Itchy Lab

[AllFowledUp]

Need some help for my male lab. He scatches himself often and chews on his rump area above the tail to the point that it becomes very red and irritated and chews at the inside of his pads. Been to the vet who prescribed predizone and skin wash. We have changed foods from corn to lamb to rice for allergies. Bought some liquiod vitamins for skin from Puritans Pride and nothing seems to help. Female shares the same kennel and does not have any of these symptons.
Anybody have an idea what to do for him?

[colehatch]

I had an itchy lab for quite a few years (still have her) that also had terrible ear problems. We cleaned them on a regular basis everytime she was in the water which is a ton but still had issues. We talked to a vet and reseached some allergy foods and were lucky enough to get it right on the first try. We switched to Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe and haven't had any itching or ear problems since. Not that the Natural Balance would work in your case but I've read you can go through a ton of different foods before you get it right. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

[Corona]

Yeah, it's food alergies, my lab/GSP had really bad dandruff so I changed her food and finally found Nutro Natural lamb and rice, it's been a world of diffrence and not tooo expensive, it's $30 for 44lbs.

[NATTY BUMPO]

Nobody on this forum is going to be able to provide a definative answer to your question. But the symptoms are classic for atopic dermatitis. Labs have a prediliction for this disease. Google atopy and you can get pointed in the right direction. If your local vet can't offer anything other than steroids, this might be a good case for a specialist ie a veterinary dermatologist.

NB

[LilyDuck]

Little trick that puts moisture in back into the skin and gets a great coat....Fish Oil Vitamins. I read it in a book that it helps human hair and when I consulted the vet he said that it is ok for the dog. We have found that it reduces shedding and her coat is amazing and not a lot of dry skin espically this time of year!!!

We get comments on Lily's coat all the time, we also feed her Eukanaba Light in the summer when not working very much, and step it up to the reg when we get working more, for the season she gets premium performance. No gas, and keeps her going full throttle all day long!

As far as diagnosing, start tracking what she is around when you start noticing the itching then maybe you can pinpoint the allergy to something! is there straw or anything of the like in her kennel?

[2ESRGR8]

Of course Natty Bumpo gave you the politically correct answer but I'd be willing to bet its a food allergy too.

Do you have cats? Is your dog eating any of that food or cat candy bars in the yard? Any table scraps? How about biscuits or treats?
My setter had exactly what you describe, I switched him to Innova brand RM(red meat), gave him a potato and duck biscuit, tried to keep him out of the cat stuff. In about 6 weeks he was completely healed.
I tried recently to put him on Canidae brand food because it is so similar and the price is much more attractive. No corn, soy, or wheat just like Innova, didn't work. I think its the protein source, in this case chicken, that is the cause of my dogs problems. Thats just a guess based on trial and error thru the years.

[GSP Gal]

Nature's Recipe makes a Venison and Rice formula, and Fish and Potatoe formula. I have heard good things about these foods.

Also have no corn, wheat, or Beef. No fillers

Good Luck

[colehatch]

Do you have cats? Is your dog eating any of that food or cat candy bars in the yard? Any table scraps? How about biscuits or treats?


We switched Lily's food and it took about 2 months to see a real change. We really have to watch her too because even if a small piece of any other food falls on the floor and she gets it then it's itchy gunk ears and paw licking for the next week or so. She gets duck and potatoe as meals, for treats and in the kong...nothing more. It's for her own good.

[SevenMaryThree]

Classic allergy symptoms. Might be food, might be something else.

Talk to your vet, there are options. Oral steroids like prednisone can offer temporary help, but can lose their effectiveness with continued use. Sometimes histamene blockers can help. Irritated sites should be monitored for signs of infection.

Good luck. This is one lab malady that can get expensive and frustrating.

[tmanmi]

Skin allergy testing is the best way to determine whether or not it is food allergy. Skin is shaved and a grid is drawn on the back or side of dog and 50-60 different injections of a different allergens are given and the results are recorded. Will set you back $300-400 but you should get an answer to what you dog is allergic to. If your local vet doesn't do it go to MSU. Sometimes vets will start with a food trial using fresh game, venison or duck with rice or potato. Did the full route, food trial and allergy testing. Dog gets allergy shots once a month and eats $35 a bag food but is still occasionally itchy and red.

[DonP]

PJ... our big yellow lab had this problem somewhat too. We switched to Nutro Lamb & Rice and it seemed to help out quite a bit. Also... we keep a close eye on PJ's ears and clean them when start to get a little red. Also one other suggestion that no one has mentioned here yet... is to give your dog Benadryl (or generic equivalent). Actually our vet recommended this if the itching and his ears get really bad. It does seem to help too. You might want to ask your vet about the Benadryl next time you take him in and also ask about the dosage (not exactly sure of the recommended dosage my girlfriend gives him).

We have done a combination of all the above and it has helped alot. Once in awhile he will still have problems... but definitely not as often as before.

Will also try giving the Fish Oil supplements to help his coat. (Thanks for that one!!)

[SevenMaryThree]

Benedryl is a histamene blocker.

Talk to your vet before playing around with it. I've used over the counter children's variety before under a vet's supervision and direction. Also make sure that if you go this route, you get a med that is not a cocktail of other meds like acetaminophen, caffiene, etc. You could induce renal failure.

[flyer]

my 14 year old brittany had a sever itch problem, sent away a skin sample and got the report as indicative of mange but the vet didnot think so and put her on macrotab which is an antibiotic the itch went away in two days but came back as soon as we took her off so now she is on one pill a day and has no trouble at all. This is the short version but it actualy took 6 month because of all the washes and the skin sample which turned out to be a costly and useless. on my dog it was by the tail and spread to the leg and belly red circles that the dog kepted bitting at also there was alot of dander around the red area (dandruff) if your vet will let you try an antibiotic i saw results in two days.

[reddog719]

I have an aussie that has same problem except it is so bad she had chewed all the hair ftom her belly and backside. Done some rescherch(sp) and changed her food to dick vanpattens duck and potato formula expensive but its doing the trick shes been on it 2 months. Look on petmeds theres a link to a site that you can go to to rescherch it:)

[AllFowledUp]

Alot of great suggestions and I appreciate everyone of them. Our Vet said we could run tests through MSU but they are not always inclusive. Gonna try the duck and potatoe feed. Thanks again!!

[reddog719]

try thepetcenter.com theres a lot of info on there. tells what to do and common causes. really big help check it out :) :) :)

[bigair]

Sorry to revive an older post. My dog jaeger suffers from food allergies. Always scratching and constant ear infections. I switched over to nature's recipe lamb and rice. It cured all problems. Nice clean ears and no itching. If you buy from petco it is 27.00 for a 40lb bag.Even cheaper at pet supplies plus 23.00. It has no beef, corn or wheat. For jaeger, it was corn that was causing all the problems.

[AllFowledUp]

I think we figured out a big problem with this, Tank is allergic to straw. He breaks out after the kennel bedding is changed. I havnt paid great attention to which I pick up, hay or straw, I picked a bail of straw and the condition woursened. Go figure....