# Dog Allergies



## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

Do any of you give benedryl to your chi on a regular basis for allergies? 
For 2 weeks now gizmo has had itchy and watery eyes. They are not red (just the skin around them when he scratches). And he will itch his ears like the wing part is itchy. 

I gave him some benedryl and the tearing is much better. He still itches his eyes but not obsessively like before. 

He weighs about 5 or 6 lbs and I am giving him between 1/4-1/2 tsp of children's benedryl 1-2x a day. 

I am thinking I will be putting some apple cider vinager in his water and ears every day as well, hopefully that will solve the allergy issue.

Haven't taken him to the vet because he isnt sneezing or acting ill. We like to do things as holestic as possible before a doctor gives drugs, and benedryl is pretty harmless.

My last dog was a Basset hound who had HORRIBLE skin allergies and ACV worked well for him.

Anyone else have an allergic dog? I joke with my husband that he's allergic to people!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

My chi is doing the exact same thing. Itching her whole head, rubbing her eyes and ears almost constantly. I've been giving her Benedryl for over 2 years now and it helps some. I keep a close eye to make sure it doesn't/isn't an infection or anything. You can take a wash cloth and soak it with warm water and wipe Gizmo's eyes. This is soothing to him. I thought Midgie was the only one going through although I don't wish this on anyone else's chi, I feel so bad for them.

I have also got the o.k. from the vet and dermatologist to give Midgie Zirtec, so you might want to consult your vet about this.


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm sorry your chi has the same problems!! I know it's horrible to see them scratching so much. Gizmo mould sit there rubbing his eye constantly before I put him on the benedryl. He had little cuts on the wings of his ears and his face too from the scratching. No sneezing or coughing thank goodness.

I watch him for infection too. So far insides of his ears are normal (the outsides get red from itching) and his whites are clear (the skin gets red when he itches). 

Benedryl seems to help most the way. 

Ironically my eyes have been itching non stop for a few weeks now too. Maybe we are allergic to the same thing! Lol.

Gave him the ACV last night and will for theme t few weeks. hopefully that will detox him and stop the allergies.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Yes, my eyes have been itchy too with a little matter build up. I've noticed Midgie's had a little matter build up too. I don't think that there ears are really bothering them, but I do think the allergens are irritating their eyes. I've had some sinuse inflamation and the first thing I do is hold my forehead because of the terrible headache which led me to believe that our little chi's might also have some sinuse irritation going on as well. This is what scares me because I know how easy my sinuses can get infected, so if Midgie's gets infected, I'll have no choice but to take her to the vet for antibiotics. I'm like you, and tired of running her around to the doctors and trying to do everything holistically. I've even taken her off her immunotherapy shots every week. Not sure if I'm doing the right thing, but they didn't seem to help her, just agitate her and make her itch more. She does itch to the point she makes herself raw but hasn't lately. 
She she sleeps with us, I try to make it a point to keep my sheets changed out regularly because she's allergic to dust mites. The one thing I did take from her Dermatologist is to bathe her weekly (which I do during the summer), but not as much during the winter. I alternate bathing with a moisturizing dog shampoo called Hylite and Aveeno Oatmeal bath soak which helps to soothe her itchy, iritated skin. I can tell she always feels much better after the bathes. She actually due for one now! lol


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

Oh those baths sound nice! I may get him some aveno oatmeal baths. Maybe it will help with the itchy ears and face. 

We don't get any buildup, but before his benedryl, his Face is all wet from tears.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Gizmo's mom said:


> Oh those baths sound nice! I may get him some aveno oatmeal baths. Maybe it will help with the itchy ears and face.
> 
> We don't get any buildup, but before his benedryl, his Face is all wet from tears.


Yea, the tears are a buildup of allergens and the chis body working over-time to rid their systems of the intruders. A wet warm washcloth wiped across their eyes makes them feel so much better. My chi gets excited when she sees me get the wash cloth out. haha
The Aveeno Oatmeal bath soaks are very nice and you could use them too. I buy the box of 6 packets at Walmart for about $6.00. Since I give Midgie her soak in the sink, I only use about half of 1 packet, so I get 2 soaks out of 1 packet. Don't rinse the soak off. Fill the tub or sink with luke warm water (the cooler the better without freezing Gismo) then let the Aveeno dissolve in the water. Take a cup and keep pouring it over Gizmo and I usually take my fingers and massage it into her skin just incase the soak is rolling off her. Do that for about 10 min. then just dry him off. (DO NOT RINSE THE SOAK OFF! as you will be defeating the purpose) then you go and take a nice soak!! lol


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## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

The way I understood it, based on what my vet told me, dogs rarely get the itchy/watery eyes or runny noses that we see in humans who have airborne allergies. Instead, allergies manifest in their skin-- hives, hot spots, rashes, full-body itchiness, yeast, etc. If I had to guess, your Chi is just getting the typical runny eyes associated with short-nosed breeds. Teddy has no allergies but frequently rubs his eyes with his paws because they are wet.

My Jack Russell had allergies. I tried the Benedryl but it didn't really help and I hated medicating her like that. Instead I followed my vet's recommendation of bathing her once a week with a colloidal oatmeal shampoo AND cream rinse, in cool water, allowing the oatmeal cream rinse to stay rubbed into the skin and fur for a few minutes before rinsing it off. Water should be room temperature or so, not too warm. That was the only thing that helped with her hot spots.

You can also treat hot spots with a neem oil/tea tree oil spray or rub 100% aloe vera in to soothe the itch and provide relief.


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

Gizzy doesnt get hot spots though. And his eyes arent just wattery, he itches them like they are torturing him (he uses hus front dew claws). The benedryl makes him stop, so I imagine it stops the itch. 

Thats why I am not a big fan of running straight to the vet. Vets vary sooooo much and I have had so much inconsistancy over the ears with pets and different advice.


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## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

Have you ruled out physical causes such as trichiasis (where hairs will lie on and irritate the eye) or bacterial infections such as conjunctivitis? Could his eyelashes be irritating his eye? All these can cause itching that might be remedied temporarily by benadryl.

Is there any redness to the eye? Can you see the "third eyelid" (the white or pink tissue that closes in at the corner of the eye)? Is there any thick or colored discharge in the eye? The redness could coincide with allergies but the other symptoms are indicative of a more serious condition. Allergies can cause conjunctivitis so it's important that you monitor him and go to a vet if discharge shows up or he has trouble opening his eyes. A bacterial infection such as conjunctivitis is best treated with medicated eye drops from the vet.

Until then, you could try to use a saline rinse for sensitive eyes to flush his eyes in case there is any bacteria or debris (such as dust, dirt, or hair) in them. Doing that once or twice a day may help. 

eye problems in dogs; red, swollen, itchy, watery eyes | Dr. Carols Naturally Healthy Pets Blog

Third eyelid:


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

I looked in his eye with a flashlight and my jewelers loup and didn't see any thing off with his eye at all. His eye lashes are pointing outward, the whites of his eye are white, the corners of his eyes are a normal pink. If he did show any signs of infections I would have taken him in. The only redness he gets is on the outside of the eye after he goes on a itching spree. This is something that started over the past few weeks. He is 6 months old.


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## RUTHIE (Dec 5, 2011)

You should check out putting them on a raw diet i just did and my mamma dog is 11 and she had a really bad honking cough which is gone now and her eyes were wet all the time and they are not now.and she loves loves the diet


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## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

There could still be bacteria in the eye even if there's no debris. Pawing at the eyes in response to allergies can cause conjunctivitis. My advice is just to keep monitoring him and do a saline rinse once a day. I hope I helped somehow.  I think I'm out of ideas.

Hope you get it figured out and he starts feeling better. Poor little guy!


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

I have thought about the raw diet, but it sounds $$$. Meat up here in north datota isn't cheap. I am talking 8$ per lb of chicken, 3.50 for eggs, beef is a little better at 4$ per lb. 

I really wish I could though. I fed my pet duck raw foods but he ate oatmeal and veggies and eggs, not so much meat meat.


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## LittleLuxie (May 7, 2011)

Poor doggy! Hmmm if you can't feed him raw, maybe switch to grain free?


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

I think I am going to do some research on different ways to feed and types of food to get an idea of where we can go. I hate seeing my little guy all itchy.

Right now he eats purina puppy chow


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

I buy discounted meat in my grocery stores. Check your meat section. They usually discount meat that can't be sold full price after sold date. There's nothing wrong with this meat but it's discounted half price or more. Another cheap cheap alternative is Chicken livers--I pay about $1.00 for a tub of chicken livers and because I'm afraid of raw, I slightly cook, leaving inside raw, the tub and divide it into 3 batches. When I make a batch of Honest Kitchen, I add one batch of the livers, which I don't have to because the HK has meat in it already, but I like giving her real meat with the hydrated meat. Although ZiwiPeak and HK sounds pricey, when you break down how long it last and how many feedings you get, it boild down to less than $2.00 a dog per day, not to mention the improvement of the dogs health (less vet trips) more money to invest in better quality food! I always buy the 10 lb box of HK and now that I've shown how good this food is have convinced my brother to feed his 3 boxers, so now when I order, I buy the 4-10 lb boxes (1 for me/3 for my brother) which boils down to a $12.00 a box savings. (A box at about $72.00 cost now $61.00).
Buying in quantity is usually the cheapest and best way. After I cook the whole tub of livers and use 1 portion, I freeze the other 2 til I'm ready for them. They thaw out quickly when I add them to the HK so there's no waiting. Ziwipeak is pretty expensive, but since I don't give Midgie treats except for an occasional Candy Cane (lol), she LOVES this food and I believe it has teeth cleaning potential. Just my opinion.


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## Gizmo's mom (Aug 20, 2011)

Well me and hubby talked last night about asking the butcher at the grocery store if we can buy the waste (trimmings, parts not good enough for people, bones, ect) for super cheap or free. We will go in this weekend and ask!


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