Ask the Vet About Allergies in Dogs and Cats
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While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
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While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
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Food not eating
Hey! This has no context for me to give a good answer. Please go to your local veterinarian.

I have a German Shephard who is constantly scratching to the point of having bald spots and red skin. we have tried medicated shampoos and Benadryl without relief. Is there a spray or chew that might help. She is 2 years old and weighs 100 lbs.
Hey! Please watch my Youtube video on this topic and it will answer so many of your questions on what to do! You can then get an online appointment with a veterinarian on Vetster.com to have the medications prescribed to you and shipped to your door from petmeds.com I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4gwvTm0VqM&t=1s

My dog is real itchy and looking for a spray and or chews for her. What do u recommend? She’s a Great Dane around 120 pounds. Thanks
Hey! Luckily, I just released a youtube video all about itchy skin treatments in dogs. Please watch and then you can speak to your veterinarian about a plan. Thank you, Dr. Lindsay Butzer YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4gwvTm0VqM

Ear is swollen and very sore. What can I give or do to help her?
Hey! I would start with ordering Zymox Otic Solution with Hydrocortisone from PetMeds.com and then use that 1x a day for 3 days. If the ear is still not getting better make an online apt at Vetster.com and a veterinarian can prescribe you prescription ear medication from PetMeds to be shipped to your door. I hope this helps! Also here is a YouTube video I made on how to clean your dogs ears! Link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNSs616puXw&t=14s

My dog has been licking one of his paws over the past few days. Doing it until the paw is raw. What are the possible reasons?
Hey! This definitely sounds like allergies, OR they could be a scratch or a burr or something stuck in his foot. I am thinking you should get an appointment online at Vetster.com to chat with a vet and decide if you need allergy pills plus antibiotics. But seems like allergies. You can try Benadryl 1mg per pound. But alot of time Benadryl doesnt do much. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

What does red inflamed, and licking paws mean?
Hey! This means allergies or some sort of allergic reaction is happening on the paws just like if we grabbed poison ivy and felt itchy hands. Please bring your dog to a local veterinarian to have them prescribe allergy pills or even and antibiotic if it is oozing red and becoming a skin infection or hot spot. I hope this helped. Dr. Lindsay Butzer

My dog licks. Tried changing food to Royal Canine Hydrologyzed. Not much improvement. No fleas or ticks. Please help. Thanks.
Hey! This could be skin allergies. Please consult with your local veterinarian or get an appointment with an online vet on Vetster.com and I'm sure they can prescribe you some allergy pills such as Apoquel that really works to help itchy skin! I hope this helped. Dr. Lindsay Butzer

My dog will not stop chewing herself. She’s lost fur on her back end. I’ve done over the counter allergy meds etc and nothing helps
Hey! First make sure your pet is on flea prevention. Flea bites cause them to be extremely itchy. Then you need a vet appointment to get allergy pills such as apoquel or allergy injections called Cytopoint. Also give your pet a bath 1x a week to help.

My dog received his rabies and d4 vaccines and also nexguard. A few days later now he I has swelling in his face, eyes, and one paw that is tender to touch. Is this a side effect of the vaccines or nexguard?
Hey, this is most likely due to the rabies vaccine, which causes the most reaction in pets. I recommend bringing your dog to the vet, possibly to receive a steroid injection to manage the reaction. Your vet may recommend also that next time you get vaccines you space apart the administration of the vaccine and the nexgard by a couple days. If you can't get to a vet tonight, you can try giving Benadryl at the dose of 1mg/lb of bodyweight.

My 8 year old Yorkie has eyes that are constantly running. What can I do.
Hey! For watery eyes in small breed dogs you first need to make sure there is no scratch on the cornea or eye, which your veterinarian can test by staining their eye to check for a scratch making them water. But most watery eyes are from tears and tear staining which is natural I recommend this product Angel eyes sold on petmeds to help! https://www.1800petmeds.com/angels%27+eyes+plus-prod11621.html But to be completely frank some small breed dogs just have overly watery eyes and have eye staining and crusting and there is not a lot you can do besides grooming. You can watch my Youtube video on other techniques for eye staining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qePEV3Ik4Uc&t=44s

What can I give her to relief her itchiness?
https://www.1800petmeds.com/allermyl+shampoo-prod12431.html The link above is for allermyl shampoo. I always recommend giving your dog a bath 1-2x a week if they suffer from itchy skin and allergies. Also flea and tick medication monthly to rule that out as a cause of biting or chewing at their skin. You need a consult with a veterinarian to determine what allergy medications will be best for your pets. Pills such as Apoquel and Atopica are used and Cytopoint allergy shots..

I have been using Pet Lab probiotics for quite some time and our 95lb Great Dane lab mix is still licking his paws. He also has runny stools. Vet says to put him on only dry food to see if he is allergic to the home made dog food I make which is turkey, ground beef, ground chicken and greens and carrots. He's a finicky eater therefore I make good food to go with his dry food. I'm afraid he's not going to eat just dry food. I also add a raw egg a day.
I don't see an actual question, but Hills Science Diet D/D or one of the hydrolyzed diets would be a good choice for him because he has skin and GI issues. As a general rule, if they are healthy, the more you change and supplement their food, the pickier they become. As carnivores, their bodies are made to go longer than ours without eating so if you put something down that they aren't wild about they will just "wait you out" until something better comes along.

My cat sneezes all the time has running nose and I need to get an allergy med for her. What would you recommend I'm on a limited budget.
These eye & upper respiratory issues are common. It is almost always viral. Many cats will improve on their own with no treatment, as long as they are eating pretty well and not lethargic (mopey). If they become more lethargic and/or stop eating, seeing your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis and more targeted treatment is ideal. Few easy things to do right now that will hopefully help: (1) Humidity may help, even if it's just a hot steamy bathroom multiple times a day. A humidifier works better, for longer, if you have one, use warm steam. (2) Lysine is an over-the-counter immune supplement that helps some cats - there are many brands that are formulated in chews, powders, gels, etc. that are flavored for cats like this morning: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Immune+Support+L+Lysine+Chews-prod11643.html (3) Terramycin eye ointment - https://www.1800petmeds.com/Terramycin+Ophthalmic+Ointment-prod10190.html (4) Newer studies are showing that probiotics help these kitties as well, so 2 good brands of probiotics to look for are "Proviable" (https://www.1800petmeds.com/Proviable-prod12083.html) and "Fortiflora" (https://www.1800petmeds.com/Purina+FortiFlora-prod10376.html)

Current vet. recommended dog food doesn't work
Allergies can be frustrating because they continue to recur until you figure out what they are allergic to and often it is multiple things. The good thing is that there are a LOT of treatment options available now, many more than are listed in this article but here is a link to our article about treating allergies which starts by discussing "avoiding allergens" and lists many over-the-counter and prescription treatment options: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/allergy-treatment-dog-cat-9.html

I have a female maincoon I think she might have allergies can I give her allergy medication
I can't recommend that without knowing more about her symptoms. A lot of human medication is toxic to them, so don't give anything until you consult your veterinarian.