More Skin Problems :(

[RainbowLass]

Oh dear....

Rogue has finished her course of antibiotics and steroids for her skin but she's starting to welt again and scratching at these sores on her back which are looking really angry and weepy

Problem is, it CAN'T be fleas this time.... she hasn't got any!
All the animals have been frontlined, the beds have been done, she's fed pretty much 80% raw food now so i can't blame it on that, add to that she was on JWB before and STILL got itchy skin.

So are we looking at an allergy test??

can you give dogs human anti-histamines?? I couldn't get an appointment at the vets today and quite frankly i can't afford another big bill right now so i was thinking of taking her to the PDSA on Monday as i qualify for that but have never really needed to use it up until now.

Is there anything i can do to keep this under control a bit until then?? I've been treating it with Liverine cream and antiseptic wipes as advised by the vet the last time.... but i can't think of anything else she might be allergic to! Thats what is making me think of the anti histamine.......

Its awful to see her scratching and bleeding!

[Matrix/Logan]

Aww poor Rogue!

Yes you can give them piriton tablets at the human adult dose, Matrix has these during this time of the year as he has pollen allergies and gets coughing and sneezing so he has one a day.

Also when I went to the specialist with Blade they said if there is a food allergy then it takes 6-8weeks for the allergens to be completely illuminated from the body so if you're doing an exclusion test you have to give it this long before you know if the new food is working (we had Blade on z/d for nearly 7 weeks before we started to see an improvement in his IBD)

I hope you get something sorted for her, bless, it's awful for everyone involved seeing them in discomfort like that!

[Stuart]

I agree, Priton tablets is what Rogue needs untill you see the vet,..quite safe

The antiseptic wipes will dry out the areas but not reduce the itch. Do you have any fuciderm cream? That's a prescription only steroidal treatment which takes the itch out. Has Rogue had skin tests / bloods / biopsies done ?

[RainbowLass]

great, thanks everyone!

One anti-histamine administered, (with cheese!) we'll see how she goes with that!

@anni - she hasn't had any tests done as yet, vet looked straight at it the last time and said flea allergy right away and dished out the pills.
Maybe when we get her in on Monday they might be able to do some more and different tests to try and determine just what it is she is allergic to. Thing is, she was fine for the first 9 months, it just seems to be lately all this has flared up. Makes me wonder if its a seasonal thing, or it could possibly be now that we are walking her further i wonder if its meadow-grass related or a seasonal thing in which case i'd expect the anti-histamine to work!

The only other thing that has changed dramatically has been her diet......

Originally Posted by RainbowLass

great, thanks everyone!

One anti-histamine administered, (with cheese!) we'll see how she goes with that!

@anni - she hasn't had any tests done as yet, vet looked straight at it the last time and said flea allergy right away and dished out the pills.
Maybe when we get her in on Monday they might be able to do some more and different tests to try and determine just what it is she is allergic to. Thing is, she was fine for the first 9 months, it just seems to be lately all this has flared up. Makes me wonder if its a seasonal thing, or it could possibly be now that we are walking her further i wonder if its meadow-grass related or a seasonal thing in which case i'd expect the anti-histamine to work!

The only other thing that has changed dramatically has been her diet......

Ah ok. It's just I've had itchy skin with Remus - worse last Summer. Red sore patches looked like bites on the top of his rump and on his flanks, some were pustular. Wasn't fleas, but atopic dermatitis. Sheps very susceptible to skin conditions... vet was clued up to it. Said we could treat symptoms or try and find route cause which involved a GA to take tissue samples, skin scrapes, hair & blood.

The skin mark up test revealed some allergies to certain meats, cereals and rice. Thankfully not chicken which is his main diet! As soon as the crops were harvested, no itching, so can only assume it's seasonal (harvest mite). I didn't change his diet. He's not been as bad this year but I've given him evening primrose oil - don't know if that's helped or not.

[RainbowLass]

that sounds a lot like what Rogue has, anni... i'll get a pic later on (when she sits STILL for 2 minutes!) and put it up.

God, i hope its not rice and cereals!!