Keegan's Mom Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Keegan has been itching himself raw. At first I thought it was fleas but I haven't seen a flea in a long time. Now he is itching his belly and it is all red. He did have two bites but now those bites are gone. His chest is red but the scabs are gone. He has even been licking his feet lately and I know because the white fur is turning that reddish color. How do you know if your dog has allergies? How do you know what your dog is allergic to? Also - can dogs get this way due to stress? We just moved and our life was in transition for a long time. We stayed here and there for about a week and the dogs came with us. We just moved and haven't found a good vet for the dogs yet. Oh - and I'm over-paranoid that they have gotten into something in this house we are renting because I'm just a paranoid person!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Firstly I'd think he has Allergies. My Dog is allergic to fleas, if he gets even one on him he gets ithy just as you've described. He is also allergic larger quanities of corn and gets itchy if he is on a food with high percentage of corn meal. Here's what I'd do if I were you. JMHO though 1. Just to rule it out I'd Frontline/Advantage or Revolution him for fleas. Maybe he has a flea allergy now as my Lab mix does. 2. I usually assume Corn next because it seems to be the most common allergy and the only way to find out is to switch to a corn free diet. Lamb and Rice is a common switch for those allergic to corn. But be careful because a few L&R diet have corn in them... such as Eukanuba.. 3. If it doesnt get better switch to a Chicken free diet. (or if on L&R and still doesnt get better then go on to the next of course) 4. If it still doesnt get better then he may be allergic to something else, either enviromental and/or another grain or meat source. Short of tests from the vet, which are time and money consuming and I personally wouldnt recommend unless he continues having problems after the basic cancelling outs, the only thing to be do is eliminate one by one the most common allergens until he gets better. Stress can elict that response but I dont think its very common. It could be stress though. If you have real problems after switching foods and still cant figure it out, another thing to do is you could put him on a raw diet and then you will know exactly what is goin into him and can eliminate things easier with the shorter item consumption list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Alicia - Keegan is very allergic to flea bites as well; however, I haven't seen a flea lately. And...I have done frontline recently. He eats Chicken Meal, Rice, and Oatmeal formula for sensitive stomachs by Nutro. I have known him to get two hot spots 2 summers ago that appeared to be stress induced; however, that was just hot spots which he does not have right now. Thanks for the info. I may just see when I last gave him frontline and do that again as well as switch his food (even though I have 40 pounds to now feed Tess) and see how he gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Good Luck The flea allergy is a pain isnt it lol Kole I have to keep Frontlined right on schedule because, even though I cant see it, that one flea makes him itchy and miserable real quick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Rachel, Don't forget that fleas spend a majority of their time *off* the dog. And it takes just one bite to get the allergic reaction going. So just because you don't see fleas crawling on Keegan doesn't mean he wasn't bitten. The unfortunate thing about Frontline (and Advantage) is that the flea has to bite before it's killed, and of course if it's already bitten then it can already have caused the reaction (even though the flea ends up dead). I'd be willing to bet the issue is fleas and not food allergy. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thanks Julie. I say maybe not fleas because I'm very prone to getting bit by fleas if we have them but I haven't gotten bit in about 3 weeks. You know me...worry wart!!!! Also - I tried calling again tonight to tell you that Keegan is acting with this kitten like Jill does with your cats. It is driving me insane!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.