the biggest alergy culprits. Start with no grain diet.

It's not hard to find especially if you have a pet store nearby like PetSmart, etc.

with chicken. If that failed, then we should begin a study to determine the source of the allergy. The switch worked on day one. So, I suggest that you give that plan a try.

Are we talking about my ex's cooking?

ck out petmd.com

Seasonal, drugs, ectoparasites, food.

It is best to get her allergies worked up before you give any medications not prescribed by a vet. Even over the counter meds. The doses are usually different and may not be what she actually needs.

And, as suggested above, may actually harm her.

Dogs unlike people can not "talk" like us so a good vet will use his or her
knowledge, tests, and watching the dog before they suggest what to do
as per treatment.


A 100 lbs German Shep is many times the size of a Bichon Frise and so even
if the suggested medication is what is needed then it has to be correct as per
the dog's body mass.

lower responses recommend Benadryl, which is what I was thinking about not sudafed We might think about a topical benadryl.

That said, One thing you can do right from the get go is to change the dog’s food. A few years ago I switched to a limited ingredient dog food and the most sensitive of my dogs showed a pretty quick reduction in general allergic reactions.

His remaining allergy is to flea bites or flea poop or something along those lines. It’s seasonal, So he’s OK in fall winter and spring.

I have to agree with the recommendation to see a vet Before you start trying human meds.

Please see your vet before you give anything.

med for my dog years ago. It was not Sudafed though. I will keep thinking about it and hope to remember soon.

Check with your pharmacist as to which Topical Benadryl solution would best suit your dog application. I know this regimine works on dogs for skin allergies that are fairly common. Sudafed is a decongestant and should not be used. Benadryl is an antihistamine which is appropriate for skin allergies.

for his seasonal allergies, which happen to be the same as mine - mainly Russian thistle. Certain pollens, including Russian thistle, make me sneeze but Ty just chews his paws. I take Adult Benadryl and Ty takes Children's - grape is his favorite. Benadryl fixes us right up.

Nay. My vet had me give my dog an antihistamine, which works against allergies.

that's what I was thinking of, not sudafed. Thanks.

I'd look for another option

We’ve been using wellness simple salmon and potato. No grains.

Please do not give the dog any off-label medications unless directed to by a veterinarian.
The recommendation to change to a grain free diet is a good one.
But please take the animal to a vet before attempting any type of treatment.
An overdose or acute reaction to OTC meds is a lot harder/expensive to treat.

My dog has allergies to chicken and grain. Because I cannot spend the $100/bag on special broken-down-protein food that the vet insisted was the only way my dog would keep from licking his paws bloody, and that I'd have to keep him on the food for a minimum of 6 months, preferably 12-18 months with every 6 week checkups at $180 a pop, I found another vet who told me that yes, whiile the broken-down-protein food was a good way to pinpoint allergies, seeing that I'm not Scrooge McDuck that rolls around in piles of gold bullion, since my dog did well on non-chicken, non-grain diets, I could switch to that, or make my dog's food, which is what I do.

My dog now eats a human-grade diet of food I make on a weekly basis. It's primarily fish -- tuna/salmon/mackrel, spinach, beans, and rice, carrots/yams and other dog-safe fruit/veg we get at the farmer's market (they're happy to give us either free or at a steep discount any stems or ugly/bruised fruit/veg they're going to throw out or won't sell b/c we're going to feed it to the dog).

I make a weekly batch, keep it in the fridge. It ends up costing about $2-4 a week, depending on how much the veg is. I get the fish fresh and, again, the fishmonger is happy to give me bits b/c it's for the pupperino. If I wanted, I could take his little meatballs, put it in a pan and fry it up or bake it and eat it myself. No oils, no fats. Just meat, veg, and rice. Human grade for my dog.

His compulsive licking has gone away. His skin flaking and hair loss has gone away. His weight issues have gone away. His weird behaviours have gone away. That odd smell he had like sour milk, went away. All of the things that the vet told me would only go away with $100 bags of food for 18 months and $180 office visits went away with healthy, human grade food and preparation that I do on sundays that takes 45 minutes for a week's worth of food.

We've been doing this for about 9 months >Took him to the new good vet a few weeks ago. Labs are great, skin and coat are great. She has no problems with it, he's getting what he needs, nutrition-wise.
I'm not advocating anything, as I'm a human-RN, not a vet or anything, just letting you know the option that worked for my dog.

we are going to go with a non-chicken grain free diet. She is on a grain free food now, but it is chicken. I've told my boyfriend that I always wanted her on a beef, lamb or venison diet.

They can be allergens too.

Overview of Loratadine for Dogs and Cats
Loratadine, commonly known as Claritin® or Alavert®, is a type of antihistamine drug commonly used in dogs and cats to control itchy skin.
Loratadine is considered less sedating than other antihistamines.

con't

http://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/library/over-the-counter/loratadine-claritin-alavert

I buy the generic Zyrtec I use myself and the Claritin generic I use for a month each year both from Costco. a 360 tablet bottle of the generic Zyrtec costs about $15. I don't remember how much the Claritin knockoff was but it was equally cheap. The Zyrtec generic was cheaper than I could buy a prescription for and the savings pay my Costco membership.

we think of our pets as our kids but they are different!