Allergies

[LoveOurBouvier]

Hi everyone-
Our male-n 3.5 year old bouvier is having many signs of allergies (paw licking & biting, sneezing, face rubbing, scratching mouth, ears & side body, runny nose, loose stools, vomiting, bum dragging, yeast infections (ear, underside body, paws)
In the past he was been treated with a dose of steroids, then daily Benadryl for allergies and medication for his ear yeast infection. All his symptoms have returned and my belief is that he is allergic to something in his food. I just started an elimination diet whereby he eats only cooked turkey for 1-2 weeks then I add a carb (sweet potato) with the turkey and see if he reacts, and continue the process for 12 weeks.
He was on Orijen Adult Dog Food, supplemented with probiotics and coconut oil. Treats were 3 small freeze dried beef liver bits per day.
We are taking him to the vet next week to have his yeasty ear treated again, but we will not go with steroids again as a bandaid treatment.
Just wondering if any of you have had this problem with your Bouv and how do you come to solve it?
We want to see our wonderful boy healthy & happy again, so any help is appreciated! Thanks!

[Mike]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Allergies are not limited to just humans, unfortunately. We've seen it in our Bouvs as well, usually causing scratching, hot spots and licking chewing. It could very well be the food as it seems the dog food people like to change their formulas (read put in cheaper ingredients) all the time and some dogs seem to build up an intolerance sometimes. Dog treats are another possibility to consider if you feed different types all the time.

It might not all be caused by food though. Here in the PNW our spring has pretty much sprung (we had a very mild dry winter) and lots of things are growing... including flowers, grass, flowering trees, etc. And our bug population is also on the rise. It seems when our dogs start getting out in the yard more, they start to get the itchies as well.

And then there are household dust mites that are a possibility. And I'm sure event he water could cause some forms of allergies if it's not treated with chlorine or comes from a well. Sometimes it just hard to tell what is causing it.

It doesn't help when they keep chewing and scratching themselves raw either, so we try to stay on top of that so it doesn't get to bad. Besides the hot spot spray we use, we also use Gold Bond powder (or one of the other type of medicated type body powder) and sprinkle it on the places that seem to be bothering them the most. They have white spots for awhile, but it does seem to help.

We hate seeing it as well and it can be annoying to boot. Our dogs do know what the word "no chewing" means, but when they itch, it doesn't seem to stop them for long. Hopefully your vet will have an idea as to it being food or outdoor related.

Mike