor. But I could always tell when our new dogs came scratching rashes raw hair loss. The benedryl was the instant relief and the food healing. I’ve seen it help a rescue grow back a completely healthy coat on his legs and tail that the vet said was permanently damaged. I do want to give you an important budget tip regarding the food. You can get the kind of food I’m talking about without having to sell your soul to the vet or internet in order to find it. When I decided to change my food we had 3 kids 5 dogs and a tight budget. I was lucky to have neighbors who actually made their own and didn’t mind after I researched the ingredients customized it for me. I think they tried or actually use my recipe. And still were 1/3 cheaper than the other stuff. Then we moved and I struggled to find an affordable replacement. I went to the mill it didn’t have corn but it didn’t come close to the other one. I was talking about it at work and my coworker said have you tried the hardware stores. She said her husband has prize winning hunting dogs he breeds trains and sells and he buys their food at a hardware store. I’d never even heard of that but I definitely wanted to check it out. I did have to go to a couple before I found one that catered to year round hunting but they carried a few different kinds of food I had never heard of aimed at high performance hunting dogs. I read ingredients and found a corn free one with close to everything I was looking for. And for some reason hunting dog food in regular hardware stores is always affordable in my experience. So there’s my healthy food affordable price tip. I suggest you try this with the ... (more)

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