Sugestions for allergy dog on small dose prednisone

[BabyDuke]

Hi everyone I am a newbie here so hope I am posting in the correct section. Our Duke is 3 1/2 and was diagonosed with allergies a year ago. Ironically we had him tested by a dermatologist and he was allergic to wool ? we had wool blankets all over the house.. he is also allergic to some molds but no foods. We tried the allergy shots with no luck .... he used to rip his neck open and his paws would swell up like crazy and he would get ear infections.. Since we eliminated the wool etc no more of this.. BUT he still gets the red face and itchy face wrinkles.. So the dermatologist has him on 10 mg of prednisone every other day and Zrtex.. I don't like that he is on this and I know it is a low dose . He just had his annual check up , bloodwork all good, weight good etc.. he told us to try cutting in half and giving .5 mg of pred but as soon as i cut back poor Duke was so so uncomfortable.. I called the dermatologist back and he said that 10 mg every other day keeps it at bay ?? any thoughts or suggestions? he is a very happy healthy dog. I don't want him to be uncomfortable but don't like the idea of him being on the steriod ? thanks for your feedback.. Karen

 

[BabyDuke]

Hi everyone I am a newbie here so hope I am posting in the correct section. Our Duke is 3 1/2 and was diagonosed with allergies a year ago. Ironically we had him tested by a dermatologist and he was allergic to wool ? we had wool blankets all over the house.. he is also allergic to some molds but no foods. We tried the allergy shots with no luck .... he used to rip his neck open and his paws would swell up like crazy and he would get ear infections.. Since we eliminated the wool etc no more of this.. BUT he still gets the red face and itchy face wrinkles.. So the dermatologist has him on 10 mg of prednisone every other day and Zrtex.. I don't like that he is on this and I know it is a low dose . He just had his annual check up , bloodwork all good, weight good etc.. he told us to try cutting in half and giving .5 mg of pred but as soon as i cut back poor Duke was so so uncomfortable.. I called the dermatologist back and he said that 10 mg every other day keeps it at bay ?? any thoughts or suggestions? he is a very happy healthy dog. I don't want him to be uncomfortable but don't like the idea of him being on the steriod ? thanks for your feedback.. Karen

Oh and I forgot to mention he eats DVP limited ingredients duck and potatoe food and takes a fish oil /vit E supplement

 

[kazzy220]

Hello to a fellow-Karen and Duke!! Welcome to EBN .... and Duke looks absolutely gorgeous!!!

I probably can't help you too much with allergies, but you are going to get a lot of replies from people who do!!! My only experience with allegies so far is when we discovered Maggie was allergic to Chicken!!! There are some threads on here about allergies to sweet potatoe ... so hopefully you're going to hear back from somebody on here who has experience with that. I found one of many threads about this here http://www.englishbulldognews.com/forums/english-bulldog-nutrition/1638-food-skin-issues.html Also, I may be having a "senior" moment but what is DVP limited ingredient food ????

 

[BabyDuke]

thanks so much for your reply.. and ha ha sorry DVP is Dick Van Patten line of food sorry! Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® Pet Foods: About Us they have a whole line for allergy dogs!

 

[kazzy220]

[MENTION=2091]BabyDuke[/MENTION]

Hmmm.. never heard of DVP before and we don't have it listed in our Dog Food Ratings article. Here is another article about how to understand dog food labels ... it may be worth while researching and seeing if there is anything that is in DVP which could be causing an allergic reaction.

English Bulldog News Forums ~ - Understanding Dog Food Labels and Finding Bad Ingredients

 

[BabyDuke]

thank you so much! :D

 

[cadillactaste]

@BabyDuke

Gee never heard of giving a dog Zrtex...is that an over the counter allergy pill? I've always heard of giving Benadrly "ALLERGY" it's a pink pill. How much does your Duke weight? And though they say he's not allergic to food. I always assumed duck was a fatty protein. This being my "own" thought and nothing to back it up other than having people tell me that when they eat duck it's a really fatty meat. I've always heard to do Salmon as a protein when a dog is dealing with allergy issues...

What are you doing to treat the red itchy face? Besides oral medication? This is what needs to maybe be addressed as well.

 

[kazzy220]

@BabyDuke You're going to have to excuse my ignorance today ....


SO ... I just realised that DVP is what we know as Natural Balance on here ... I was getting too hung up on the DVP bit!! We do have the Natural Balance food in our dog food ratings guide. The Potato & Duck is rated a 4-star food, out of a possible 1 - 6 range, with 6 being the best rating. There are some owners on here who feed their bullies 4-star rated food with fantastic results, however as Duke is showing signs of allergies you may want to consider trying other types of food that are rated a little higher. You will find a lot of good reviews about Fromm and Taste of the Wild on here as we have all had fantastic results with these foods.

Here's a link to the food ratings article that EBN have put together ... English Bulldog News Forums ~ - Dog Food Ratings at English Bulldog News


Just remember that if you do decide to make a transition to another food that you do so very slowly. When I transitioned mine to Fromm, I took about two weeks to do it. I gradually increased the amount of Fromm from the old food every three days. Suddenly changing the food can often upset a bulldogs sensitive stomach.

I have to say that I currently have Maggie and Daddy on the grain free Fromm 4* range - the Beef Frittata and the Surf n' Turf. I discovered Maggie had an allergy to chicken when we tried the Fromm chicken n' veg. So I kinda freaked out a bit and decided to give the Beef Frittata a try - no chicken and no grain!! Have to say that Daddy's truly disgusting farting has virtually disappeared!!

 

[BabyDuke]

mm? interesting about the Duck.. it is a limited ingredient ( no grain ) allergy formula? but that could be? also we used to give benadryl to Duke then we took him to a dermatologist for EB's and he told us to give Zrtex.. ( over the counter allergy pill).. he told us it does not make them drowzy and doesn't dry their eyes out?

we use babywipes and then pat dry with a tissue for his wrinkles?

we tried a topical ( very expensive steriod) for his wrinkles but DUKE absoltuely hated it so we stopped.

would just love to get him off the prednisone but also want him to be comfortable

 

[sheshistory]

I am sorry you and your bully are going through all of this.

I agree with [MENTION=959]kazzy220[/MENTION] and her suspicions about your bully's food. Although that Natural Balance brand is not bad, it may be that your bully has an allergy to poultry. I know many members' bullies have a similar allergy.

Do not blame you for not wanting to keep you bully on prednisone and Zyrtec. I am not sure about the Zyrtec (which I've never heard of veterinary use) but if I remember correctly,prednisone really isn't for long term use.

My Linus suffered from similar allergies, including horrible ear infections. Changing his food to something better has made an enormous difference. I am currently feeding him Nature's Variety Instinct Beef and Lamb formula. I highly recommend it for bullies with allergy problems since it has no grains, no poultry, and no potatoes, which can be linked to yeast growth (itchiness!) in dogs.

So I think I would experiment with a higher quality food and see if that improves Duke's condition.

Also, welcome to the board!

 

[bullmama]

Oh sorry to hear about your bully baby!

My question is this.... why oh why, if your bully has no food allergies, would he be on a limited ingredient formula? My understanding is that there is not too much of any one ingredient in this food, and a combination of many diff. protein sources.

I am looking at the ingredients- and I would not feed this, as potatoes are the #1 ingredient- which can actually lead to yeast problems. LI formulas are made for bulldogs who DO HAVE food allergies- so if you dog does not- get on something better that will enhance the coat, boost the immune system, and improve the skin!!

Step #1 would be to add salmon oil asap, any dog with allergies should have salmon oil- it helps their skin in so many ways!

Try a different food, if you don't like it, you can always go back This food has too many man- made vitamins for my tastes, would rather see the vitamins come from the ingredients- not from supplements.

Potatoes, Duck, Duck Meal, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

Now my bulldog Tidus used to get hydroxizine 2x daily if he gets any attacks or developed a hot spot- then we discovered he was allergic to poultry/chicken/turkey.

Hydroxizine is also a human allergy med. Could you ask your vet if this will work instead of the pred? Again, if it does not work, you can always go back to what does work.

 

[cali~jenn]

I was thinking duck is in there with chicken as far as poultry allergies correct? There are so many foods out there I would try switching although finding the perfect food for your bully is a lot of work it is worth it in the end if you can fix the problem.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Hi [MENTION=2091]BabyDuke[/MENTION]..we have an experience with prednisone for our rottie..she was on it for other reasons than allergies and our vet was very conservative and really wanted her off. We tried the whole weaning down and she just couldn't do it. Started crying again and in pain. We were able to cut her back to every 3 days in summer..but in winter her old bones just hurt too much. My vet started doing blood panels more often and we just kept her on what she needed. Sadly, she developed bone cancer..and totally unrelated to pred. Jake is also on dvp and I have actually seen ratings where iit is one of the highest rated. .??? I totally understand you wanting him off steroids..might try a very slow weaning process..let me know if you do a food switch and it helps. So far so good for us. They do have other flavors and from what friends have told us they switch back and forth for variety with no problem..they have a 5 year old bully. Wish I could help more..

 

[cadillactaste]

I think it might be wise to address the wrinkles. I'm thinking the wipes and tissues are not working. This does not mean you must purchase expensive items to clean the wrinkles.

I use diluted medicated soap.
Amazon.com: Vet Solutions Surgical Scrub & Handwash, 16oz. Refill Bottle: Everything Else

If you mix some up you can store it in a picnic ketchup container. The nozzle makes it great for application. Which I use cotton pads or...cotton balls when I can't locate the pads. You can warm up the bottle in the microwave so it's warm...my bullie prefers it that way. Apply some on the cotton pad and wipe area...then use a clean dry pad to dry the area.

On really nasty sore wrinkles. I have used Pinxav...but be careful not to get it into their eyes...Use it sparingly...this stuff will stain clothing. But if your bullie has sore wrinkles...it will help sooth them. And heals them up lickity split.

As for hot spots...this stuff works great full strength rubbed in until you no longer see it. We're talking no oral medication needed this stuff clears it up so quickly!!! [Tank my oldest used to get them...hasn't had any in so long...but we love this stuff and use it for so many things and was the original reason the VET solutions surgical scrub was brought into the house.]

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I am going to follow these suggestions for wrinkle cleaning..no allergies yet..but I thank you [MENTION=1922]cadillactaste[/MENTION]