Skin allergies/ear infections

I could do with some advice on skin allergies. our flat coated retriever Molly has had a skin allergy since she was about 1 which usually starts as an ear infection and progresses to the insides of her legs, groin, paws and tummy, bless her she has such an awful time with it always scratching and looking so miserable with it. Shes been tested for food allergies and its not that so we think it might be an allergy to dust or something similar although we can't be sure. The vet has always put her on anti biotics and steroids, ear drops, wipes, shampoo etc when it flares up but has recently recommended 'Atopica' which he thought was going to be a miracle pill however this hasn't kept it at bay either. I don't suppose anyone else has experienced this with their dog and whether or not anything worked?? Its just we're going round and round in circles going to the vet and never seem to get to the bottom of it!
Thanks
Kate

Sorry to hear of Mollys misery with her skin and ears. My Floyd has similar troubles, but not to the degree of Mollys. He suffered repeated itchy/infected ear problems and bald patches on the face. My vet wanted to do allergy tests, but I declined, and along with putting him on a fish and potato diet, i also used a product by Aromesse.com, a natural product called itchy ear drops, which worked well. They also do a topical treatment called Dermacton for severely itchy skin, which i havent tried, but have read good things about. Many Tears animal rescue use it (which is how i first came by the company) and it comes highly recommended by them.

I hope you find a treatment that she responds well to soon.

One of ours has been quite itchy - skin tests were non conclusive and when at the vets last week the vet said to stop ALL chicken raw or cooked. Ours would have got chick wings raw for brekkers. The vet had mentioned this before but she was very adamant last week, even small scraps as a titbit

Absolutely no difference for 5-6 days and then we noticed that the scratching was not as bad & ears were not so red, plus the sick feeling in one of them was not nearly so bad.

I had heard chicken could be an allergen but didnt really believe it, I have since changed my mind. Check treats and biscuits you buy in case there is chicken byproducts in them

Chicks off our menu even though they still look for their chick wings every morning for breekers

oh poor molly!

my jake often gets that... he is only 10 months, and twice has had bad ear infections and red sore bits around his eyes, and his hair around the eyes comes out. he is clearing up from the last flare up just now, and this time it was really bad. he developed big sores around his eyes, and they bled a lot. the vet thinks it is a mite... but i disagree... my gut instinct is an allergy. im no vet though, so i will trust her, but only if it stays away... if it comes back, i will be demanding she tests him for allergies. my friends dog has severe allergies, and jake looks similar to how she did. she is allergic to just about everything, from beef to grass so has to be on steriods for life. sorry i wasnt any help.

Lozzie = Do you feed dry nuggets/kibble?

If so try freezing the food overnight, dry food has storage mites [maybe what your vet is thinking] and the only thing that kills them off is freezing the food. Make sure thoroughly defrosted the next day before feeding.

It makes sense that when the dog puts its face and head into the dish and the mites are active and the dog is allergic.......... This came from our vet who is a Skin Dermatologist/Specialist.

ooo thanks, he gets dry mixed with some wet tinned stuff. i will give the freezing a try, this might sound so stupid... but... does it make the food go soggy when it defrosts??

the more i think about it, the more i think that maybe could be it... coz its his ears, eyes and mouth that are affected... nowhere else so if it is storage mites, that could explain why that is.

My boy gets itchy all the time, he hasnt been allergy tested due to his age, I am just wondering why your girl hasnt had a full allergy screening? It could be worth it, talking to my vet he said quite often they can have more than one allergy (ie grass and food). I started an exclusion diet and that reduced his itchiness (by no means stopped it but lower the itchiness of him, he was on cortisone for a long period but can't be on it now, the went on to Atopica, found it helped a little but not much) he now has problems with his skin. If it is dust mites you could get a steam cleaner to try and reduce them, some are unavoidable but it would be worth doing an exclusion diet and see how your girl goes. Chicken and beef are really common food allergies, so is wheat and grains that are in commercial dog food, my boy was on an allergy free dog food but it still didnt work, so now I have him on kanagroo meat and potato
I know quiet a few on here have dogs with allergies and they will be able to tell you more.
Good luck

I have a sesitive dog. itching was bothing us both. I'd check her constantly for fleas. I'd never see anything. talked to the vet he told me that some dogs can't handle even a single flea that I could be over looking. I did a combination of things. I started feeding her in a medal dish. I read where sometimes they have a reaction to the plastic dishes. I also put her on a flea control for the just incase. and changed her diet to a chicken based , no wheat and more natural ingredients. She has stopped itching. Good Luck

Thanks everyone for all your advice, didn't realise how common it was! I guess its just a continued case of trial and error but i've picked up some good ideas so thanks again.
Kate

Hi, both my dog and her sister have quite severe allergies, mine to Copra Mites, House Dust Mites and Hay Mites, her sister is allergic to those plus cats, and another I can't remember off hand (she doesn't live with me )

Ima has been an itchy dog since I got her at seven weeks and, our vet knew she was reacting to something but explained that a bit like teenage allergies dog allergies can either go away or become permanent by the time the dog is 3yrs old. Although Ima had itchy feet and groin the main problem has always been her right ear and recurring infections. The vet finally decided enough was enough and she had a full skin test (under sedation) not cheap by any means but we finally found out exactly what she was allergic to. Since then we have been on hyposensitisation (sp?) therapy, where basically she is injected with her allergen so her body can fight it rather than her skin. Recently her sister was tested and is going onto the same treatment. I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned to you as its a very good treatment for a young dog as there are no side effects unlike steroids. It might be worth mentioning this type of therapy to your vet.

Hope this was helpful and good luck with your baby, its awful to see them scratching to death.
Regards
Sarah