Senior Dog

Question
My grandmother passed away recently leaving me with her very lovable 12 year old "teacup" poodle. He has made a wonderful transition to my home (new state, other dogs, new people)and I have been doing as much research on this breed as I can but still have a few questions. First, are his teeth. (Grams had him on soft food) They are beyond repair..and the breath!!! But I have found that it requires surgery and I know he would not survive. Are there any alternatives? I have switched him from soft food and I brush his teeth but I know it's not going to fix the problem. The other issue are his allergies. He seems to be allergic to EVERYTHING! He also keeps getting these scab-like bumps that are very itchy for him. I bath him weekly with oatmeal shampoo and avoid all scents, lotions, and artificial products. Is there allergy medicine available? Thank you for your advice.

Answer
Toy poodles are notorious for having bad breath.  At his age there isnt going to be much you can do.  You can try some of the dental chews that are out on the market.  However if he is allergic you may have issues with that.
He might have been allergic to the food he was eating.  Poodles should NEVER be fed soft food.  That could account for the skin problems he is having.  You need to give his system time to get used to the new food and see if it helps.  It may take 2-3 weeks.  You bathing with the oatmeal shampoo will help the itching but this is an internal problem not external so it will take a while to see if there is a change.  You need to have him on a quality food.  Make sure there is no corn or wheat products and you might also want to stay away from Chicken products too as a lot of dogs have issues with that.  You can use benadryl for him but I would still wait to see how the food change goes.  Then go from there.