puppy allergy

Question
Hi, I have a new German Shepherd puppy who is ten weeks old. About a week ago I noticed her itching constantly. I had changed her food from Purina Puppy Chow to Nutro puppy food, but since she started itching I have switched her back to Purina. The vet suggested we give her a bath using oatmeal shampoo which I did to no avail. She seems to be getting worse. She wakes up because she is itchy, and cries every time she scratches. A fellow dog owner suggested we try Benadryl, but neither she nor I knew whether or not a 10 week old was too young to give this medicine too. So what I'm asking is should I give my 10 week old Benadryl, or will that be detrimental to her health?

Answer
Hi Karen,

Have fleas been ruled out?  Keep in mind that you might not actually see fleas on your dog. Part your dog's fur in several locations where he itches most, and look for black flecks. This would be "flea dirt"  (bits of dried blood excreted by feeding fleas). If you are not sure whether or not you have real flea dirt, drop the bits into water. If the bits dissolve, turning the water red, it's flea dirt.

Benadryl can indeed be given to dogs, but you should contact your veterinarian to get the correct dose for a 10 week old puppy. The big side effect of Benadryl is, it may make your puppy drowsy.

While Nutro Puppy food is certainly a very good quality diet, if your puppy has a food allergy simply switching brands won't put a dent in the itch. The new food may well contain the ingredient that your dog is sensitive to.  When doing a "feeding trial" (changing foods to see if it makes a difference in the condition) you need to use a food that not only has a different source of protein, but also has a "novel" source of carbs. These days it's not hard to find hypoallergenic diets for dogs, but you have a small puppy that needs extra nutrition. Purina's H/A diet is the only commercially available hypoallergenic diet for young puppies. You can only get this food from your veterinarian.

Rather than the oatmeal shampoo, you might have more success with a medicated shampoo. Look for an anti-itch shampoo that contains any of these ingredients: Hydrocortisone, Tea tree oil, or Lidocaine.

Until you find out the cause of the itching, you're treating the symptoms only, and not the underlying problem. I think it's worth considering having a veterinary dermatologist examine your puppy. Your regular vet can give you a recommendation, or you can locate one here:

http://www.acvd.org/site/view/66076_FindaDermatologist.pml;jsessionid=931gs72np0...

I hope that helps.
Best of luck,
Patti