Yorkie allergies

Question
I have a little (2lb.) 6 mos old male Parti Yorkie. He seems to have allergies to? ...(maybe grass, maybe polyester, and ?) I put him on a homemade diet regimen that I make, so there are no additives. The vet suggested L-Carnitine, but on researching it, that did not make sense. Another vet checked his nasal mucus and found neutrophils, so we used an antibiotic for 2 weeks with no change. For now,I use Diphenhydramine OTC (2.5 mg 1 0r 2 times a day, but even that does not help him much. His symptoms are LOTS of sneezing, occasional runny eyes, no itching or chewing. I would very much like to discover the reason for the allergy and use alternative treatments.Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Pam,
I am not sure what the homemade diet is but make sure it is balanced for canine and puppy needs with calcium phosphorous protein etc ratios.
Dog allergies show up in the skin showing an atopic dermatitis., I have not seen allergies that show up with runny eyes and sneezing and congestion in dogs such as those comparable to human seasonal allergies although it could be possible. I also see vomiting, bloody ruptures on skin and diarrhea.
There may be irritants that are absolutely effecting him causing runny eyes and sneezing but i have not seen this type of allergy formation in canines. Due to not seeing him, i couldnt tell you what exactly is happening. But many times uncontrollable allergies manifest in the skin.
has he been checked for Pasteurella, Bordetella, Streptococci and pseudomonad bacteria?
Bordatella and Adeno-2 are two of the causes of kennel cough.
He could be sensitive to a household product or perfume.

For the sake of discussing allergies...
There are allergy tests that are quite costly but will identify exactly what your boy is allergic to. You can start from there and then you can eliminate what he is allergic too. It could be dust or pollen flying up his nose.
All day sneezing is often a virus.

With diagnosed allergies, There could be something dogs are fed him that causes allergy
. This could be anything, chicken, flour, corn, rice, unknown. It is a series of elimination and reaction. I give a two week trial period, generally if you see less scratching (of which your dog in not doing) in 5 days you may be on the right track, but i wait 2 weeks before experimenting with another diet like something such as salmon and sweet potatoes and collards and bone meal with sunflower oil. Or millet and turkey and bone meal and safflower. Add excellent quality Omega 3's to the diet, this could be flaxseed oil or norwegian fish oils. If he is allergic to certain food you can add digestive enzymes.  A professionally monitored megavitamin therapy would also be helpful.
Food should be only organic.
Consult Dr Pitcairn's Natural Health For Dogs and Cats for recipes that have the least amount of allergens.

Are you using omega 3's?
It takes a while to build there immunity to overcome allergies.
Allergies have also been traced to over-vaccination, so i would suggest you talk to a holistic vet about titers to test his blood level. Only give vaccines if he is no longer immune to the diseases you are trying to protect from.
The fact that he was given antibiotics for mucous neutrophils could be overkill unless the levels were high. What were the levels? were they very high? or low? Was the blood tested? this will tell you if there is an infection high enough and rampant enough to warrant antibiotics.

But,for your guy i am not convinced he has allergies, although he could, is the sneezing sudden onset? Has he been checked for a foxtail? Is there white mucous? Has he been checked for viral issues?
Again, it could be allergies but this is not the common way a canine will show symptoms.
Best of luck figuring it out and treating!!
Shanti