Help ! I Need some ALLERGY Relief .... !

[Lenalee]

Thanks guys for the tip about the Zyrtec! That is something that I will keep in mind for future incidences.

It's all about "trial and error", just like humans pets respond individually to treatments too. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for all. Either way, you should always practice safety and do all treatments under the supervision of your veterinarian. Consult with them before starting any new meds.. A quick phone call to your vets office will help determine the right amount of meds to give to your bulldog as well..

 

[GatorRay]

I am glad the info about zyrtec came up. I have been giving Gator Benadryl for season allergies that are giving him runny eyes and goop. I hate that it totally knocks him out! I have only been giving 1 25mg a day (he weighs 50lbs) but it still makes him out of it. I am looking for a good alternative. Did they recommend the zyrtec you can get for people? If so, what amount did they suggest? We have a vet appt in a couple of weeks but would like to get a little info now if possible. Thanks guys!

 

[Maximus]

Hi -

THANKS everyone for your input. Fascinating to read how other Bullies have Allergy problems too.

Well, firstly, Maximus is on a diet of WELLNESS CORE REDUCED FAT GRAIN FREE Dog food, in addition to TASTE OF THE WILD ROASTED LAMB GRAIN FREE Dog food. (( When I got Maximus a year ago, he had been fed Eukanuba by the Breeder)). Needless to say, when I received him, he looked terrible ....... His eyes were red and "squinty" and his entire face was Red. He definitely looked like he had had an allergic reaction to something, infact, when I took him to the Emergency Vet for his Entropion and ulcerated Cornea, the VET asked me "What is wrong with his Face?"..... I was really upset with that.

But the bottom line was Maximus Looked bad. So I knew I need to get him on the right path to Health. Being a Nurse, I knew that Diet was the first thing to Fix......

But even after all this time on a really good Diet, Max still looks like he as "Allergies". I'm not real big on Benadryl for dogs - as I really don't like a lethargic dopey dog. I'm getting that now with Max being on Prednisone.

He really looked alot better after receiving the injection of Dexamathasone. The redness in the face disappeared and his eyes were not red or squinty --- but of course, being a steroid, it is as someone said, just a quick fix.

I think you guys are right, and Max needs to go to a VET Dermatologist/Allergist and be tested.

Does anyone know how Expensive it is to have a dog Allergy Tested???

Thanks.

- Patrick

 

[BabyDuke]

I am glad the info about zyrtec came up. I have been giving Gator Benadryl for season allergies that are giving him runny eyes and goop. I hate that it totally knocks him out! I have only been giving 1 25mg a day (he weighs 50lbs) but it still makes him out of it. I am looking for a good alternative. Did they recommend the zyrtec you can get for people? If so, what amount did they suggest? We have a vet appt in a couple of weeks but would like to get a little info now if possible. Thanks guys!

HI there.. Duke does so much better on Zyrtec .. we give double the adult does.. ( Duke weighs 56 pounds and the dermatologist has us give him two tablets every 24 hours or as needed). hope it helps!

 

[BabyDuke]

Hi -

THANKS everyone for your input. Fascinating to read how other Bullies have Allergy problems too.

Well, firstly, Maximus is on a diet of WELLNESS CORE REDUCED FAT GRAIN FREE Dog food, in addition to TASTE OF THE WILD ROASTED LAMB GRAIN FREE Dog food. (( When I got Maximus a year ago, he had been fed Eukanuba by the Breeder)). Needless to say, when I received him, he looked terrible ....... His eyes were red and "squinty" and his entire face was Red. He definitely looked like he had had an allergic reaction to something, infact, when I took him to the Emergency Vet for his Entropion and ulcerated Cornea, the VET asked me "What is wrong with his Face?"..... I was really upset with that.

But the bottom line was Maximus Looked bad. So I knew I need to get him on the right path to Health. Being a Nurse, I knew that Diet was the first thing to Fix......

But even after all this time on a really good Diet, Max still looks like he as "Allergies". I'm not real big on Benadryl for dogs - as I really don't like a lethargic dopey dog. I'm getting that now with Max being on Prednisone.

He really looked alot better after receiving the injection of Dexamathasone. The redness in the face disappeared and his eyes were not red or squinty --- but of course, being a steroid, it is as someone said, just a quick fix.

I think you guys are right, and Max needs to go to a VET Dermatologist/Allergist and be tested.

Does anyone know how Expensive it is to have a dog Allergy Tested???

Thanks.

- Patrick

wow Duke and your dogs stories are so similar.. Duke too had entropian surgery !

we paid 325.00 to have Duke done. but we had two different test done.. I would just ask what is the most effective test they can do and go for it.. once we found out Duke was allergic to wool I would say this cleared up 80 % of the problem.. Also if your pup is lethargic with the prednisone I would cut it back. We did this with Duke as well. After everything cleared up we gave him 1/2 a tablet every other day..

 

[Lenalee]

The actual "skin" allergy test is the most accurate. Usually it costs anywhere from $350-450 and at our clinic that also included your first 5mths of vaccines. The blood test allergy testing is not very accurate at all and if you want to save money I would recommend not doing that one. As for the diet, even though you are feeding a grain free food it may still have a ton of additives and preservatives in it that your dog is allergic to. When we do a food trial we always put the pet on a prescribed "controlled ingredient, limited ingredient" diet. Royal Canin is one of the best, most trusted brands we have ever worked with. All the limited ingredient diets are formulated with 1 protien and 1 carbohydrate. Their limited ingredient diets are also manufactured in a completely separate facility from their specific breed dog foods. So you can trust you are getting a true controlled allergy specific food. They are one of the only companies that don't get their ingredients from China too and that was a true peace of mind for me! I have my bulldog on the Royal Canin Venison and Potato and she has thrived on it. There are several diets to choose from in their line, duck & potato, rabbit & green pea, etc... There are a lot of other brands out there that have limited ingredient foods that your vet can prescribe, Royal Canin is one company I've had experience with myself, seen the results and know works. I would recommend photo copying the ingredient list from the food you are feeding your bulldog today and take that with you to your appt with the dermatology specialist so you guys can go over each one and decide if any of those could be affecting his allergies. BE SURE to also ask about the Atopica! You may not even have to get your bulldog allergy tested nor see a Dermatologist. Your primary vet can put your bulldog on it, if your dog responds to it you can usually see the results and improvement in a matter of days. If your bulldog does not respond to it and still has allergy issues they will be no harm done then you can move on to your next option of skin testing. I've seen A LOT of success story's with the Atopica and it does work! Like I said before, my bulldog was in the very few 3% that didn't respond to it and did to the allergy vaccine.

On the pred, it makes them drink a lot and pee a lot. This can make them a little lethargic, follow the directions on administering it that your vet gave you. He or she specifically chose a treatment plan with a mg amount and time frame to fit your bulldogs problems. Cutting back and not following the prescription instructions could cause him to not get the proper benefits from it. That is if it's being used as a treatment for inflammation and breaks outs, not for maintenance. If it was prescribed to control and knock down inflammation, etc he would typically be on it for 3 weeks, give or take a few, and you would decrease dosage each week. Call your vet and explain his reaction to the pred and see if they say it's ok to cut back or give less frequently. With pred you decrease the dosage slowly. To help avoid a possible UTI (which can happen from two things: suppression of the immune system from the steroid and bacteria on the penis/in the urinary tract from urinating so frequently) use antibacterial baby wipes and wipe off the tip of the penis a couple times a day. This helps to keep all the bacteria, dirt, etc from causing an infection. Something that can happen, is a problem a lot with pets on pred/anti-yeast meds and an issue I dealt with A LOT when my bulldog was on it. Causing her to have to spend 2 nights in a 24 hour er vet hospital for a fever of 104 and chronic UTI. Not a good situation for her nor mommy! Wishing you all the best during this journey for you and your bulldog.. Sorry you're having to go through it.. Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[Sweetfaceforme]

I fill for you, right now i'm dealing with my dog having hives. Trying to figure out what's causing them. I hope you find out what's making your baby have allergies.

 

[Maximus]

Lenalee:

WOW. As soon as you mentioned a Temp and an ER visit. My eyebrows went up!

Just 3 weeks ago, I had errands to run in the morning, came home and Maximus was sitting in the middle of the floor looking dauncy. I called him, he didn't move, he just sat there. I finally went over to him......and as soon as I touched him, I pulled my hand away! He was HOT to the touch! As a Nurse, I knew I needed to check his temp - so I ran for the thermometer, and when I took his temp -- it was 104 !

I called the VET and rushed him in. The VET could not explain the reason for the temp. He started an IV on him to give him some fluids and drew bloods. There was nothing abnormal in the labwork.

I just found it odd that all of a sudden he spiked this horrible temp of 104 out of the blue !

I gots to be honest ---- I am not a fan of ROYAL CANIN Dog food at all. It has very low ratings and I don't think its good food. I would be really hesitant to put Max on that food. I would consider NATURES BALANCE (by Dick Van Patten) first

 

[Lenalee]

My bulldog did the same thing, she usually wakes me up at 5:30 every morning to eat. That morning my alarm woke me up @ 7:30 and she was still in her bed and wouldn't get up. I let her rest thinking she was just tired but before I left and she still refused to move even when I shook her food bowl, I was really WORRIED! She was burning up, incredibly lethargic and collapsed when I coached her to stand up. I took her temp and it was at 102.9, 101-102.5 is normal but I knew something was wrong. We took her into the ER, I had them run blood work and it was fine, her temp was staying at 102.9-103 while we were there. The vet couldn't figure it out so I suggested a urinalysis. It came back normal and the only conclusion the vet could come up with was that it was something to do with her allergies..?? I wasn't satisfied with that but we had did everything we could do at the moment. I brought her home and all night she was burning up, had chills (same as humans when we run a fever) her temp was still in the 102.9-103 range and she would barely eat. My good friend whose the Dermatologist suggested I get an ultrasound done cause we both knew something was going on. I called a friend of mine who was an internal medicine specialist vet and she set me up an appt for the next day. My bulldog continued to get worse that day and her temp had spiked to 104.1 so we took her back into the ER. Before we left she peed in my dining room on my white rug and as I was cleaning it up I noticed small amounts of blood (which is consistent with red blood cells and white bloods cells in the urine pointing to a UTI). I knew right then that had to have something to do with it. The vet from the previous visit didn't feel a urinalysis was necessary but I knew where she had been on a round of pred and a round of ketoconazale a few weeks prior, a UTI was not out of the question. I ask the vet that seen her the second time to please do another and he even thought it was a waste of time but I wouldn't hear of it. They had me do a free catch to get a urine sample in a black cup, only thing they could find, and I took a syringe to grab a sample. I could see the red sheen of the urine even though the cup was black, it was obvious she had a chronic UTI. Not even 10mins later the vet came out and placed his hand on my shoulder and said "good call, and I apologize, it all makes sense".. She had a pretty high red blood cell count and the Urinalysis was positive. They admitted her to start antibiotics and fluids that night and the next morning we did the ultrasound, everything looked great on that. We were very lucky but the conclusion and diagnoses we came to was a combination of a chronic skin infection, UTI and a suppressed immune system from the steroids and anti-yeast meds. They put her on a 4 week round of baytril and in a couple of days she better then she had been in months. The infection had lingered in her for a while and her body finally started showing signs of fighting it. I'm sure that was similar to what your bulldog was going through. A UTI on it's own, chronic or not, doesn't usually cause a fever. That's really rare but the combination of the allergies, skin infection and UTI caused a nasty fever and illness. I know use antibacterial wipes and a antibiotic ointment to wipe her vulva and sprend the ointment around it to keep from bacteria from entering her urinary tract and causing more infection. When certain skin infections on the outside enters the inside of the body through the urinary tract, eyes, etc. It can cause a wide range of serious problems for your bully, really important to keep that area clean especially when they are on steroids.


They are other prescription foods that are limited ingredients, so if you're not comfortable with Royal Canin that's fine, there are plenty out there. I've never tried Natures Balance and haven't known anyone who has so I couldn't comment on it. I'm sure it is really good food, I've never heard anything bad about it. The most important thing to look for when choosing a food is "hypoallergenic, limited ingredients". A lot of the cheaper foods, wether it advertises as a simple ingredient food, are not really geared to being a "hypoallergenic, controlled ingredient" diet and are loaded with preservatives and other additives that can cause allergic reactions. The simpler the ingredients the better!


You are your Bulldog's first response! What you are doing now by asking questions and getting others experience and point of views is the right way to start. Educate yourself and know the symptoms and possible ways of treating it, after all, you are the one who knows your bully better then anyone. Vets, techs, everybody else are going on the info that you provide them with so if you're not comfortable with a solution chances are you could be right. Kudos to you for taking the steps to get your bulldog on the road to a healthy and happy life!!!

 

[Maximus]

I have run the gammut of foods with Maximus since I got him over a year ago. He arrived with a bad case of Giardia, which was very difficult to cure. He had to have multiple treatments for the Giardia, and with that came constant food changes which had to be slowly introduced. The diarrhea was persistent for months, and the Giardia would not go away. Finally, after months of repeated treatments he was cured, and I ended up putting him on a Grain-Free dog food formula which i thought would be better for him. I recall the ER VET recommending liquid Childrens Benadryl for him - once she was able to calculate the correct dosage, I did give the Benadryl to him, but noticed it made him sleepy and dopey.

 

[Alex David]

For the allergy these are readily available brands which should use in Allergy with medical remedies .

Dog food brands :
Grain Free,
Natural Choice,
Innove Canned adult food.
electric dog fence

 

[BabeEnglishBulldog]

What causes allergies? How do you know if your dog is allergic to something? I don't know if my dog has allergies but sometimes she scratches a lot when he eats something.

 

[Lenalee]

The term “allergy” is a general reference to an overreaction by the immune system to an allergen, which is any substance that is capable of inducing that specific hypersensitivity reaction in that particular animal. For example, if a person is allergic to chocolate, chocolate is the allergen. The allergen can be almost anything, but it commonly is an ingredient in the dog’s food, a grass, weed or other plant in the environment, flea saliva or dust mites, a chemical cleaner or other household product, or any number of other things. A more specific definition of “allergy” is an altered reaction to something (the allergen), following a second or subsequent exposure to it. The allergic reaction can be triggered by physical contact, inhalation, injection or ingestion of the inciting allergen.


Pinpointing symptoms In bulldogs is not very difficult. If a bulldog is allergic to something it comes in contact with it's often followed by excessive licking/chewing of the paws/feet, runny nose and excessive tearing in the eyes, redness and inflammation around the facial folds, ears, tail, belly, etc.. Rubbing of the face, hotspots (chronic, raw lesions/sores of the skin from digging and rubbing) hair loss and in severe cases hives/rashes on the under belly, back and swollen airway and trachea with difficulty breathing.. Being more visual-ant of your pet's behavior after coming in from outside, feeding time, giving treats, etc, will help you diagnose possible allergies. Your vet can help you chose a hypo-allergenic dog food that best fits your pets needs to do a trial and see if this helps eliminate the digging, etc and some of the symptoms.. If you choose to put your pet on a different type of food without your vets help you should look for a grain free, wheat free, hypo-allergenic, limited ingredient food. Introduce the food slowly to your pet starting off with 1 part new food x 3 parts regular food for at least a week and gradually build up from there over a few weeks. Monitor your pets actions and bowel movements during this transition to make sure there is no diarrhea or vomiting OR reactions worse then before (such has increase in the digging, itchiness).. You should at least ALWAYS consult your vet prior to making any changes in your pet's diet and care just so they are aware and prepared for any complications mild or severe... You can never be too prepared with a bulldog!!

 

[Bullies4Ever]

Hey, I came across this on my search for info on Dexamethasone. I have 9 dogs, 4 are boxer/american bulldog pups (1 yr) and they have systematically had an allergic reaction to something this past week. I just wanted to get some info on Dex. Anyway, that's not why I'm responding. I trust my vet wholeheartedly, he's fantastic. When I first came down from NY my American Bulldog, Brooklyn, broke out in staph infection that covered her whole body. It was horrible. It started with a swollen eye and some pus pockets around her eye that one dumb vet told me was ant bites. So when I went to my vet he knew immediately what her problem was and where to start. We did a round of antibiotics and blah blah blah. But when it came down to it, I did the allergy test. It probably helps that he doesn't charge me an arm and a leg. So I got an entire booklet of her allergies and severity to each allergen.
Now, I think you have a misconception of dog food allergies, because just because your dog food is grain free, does not mean it doesn't contain something your dog is allergic too. A lot of dogs have poultry allergies and almost ALL dog foods have some form of poultry. Even lamb and rice foods have poultry fat. There's also a benzoyle peroxide shampoo that I use that I like it's by VET. Long-term use of pred is going to shorten your dog's life span. It's hard on the heart and a number of other organs. For some things it's a must and a wonderful drug, but if you can figure out what's going on and help alleviate his symptoms more naturally, you're better off. Also, start putting fish oil into your dog's food. This helps greatly build their immune system and helps with any type of allergy. I also like to use bee pollen, it helps with outdoor airborne allergens. Honestly, within a month I had Brook's skin completely healed and she's maybe had one pimple on her chin since and that was more than a year and a half ago. And she was covered from head to toe in blood blisters. And I honestly will also give her small doses of things on her allergy list and she does fine with it. But not if I give her enough to overload her system. I know this post is a few months old, so I would be curious to know where you are in your process. Hope all is well.

 

[NikkiSchoolcraft]

Im not sure if its been mentioned in any of the posts above, but......Grain allergies are not the only food allergies. 2 of my bullies have protein allergies and they are horrible! Hitch turns bright red (from head to toe) and itches like crazy if he eats red meat. Winston brakes out in horrible hives (all over his body) with 1 bite of chicken. I do use Zyrtec during the spring and summer because it seems to work better on their season allergies. I have 3 bullies with allergies so I even have to go as far as using gentle detergents and cleaning products along with the limited food, and allergy meds.