AmStaff cross with Allergies

[MaggieJessie]

Hi folks. I have a 7 year old female AmStaff cross who suffers from mystery allergies. We have tried all different types of food, and found she does best on purina one lamb and rice, have changed all her bowls to stainless steel, stopped giving her treats, no plastic toys, tried benedryl and chlorotriplon and brewer's yeast. Still, her rashes and the licking keep coming back. It doesn't seem seasonal and it eases at different times during the year, but with nothing in particular that has changed. She does well with the steroids, but it comes back about a week after she is off them. She has been tested for mange and it was negative, but did a long round of antibiotics anyway. Does anyone have any more suggestions? Thanks,

[Dr Lee]

For chronic allergies which are responsive to steroids: Atopica is a wonderful option for most pets. It is much safer than steroids and works well. I have many patients itch-free on this medication. The main draw back is initial cost. After the initial induction, the medication is tapered, often to once every three days, and the cost becomes more manageable. This medication also helps reduce the need for chronic, recurrent use of antibiotics.

www.atopica.com

There are a couple of posts here regarding this medication.

[mummummum]

You could do much better with a better quality of food. I've got multiple food allergies and sensitivities in my household and went through just about every holistic kibble on the market. Currently my gang is eating Orijen fish with tremendous success on the dining delight and digestion scale. It's best to stick to a single source of protein where you suspect food allergies and winnow them out as you go along. There is alot of discussion about food and allergies in our food forum, you might want to do a "search" there to see what others have tried in the past or post a question.

Dumb question maybe but does she have fleas and could she have an allergy to fleas and/or do you live in an area plagued with sand fleas ?

[MaggieJessie]

Thanks everyone. I have tried all types of dog foods (through the vet and holistic varieties) months at a time and she is still irritated. We did test for fleas and the vet didn't find any evidence of such.

I will discuss the Atopica option with my vet.

Many thanks again.

[rainbow]

I would be interested to know what premium/holistic brands of dog food you have tried.

[MaggieJessie]

All, thanks for your replies. We have removed all of the carpeting in our house, and over a period of a few days, my dog's allergies have disappeared. I guess there is a lot of chemicals in carpeting and the treatments and that is what she was apparently allergic to. Just thought I would send the update.