Question regarding watery eyes/tear stains & food

[Lily122511]

I thought watery eyes/tear stains was cause from allergies coming from the environment like pollen, dust etc...
But can the wrong food cause this to?
Lily has always had watery eyes.
But lately she seem to have tear stains, and she seems to try and scratch her eyes.
Right now she scratched one side so bad it's raw.
and she keeps on scratching.
I don't think it's from the food because she had the watery eyes before I even started to switch her on to Fromms beef.
But the scratching seems to be more often than before.
Since I can't have her tested till she's a year old what should I do?
She is in the middle of the switch to Fromms as we speak.
Right now we are doing 1/2 cup each of the old & new.
I have been doing this very slowly like i was told to do.
And it is probably to early to even tell if it's caused by allergies to the food.
I must say the pollen count here is really bad so I'm still guess that is the cause of her watery eyes.
But I just wanted to get my facts straight here as I have so much to learn from the bully world.
Lily is my first bully and I want to do right by her.
Well she's more like my baby.

And thoughts? Advice?

 

[cowsmom]

well thats the thing it could be either or both. thats what so tricky about bullys. you can do a bland diet ie chicken or beef and rice and see if it helps if so then you know its the food or partly the food. or start weening the fromm back out like you did in and go back to old food and see if it helps the itching. if the itching gets better then you know. if not then could be environmental and you can always ween the fromm back in. welcome to the world of bullies and what if? wish i could help more but its pretty much trial an error till you can get the test done at a year of closer to it.

 

[Lily122511]

well thats the thing it could be either or both. thats what so tricky about bullys. you can do a bland diet ie chicken or beef and rice and see if it helps if so then you know its the food or partly the food. or start weening the fromm back out like you did in and go back to old food and see if it helps the itching. if the itching gets better then you know. if not then could be environmental and you can always ween the fromm back in. welcome to the world of bullies and what if? wish i could help more but its pretty much trial an error till you can get the test done at a year of closer to it.

@cowsmom,

Thanks you are a huge help to me!
Say I do the bland diet. How long would I do this for?
And if there is no change, do I slowly add the fromms & the old food back in again?
Oh my it is all very confusing sometimes lol
It really is a guessing game!
Does it matter if I use chicken or beef?
I'm not sure which one to try. I would try the beef but since she is on Fromms beef and we are having these issues should I just try the chicken instead?
So sorry for all the questions.
Like I said I'm really clueless here!

 

[cowsmom]

well i would say a few days should tell the tale up to a week. he should start easing up the itching. provided hes not allergic to chicken or beef or rice. lots of bullies have chicken allergies or just dont tolerate it well maybe try some lowfat hamburger and make it real rice i tried that microwave stuff and sarah went nutso with her allergies i guess there was something else in there that bothered her. oh hon ive been there done that and thats why we are here to help others with what we know. all of us here. and someday you will pass on what you have learned. :D

 

[Meggs19]

I just have to sympathize with you on this one! I am going through the exact same thing with my 9 month old, Tonka. He also rubs and scratches at his eyes until they are raw and red around them...and has even scratched the cornea itself about 4 times now. Nothing serious, but over time he could cause damage if he keeps doing it. I personally believe it's the environmental/outdoor allergens and not his food. He started his allergy symptoms while on one food and now we have switched him over to the Fromm Beef fritatta as well and no change in the allergy symptoms--better or worse. Plus, my vet told me if he is soley itching the eye area and sneezing/runny nose it's likely environmental. He said food allergy issues more often (not always) manifest in the form of skin/ear infections and issues and itchy paws/other areas too and bumps on the skin etc. Tonka has none of these other issues. He had tear stains before the food switch and still has them after so I really don't feel the food is the issue.

I hope you figure it out! I am on my 4th allergy med for Tonka....we just keep trying to find one that will help! My vet also told me I could put a drop of saline solution (one drop per eye) and that might help soothe and clean if they are really bothering him. Haven't tried it yet but that's something to consider perhaps. I'm still trying to see if there is a specific allergy eye drop out there for dogs. Maybe pay attention and see if Lilly seems worse after being outside or try wiping her paws and face after she is outside and see if that helps her at all. Those were some tips I was given. Just know that you aren't the only frustrated bully owner dealing with these bad allergies and scratching! I'm right there with ya! If I find something that seems to really work or figure anything else out I will let you know and if you could do the same for me that would be awesome too.

 

[Lily122511]

I just have to sympathize with you on this one! I am going through the exact same thing with my 9 month old, Tonka. He also rubs and scratches at his eyes until they are raw and red around them...and has even scratched the cornea itself about 4 times now. Nothing serious, but over time he could cause damage if he keeps doing it. I personally believe it's the environmental/outdoor allergens and not his food. He started his allergy symptoms while on one food and now we have switched him over to the Fromm Beef fritatta as well and no change in the allergy symptoms--better or worse. Plus, my vet told me if he is soley itching the eye area and sneezing/runny nose it's likely environmental. He said food allergy issues more often (not always) manifest in the form of skin/ear infections and issues and itchy paws/other areas too and bumps on the skin etc. Tonka has none of these other issues. He had tear stains before the food switch and still has them after so I really don't feel the food is the issue.

I hope you figure it out! I am on my 4th allergy med for Tonka....we just keep trying to find one that will help! My vet also told me I could put a drop of saline solution (one drop per eye) and that might help soothe and clean if they are really bothering him. Haven't tried it yet but that's something to consider perhaps. I'm still trying to see if there is a specific allergy eye drop out there for dogs. Maybe pay attention and see if Lilly seems worse after being outside or try wiping her paws and face after she is outside and see if that helps her at all. Those were some tips I was given. Just know that you aren't the only frustrated bully owner dealing with these bad allergies and scratching! I'm right there with ya! If I find something that seems to really work or figure anything else out I will let you know and if you could do the same for me that would be awesome too.

[MENTION=3445]Meggs19[/MENTION] thank you so much for your reply. It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one going through this.
I do feel completely helpless here.
She scratched herself raw again before.
So now we have 2 spots that are raw.
I keep putting Desitin on them but she keeps on scratching on & off.
I think I am going to try the bland diet to see if that gives me any clues but I really do think like in your case with Tonka (great name btw)
that it is environmental.
Even before the food switch she had watery eyes.
4th allergy med? Really, wow!
I hope you guys find peace soon. I know how frustrating this all is.
I was blessed to find this forum and wonderful people such as yourself that help one another.
Thank you for all the info.
Trust me if I find anything that could help our bullies you will be the first to know!

What do you do when Tonka scratches himself raw?

 

[rainyruth]

[MENTION=3445]Meggs19[/MENTION] thank you so much for your reply. It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one going through this.
I do feel completely helpless here.
She scratched herself raw again before.
So now we have 2 spots that are raw.
I keep putting Desitin on them but she keeps on scratching on & off.
I think I am going to try the bland diet to see if that gives me any clues but I really do think like in your case with Tonka (great name btw)
that it is environmental.
Even before the food switch she had watery eyes.
4th allergy med? Really, wow!
I hope you guys find peace soon. I know how frustrating this all is.
I was blessed to find this forum and wonderful people such as yourself that help one another.
Thank you for all the info.
Trust me if I find anything that could help our bullies you will be the first to know!

What do you do when Tonka scratches himself raw?

You can get one of those head cones from your vet, she'll prolly hate it, but it's better than her continuing to injure herself.

 

[Lily122511]

You can get one of those head cones from your vet, she'll prolly hate it, but it's better than her continuing to injure herself.

Good point..that is a good idea. I'm waiting for the vet to all me back.

 

[Lily122511]

well i would say a few days should tell the tale up to a week. he should start easing up the itching. provided hes not allergic to chicken or beef or rice. lots of bullies have chicken allergies or just dont tolerate it well maybe try some lowfat hamburger and make it real rice i tried that microwave stuff and sarah went nutso with her allergies i guess there was something else in there that bothered her. oh hon ive been there done that and thats why we are here to help others with what we know. all of us here. and someday you will pass on what you have learned. :D

[MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION] what food do you give to Sarah?
Today I started the bland diet. So we see how that goes.
Thanks for the info.

 

[cowsmom]

[MENTION=4450]Lily122511[/MENTION] well its in my blog i write each week but sarah is on canned food called daves and a freeze dried food called grandma lucys pureformance. with some lowfat hamburger and eggs thrown in sometimes. with her allergies which is another thread i have not been able to find a kibble she can eat. well one or two but im not sure bout them so i just used the canned. i forgot to mention that i have fed sarah so many kibbles that its ridiculous so if there is something you want to know bout one just ask. hon you dont have to tag me twice. you can either quote me or tag me with my name and it will alert me. :D oh i so hope he gets better. its so hard when there is something wrong and nothing you can do. it feels awful.

 

[Lily122511]

@Lily122511 well its in my blog i write each week but sarah is on canned food called daves and a freeze dried food called grandma lucys pureformance. with some lowfat hamburger and eggs thrown in sometimes. with her allergies which is another thread i have not been able to find a kibble she can eat. well one or two but im not sure bout them so i just used the canned. i forgot to mention that i have fed sarah so many kibbles that its ridiculous so if there is something you want to know bout one just ask. hon you dont have to tag me twice. you can either quote me or tag me with my name and it will alert me. :D oh i so hope he gets better. its so hard when there is something wrong and nothing you can do. it feels awful.

I'm sorry I didn't mean to tag you twice. I'm new to this whole forum thing.

 

[cowsmom]

I'm sorry I didn't mean to tag you twice. I'm new to this whole forum thing.

its not a problem we were all new once and honestly i am still learning things about this site

 

[Lily122511]

its not a problem we were all new once and honestly i am still learning things about this site

LOL yea this all so new to me. I just learned how to tag someone the other day.
May I ask you one last question..I'm sorry.
Since I started the bland diet today how often should I feed her? Twice a day? About a cup each time?
She is 16 weeks and weighs around 20 lbs so I don't know if just feeding her twice a day is enough for her.
I haven't given her anything since she ate this morning.
No treats, no nothing. I'm afraid to give her anything with her watery eyes & scratching.
I really do appreciate all your help and info.
Thanks so much.
I'm off to read your blog!

 

[cowsmom]

[MENTION=4450]Lily122511[/MENTION] well i think for puppies its 3/4 cup 3 times a day is the standard. but whatever you were doing with the kibble. its kinda hard to measure with the bland diet. lol

 

[Meggs19]

[MENTION=4450]Lily122511[/MENTION] When Tonka scratches raw spots on his face I usually just try to keep the area clean and then I put a little Neosporin on the raw parts to prevent infection. Not sure what else I can do for him either. I just let them scab over and heal and try to discourage him from scratching if I see him doing it. I have heard that in addition to a cone you can try putting socks on his feet but I can't with Tonka because he LOVES socks and would eat them right off haha. I also just bought a nail grinder in hopes that I can keep them really dulled down to help not cause too many scratches if he does itch while i'm not home. I can let you know if that helps!