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Comment by Linda on March 31, 2014 at 2:48pm

Max, my almost 12 year old corgi, has pretty much the same summer time allergies I do.  Mainly pollen from grass, ragweed and leaf mold in the fall.  He gets runny eyes, severe ear infections and a red belly.  I get the same except for the red belly. 

For the past several years my vet has me keep him on Benadryl (generic is fine) from the beginning of August thru the first hard frost.  It has made him much happier and costs less then taking him to the vet's for ear infections all the time plus it protects his hearing.  I pretty much stock up on the Benadryl for the both of us.

Comment by Karen Hickey on February 7, 2014 at 1:52pm

The limited outdoor time is especially a bit of a bummer for our Gidget as she is our sunbather. She loves to sit outside to enjoy the sunshine and smells as well as torment our neighbors cat. :)

Comment by Karen Hickey on February 7, 2014 at 1:47pm

We have 2 female sister Corgi's. Among other allergies, we found out the hard way that they are allergic to bees/wasps. Our Gidget came in one evening from the back yard and was exhibiting a different than we had seen. She was rubbing her face in their bed, and then a few minutes later her eyes were glazed and she was unconsciously walking and pooping in the house. She then looked very off balance. My husband and I immediately took her to emergency. They pulled a large stinger from her nose. She was going into anafalactic (spelling?) and had to stay over night for blood and platelet transfusions. It was very frightening. We now have a Benedryl pen and Epi pen. We have to be really careful with both pups when outside. They have to be supervised even when out in the backyard, on walks and in the park to make sure there aren't any bees. They have other allergies as well (grass & pollens) which we treat with Benedryl 2x/day (vet prescribed) and have had to be on Steroids at one time when their allergies were really bad and the Benedryl wasn't doing the trick. To minimize food allergies, we feed them pretty pure homemade food along with supplements.Treats are organic freeze dried meats and or fruits (no grapes as the are toxic for dogs) or vegetables. They love bananas, apples and carrots!

Comment by Andrea Kelley on September 17, 2013 at 2:51pm

I have a Pekingese/Corgi and he is allergic to everything it seems.

He is allergic to fleas, chicken, grain of any kind, dairy, grass, pollen and dust. So yea he is on meds and goes to the vet every few months. He also has atopic dermatitis which he also gets treatment for. The Pekingese part of him, his ears, he gets yeast infections easily so he is on a weekly ear wash and gets bathed once a week with a medicated shampoo. 

I really think his allergies are why he was passed around from home to home and then abandoned. He is not a low maintenance dog when it comes to his allergies, it's been costly but he is so worth it. He is my boy!! I think he knows we help him because when he has a flare up on his mouth of his dermatitis he comes running to me and gets in my lap because he knows I'll sooth it with a wet cloth and then meds. It makes me teary to think of because I dont think anyone ever took the time to take care of him properly.

Comment by Lisa B on October 1, 2012 at 6:32pm

As I have posted previously, my Corgis problem was food allergies. We use Natural Balance as they use unusual grains and protein, we use the duck and sweet potato. I noticed a difference within a week or two of switching foods as far as comfort level. His hot spots cleared up and hes great! I too tried fish oil pills didnt really help but the food was his issue. Good luck!

 

Comment by Beca and Mishka on October 1, 2012 at 11:09am

Hot spots take a long time to heal - usually longer than a couple weeks.

If you like your vet, but they aren't super-experienced with allergies, ask for a referral to a dermatologist.  We ended up going that route even though our vet does have extensive experience with allergies in dogs.  The specialist will be expensive, but the best way to diagnose environmental (pollen, mold, dust mites, etc) allergies is with the skin prick test, and you would need a dermatologist for that.

To save us some money, our vet ruled out flea bite allergies and had us do a food trial before sending us to the dermatologist.  You might consider asking your vet for help with those, as a first step.  Flea bite allergies are more common than food allergies.  The food elimination trial will require prescription food, 10 weeks of patience and constant vigilance (it can also be done with a limited ingredient food but if there's no improvement you have to do it twice, to rule out the limited food ingredients - 20 weeks of feeding your dog ONLY one thing with no treats?  Difficult!).

In hindsight, I wish we had seen the dermatologist earlier.  Mishka was diagnosed with atopy (environmental allergies) with a skin test and we've had him on allergy shots for almost a year now.  Significant improvement, if slow.  The derm.  also had us put him on fish oil supplements (supports healthy heart, skin, and all that good stuff) and a different antihistamine, which is a better match for him than the Benadryl was, and we have a topical powder for his itchy paws when they flare up.

Comment by Dianne Cauzillo on October 1, 2012 at 10:30am

Hi all - new to the corgi community, and here after rescuing my dear Rocko, a 3 yr old tri-color...he was found, so i have no medical history for him, no history at all, really, except that he was clearly loved and trained at one time...

so, the food dilemma. Feeding him Fromm. He took a bit of time to come around to it, but the latest is the skin issue...took him to vet for hot spots, and was told it may be seasonal allergies. Was given tablets and ointment, but after almosta  week, they just dont seem to be helping. We're outside all the time, chasing balls and walking and hanging out, he's scratching and licking and seems so uncomfortable - what is my next move? New vet? Grain free food? Someone suggested fish oil....I so would like to keep it as organic as possible...any help ?? Thanks so much~

Comment by Jay & Bentley on January 9, 2012 at 9:42am

My Bentley had bad allergies during the summer months -- he itches mostly on his back, ears, tail, and paws.  He also sneezes a lot.  He has always had allergies, but they were never bad in the past.  Since most of his issues were topical we gave him oatmeal bathes more often and that seemed to have worked in the past.  This past summer his allergies got really bad to the point where we had to take him to the doctor's office to figure out what was going on.  The doctor told us it could be anything -- weather, environment, food, seasonal, etc.  Since he usually only gets his allergies during the summer months I felt I could rule out environment and food. I wash all of his bedding and blankets with minimal unscented detergent in hot water and make sure everything is cool before I give them back to him.  And he gets fed Innova brand dog food, along with Venison medallions once in a while, which I think is a pretty healthy diet.  So I pretty much decided that the cause of his allergies is weather/seasonal.  It could be the temperature/humidity or it could be pollens in the air.  Either way, the doctor started Bentley on a Vetalog injection -- basically an antihistamine injection -- that thing worked miracles.  His allergy symptoms were pretty much gone within a couple hours.  Then a few weeks later we started Bentley on Cetirizine HCL tablets, which basically took place of the Vetalog injection.  Bentley also had open sores/redness on his paws and tail due to his constant itching and biting -- he was given Gentamicin, which is an aqueous topical spray which I believe is used to reduce inflammation and administer a type of antibiotic.  Anywho, it worked!  He's good as new and has been allergy-free since.  The big test will be this upcoming summer months!

Comment by Bella Doggie on October 2, 2010 at 4:08pm

Hi all, I just wanted to share that after years of having on and off skin issues with Bella I have finally got her allergy tested at the vets office. It cost about 125.00 but was well worth it because now we are sure what she is actually allergic too... so here is the list! She can't have corn, wheat, soy, duck, white fish, milk or egg. So we have her on Natural Balance Venison and Potato and she has been doing really well on it.. I would recommend it to anyone who has the same allergies as her :) Take care everyone!!! :)

Comment by Angus on September 8, 2010 at 10:40pm

Angus is about 25 pounds and gets one 10 mg tablet Zyrtec a day. But ask your vet for the correct weight/dosage first. I'm just using them occasionally and so I don't know if extended daily use makes a difference in the dose.

Two vets suggested that alternating antihistamines might be helpful when my sister was trying every available antihistamine for her German Shepherd. She finally gave up (none of the drugs worked) and just started washing the dog's feet after every grassy romp.

Dunno if it's late in the season for allergies but lately I've been sneezing and Angus's skin has been turning pink and itching. We seem to share the same allergens. Ah, the cold, crisp air of winter is coming soon.

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