# Carolina has seasonal allergies...opinions wanted



## BasketMichele (Sep 9, 2014)

We had our vet appointment this evening and it was confirmed that it appears Carolina does suffer from seasonal allergies and symptoms are only respiratory (nose & eyes) at this point, nothing else. Skin looks great and no infection or blockage in the ears. For now, he doesn't feel allergy testing is needed, as her symptoms are not severe and we agreed to try Benadryl up to 3 times as needed and to add a fish oil supplement of 50mg each day with eventually getting her up to 90mg a day. He said if I go to high on a fish oil supplement right away she might get loose, running stools. Continue with coconut oil and treats as she gets omegas from that too and already being on grain free and raw diet was great. Told me to watch carb. intake with treats, etc. as it can irritate, make allergies worse. 

I did ask about long term use of Benadryl and he said it is one of the safest drugs out there, with little to no side effects. He said even if overdosed on they usually only see a little vomiting or diarrhea. Is this true? 

I talked to him about the possibility of trying Quercetin and brought printed info with me. His explanation of Quercetin was that it is a flavonoid, which puts it in the same family/category as grapes and onions and since both those are toxic to dogs and can do kidney damage, what is the source they get Quercetin from? I could not answer this and after checking his herbal book and the computer he couldn't either. Does anyone know what source Quercetin is gotten from? He said he would be all for trying this if I could confirm the source and that it does not come from grapes and/or onions and if it did, he recommends at this time not trying it as his concern would then be what long term effects it might have on the kidney. 

The other problem is neither one of us could find a liquid form in Quercetin, so dosing Carolina at 2.12lbs would be very difficult or impossible, as she would only need 20mg and he could only find the lowest dose of 250mg.

Also, does anyone know a good liquid form of fish oil supplement?

I hope I made the right decision ,for now anyway. Any other suggestions or opinions appreciated.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Hope Carolina is feeling better.


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## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

I buy grizzly brand fish oil in a pump canister. It works great.


Douglas has dreadful allergies, both to chicken and seasonal. During the bad seasons there are a few things that seem to help-

Keep clothing on. The less pollen settles on his skin the better. Light t-shirts are fine.
Oatmeal shampoo. If he starts itching and flaking, I give him a bath with it. Usually, it helps to settle his skin a lot.
Fish oil. I give it every evening
Keeping him busy helps too, as he cannot bite his skin and hair off if he's out doing fun stuff.


Good luck. Allergies can really suck.


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## mom2marley (Feb 15, 2015)

My dogs have allergies as well. It seems most dogs I know have them anymore. Marley does not seem able to tolerate Benadryl at all. On 1/4 of a tablet he has vomiting.

What types of symptoms does your dog have? My two Chihuahua's both seem to be sneezing a lot lately. My shih Tzu occasionally as well.


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## BasketMichele (Sep 9, 2014)

Moonfall said:


> I buy grizzly brand fish oil in a pump canister. It works great.
> 
> 
> Douglas has dreadful allergies, both to chicken and seasonal. During the bad seasons there are a few things that seem to help-
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion for fish oil. I will definitely check into that brand.

Sorry to hear it's a skin reaction with Douglas. I guess I can be thankful Carolina doesn't have skin problems or itching. Her symptoms are all sinus. Vet is pretty sure it's outdoor enviromental inhalents, since it seems to be spring and fall only.


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## BasketMichele (Sep 9, 2014)

mom2marley said:


> My dogs have allergies as well. It seems most dogs I know have them anymore. Marley does not seem able to tolerate Benadryl at all. On 1/4 of a tablet he has vomiting.
> 
> What types of symptoms does your dog have? My two Chihuahua's both seem to be sneezing a lot lately. My shih Tzu occasionally as well.



Carolina's symptoms are stuffy, runny nose, sneezing and water eyes which sometimes are bloodshot. Some days she has symptoms and some days she doesn't. Today was not such a good day, but I was glad so the vet could she what symptoms she's having. 

She had the same symptoms last fall, but when I took her to the vet, they said it might be allergies or it could have been her teeth causing some of the problems. She had alot retained baby teeth which were scheduled to be pulled when she was spayed if they didn't come out on their own. They were pulled in March and symptoms returned this spring. So back to the vet to confirm it was not the teeth and find out where we start now.


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## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

You might try running a humidifier in the room where she sleeps if you live in a dry area. It may help her breathe easier.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Midgie has severe allergies all year long. She has congestion and itching. I only use Benedryl when it gets bad, so she's been taking it. You can use Artifical tears drop to help clean the eyes out and soothe them. Never use Visine or stuff like that. If there is a lot of snoring associated with congestion, I will boil a pot of water on the stove and add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the water; hold her on my lap over the water with a blanket covering both of us to break up the congestion. Works really well. I am also running a humidifier with eucalyptus oil and an air purifier. I had to put her Thunder shirt on because she was scratching herself bloody. I keep some water with white distilled vinegar by the front door to dip her feet in when she comes in from outside and I also wipe her down with it sometimes to get and pollen off her face. ACV added to the food also helps with congestion and allergies.


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## mom2marley (Feb 15, 2015)

The best eye drops for dogs are the GenTeal eye drops. I get the moderate/severe gel drops. My shih Tzu gets drops in his eyes 2 to 3 times a day.


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