My Dog Has Allergies

[gsdlover]

I have an 18 month old German Shepherd who has allergies around her mouth. I have taken her to the vet once regarding this and the vet gave me some pills to give her. That cured the problem for a while, but now she is scratching again. I use stainless steel bowls to feed her. I even tried to change her food thinking she may have an allergy to the dog food. I normally feed her Pedigree. I tried switching her to Iams Lamb and Rice, but it made her sick so I switched her back to Pedigree.

The reason I believe she has allergies is because the corners of her mouth appear to be a little puffy and their is a small area just under her nose on both sides that is pinkish in color. This is where she scratches a lot; however, she has not scratched hard enough to cause bleeding yet. Since I have already tried changing her food, I am not sure what to try next other than taking her back to the vet for more meds.

I would appreciate any suggestions anyone might have as to what I can do about this other than constantly giving her meds. Thanks.

[Rottielover]

Try a high quality diet with no corn, or white rice.
Natural balance, or canadie, or wellness. They all make formulas specially for allergies, as well you feed your dog less.

[nymph]

Identify allergens that cause your pet to suffer allergy is extremely difficult and time consuming. Do a google search on 'canine allergy' and start reading.

My golden pup also appears to suffer allergy, either inhalant or food allergy, we are not sure yet, but are waiting on a canine allergy specialist. Allergy testing could help you to find cause of allergy, but it's often non-conclusive. Process of elimination usually works best to identify the culprit.

[dogs-n-me]

As the others stated, start with a better food. Try a more natural one without corn and the other crap. Both Iams, and Pedigree, are something I would not feed my dog. Do a web search on canine allergies, more likely food, due to the mouth problem, and don't forget that you probably are giving your dog treats too. Lamb and rice is not reliable as an allergy food alternative as it is in too many things we now give our pets. You could do an emilimantion diet,but that takes great control, and you have to be thorough. You also might want to take a look at her water? It's a tough one to pinpoint, but worth it, if you think how much better she will feel once clear of this. There are a lot of natural, or holistic remedies you can try too before you give her a pill from the vet. Good luck

[Dog Dancer]

If you try better quality foods it will probably help, but, make sure you keep the label of ingredients from the package and put the name and type (ie: fish & potato, lamb & rice) on the label as well. That way once you have given the food a month or two to show results if it isn't working you can look at another food and compare ingredients. You can also write down what type of reaction your pet had with that brand. I've found that it's handy to keep these as it gives me a point of reference. We found that many brands use chicken fat as a moisturizer and my dog is allergic to poultry. Even lamb and rice brands use poultry fats if you don't watch. The vet will tell you that most dogs don't react to the poultry fat as the protein is removed, but for us that was not the case, we still had the reactions. So just a word of advice for you from someone who has been there and is actively going through the process still. We are now trying a vegetarian diet as all meat proteins seem to bother Halo. Good luck, it's not an easy process but your dog will thank you.

[GsdDiamond]

Gee...been there...done that!

My little 18 month old darling has allergies too! Hers are seasonal though...not food related as I first thought.

I've found the best food to feed my GSD is Nutro Lamb & Rice. Stay away from that Pedigree and Iams filler junk. Mix in about 3 tablespoons of good quality yoghurt (with active bacteria) once per day. That'll help cut down on ear infections caused by the allergies.

You can give your dog (straight from my Vet's mouth BTW) Chlor-Triplon tablets... 4 mg strength. I give one in the morning (wrapped in a morsel of cheese), one at supper time (also in cheese) and one at bed time (yup...in cheese!). Make sure you do NOT use Chlor-Triplon with any medicines in it for colds. Human cold medication can be deadly to dogs!!! I'm talking plain old pills for allergies.....no nothing else in them.

Do start feeding your GSD the better food as soon as possible. You'll find she'll eat less and her coat will start looking nice and fine. She'll also shed just a little less too! (like it's possible for a GSD to shed just a little!!!) Her poops will also become less in size and when she passes wind, you won't want to run for the nearest window!!!!

Let us know how your girl is doing!!!

[.sarah]

My dog has ear infections related to allergies to meat. I feed her Natural Balance brand Sweet Potato and Fish.

Pedigree is a low quality food. Basically, if you see it in WalMart, don't feed it to your dog.

[Rottielover]

Harley had major hot spots due to some kind of allergy. Put him on natural Balance. chicken, duck, lamb formula, and it is amazing