Meds haven't helped much

[Maryn306]

Last Monday I tool Rocco to the vet for insane itching, patches of missing fur (small on legs and belly), and raised bumpy areas. He said it was an allergic reaction, gave him shots, and meds to take home. He said that in a few days it should clear up. Well, it hasn't. He is still scratching, not as intensely and constantly as before, but enough. He also has more patches of missing fur (from scratching/biting I believe) on his lower side..toward the top of his hindquarter. I specifically asked about mange when I was there, he said he didn't think that was the problem.
I know I need to call him back and get him seen again..but it'll have to wait until later on this week when I have the funds needed.
Any ideas on this? Would an allergic reaction persist through meds this long? I thought about his food...he was on Beneful, but I switched him to a food that has a real MEAT as a main ingredient, hoping perhaps it would help.

[groupieindenial]

Did you switch foods just before this all happened? What else have you changed? You need to write down every little detail of the days preceeding up to when the scratching and missing fure appeared. Where did you take him, park? It is spring, and with all the thawing going on out there, you never know what could have irritated him. THey say the most common allergies though is not food, but environmental.

BTW, which food did you switch him too?

[brunie's mom]

Are you sure it's not fleas?
Anytime there is scratching, itching, biting and with bumps, I would think fleas.
Have you got him on any flea preventative?

Gina

[StephanieandToby]

You could try giving Rocco a nice cool bath and really rinse him well. If it is pollen or anything environmental it will help him to have it rinsed off.

My allergies are terrible this year...worse than ever....I can relate to the poor guy...hope he improves soon!

[faerielantern]

When Alecseis itches I use antibacterial dog shamppoo it seems to help allot.

[Ilovemypuppy]

I would make sure he is not getting any dairy products and make sure there are none in his kibble...also check that there are no artificial preservatives in his kibble like BHT,BHA or ethroyiquin (sp).

I would also get some milk thistle and give it to him at the recommended human adult dose (from a health food store)...taken as directed for one bottle and bath him in Betadine surgical scrub (available at pharmacies) it's an iodine scrub used by surgeons...very effective for itchy skin. You could put some Calendula ointment on the patches that are going bare too. Calendula stops the itching...but very likely, it could be an ingredient in his diet that's causing the problem. Our holistic vet says that for many dogs, beef is highly allergenic, so you might consider chicken, turkey or lamb formulas.

The vet likely gave him an anti-histamine to try and stop the itching,,,but that doesn't get to the underlying cause. I would never use a flea preventative on a reactive dog like this.

[Maryn306]

He was given advantage at the vets last week, and the vet told me not to bathe him since he put it on. I switched his food after the first couple days of the meds not doing much to help.
I wanted to switch him to Nutro Max, but hubby went out for the food and got him Maximum Nutrition from Walmart. It's a lamb and rice formula for puppies. THe primary ingredients are Lamb, animal fat, and ground yellow corn. I see no BHT, BHA or the other mentioned.

Groupie...the scratching and fur missing were present when he was brought to me. He was scratching and his foster mom said something about dry skin. It wasn't until that evening that I noticed the small patches on his legs.

I would LOVE to give him a bath...will it interfere with the advantage drops effectiveness?