Help! Please!!!
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Help! Please!!!
Submitted by admin on April 20, 2010 - 5:16pmI am writing in complete despair. To make a very long story short. I have a 2 year old bully who (the vet says) suffers from severe atopic allergies. In the past two years Clyde has had eye infections, ear infections (due to yeast) and each season seems to take its toll on him. I started by changing everything in his environment, then we started Benadryl, (which knocks him out and makes him seem depressed) so I stopped giving it to him, then we tried Solid Gold food and he liked it. But he continued to itch his eyes and face (until they bleed) and lick his paws and the furniture all the time. He rubs his face on the carpet, the wall anything for relief. He was then causing sores on his face from the constant scratching.
We then tried hypoallergenic food, (thinking it was a food allergy)3 kinds because he wasn't eating, and one kind made him throw up everyday. Then it was the blood test for allergies telling us he has all types of inhalant allergies. (trees, grass, mold, weeds, you name it!)So we started the allergy syringes, which I give to him. After every shot, Clyde goes crazy, until the last time, he went in his crate would not eat, drink or play because the itching was so bad. His eyes were very red and swollen as they always are. So I went back to the vet AGAIN and she said not to give the syringes anymore. I also took him because his ears seemed to bother him, which turned out they're very clean, but bothering him because of the allergies. On top of it all, I had a baby 5 months ago and Clyde has been adjusting to the baby too.
I love Clyde so much. He's sweet and gentle and I have cried over this. I want him to be comfortable. This is no life for a dog. He deserves to be happy. I can tell you that I did educate myself on the health issues of bulldogs before I got one. And I did purchase him from (what I thought was) a reputable breeder. And even after all the money, time and work it has been, I would get him again. We have dealt with the cherry eye, etc. But nothing has been as bad as his allergies. The next step is to take him to a Animal Dermatologist (Nov 26th). If anyone has a bully who suffers from this and you can suggest anything, I would so appreciate it. I know there has to be an answer for Clyde somewhere. Thank you, AMY Please excuse any spelling errors, no sleep last night!
Benadryl
I understand not wanting him on the Benadryl because of his being sleepy but until you get a handle on this it may be his only comfort. I was plagued with a horrible skin allergy that lasted weeks until I could get in to see a dermatologist. I tried oatmeal baths, cortizone cream, prescription creams etc. Nothing helped. Picture yourself wrapped in the itchiest wool blanket you can find in 110 degrees. That is how it felt. My only relief came when I was on heavy doses of Benadryl. I could sleep and I scratched less. Scratching less certainly helped. I never want to go through that again and I can sympathize with your dog. If it were me I would give him anything to numb him at this point. He may even adjust to the affects of the Benadryl. By no means am I saying this is a long term solution. But until you figure this out I would use Benadryl just for the comfort.
Re: Re: Good luck and press on!
Amy,
I just sent you an email with some questions.
Poor Clyde baby!
dolly
Re: Good luck and press on!
Thanks for the support. It has been hard. But Clyde's biggest fan is the baby. He loves him. And thanks for the Claritin tip.Amy
Re: allergies
Yes the test was done at the vet. He got 3 vials and I did in until we reached maintenance. (Every 3 weeks) But it has not helped. He was on HA food for 3 months and ZD low allergen for about 4 months. The HA he wouldn't eat. And he threw up about 3 times a day on the ZD, for the whole time until we realized it was the food. On both he continued to itch. But it's only his face. HIs coat is beautiful. No hot spots, nothing. Just around his eyes and ears. Thanks Amy
Re: Re: Help! Please!!!
Thanks! Yes we gave little and the amount got larger over time. He has 3 vials and I did it until we reached the maintenance vial, but no improvement. Amy
re: good luck and press on
Atarax and Prednisone have worked wonders here. California Natural (very few ingredients) has helped as well. I know you don't want them on prednisone for long, we are currently weaning, but so far so good. Good luck. Hope the poor baby is feeling better.
Good luck and press on!
I really feel for you with a young baby and a sick doggy. Try to get as much sleep as you can with both to take care of yourself. Good luck with the animal dermatologist. Another thought would be trying a Vet school in your state if this doesn't help. Steroids would help in the short term, but have long term side effects so are not a good solution. I wonder if any of the nonsedating antihistamines have been tried in dogs. Such as claritin or allegra. I have heard that Claritin will go generic soon so would theoretically be less costly at that time. Ask about these when you see the dermatologist. Best of luck!
allergies
Where do you live ? Was the allergy testing done by a verterinary allergist ? When you were trying to test foods on him, how long did you give him with each food before trying another type ? What was the status of his antihistamines at that time ? Have you tried an air cleaner in your home ? If you were trying many things at once, it will not help you get to the bottom of his problems. If you were guided into the changes you made, did the method of change make sense to you ?
Re: Help! Please!!!
Cookie has bad allergies also and is on shots,
Question is did your vet have you give very small amounts of her shot first...
When cookie was started on her shots, I was to give just a small bit every 3 days and then larger and larger amount..