JRT (or maybe just a dog) question on skin allergies

[ChippyMotai]

One of my JRT's has skin allergies, vet said it was flea bite and grass allergies. This is a fairly common affliction to JRT's. When he was a pup the vet gave us a prescription and we gave it to him for two years, it worked pretty good. Then one trip to the vet when we asked for a refill the assistant said it was a steriod and not to give it to him? She said to give him benedryl twice a day. This worked for a while but now doesn't have much effect on him. I put flea dope on him and my yard glows at night due to so much pest control products put on it. I have a neighbor that has two outside German shepards and he does not try to control anything. I need to find something to help this little guy out. Anyone have success with this issue? if so, please tell me what you are doing. I may need to find a different vet, he seems to downplay the whole thing.

[Slow&Steady]

My Lab had some pretty bad skin allergies. The vet prescribed Apoquel. It isn't cheap ($75/month for a dog his size), but it's totally changed life for him and us. The drug was just approved in the last two years or so, but it's receiving widespread praise for allergy control. Ask your vet about it.

P.S. The steroids are a short term solution at the cost of long term health. Eventually the steroids stop working, leaving the dog's resistance out of whack and the allergies will be worse than ever.

[Booger74]

What kind of food is your pup on? If chicken; get it off. More Lamb is what I have been told for skin allergies for JRT.

[Quackerbox]

Ive got a lab that gets it bad in the warmer months. She would literally scratch her hair of her hips. We now add a table spoon of coconut oil to her food once a day and shes been able to keep her hair and weight.

[ChippyMotai]

Slow&Steady,I have heard about Apoquel but actually didn't know anyone using it, will ask vet about this.

Booger, we feed them Blue Buffalo Wilderness-Red Meat dry food and canned Blue Wilderness Beef Stew. Kinda pricey but small dogs don't eat that much. I have seen BW lamb, I will check into this also.

QB, this would be easy to do, can one find coconut oil at the grocery store? Is it used for cooking? In the colder winter months he has no issues also, only in the warmer seasons.

[tremman78]

id say it might be a food allergy too, we feed victor grain free.

[speck1]

Apoquel has worked wonders for my JRT. Without it she rubs most of her hair off.

[ChippyMotai]

We considered that early on and that is why we feed the Blue Buffalo Wilderness, it also is grain free.

speck1, your pup looks a lot like Hopper, my white JRT. He is all white except for eight little brown spots on his ears.

Love me some JRT's!

[lovemylegacy]

Reilley had the same thing...antibiotic and she is cleared up.

[ChippyMotai]

Reilley had the same thing...antibiotic and she is cleared up.

Hmmm, makes me think maybe I need to go to a different vet.

[Drycreek3189]

Apoquel for Sarge. A half pill morning and night. He's spoiled rotten and eats hamburger !

[WTX]

Having been in your shoes before for our English Bulldog here is what we did to solve the problem.
- have your vet refer you to the animal dermatology referral clinic in Dallas on Trinity Mills (we see Dr. Liska) http://www.dermvets.com/
- just by looking at the dog she will be able to tell if it is food related or not (no joke)
- we had to do the whole steroid thing for 1 month to get rid of any allergy issues (sarge was better within days)
- after the steroid cycle is completed you will return for allergy test
- the test results will show all kinds of crazy things your friend is allergic to
- based off results they will make your little guy his own medicine to prevent any future issues (we went with injections)
The results are amazing! Without question the best move we could have made. When we took him in for his initial visit the Dr said " your going to be glad you came here", boy was she right. If you need anymore info pm me.

[ChippyMotai]

Apoquel for Sarge. A half pill morning and night. He's spoiled rotten and eats hamburger !

That picture makes me laugh, JRT's are crazy little dogs! Mine are spoiled also, our daughters are grown and out of the house, so "the boys" are like kids to us. I have fed mine raw hamburger on occasion and the wife thinks it will hurt them.

WTX, thanks for the info, will definitely check into it.

[lovemylegacy]

Hmmm, makes me think maybe I need to go to a different vet.

Cephalexin is what the vet prescribed

[Dusty Britches]

Did they guess at the allergen or did they actually do an allergy test? Years ago, my dog lost his hair and broke out in a rash. In fact, he was almost bald and looked like he had the measles. The vet said it was allergies, but it would be best to identify specifically what allergies it was. The test was $300 or $350, but worth every penny.

My dog was allergic to tons of stuff - roaches, Bermuda grass, corn, rice, cedar, and on and on. But he was not allergic to Bahia grass, wheat, milk, fleas, etc.

While waiting on the test results I put him on a pure raw meat diet. He cleared up immediately. After we got the results, I kept him on a grain free diet and never had to worry about any of the other allergens.

Long term use of steroids can cause liver failure and osteoporosis, so I do not recommend that.