Stupid allergies!?

I have an english bull terrier. I realize they are known to have skin issues. Mine sure does.

Well, after contacting my breeder, she suggested it could be a food allergy, so I changed her food to Canidae Lamb & rice kibble. She's been eating nothing but that food for nearly a month and her skin issue is showing no sign of slowing down.
After taking my pup with me up to work [pet parlor] everyone said it was some type of allergy, just by the way it looked...

How do I go about figuring out what she's allergic to? Skin allergy tests are freakishly expensive, and don't alway help figure out the cause and I personally don't have that kind of money to spend.
Whenever shes outside, she sneezes uncontrollably that it's crazy. So, duh, my thought is that it's something outside that's bugging her. How can I get her to stop itching?



I've tried every type of medicated shampoo out there with no luck. I've also tried lessen her baths to once a m

-onth and that didn't help either

My vet said the special food may not work for 2 months. I buy stuff from the vet's office. You can give your dog Benadryl or
Chlor-trimeton. We tried both, but they didn't work because it was her food and it was a bad allergy. Really, the vet will just give your dog antihistamines anyhow. They can do allergy shots if you've had the testing, but that is also expensive. If the OTC antihistamines work, I'd just do that. Here is a website with dosage info for Benadryl:
http://www.diamondpaws.com/health/drugs....
And do do that stuff that other chick mentioned, like rinsing her off everyday. That's really helpful.

Honestly, the only way to find out for sure is to see your vet. Sorry. I had this same issue with one of my Weims and I spent well over $1000 to "figure it out", but it was money well spent.

ADDED: I didn't just have $1000 laying around either, but when I took on the resposibility of a dog I FOUND a way to pay for it (extra hours at work, payment plan with vet, etc.). At least consult your vet before giving Benadryl. My vet told me I could give it to my Weim in small doses and only occasionally. You can't treat this problem with Benadryl alone - especially since you don't even know what you are treating. Grow up!!!

here's my 'itchy dog' response - email me if you have any other questions...I'll try to help:

First. rinse him every day with tepid, not warm water.

That will remove anything that is causing a contact allergy - pollen, dust, grass ...

Next, switch him carefully over to a 2 ingredient diet.
The top food allergens are corn, chicken,beef,soy, wheat, and dairy, but dogs can be allergic to just about anything.

Sometimes you can get away with just putting them on something like Nutro lamb & rice - you mighttry that first, just to see if it'll be that easy. Wellness has a very good line of hypoallergenic foods, and a bunch dogs have found relief with Atlantic Whitefish & Sweet potato (of course my dog is the only one in the world that is allergic to sweet potato!)...

You may have to resort to feeding a two ingredient diet - if the kibble doesn't work, pick two ingredients and feed them exclusinvely in their original form - like fish and oatmeal, say - so you actually know what the dog is eating. Jack Mackeral comes in a nice big can at the supermarket.

A couple weeks on that kind of diet won't hurt him, and if you find that is necessary too continue, you can look on www.BalanceIt.com for a recipe tool that will help you balance it for him, and Rx vitamins with no additives that will round out the diet so it's a good long term one.

Remember that any other treats - like beef bones, rawhide, or pig's ears - are the wrong food, and will cause a reaction if that's what he's allergic to, so cut those all out, and no table scraps, either. Chewable heartworm tablets are usually beef based, so you would also need the ones that aren't - there are some, I don't remember the name...

Speak to your vet about giving his some fish oil - omega 3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and only a food - but you must take into consideration whether your dog is susceptible to pancreatitis. Most healthy dogs are fine, but little dogs can get into trouble with smaller amounts of stuff - but it is a really good thing or dogs with any kind of skin problem, and a very easy fix.

Good luck, this is a tough problem to solve - but not impossible. But this is the way the top veterinary dermatologist in the US does it - and I have used it sucessfully on many dogs.

Sadly there will need to have money spent to get the answers that you need. If possible, try to get a holistic vet. They take a closer look at things that regular vets do not like allergies and their sources and deal with them in less invasive ways attempting to make permanent changes not just cover up the symptoms.

Hope this is sorted out soon.

One of my dogs has a sneezing problem, and her previous owner, my boyfriend's brother who works with dogs and has his whole life said to give her half a pill of Benedryl. He said it won't hurt her and it should work. We haven't tried it yet because her sneezing has slowed down a bit naturally but she occasionally gets this horrible sneeze attacks. I would try that or maybe see if you can get some free vet advice, maybe look online :]