Help Needed! Allergies, Hives and Water eyes! Oh My!

DaisyMaisy

New member
Apr 26, 2013
2
0
Bulldog(s) Names
Daisy
I need some help for our almost 2-year old English Bulldog, Daisy. She has HORRIBLE allergies, and breaks out in hives, has watery eyes, scratches everywhere. Nothing seems to help; we have changed her food (Blue Buffalo Sensitives formula), tried homeopathic drops and oatmeal baths, added Omega 3 fatty acids to her food, and eliminated any detergents from our home. There are no plants nearby that she can get into, just grass in the backyard. She also rarely gets any people food, occassionally some bananas or yogurt in her food dish if her tummy is upset.
When we take her to the vet, they just give her prednisone for a few days and tell us to continue with Benadryl 25 mg twice a day, which doesn't seem to do any good! As soon as the steroids wear off, her allergies come back.
I am at a loss and have no idea what to do for her anymore. She just seems miserable. I hate having her on the Benadryl because a) it doesn't do anything and b) it makes her so lethargic she can't be my spunky little girl :(
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what might help her? I've seen numerous posts about homeopathic regimens helping, but I just don't know. I really appreciate your help!!

Thanks,
Leslie
 

linwhite

New member
Sep 24, 2012
605
26
Tallahassee, FL
Bulldog(s) Names
Guido Zamboni - EB, Zoltan - Shortybull, Zeva - Frenchie
It may be the food or the grass in the yard or pollen in the air.... Benadryl should be 1 mg per pound of dog. so you need a bigger dose unless she only weighs 25 pounds.

Try a grain free food and something without chicken or white potatoes in it. Blue generally has both of those thing s in it. Remember that things like alfalfa and flax seed and any herbs are grasses and might be part of the problem.

I had a dog (Zelda, RIP) who pretty much had the problems outlined above. The only thing I could feed her and not get an allergic reaction was Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream. It has no grasses, grains or herbs in it. When I started her on that along with adding vinegar to her water (about one teaspoon per gallon) her skin and yeast problem vet visits went down to just a couple of times per year. None of the bullies I currently have skin issues at all although my EB needs a couple of benadryl when the pollen count is high.

There are other OTC Allergy meds you can give a dog too but I don't know the correct dosage on them. Someone else might.

Other folks have had luck with other foods too. Fromms is a favorite here but is not available where I live. When trying new foods I prefer to purchase locally because generally, open bags can be returned to the store for a refund. TOTW is not sold at Petco or Petsmart, only locally owned store. I get mine at Pet Supermarket. Tractor Supply also carries it.
 

RiiSi

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 30, 2011
5,014
535
Sysmä
Country
Finland
Bulldog(s) Names
Taisto, Kylli, Salli, Angel-Usko and Angel-Voitto
In some cases dogs can be allergic to mites that are found in all dry food, so no kibble will work. My suggestion is raw food. When you start it the way it should, cold turkey and even with turkey...see if her symptoms go away. Then add one ingredient at the time and see if she reacts. You will found out her allergens at the same time and I'm sure she will get better, if not totally free of allergies. Some of them could be enviromental.
 

Mzbhayvn

New member
Apr 25, 2013
12
0
Pittsburg,california
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Fergie
My bully went through pretty much the same thing and it was discovered that her allergies were of a skin/topical sort and her hives rapidly cleared after a soothing warm oatmeal bath. She has been prednisone/Benadryl free ever since. It's worth a try..best of luck to you!
 

sheshistory

Moderator
Jul 11, 2010
3,395
291
Vermont
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Bentley, Linus, Truman
I've had similar problems and I would venture a guess that your bully's allergies are not food allergies - or at least, not JUST food allergies. It sounds to me like it is also environmental allergies, which are, of course, a lot more difficult to control. Have you ever tried your bully on an antihistamine, like hydroxyzine or Zyrtec? These are not always effective (usually only work in a about 10% of dogs) but it can help to ease symptoms. You can have your bully allergy tested but tests can be wildly inaccurate (as they were developed for humans) OR really expensive, as is the case with the skin test, which is more accurate. You also might discover your bully is allergic to things you can't eliminate completely - pollen, dust, etc. - so it's really a tough call. My youngest bully had a real allergy problem that led to constant scratching and licking that caused infections. We tried a variety of treatments before finally putting him on Cyclosporine - a medication which is used by transplant patients (and animals with bad allergies) that alters to immune system to NOT overreact to allergens. It's somewhat expensive but it's been a miracle for us after so much else has failed - including food changes. So that's my experience, I'm not sure if that helps but you're not alone...allergies are a real pain. Hang in there!
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
Have the allergies only appeared since Spring started or have the symptoms remained the same all year round??
 

gracoliv

New member
Jan 3, 2012
123
10
Bulldog(s) Names
Gracie and Oliver
I had similiar issues with one of mine as well, and got stuck in the steriod/anti-histime circle of medications. I did a lot of research and found a strong connection between dog 'allergies' and vaccinations, so that is something to think about (ie did your dog start these allergies in relation to getting his vaccinations). I switched to an "integrative" (conventenial vet who has also studied/practices holistic medicine - There are LOTS around you would be suprised. If you want to try that, I think you can find if one is in your area on the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA)) website. They are no more expensive than convential vets, and do try to get the dog into a natural balanced state (ie not symptom management, but trying to correct the underlying cause). My dog is %1000 percent better since then (I also have not vaccinated since the puppy shots - I am doing titre testing to determine the level of immunity my dog has to the most prolific pathogens). What I feed ; Fromme 4 Star Beef Frittata (However I think RAW is best and you will probably have great results going that way). In addition I cook a roast every week and shredd, so they get that mixed in with there dry. Additionally they get 2 squirts Grizzly Salmon Omega 2 Oil (comes in a large pump bottle) (there coats has been soooooo soft since I made this a regular addition to their meals). also give 'high quality' treats (no hot dogs, or crap from china). I know how hard is watching your pup suffer, I did for over 3 years, we are finally done with that, thank god. I think you can get an alergy panell done for dust/pollen etc... (not for food to my knowledge). Best of Luck.
 
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DaisyMaisy

DaisyMaisy

New member
Apr 26, 2013
2
0
Bulldog(s) Names
Daisy
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Quick update: Daisy went into the vet this past week. They put her on prednisone on a tapering dose for 3 weeks, and then we are going to start her on a different antihistamine, chlorpheneramine, when we are weaning down the steroids. They also did a skin scraping to rule out any skin-related parasites, which came back good! She was also put on an antibiotic gel for her eyes, as they think she may have a small infection in both her eyes (thus all the gunk and tearing). I can't even begin to describe how much better she looks! I forgot how much I love those big brown eyes when they aren't all red and swollen :( Her folds have improved drastically, just with her allergies being under control. Our vet is committed to figuring this out and keeping our pup healthy and happy :) We have also had her on the Omega 3 fatty acids for about 3 weeks now and have really seen an improvement in her skin. Thanks again everyone...especially from Daisy! :yes:
 

bullmama

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Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
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Tucson, Arizona
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Quick update: Daisy went into the vet this past week. They put her on prednisone on a tapering dose for 3 weeks, and then we are going to start her on a different antihistamine, chlorpheneramine, when we are weaning down the steroids. They also did a skin scraping to rule out any skin-related parasites, which came back good! She was also put on an antibiotic gel for her eyes, as they think she may have a small infection in both her eyes (thus all the gunk and tearing). I can't even begin to describe how much better she looks! I forgot how much I love those big brown eyes when they aren't all red and swollen :( Her folds have improved drastically, just with her allergies being under control. Our vet is committed to figuring this out and keeping our pup healthy and happy :) We have also had her on the Omega 3 fatty acids for about 3 weeks now and have really seen an improvement in her skin. Thanks again everyone...especially from Daisy! :yes:

Great news! Glad to hear she's feeling better.


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