Constant scratching

Question
My dog is a 4 1/2 year old Jack Russell Terrier.  Within the last year she has started to scratch herself alot.  We took her to the vet and he checked her for fleas and said it's just allergies and gave us some bendadryl for her.  That worked temporarily.  Now she is constantly scratching her ears and makes them infected.  This is the second time we've had to take her to the vet.  The vet gives her antibiotics and prednisone and it clears up but she then starts to scratch the other ear.  Is there something I can do to prevent this from happening?  Her ears are very dry inside.  Does she have allergies?

Answer
If the steroids help, then it is probably allergies.  The trick is to use as little steroid as possible and to use it as infrequently as possible. But don't let her go off them for very long unless you are sure that her allergy only occurs during a particular season or time of year. That way, you minimize the side effects.  Benadryl will not work in the dog for allergies.