I hope someone has some helpful suggestions! I have nothing....adorable pup though

My Bichon Frise has had terrible skin allergies her whole life and chews herself up like crazy- especially in the heat. Sadly, almost none of those things you mentioned worked for us. Food, pills, and vet intervention have done nothing. It sounds crazy, but the best solutions I found are the most basic too. The #1 thing that has helped my dog is to buy her a light t-shirt and to put it on her when her itching flares up. She will actually ask us now to put it on her, and it calms her down immensely (plus she looks cute). I'm not sure this will work on the leg areas as much though (my dog bites her butt and back the most). Also crazy but the best shampoo I found for her is Johnson's Baby Shampoo- everything else (even the oatmeal, sensitive skin, stuff) makes her dry and itchy after her bath. Also, get a spray of some sort for hot spots (the more natural the better). When you see an area your dog has been chewing, get a washcloth with cool water and gently rub the area down (my dog LOVES this) then use the spray. The dog's own saliva makes the area worse, so you want to get that off. If its really bad (ie bleeding or really raw), use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide then put on an anti-itch or antibacterial cream (get one for babies so you know it will be safe for dogs). Unfortunately this is really a lifelong issue that never totally goes away (much like human allergies) but it can be controlled to some degree. I hope some of this helps. Good luck!

WOW! Thank you so much for your suggestions, especially the t-shirt, what a great idea!!!

Rushka313, have you tried a different brand of food? I've only ever heard bad things about Science Diet.

Do you groom her or do you get it done? Because if you're cutting her hair frequently she may be itching from the cut hair. Try giving her a bath after cutting her hair, although you'd have to cut her dry because two baths would probably dry out her skin.

Also, my doxie gets really itchy when it's super hot (we live in vegas) so I keep a mini-fan on her kennel at all time so she can be comfortable, even if she's not in there, so she knows where a cool spot is.

Lastly , have you been using any strange carpet cleaner? Dogs can get itchy from the deodorant in cleaners and sometime vacuum bags. And what kind of water do you have down there? It's super akali where I am, which gives both me and the puppy skin problems if we're in it for too long or it's too hot.

These are great suggestions! My vet also recommended Melatonin (2 mgs 2x/day), which seems to be helping my dog. I have no idea why it works.

DarlingDA: I have a professional groomer do all her grooming. I typically wait 3 months (sometimes a little longer) to keep her as short as she is (in the picture). I do bathe her at home, but try not to do so more than once every 2 weeks-because I've heard the more you bathe them, the more dry their skin can get. I don't use any carpet cleaners-just straight vacumming, and have recently (the past three months) switched to all organic cleaning products. I had read where products for Clorox cleaning, etc had a lot of harmful chemicals to dogs if they lick their pads. I'm not sure about our water, other than it tastes awful....perhaps I should switch her to the bottled water I drink...

kimdangirl: I had not heard anything about Science Diet, she has been on this food since I brought her home from the breeder. So there is certainly a possibility this a food allergy. Any suggestions for food? I am willing to spend just about any price on dog food-as I want her to have a well-balanced diet.

Rushka- I would bet that your problem is dog food. I fed my previous dog Science Diet for almost 14 years, per my longtime vets recommendation, and he always suffered from hot spots and itching to the point where he would be missing chunks of fir. Since then I hae learned a lot about dog food and I would not feed Science Diet to my new baby if it was the last dog food on earth (I would resort to making my own!). Science Diet is nothing but high priced crap that is not fit for human or canine consumption. It is better than what you get at the grocery, and that is about all it has going for it. I would highly recommend that you switch to an organic, high quality dog food right away (you will need to mix it for a bit as your dog changes over). It costs about as much as the Science Diet but the quality of the food is amazing- you can eat it yourself. Organic dog food is full of meat (NOT meat by products), fish, vegetables and fruit. I personally use Solid Gold Hund N Flocken... it is gluten free which makes it even better for allergies, which your dog clearly has. In my area they just started selling Solid Gold at Petco. If you can't find it there or if there is no organic or wholistic or GOOD pet store around, you can find it online. My co-worker just got a puppy a few months ago and swore she would not go my "crazy" route of spending so much on dog food and good products... said she was "old school." She relented in the beginning and tried an organic natural food for a while. Last month she ran out and fed a different food for a few weeks and said her dog was itchy and his coat looked terrible. She is now a firm believer in the natural organics. Also, I would recommend a tea spoon of yogurt in the dogs food every morning- low fat organic. They love it and it's great for their stomachs and by extension their coats. Good luck!!!

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=1&code=100

Rushka! Try The Honest Kitchen, at Thehonestkitchen.com. Let me tell you, my dog had allergies, hot spots, very bad flaky skin, she would gnaw herself till she would bleed!! She went on The Honest Kitchen's FORCE diet and cleared up almost immediately. Her coat is actually pretty shiny now and hasn't scratched since. Her flakes are gone too! Her eyes are brighter, she's happier, her poop is ALOT easier to pick up, she's trimmed down to a healthy weight. This food really makes a difference. It's ALL natural, and actually certified by the FDA as Human Grade...Their site is very informative and an email or call to them, they'll answer any questions you've got! I'm passionate about it because they really changed my dogs life, and I'm certain it will do the same for your little girl! I think they give free samples as well. Definitely worth a try!! This is how I found them

http://blog.thehonestkitchen.com/healing-art/with-love-maggie-is-loving-...

Ken, I'm with you... not pushing a brand per se, just a natural human grade diet.

I don't do organic because I haven't found one that my dogs aren't allergic to. I have to give mine Natural Balance duck & potato allergy formula or one throws up and gets scaly rashes. You just have to find what's best for your pup, switch over gradually, and give it a few weeks. The biggest suggestion I have is don't give her anything that has any kind of by products listed in the ingredients, and make sure the first ingredient is meat. I also give mine water from a Brita pitcher. Cheaper than bottled because they drink so much.

Right, not "chicken meal" or "chicken by product".

sounds like a definite food allergy. try to weed out chicken, beef, corn and grain for a while and see how it works out.
try a holistic fish/oatmeal formula to see if it really is a food allergy.

dogfoodanalysis.com helps you figure out what the ingredients are and what they mean to you and your dog's sensitivity.

Personally I would try the natural/ organic food instead of SD before going the weeding out route... but keep that option on the back burner.

CJaneTyp read my mind! Solid Gold is a very reputable pet food company. If you have a small, independent pet store in your area, they should be able to provide you with literature about their products. Although I've never had a dog with this problem, I distinctly remember a picture of a pup with hot spots from the packet I was given. They have at least one product that may be of help. Good luck, and love to your pup!

My dog has allergies very badly and i had him on the same food you were using and steriod shots and still had problesm. I have been trying the raw diet from Primal pet foods and have seen much improvement so far. It is all organic and they even have portions ready meals. all i do is thaw out what i need in the morning.

Another idea...you might want to consider washing your pup's t-shirt with a baby laundry detergent, like Dreft. It's great for sensitive skin as it doesn't have a lot of chemical wee-beasties in it that may aggravate the skin.

Maybe if you get rid of SD you won't even need a T-shirt. I tried raw frozen for a while. I personally found it too hard to manage, take places, etc., plus the dry food is good for teeth.

I use Solid Gold Hund N Flocken as well and it's soy, corn and wheat free which are often major causes of skin allergies.

Get your furkid off the Science Diet and on to a human-grade alternative.

Good luck!

Also, to ease the hotspots, you might want to try sprinkling the area with Gold Bond powder (regular strength). You can get it at just about any drug store. It soothing and helps dry out the spot. Works wonders!!

Geo- I tried other brands, love the Solid Gold. What if they lick the Gold Bond?

Rushka313,

I hope all of our suggestions are not confusing you! We all want to help! I just want to caution that whatever changes you do decide to make, do it on a gradual basis. Ultimately, one change at a time for a few weeks before eliminating or adding another possible solution. That way you can more easily rule out what is or is not working for your specific pup. And do keep a "care diary" for your pup where you write down daily reports of whatever you are trying or changing so that you have a written record of successes and such to give to your vet.

I had the exact same problem with my pup. We ended up going to a dog dermatologist and this is what we found out. He had severe food allergies and is now only allowed to eat Hill's Prescription Diet Dog D/D Potato & Duck Food Dry (http://www.southernagriculture.com/southag/product.asp?dept_id=226&pf_id...) and Royal Canin Veterinary Diet IVD Select Care Canine Treats (http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf%5Fid=20349601KT...). You have to have a prescription from your vet to purchase the food but anyone can purchase the treats. It took about 3 months to see results but Henry is now completely healed and only scratches occasionally. It's just very important that those are the only two things that the dog is allowed to eat. Any other food can cause an allergic reaction and you'd be back at square one. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information. I know how frustrating it can be when your dog is in pain and no one can seem to figure out how to make him feel better. Good luck!

My Victorian Bulldog gets really bad skin allergies to the point where he will break blood vessels underneath the skin when it flairs up. It only happens on his left ear, but it is so terrible. We bathe him in Johnson's Mild Baby Shmapoo once a week and it has really helped more than any others. He also gets the doggie version of Benedryl and does get steriods when it gets very very bad (a few weeks ago he was itching so bad he took off allllll of the fur on the ear and broke all of the blood vessels underneath). The vet also gave us a topical anti-itch spray that helps as well and is more of an every other day type of thing to keep it in check. I am out of town until tomorrow, but I wll post the name of all of his medications and you can ask your vet about them. We also have to get him a light tshirt to wear in the summer because he burns so easily (and then gets even more itchy!!) It is definitely hard finding one though that doesn't pull since he has such a wide chest. I can't comment on the type of food you are using since I use a breed specific one from Royal Canin. It is great food. I would try the baby shampoo right away though. It does help.

rushka, i have an english cocker spaniel that had the same problem... the vet did an allergy test on her and it turns out it was food allergies. she's allergic to chicken, pork, rice and many, many other things. we couldn't find not even one brand of dog food that she wasn't allergic to, so no I cook all of her meals... she eats pasta with beef and veggies (carrots and tomatoes) and we also give her vitamins once a day. she's been doing much better... i would bet your pooch's problem is also an allergy to foods, try changing her brand of dog food and talk to the vet about it...

The reason most people think Science Diet is a good food is because vets always recommend it...and that is only b/c SD gives lots of dollars to vet schools! It's actually full of corn (no nutrition and allergy inducing), chicken feet and beaks, and animal fat from unknown sources.

I feed Wellness, which is a good holistic food full of real meat and vegetables. You want to look for a food with as few grains as possible, and keep in mind that rice, barley and oatmeal are the grains least likely to cause allergic reactions. You could also try a fish-based food, or one that is grain-free and uses potato as a charbohydrate source.

Check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com....they have NO aaffiliation to any dog food companies and rate every food you can imagine on a 6-star scale...ideally, try to feed a 5 or 6 star food. Once you have some you want to try, just about all the manufactuer's websites have a "Where to Buy" section. Good luck!

I've been looking into this a lot lately. My dog Lulu has been itching and chewing at her front legs so much that she has 2 bald spots. I took her to the vet and now she's on 3V fish oil supplement, takes an allergy pill, and I bought her new shampoo (a colloidal oatmeal formula called "Comfy Dog" by Happytails Spa). Each night I've also been giving her troubled spots a light spray of "Skin Repair and Dander Care" by Shea Pet which is safe for licking. I've noticed her itching less but it has only been about a week so far.

Recently I bought a dog health book that talks about infrequent baths being a myth. This was confirmed when my vet suggested bathing my dog several times a week with the appropriate shampoo.

If Lulu's allergies end up being food related I've hunted down two kinds that look good to try. One is California Natural (limited ingredients) and Wellness Allergy formulas. Currently she's on Innova Puppy.

Thank you all so much for these wonderful tips! She will definitely be changing from SD (gradually) right away!

And a big thanks to Petsugar for posting this for all to see and help:)

I can't read through all the responses right now, but I just wanted to say you might need to see a vet dermatologist. Our regular vet just said "prednisone" (sp?) when we came in with our dog. Thats about all a general practice vet knows to do. When that didn't help, we went to the vet. dermatology practice at UPenn - they're much more educated about animal skin issues (duh!). We had to do a blood test for environmental allergens (he's allergic to just about everything) and food trials. You have to switch to a food with a novel protein (something the dog has never been exposed to before - usually fish or venison works) because it is more likely to be the cause of a food allergy. I love Wellness brand dogfood - all human grade ingredients - we feed the fish and sweet potato.
Just be aware too - if the dog is breaking open the skin from scratching, that could lead to a bacterial infection (from bacteria that is normally present but not usually a problem). We also have to use a prescribed anti-bacterial shampoo on our pooch to keep everything in check.

I would personally recommend looking into California Naturals if you are going to try a new food. You can most likely find it at a smaller high-end pet store in your area. Supposedly it is "hypoallergenic" because it has very few ingredients and no extra preservatives. I feed it to both of my dogs, one dog who has had skin allergies in the past and this food seems to work really well with her.

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/california-natural.asp

A lot of dogs have a gluten allergy. My pit has it, now we use canned food called 'EVO' That has helped him stop scratching.

http://www.animalwellnessmagazine.com/art/aV102_62.htm

I'm a big fan of Nutro brand products. They have an organic line, but I forget what it's called. I've been able to find Nutro at all large pet stores.

My parents insist on feeding their dogs crappy grocery store food and you can see the difference in my dog's coat and crap! Serious!!

Hello,

I haven't read through everything, but I did read a couple posts about foods. Solid Gold is a GREAT choice, as well as Timberwolf (what both my guys are on). I personally don't recommend Nutro, because I have been hearing controversial things about them lately.

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier about Solid Gold - it's been a busy work day. I'm not sure where your hot spot is but I sprinkle on the powder and then wrap with gauze. My girl and one on her foot (about the size of a nickel and it was really raw) and the gold bond cleared it right up.

Regarding dog food brands, there are many brands that are "premium" so just try and pick one that is corn, soy, wheat and gluten free.
If possible, visit your local "mom and
pop" pet food store as they are generally more knowledgeable about ingredients.

Here's a good dog food comparison chart from Flint River:
http://www.flintriverranch.org/comparison.html
Start with Flint River or Solid Gold as your ingredient reference then compare against the others.

Personally, I'd stay away from the steroids (i.e. prednisone) as their side effects can be much worse than what they're curing.

Good luck!

I feel like we need to start a support group for dogs with allergies I think it is actually much more common than people realize.
Wanted to add this to the discussion: http://www.frontporchpets.com/
They sell dehydrated sweet potato treats for dogs. That's what the Vet Dermatologist we go to uses for dog treats - according to the doc, there's never been a dog that is allergic to sweet potato, so they won't cause any reactions.
Also - if the problem is food allergies, be aware that the "meat flavoring" of nylabones and other dog chew toys can be enough to set off a reaction. We found this out about 3 months too late - just didn't occur to our dermatologist to tell us this for some reason.

Oops, just realized I said "Solid Gold" instead of "Gold Bond" powder. Obviously I don't sprinkle Solid Gold on my furkid's hot spot

I have to agree with many of the comments here. Definitely sounds like a food allergy. My dog had the exact same symptoms yours does, and I've tried a bunch of different brands, and finally settled on a Premium holistic dog food brand. Science diet is crap food. It's not a whole lot better than, say Purina, except without added dyes and such. A lot of Vets, breeders, etc. recommend it and feed it because they get really good deals. Even a lot of Animal Shelters use it because they get really good deals on a large volume of food. But it is just a bad food. A lot of dogs have skin sensitivity issues with it. MY dog broke out in complete hives when I switched her to it when I was first experimenting with different foods to figure out what she was allergic to.

The food I feed my girl is Nutro Natural Ultra weight management, although I'm not saying that's what would work for your dog. It really just depends what she may be allergic to.

Oh, and about the steroids, I would say go with it only as a management for really bad outbreaks. It can really help and make them feel a whole lot better. I wouldn't keep her on anything too long though since (as your vet should inform you), most steroids, especially Prednisone, which is commonly prescribed for this kind of thing, can lead to organ malfunction over time, not to mention causing the dog to become incontinent.

Good luck.

I did it! I went out and purchased a bag of Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken The woman at the pet store said it was a phenomenal food. I loved dogfoodanalysis.com site; that was also extremely helpful.

Definitely glad that I am not alone in all of this; and hope that this has helped other people's pups as well

These are all wonderful suggestions although in many cases these allergies are from vaccinations. If you have tried everything and they are still itching talk to your vet about waiving some vaccines. Don't allow vaccine cocktails at one visit. Have them given in two week intervals, so their systems can adjust to the toxins. Have a titer done to see what they have build up an immunity to. Steroids are not good for their liver and can cause other issues. It is only a last resort to find relief. If they have been put on antibiotics for the secondary skin infections, give them yogurt or probiotics to replace the good flora in their gut.It may be a yeast overgrowth. There is a yeast kit I recommend at greatdanelady.com . I also feed an organic food like Natural Balance Organic. There are no pesticides , chemicals or food allergens in the mix. Eagel Pack is also a wonderful food.
For crusty bumps use Selsun Blue shampoo. Keep your dogs hair short and in a T shirt. It helps ! When one of mine developed severe allergies to flea saliva in his older age, I took him off grass , no more vaccines and he had some relief from the itches.
These are just some suggestions from another long time pet owner though. Talk to a holistic vet if you can find one.

Jaycee - good point regarding vaccinations. I stopped giving both my girls the DHLPP vaccines at 5 years (they still get their rabies shots). I give them Heartguard Plus every 6 weeks instead of 4, and I only apply Frontline once or twice (max) during the summer instead of year round.

Rushka, make sure you switch over to the new food slowly. Start with a mix of 25% new food/75% old food the first week, 50/50 the second, 75/25 the third, etc.

Also, you may end up trying a couple different types of dog foods before finding the one that works for your furkid. I actually tried Innova, then Wellness, then Solid Gold before I found one that worked for my two dogs.

My two bichons scratched constantly at night and would get ear infections, turned out they were allergic to wheat.

georginc: thanks for all your help i have already started weaning her off the sd. hopefully this one will do the trick.

as i was going through this week i was doing some further research on the breed, etc and i read about over-vaccinating dogs and how that can cause allergies as well. there is a great book out there that talks about exactly that...i'll have to find it and put a link in her for those who are interested.

I've been wondering if vaccinations have been my dog's problem all along. He has always been allergic to fleas, but for the last couple of years I just can't get him completely better. My vet and dog trainer have been suggesting food all along. I have tried various foods. Most recently I am feeding him Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato. He loves it! Haven't seen him that excited about food in eons, but the odd thing is how much he is pooping now. I don't think it is the transition to a different food because his stool isn't soft. It's what I would call ideal poop. Did I really say that? Anyway it makes me feel good about what's in it. I've found other posts where people have talked about how solid the poop is. Odd! But back to the vaccinations. I'm realizing that the last two major breakouts have been after having his vaccinations. I can't remember before that. Plus this last flare up is the one that just will not get better...the worst ever. Well his last vaccination was a three year rabies shot plus the others. I remember when he was just a pup I read a lot about the cons of vaccinations. If you find the book. I would like to know the name. I've got to releive his itching and don't want to use steriods if there are other options.

I came across this website the other day and thought I'd share: http://www.seespotlivelonger.com. Some interesting stuff here. I would like to read the book.

I currently feed my large dog Solid Gold Wolf King and my small dogs eats Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit. I have been happy with Solid Gold products, and I mix high quality wet food with it. The raw food diet discussion is pretty interesting too, and there is some good info. about it on the above website.

My large dog has severe seasonal allergies, just like me, and it is very hard to manage. My vet did put him on steroids for a very short period as a means of leading him into a stronger regimen of antihistamines. The steroids gave him instant relief, but he is having some nasty itching again now that he is back to antihistamines (although not as bad as before). I have found that bathing him fairly frequently (once a week at least) with a very mild shampoo and conditioner (prescribed by my vet) has helped some with his itching and has also helped with dandruff.

Also, just like for people, itching is worse when it is hot, so it is important to try and keep your pups cool. If you can, it is good to wet your dog when it's hot out. You don't have to bathe your pet ever time you wet them down, and it shouldn't dry their skin out (especially if they are a water loving breed). It will make them feel soooo much better, even if it's only temporary.

Food allergies most likely like everyone else says - I switched my Sasha over to Nature's Recipe Vegetarian food and she's almost all better! I think she chews herself now out of habit - but the scratching and ear infections have just about disappeared, yay!

Hello,
In Utah there is a big pet rescue sanctuary. One of the stories that I saw on television highlighting this place was about a dog that was allergic to virtually everything. If I am not mistaken they were able to get the allergies under control for this poor dog. See if you contact them and see if they have any suggestions. If you have a diagnosis from your vet, perhaps it will be enough information for them. Good Luck

Rushka313,

Please be very careful about taking advice without consulting a veterinarian. I went to vet school for 3 years before deciding that research and diagnostics were more my cup of tea, but I've had most of the formal education associated with Vet School. It is true that Science Diet does a great deal of vet student wooing, but most vets do not sell Science Diet for that reason. It is generally a good product with many options. There are many good pet foods out there, but not all foods are nutritionally balanced, so be careful to ensure they are before switching. In regards to vaccinations, it is true that some problems exist, but I can tell you from experience that vaccinations have saved huge numbers of pets lives. I currently work at a major veterinary school diagnostic lab. One in which I, along with my collegues perform the titers mentioned in an earlier comment. These titers are great information to get, but you need to know that those titers are a snapshot of the antibodies present in your dog at that time, and are not a guarantee that she will be protected from the major canine diseases for any specific time period. I would definitely not go over a year between testing those titers. Different animals have different production of antibodies from year to year. And I can tell you from experience, that diseases such as distemper (one of the major components of the DHLPPC vaccine) and rabies are present everywhere in wildlife. On a near daily basis I perform diagnostics on skunks and raccoons that demonstrate both rabies and distemper infections. Distemper and rabies are terrible diseases and their effects on animals is horrible. I'm not trying to frighten you, just keep you informed. I know vaccinations are getting a very bad wrap right now, but without these veterinary vaccinations a staggering number of animals would have suffered from a wide variety of diseases, many with deadly consequences. Vaccinations have their problems, just don't eliminate them completely without consulting a vet. I think the best suggestion listed here was to visit a Veterinary Dermatologist. Food allergies, environmental allergies, bacterial allergies, are all possibilities. With the advice of a Dermatologist, you can start to eliminate causes and get to a solution that takes into account the overall health of Bella. I took my own precious Gertie to a Dermatologist, and we came up with a solution that stopped her skin problems for good. Best of luck!

i have a cockapoo who suffered from similar problems. to our vets recommendation, she is now strictly on a duck diet (i feed her Stella and Chewys frozen duck/goose patties) and she LOVES IT and NO MORE ITCHING! i also feed her Dogswell Happy Hips Duck Breast for treats. Our vet suggested that we stick to one food that she was less likely to be allergic to like duck or venison (staying away from chicken, beef, turkey etc.) and her itching has DRASTICALLY improved and quality of life has SUBSTANTIALLY increased. I hope this helps.