An allergy is the body's response to foreign proteins. Your dog could have inhalant allergies, contact allergies, flea allergies, food allergies, or a bacterial hypersensitivity. She could have one or a mulitple of allergens.
Anti inflammatories like prednisone and antihistamines (benedryl @ 1mg/pound) also help to improve the itch. If one anti histamine doesn't work then you try another. If you have not tried hydroxyzine or chlorpheneramine then I would recommend giving them a whirl if benedryl does not help. These are great if they work, but if not you can try. Clemastine Fumarate (Tavist), and recently Zyrtec is being tried with amazing results. I would contact your veterinarian about a script for one of these medications. Also, dogs with non responsive symptoms have really shown improvement with a product called Atopica. Atopica is cyclosporin. This product targets specific cells in the immune system that creates an allergic response. Please visit this site for more information: http://www.us.atopica.com.
You can use atopica and an antihistamine combined to improve his allergic condition. Atopica is only a short term medication then they are to be weaned off of it.
You an I both know that prednisone is a strong medication and the long term effects can be very damaging. When the allergies flare so severely this may be your only choice. And she can be can be weaned off of it to two or three times a week. If you can use this at the lowest dose possible to produce helpful results then the risk of side effects are also decreased. At some point you have to consider the quality of life versus the quantity when the animal is suffering as severely as it sounds he is.
There are other allergy diets like L/A (limited antigen) and Hills Z/D. Your dog may be allergic to corn or wheat and these foods are made for those type of allergies. So there are several foods you can try. You don't have to put a lot of work into it and they have been proven to give positive results. You just have to find the right one. A food trial will need to last for 6-8 weeks with no other treats except what is in the food. No treats, no table scraps, no mistakes to see if it is a food allergy that is the culprit.
Bathing is very important. A twice weekly bath if you are up to it, once weekly otherwise to help and remove allergens from the coat and skin. This is best with inhalant allergies but also will help to soothe his irritated skin. I prefer Allerseb-T. You can also get allermyl spray or relief spray to use for immediate relief.
He may need to be on antibiotics for a couple of weeks to treat any secondary bacterial infections as a result of the allergies and scratching to his skin.
It really sounds like she needs an antihistamine to help with the allergic response itself.
I want you to know that there are still options out there for you and your dog. It is going to take a lot of patience and persistence but it is there and it can help. You may not have 100 percent improvement but you can get close and with the way you both are suffering wouldn't 50% improvement feel pretty good right now?
Please if you have further questions feel free to write back
Thank you
Theresa
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