rushdoggie Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 My dog has a mild flea allergy. He itches a lot when he gets even one bite. We use Frontline, and it works fair, but I see him itching as soon as we hit the 4 week mark. He has an issue with his one ear getting red and itchy, eventually inflamed and then he shakes his head and it gets worse. Every time we go to the vet they say there's no mite, no infection. I wondered if he had a food allergy. SO I changed his diet and eliminated all grains and all poultry (because at the time he was eating a lot of chicken things). They ears still cycled up and every vet visit was the same: no infection. I then went to all lamb and no change. Then I wondered, could a flea allergy cause the ears to get red and inflamed? Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree with the food stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Does he eat grains? Grains are a big allergen for some dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted September 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Does he eat grains? Grains are a big allergen for some dogs. Nope, like I said above. I eliminated grains a while ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Nope, like I said above. I eliminated grains a while ago... Sorry, Missed that. I have heard people on the big raw feeding list speak of some dogs who were so exquisitely sensitive to grains that they reacted even to meats from grain fed animals. I'd think that would be pretty uncommon, though. Probably more likely that it's either a flea or some other environmental allergy. But if you wanted to rule out the possibility of an extreme grain sensitivity you could try a trial period of just grass fed meats. Good luck figuring it out. Allergies stink. (This from someone who tested positive for everything on a 124 item allergy sensitivity test! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kian's Mom Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Apparently my girl has an air born allergy. She sits and digs but we could not find any fleas. But she was getting sores under her legs an on her chest. At first I thought it might have been because she had been in a chlorine pool. My vet told me to give her 25mg 2 x a day of Benadryl. It has really made a big difference. The spots have all healed up and she very rarely digs anymore. Off brand works just as well. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Do you clean his ears on a regular basis? I'm assuming if the vet has checked for mites they have done a general cytology, have they mentioned yeast? One of our guys is very prone to yeast infections in his years, and his stomach and armpits will get yeasty if his ears have a flare up. Regular ear cleaning with an ear wash that contains ketoconazole keeps things under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 I have no idea if you'd be interested in this -- or how accurate it is -- but there's saliva swab allergy test available for dogs: ttps://doggyloot.com/deals/6724-62-dollars-for-one-in-home-allergy-test-for-your-dog-normally-an-87-dollars-value/buy If you are interested in this or anything else from DoggyLoot, you'll get a $5 credit on your first order if you use this link to join: https://doggyloot.com/invite/f9f46746 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 Have a dog extremely flea sensitive. Frontline just didn't work for us since just one flea caused itching. Now use comfortis, the pill works great. Also, she has bad spring allergies, so she gets a steriod shot ( just once) in the spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted September 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 Do you clean his ears on a regular basis? I'm assuming if the vet has checked for mites they have done a general cytology, have they mentioned yeast? One of our guys is very prone to yeast infections in his years, and his stomach and armpits will get yeasty if his ears have a flare up. Regular ear cleaning with an ear wash that contains ketoconazole keeps things under control. I bought some ear cleaner to do this with...I have not cleaned them unless I was bathing him (3x yearly) or as a conjuct to the ear drops the vat gave us. The swab was tested and no mention was made of yeast, but the Epi Otic stuff is supposed to help with that. Maybe it will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Several dogs ago, I got into the habit of cleaning my dogs ears a few times a week. I started doing this when I had a dog who kept getting ear infections and just stayed with the habit all these years. I could probably count on a couple fingers the ear infections I've dealt with in the past 25 years and multiple dogs. I don't know if it is the routine ear cleaning but it probably doesn't hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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