Allergies.....any new suggestions?
Steve's allergy is really bad this year & nothing seems to help. Since 3months ago he's been licking and biting his front paws raw. Wiping his paws after going outside and applying hotspot spray (tried various brands), Benadryl all didn't help. I switched his food from Lotus Lamb to Orijen Regional Red 2months ago thinking the grain-free food will help but it hasn't. Still no change after a month so I took him to the vet who said his paws are pretty bad and it's most likely airborne/environmenal allergies and he was presribed Prednisone. I wasn't thrilled giving Steve steroids but I'd at least try the dose given over 10 days if it'll give him relief. I noticed a difference overnight (no more licking noises to keep me awake at night) and it helped for 5 days but then the licking started again (ugh!).
2weeks ago I got him a soft cone to prevent the licking and allow his paw to heal and grow fur again. When I do take off the cone I apply either the hotspot spray or cortisone cream and put newborn baby socks or mittens on his feet. As soon as I take off the socks he's back to licking/biting his paws. I then thought the licking was a behavioral issue but the vet said it's allergies so the next thing to do is start testing what exactly he's allergic to but it may take a long time for the conclusion.
So, here I am asking my fellow corgi parents if you've tried anything that helped lessen or rid of the allergies outside of taking steroids.
Here's a picture of Steve wearing the comfy cone (you can see the red right front paw). He likes wearing it but I feel bad he has to wear it all the time.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kristen Schaub on
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-( i am sooo sad for your corgi! my corgi, Sammy, had similar problems...we tried similar interventions... Once i had the blood work up done, we found out ALL the things he was significantly allergic to....including food, airborne, and pollens. We have really restricted his diet, and that has seemed to be a huge success...but it has taken a whole year. He has been doing very welll. I have noticed he has been licking and chewing on his paws this fall, but if i substitute a ton of exercise and chews, he is less likely to chew at all.
Good luck!!
Kristen of Sam and Pip-)
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Permalink Reply by Diane Burda on
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Oh poor sweet Steve! That face says it all! I just had my Gunny at the vet today after listening to him scratching off and on throughout the night and off and on throughout the day for a week or so. He has had some skin issues in the past( usually summertime). I assumed that he was one of those dogs that got a hyperallergic reaction to flea or insect bite. This time I saw no sign of any fleas but he was itchy to beat the band !Doc says this year, especially the last three weeks has been really horrible for ragweed allergies here in NE Ohio. He has seen more dogs with the same thing than in past summers.I too, do not easily give in to steroid use, but I know he must be miserable to be scratching so much.We will try the Tamaril for 10 days or so. The vet said that the Tamaril is a very low dose of steroid and also an antihistimine.
I bought some aloe vera lotion at the health store and am keeping it in the frig to apply a cooling compress. You might want to give that a go. Someone also suggedsted to me that I give Gunny salmon oil in his food. I guess it is the rich Omegas in that stuff that helps skin conditions. Good luck with Steve. Let me know if you discover any miraculous fixes and I will do the same.,
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Permalink Reply by shelby geisler on
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You might try Gold Bond. It comes in powder and lotions. We have the powder, the green & gold colored bottle lotions.
Having used it on myself it does get warm/tingle when first applied so I wouldn't over do it. Just a little dab/dot to start see what his reaction to it might be.
My boy is itchy all over. He hasn't broken skin but he scratches enough to make me itch. His is summer and winter. I'm running out of ideas what to try next. We've done salmon oil, cooking oil, olive oil. We are now working with Norwegian Fish Oil. Next is minerals. I DO NOT want to put him on prednisone but I am curious how much benadril did you give him and what kind??. I've bought pills and childrens anthisistamine cherry flavor but havent used it.
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My vet said that benedryl doesn't really help dogs much. Just makes them drowsy and doesn't help the itching much .Gunny has been on the Tamaril for 2 days and his itching has pretty much stopped. I am just concerned with what happens when we stop the pill in 8 days. Hopefully the "condition" will have calmed down enough to bring it to an end. He usually doesn't have skin issues through the winter. Once the cold weather sets in he is fine.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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So Steve has been wearing the cone for most of 3weeks so the fur on his paw is finally growing back. It's funny how he actually likes the cone - when I take it off and leave it on the ground, he'll stick he head in it to continue wearing it (silly boy!).
I've been making a list of all the suggestions everyone made (thank you!) and see which one may work for Steve. I know I have to give each remedy chance to work so we'll take our time and I'm hoping one of them will work.
For those of you going through the same thing, I hope you find the right remedy for your corgi! If I find the "miracle cure" for Steve I'll certainly share it with you.
Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend - lots of fun outdoor activities with your corgi.
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