patches on dogs

Question
yes i have a pitbull and she is 11 years old. over the last past 6 months she has been itching and getting patches (dry and flaky and a bunch of little bumps) on her skin. the vet said it was food allergies so we have been giving her science diet for dogs but it seems to not be working. should i try the allergy shot or is there a skin cream that i can ask the vet.  

Answer
Hi Najee,

It's entirely possible that your dog has a food allergy or intolerance. Science Diet is not a hypoallergenic dog food, so feeding it to your dog may be the reason why your dog is still itching.

To see if your dog really has a food allergy, you need to feed her a food that has a of "novel" protein and carbohydrate source for at least 12 weeks. A novel food source would be a protein and carbohydrate that your dog had never eaten before. Examples would include be rabbit and rice, or venison and potato. There are a number of such commercial diets available on the market these days. In addition, there are specialized diets you can get through your vet's office, such as Hills Prescription d/d or z/d diets.

Regardless of the diet used, it must be the only thing your dog eats for 12 weeks. This means no treats, no flavored medications, no rawhide or pig's ears; absolutely nothing but the special food and water. In addition, your dog should not be allowed to roam, as that may result in her having access to food or garbage.

Some over the counter hypoallergenic dog foods to consider are:

Wellness Simple Solutions Rice and Salmon
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_salmon.html

Wellness CORE Ocean Recipe
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=72&dm=grainfree#...

Natural Balance Sweet Potato Venison Dog Food
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/VenDog.html

Canidae Grain Free Salmon
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/grain-free-salmon/dry.html

Eagle Pack Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal with Oatmeal
http://www.holisticselect.com/HS_Fish.html

Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Whitefish & Potato
http://www.frommfamily.com/products-fs-d-d-whitefish.php

California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=1326

The above brands also have canned versions of these dry dog foods.

If the hypoallergenic diet doesn't seem to stop the itching, that would strongly suggest that an inhalant allergy or Sarcoptic mange is cause for the itching, and will need to be ruled out. If your vet prescribes a corticosteroid anti-itch medication (such as Prednisone) and your dog doesn't show much improvement, then you would need to test Sarcoptic mange, if the test for that still has not been run.

Beside having the hypoallergenic diet, your dog might benefit from an Omega Fatty acid supplement if she has dry, or itchy skin. An Omega fatty acid supplement can help ensure that your dog's skin and coat stay shiny and healthy. Brands to look for are:

Premium Plus's Omega-3 gelcaps, Premium Plus's Skin & Coat Tabs, Drs. Foster & Smith Vitacaps, and 3V Caps, to name a few. Your dog would need to receive the Omega -3 supplement daily for at least 4 weeks before you might see it's benefits.

Along with the food trial, over the counter antihistamines such as  Benedryl, Tavist and Chlortrimeton are medications which can be used for chronic itching in dogs. If you try one, but it doesn't seem to help, it's worth it to try another brand, as they have different active ingredients. Some dogs will respond better to one than another, it is best to try more than one antihistamine before giving up on them to control itching.
Antihistamines can make your dog sleepy, so they might best be used at night.

There are anti-itch sprays containing colloidal oatmeal which might offer relief. Brands to look for are:

PETCO Soothing Anti-Itch Dog Spray, Earthbath Hot Dog Spot/Anti-Itch Spray, and Kenic Oatmeal Pet Spray Allergy Itch Relief, to name a few.

If your dog has broken skin from all the itching, that is something which needs treatment too. Broken skin can lead to itchy bacterial or yeast infections which (if left untreated) progresses to deeper and deeper layers of the skin. Antibiotics or other medications may be needed if your dog has a secondary skin infection.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti

PS. Because your dog is elderly, if the hypoallergenic diet doesn't stop the itching, ask your vet to perform a thyroid test. If your dog's thyroid gland is not functioning properly or if it produces too much cortisol it may cause superficial skin infections. These would be indicated by small, red spots that your dog will scratch as if they were allergies.