Dog with extreme allergy?

Whatever you do, DO NOT follow the advice given here about giving steroids to your dog or you will be setting yourself up for a long road of misery.

Every time that I hear about a dog being treated with steroids I shudder. Steroids (also called prednisone, cortisone, kenalog or the nondescript “allergy shot”) are extremely dangerous and do not cure anything, they just mask the symptoms temporarily by suppressing the body's ability to show a normal response but the underlying cause remains.

Ironically, even though steroids are often prescribed to help with skin rashes and itchiness, your dog's skin problems will be aggravated by the use of steroids. Since steroids give the appearance of an instant miracle cure they make vets look good and people will feel satisfied about the money spent, at least for a little while until more problems arise. Sadly, most pet owners seldom make the connection between steroid use and subsequent health issues.

As Dr. Karen Becker, DVM states - "Steroids are the least optimal treatment choice, as they work by suppressing your pet’s immune system. Not only can steroids have a negative effect on your pet’s liver, adrenal glands and kidneys, but suppressing your pet’s immune system with steroids also allows for opportunistic yeast and bacteria to grow on your pet’s skin..." http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/a... See below for remedy to treat fungal or bacterial skin infections.

Many vets nowadays prescribe steroids knowing the risks. Additionally, many vets (as well as many medical websites) downplay the devastating effects of steroids implying that these are temporary yet this assessment varies considerably from the reports of dog owners. What has gone so wrong with the ethics in medical practice nowadays baffles me.

Please read the information below: 'Steroids The Great Pretender - Even Low Steroid Doses Can Be Trouble'. http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/steroids.htm

Other useful links:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/prednisone-side-eff...

SKIN ISSUES REMEDY

The remedy that follows will be very helpful to eradicate any skin infection that your dog may have developed as a result of using steroids.

For many skin issues I recommend a powder called 'Flowers of Sulfur' (also known as 'brimstone' or 'sublime sulfur'). This substance should be in everyone's medicine cabinet because is very beneficial for humans as well.

This substance has been used for thousands of years to cure all kinds of skin ailments including fungal and bacterial infections and if there is itching, it will stop within a few days. Google it to learn more about its healing properties.

Even vets have forgotten about this wonderful and inexpensive remedy but fortunately you can still purchase it at your local pharmacy for very little money. You can also buy it online at http://www.pennherb.com/search?mp=s&se=Flowers+of+...

Flowers of sulfur is safe to apply to your pet's skin but take care not to inhale sulfur powder.

You can dust this powder on your dog's skin OR mix it with an oil to rub on the skin.

The dusting can easily be accomplished if you use a powdered sugar duster or an empty talcum powder bottle. Separate the hair as you go around dusting to expose the skin until you have covered it.

Alternatively, mix 1 tablespoon of flower of sulfur powder with 1/4 cup of Jojoba oil and put it in a bottle. Always shake to mix well before applying to the skin as it tends to separate. This method works well for smaller skin areas. You do not need to wear gloves as it is not toxic to humans either.

However, you need to figure out the original cause of the itching. For additional info about itching and common causes please read http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmNHN...

Interesting little debate going on here! Can't let this one go by without adding my two cents since I have had a relatively recent experience with steroids which may help the readers of this post come to more realistic and balanced conclusions.

My dog got mange a while back and was prescribed Ivermectin. He was also prescribed the steroid Prednisone for the itch. The mange was cleared after 6 to 7 weeks after the treatment and my dog seemed OK for a little while.

Then he started to itch constantly to the point of getting sores and scabs from all the scratching. However, after performing the scraping test the vet said that this time there were no mites so the problem was not mange but instead it was an allergic reaction to some unknown allergen and proceeded to prescribe more steroids. The steroid treatment would stop the itching for a short while, but invariable it would start all over again. At one point, I was told by the vet that this allergy would be a long life issue for my dog.

In the process, I changed my dog's food a ton of times, made sure that there were no fleas, bought endless kinds of medicated shampoos, lotions and sprays but nothing helped. I have lost count of the times I brought my dog back to the vet for more steroid shots to control the itch. Needless to say I ended spending quite a bit of money and was desperate.

Finally, I was so fed up that I decided to try a holistic vet. Very quickly this new vet found that my dog was suffering from a chronic yeast infection and explained to me that the use of steroids was most likely the cause of the problem. It was like a "vicious cycle" she said. Long story short, my dog was then treated for the fungal infection and miraculously the itch went away for good. It has been over a year now since the end of my ordeal, knock on wood.

So what do I think about steroids? I sure hope that I did not cause my dog any permanent organ damage and can kick myself a million times for trusting the old vet blindly, for being ignorant and neglecting to do basic research on their safety first, and would never again allow any vet to treat any of my pets with steroids.

My dog gets cortosone aka predson shots. or pills dont tortur your baby with pills. I say that as human ons are as bad as dog ons thy wont coprat wll taking pills.. Their ar som risk though. Lik needs go outside more oftn put weight on your baby... for full list vet can tell u...

My dog reverse snezzes sounds like wezzing pulls out fur an crys an itchs intill scabes all ovr body so worth risk,

Depending on dogs age and seaverity if i would do cortson...

Might be able increas bndryl by 3 mg would have do liquied then though because mg per pound. If anyone els reads this... If dog has not taken bendryl before sujust try 1/2 dosage so if 25 pounds want do hafe bendryl....

Btw how do u get your dog take his or her bendryl we have issues why ask... We have had to do liquied on ice cream. An pills in hot tammls candy. as picks other treats apart..

Their is probly creams for skin if just areas... theirs eye and ear drops...

Are u using just oatmeal bath powder or the oatmeal dog soap... I sujust get packets. Mixs it in som water into loes paste then put it on dog in bath tube. Can mixs it with baby soap unsented to instead watr or 1.2 watr hafe baby soap... Its most sentive why say that Let it sit 5 mins bfor washing off. If can do 10 do so but my dog wont let me. Mak sur spray water on dog som so paste dont get hard but dont wash it of befor 5 mins. if can.. Its pain get out of fur if drys so keep rewetting it... But unsented baby shampoo works great. Lot lss harsh then dogs soaps...

oatmal is bttr of bunch of dog shampoo but ussual most of them still has som harsh stuff in it that can itrat dogs already irated skin

Get a humidifier. They make cool air humidifiers that should help and you don't have to worry about getting burned.

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

Dog with extreme allergy?

15 pound Boston Terrier, climate here very dry. Dog gets 12 mg Benedryl once a day and is still itching. Already bathed her in oatmeal and such.

What is available if I take her to the vet?

You should apply a cream named TYZA M.... Otherwise consult to a nearby veteran. for more about pets http://cutagulta.com/

I have groomed dogs up to the age 18, that had been on steroids from the age of 6 months, and were happy, healthy, and active right up to the end. None of them died young or had bizarre side effects. And, they had no itching, no hair loss, no open sores, no bare spots, no elephant skin. Don't discount steroids completely just because one person here doesn't like them. Steroids have saved a LOT of dogs a TON of misery. There are no cures for allergies. Ask any allergic person! All you can do is to treat the symptoms, and, as an allergic person, I can tell you that that feels SO MUCH BETTER!

Benadryl works for *some* pollen allergies. Did you go to benadryl.com and get the correct dose for your dog by weight? You can ask your vet to work with you, to find some other allergy medication that will work for your dog, if you want. There are both prescription and nonprescription drugs you can try. It's your choice.

But your dog could have a food sensitivity or a flea saliva allergy (yes, flea saliva), or be allergic to something else in its environment. It's hard to treat something when you don't know what it is, exactly. Flea saliva allergies are very common in dogs. Even if you don't see any fleas on your dog, a flea could have bitten the dog and then hopped off. It only takes one flea bite to set off the full allergic reaction, in dogs that are allergic to flea saliva, and think how little saliva a flea must have!

I have nothing against a person wanting to find something other than steroids for a dog's allergies. But sometimes nothing else seems to work at all well and you then have to think about the quality of the dog's life. Scratching incessantly and wearing the hair off and biting seemingly nonstop at the skin and more just don't seem like things dogs would choose to do, given the choice.

Oatmeal shampoo is a moisturizing shampoo. I use it often as a groomer and I've never seen it do much of anything for dry skin or allergies or anything else but people demand it so I use it. If you've ever had dry skin, really dry, flaky, cracking skin, then you know that ONE treatment for dry skin isn't going to do you much good. Yet pet owners seem to think it is practically a cure-all. It isn't. One treatment every six to eight weeks sounds like a bad joke to me.

I think you need to go to the vet and first find out what your dog is allergic to, THEN discuss the treatment options for this dog. I know one person who found, with the vet's help, an allergy medication that works great for the dog but it took 18 months to find it. Just telling you this so that you won't expect instant relief for your dog, although you could possibly find it.