My dog has multiple allergies to food and shampoo. Is this normal?

The most common sign of a food allergy in dogs is persistent, intense itching. Similarly, food allergies can lead to ear infections and recurrent skin infections. Unless a dog’s diet is changed seasonally, food allergies tend to result in year-round itching, whereas environmental allergies wax and wane throughout the year.

Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose and treat, for the pet, the pet owner, and the veterinarian! It is the most common cause for itching in dogs. Medications like Apoquel can eliminate the itch due to allergies, though it won't work if there is a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. Food allergies won't be treated simply by a better diet, they need to be strictly on a prescription hypoallergenic diet without other dog or human treats, and even then it can take 3-6 weeks to see positive effects. Until then, anti-itch medications, steroids, or shampoos/topical mousses can be used to minimize the itch and treat any present infection. I would recommend continuing to work with your vet to find the best solution to Toes's itch issue.

Fighting secondary skin infections and allergies is tough. Drugs like prednisone and Apoquel are used to control inflammation. In some cases, we add a drug in an effort to taper prednisone if long term immunosuppression is needed. Ideally, long term immunosuppressives should be avoided but in some cases are needed. You should consider discussing referral to a veterinary dermatologist for intradermal skin testing.

Hello! Canine allergies can be a really difficult problem to manage, so I sympathize! There are two main classes of allergies- environmental and food. If allergy testing hasn't been done, it is an expensive investment, but it can give you a report of the most common environmental allergies. Most environments that are colder and snowier tend to have less pollens, allergens, and insects overall and many allergic dogs may cope better in colder climates for that reason. Dogs with environmental allergies benefit from regular baths and having their feet wiped down with hypoallergenic baby wipes after they go outdoors to mechanically remove any possible pollens, etc that may be stuck to the feet and triggering a reaction. Dogs that are primarily allergic to ingredients of their food may do much better on a different diet. Dogs tend to be allergic to proteins in their diet, such as beef or chicken. Grain allergies are possible but exceedingly rare- grain free diets are widely considered a marketing ploy by vets and not actually helpful. My own dog has a beef allergy and does just fine on over the counter food with no beef products, for example. It takes 8-12 weeks after exposure to the food allergen for the reaction to completely go away- for this reason, many people get frustrated with new diets too early and give up. The diet also will not work if she is being fed any outside table scraps or treats, so compliance is key. Trying a diet with a new protein she has not had before, such as fish or kangaroo, for an entire 12 weeks may be a beneficial idea to discuss with your dermatologist. If you do this, transition the food slowly over 7 days to let her GI flora adjust and make sure if you have a dog food bin, you clean it well between the two foods as to not contaminate the new food. The most important thing to remember with allergies is that she is likely constantly being exposed to them, so treatment needs to be just as constant to battle it. I hope this is helpful! Let us know if you have any more questions after your dermatology appointment!

If he scratches and is itchy year round, it could be a food allergy or an indoor allergen. Discuss desensitization injections (allergy shots), hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials with your veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-trials-for-allergies-in-pets-what-to-expect https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-a-novel-protein-pet-food/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/food-allergies/

The cause of the allergy must be understood to be able to reduce and eventually stop Apoquel. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Exclusion commercial diets are the best to rule out specific allergens. A blood test is available to determine the allergy panel (which substances he is allergic to). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Many dogs like Frank have allergies. They fall into four main categories: fleas, food, thyroid conditions or environmental allergies. The key is to go through and systematically rule out each one. If none of the diets seem to be helping, I would recommend to try a special hydrolyzed protein diet as this is like an elimination diet. If that does not seem to be helping then I would bet Frank does not have food allergies. Make sure Frank is on an oral flea preventative like Comfortis as this will ensure that fleas are not a problem. To determine his thyroid levels he would need a blood test. Lastly environmental allergies can be the most challenging to diagnose and there are many different treatment options available. If his skin is breaking out that bad and oral antihistamines are not helping, take him into the veterinarian for further treatment. I hope Frank's starts feeling better soon.