Treat Itchy and Allergic Dog Skin!!! | MUST WATCH
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Recap of what you just watched!
Ways to help your dogs itchy and allergic skin:
First, I discussed in my previous video “Why do dogs lick and chew their paws”, I ended that video with the fact that allergies a disease also called Atopy, is the number one reason most dogs are itchy!
With Atopic dermatitis, the dog’s immune system overreacts to an allergen. This can be hypersensitivity to their own skins bacteria and yeast, environmental allergies in the grass or air, fleas or insect bites or dietary ingredients. And certain breeds simply have genetic hair loss issues!
But let’s get into the simple steps and medications you can discuss with your veterinarian to use to help your dogs itchy skin.
Number 1:
Is medicated Baths ever 3 days or weekly to keep your pets skin clean!
– Get prescribed Chlorhexidine or Ketoconazole shampoo from your vet.
Number 2 Allergy pills and injections
– You can try over the counter Benadryl 1 mg per lb to help alleviate itchy skin and allergies in dogs, however most pet owners find this doesn’t work well.
–
So there are 2 stronger pills veterinarians can prescribe, that really work.
The first one and more commonly prescribed allergy pill for dogs is Apoquel, brand name Oclacitinib. This pill works great and dogs can be on it seasonally or long term of over 5 years to alleviate their allergies. Apoquel may also be prescribed for short term situations such as flea allergies, instead of steroids to avoid steroid side effects such as peeing in the house.
The second pill is called Atopica, with the brand name of Cyclosporine. Atopica is another immunomodulatory drug that has inhibitory effects on T-lymphocytes by decreasing production of cytokines such as interleukin-2 which decreases skin inflammation and itchiness.
Cyclosporine is a strong medication and is very affective at treating Atopic dermatitis in dogs and is also used for dogs with other autoimmune diseases.
And then there is an allergy injection called CADI or Cytopoint. And this injection helps control itch in dogs for 4 to 8 weeks. Cytopoint (Lokivetmab) is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31, an important cytokine involved in sending the itch signal to the brain in atopic dermatitis dogs. Cytopoint has minimal impact on normal immune functions.
Cytopoint starts having itch reducing effects for pets within 48 hours. It is so far studied to be a very safe drug for controlling Atopy in dogs and I definitely recommend discussing this for your pet.
Number 3: A course of Antibiotics
Dogs with hotspots or severely itchy skin due to bacterial infections will need a 2 to 4 week course of antibiotics to help clear up their skin infections. Dogs are obsessive scratchers and lickers and can cause traumatic dermatitis within hours to their body or paws. If your dog has been on multiple courses of antibiotics your veterinarian may ask to culture his or her paw puss or skin to rule out any antibiotic resistance.
Number 4: Steroids
– Now that veterinarians have access to the allergy medications that we spoke about, steroids are becoming last on our list to use to control itchy skin and inflammation. Steroids are dangerous to use long term and are hard on your dogs liver and body. Steroids are also strong immunosuppressives so if your pet has a nasty bacterial or fungal infection they can make it harder for your pets immune system to fight off the infection.
However, steroids are significantly cheaper and are safe to use along with antibiotics as a short course alternative to alleviate your pets itchy skin and inflammation due to a hot spot or flea allergies.
The 5th thing I like to use in combination with the above are a short course of anxiety medications to help stop self-traumatic damage from excessive itching. I like to use trazadone, valium or gabapentin to help keep your pets calm for a few days while their antibiotics or allergy pills are kicking in.
Most importantly make sure your pets are on a monthly flea prevention medication and then go from there with their skin care. Also, don’t be afraid to see a Veterinary Dermatoloy specialist to help diagnose and treat your pets skin condition, that’s what the got their degree for.
Alright guys, subscribe to my channel and smash that like button so other desperate pet owners can find this video too! See you next time!
~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer
God bless you! I mean it amazing ……
Baths 3x a week? I find it dries their skin too much therefore cause dry skin and itch? That’s my observation for frequent baths
God bless you! I mean it amazing ……
Please check your dog’s diet, we don’t buy food anymore but make our own at home so we can control the ingredients
I follow a different vet with a more natural approach
I clicked on this video to find alternatives to apoquel and cytopoint and yet that’s 60% of the video… these medications are ridiculously expensive and are just pushed on owners as a product of big pharma. I’m tired of spending $300+ a month just because my dog is itchy. There’s got to be better solutions to attack it at the source rather than just treat the symptoms for hundreds of dollars
I just seen a video saying those meds has side effects which cause cancer and etc. Wow how could she
Hi I have a one year old chow chow and she has black hairless spots on her two back legs and hasn’t grown any fur back yet what should I do to help her
"Natural" remedies don’t work.
The voice killed me. The yelling 😂😂
Apple cider vinegar with water 50/50 blend works for just about everything unless your dog happens to be allergic to the apple cider vinegar
Also she has bad anxiety
About eight years ago, we found a three month old puppy abandoned at a park, my daughter named it baby and fell in love with it. At about one years old, the dog developed allergies and its skin turned red, and it began itching and losing fur in spots. Constant scratching and chewing on her 🐾 paws! Misery.
The veterinarian gave it a steroid shot, an antibiotic, and some other medication totaling about $225.
As we were leaving the vet in Stockton, California, the vet said something like, “we’ll see you in a month.”
I questioned the Vet, because I wasn’t sure why we would come back in a month. But, the vet indicated that every single month for the rest of the dogs life I was supposed to be coming in and giving the dog all these treatments which would’ve added up to something like $2500 a year for a dog we found!
Not okay!
To be honest, I was thinking on the way home, how to break the news to my daughter about how her beloved dog ran away because there was no way I was keeping a dog that was going to cost $2500 a year.
I found a veterinarian on YouTube named Karen Becker and she recommended a raw food diet and basically here’s what happened to that dog named Baby – which is still alive to this day .
I switched to cooked chicken breast, string beans and within two weeks Bany stopped itching and scratching. Her skin healed, and fur started growing in.
Every single time the dog got any starches such as dry cat food or dry dog food or pizza, crusts or bread or anything with processed starches, she began itching almost immediately and her skin turned red .
However, as long as we kept Baby dog on chicken and some vegetables, such as pumpkin or string beans, or whatever the dog would eat such as carrots, she had no problems.
I’m disappointed this video doesn’t mention the fact that Yeast is fed by starch, and yeast overgrowth can frequently be controlled by diet.
All fine, until about six years old at which point in time, Baby became allergic to chicken.
At this point in time she continues to have redness and itching and thinning fur because of ongoing allergies and sensitivities that mostly seem food – related.
No chicken. Turkey, fish cooked, seem okay but she has issues with skin still.
I learned from the Karen Becker videos, that a dog can become allergic to any food it’s exposed to repeatedly.
But for six years, the dog had no problems at all as long as it only ate vegetables and chicken, which we usually cooked together. I wasn’t into the raw/good then.
If Baby avoided processed starches, and processed dog food, usually ok. Any eating of dry cat or dog food, her skin would glow red, she’d itch for days, and also oily ears, bad skin “dog” smell, butt-scooching, chewing on herself.
Now, The dog gets cytopoint injections once every 2 months, and is doing okay, but not as good as once before. Baby is allergic to chicken.
All kibble has starch, which is a binder & hardner for dry dog food.
Some veggies have “bad” starch, so there’s a need to try a “food elimination” allergy diet as a first line of defense.
Prescriptions for drugs, food, etc make vets money- but if the dog is suffering and a “cure” or alleviation is brought about by diet, it’s better for the patient and consumer.
Vaccines cause a lot of the immune system problems.
As a doctor your job is to find what is causing the inflammation, not give pharmaceuticals that interfere with the immune system. When you shut down Interleukins, you open up for other diseases.
With Apoquel we are seeing about 40% of those dogs getting cancer.
My dog doesn’t have itchy, skin hotspots or rashes, but he has an insatiable desire to lick the front of his legs. It seems like it’s a self soothing, but I don’t know what to do to help him break it. He’s 12 months old now.
My issue is my Frenchie keeps breaking out in hives. We know it’s not the food. He does chew on acorns which. And he is very warm bodies. So I’m guessing it’s either hot spot, acorns or something in my yard. He’s already on cytopoint. And I’m giving him a low dose of apoquel to help. 🙁
I have an awesome Dobermann pinscher and I just do not know what are wrong with the vets.around where I live because I have literally spent $1,500 on taking him to the doctors and asking questions and getting no answers other than being talked to in circles to make it seem like I’m getting info but no. And it’s not about the money so much as it is my buddy’s well being and I feel terrible for him and I feel so guilty sometimes that when he looks at me I make myself think he is looking at me and saying why are you letting this happen to me. It started with a yeast infection in an ear just 1 ear and it has progressed from there. He got a pill that I just get refilled monthly for $50.00 and that makes him not itch so much and I cannot figure out what is causing this. For 4 years no allergies no nothing just perfectly healthy now I just cannot get ahead of this especially in the busy household we have it’s my wife and me and our dog and we work sun up to sun down coming home to let our boy get his 2 or 3 mile walk or run in we have 7 acres and he loves it. Here is a Pic of his skin.
Apoquel 30 euro for 10 in belgium 😢 my bully has serious problems 😢
Tried benadryl don’t work
Can you use selsun Blue shampoo
There is a chemical that is banned in Europe, in many, many skin care products, shampoos, lotions, etc. here in the States. I have had personal experience that it causes skin irritation, itching and a scabbing on the skin. It’s called Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), usually found in combination with Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCIT) as a preservative, and is banned in leave-on cosmetic products within the EU due to concerns about skin irritation and allergies.
Key points about MIT:
Full name: Methylisothiazolinone
Banned in Europe: Yes, particularly in leave-on cosmetic products
Concern: Can cause severe skin irritation and allergic reactions
Check the products you use and those on your dogs, that they don’t have this chemical. It usually appears near the end of the ingredient list.
People laugh because I give my pit a bath 🧼 every 2-3 weeks when I start smelling that funky dog smell he’s getting washed
My Black Lab has had these issues for his 12 years, allergy shots etc. Has been on Apoquel 3 times, works and loses efficacy within 3 months ,…. Cytopoint twice.. works also but loses efficacy after second shot. Atopica once, did not help at all and was the most expensive. Now on Prednisone for years , fairly low dose and does fairly well but it can have side effects so watch closely with VET. It’s all about the quality of life…….imagine having to scratch ourselves day after day our entire lives…..We would go NUTS!!!
I use old fashioned baby shampoo on my dogs. Not the new ones with glucocide in them… the OLDER ones.
My dog loves to lay in dirt and grass and now her entire front stomach is completely red and hair loss. What should I do?
Trash advice. They are vested for their pockets not the health of your pets😐
Very well said!!!!!
The bath 3x a week isn’t for all dogs!!! This can actually make your dogs skin worse by drying out their skin of their natural oils that help protect their skin and hair. My dog was only able to get a bath once a month during late spring through early fall and every other month during the winter. He would have dry baths in between if he got smelly! His condition was sensitive and dry skin. The treatment we used and worked well with MY dog (might not be for your dog) was a small amount of olive oil in his food . His skin and coat drastically improved after only a week!!! It is important to note that you should check with your vet before doing this and if you use this treatment it only requires a very small amount if adding to their food if they can tolerate ingesting it!It can also be directly applied to the effected area, again very little or your going to have a mess on your clothes, carpets furniture etc.
Interested more in over the counter support for my pooch
Bathing my dog in apple cider vinegar has done incredible wonders for my dog. I also put a tablespoon or two in there drinking water. Who knew right… 😊
going to make appointment on Monday at our Vets and ask to try your remedies. will let u know how I make out.
This video is the worst!
Thank you for the imformation on itching and scratching for my dog.
Thank you for your content. I have a question for you. My dog had been on cyto Point prior to me taking responsibility for her, she was on it for a couple of years. She continue to do well for 9 months after I got her All of a sudden the cyto point injection stopped working completely The vet put her on apoquel but once the two-week point was over that I had to cut her down to once a day she started itching and chewing and creating major hot spots this one on for several months, she’s been on antibiotics she recently got a steroid injection and continues to be on apoquel. She’s losing all her hair she is getting many many severe hotspots. It’s very frustrating and I feel so horrible for her, is there anything you would recommend?
I can’t believe you would advertise for those horrible medicines
That noise…
My dog was extremely lethargic for 3 days after getting cytopoint and also had a seizure a few days after…
Thank you soooo much. I realized i didnt bathe my dog enough, because I thought it was bad for her. The peevailing wisdom is bathe dogs once/month. I recently found out from you and a few pet groomers about bathing more frequently for dogs with certain skin conditions. After watching your video, I pulled out my head and shoulders and bathed her in the shampoo. I scrubbed her (not realy scrubbed) let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinsed and repeated. Then I used head and shoulders conditioner and let that sit for 10 minutes. I blow dried her hair because air drying can allow the bacteria and/or fungus to grow. A dog bather told me any air circulation is better than no air circulation after a dog is bathed. So i tried my best to blow dried her under the arms, and around all skin folds. I followed up the bathing and blow drying with black JAMAICAN castor oil and baking soda on top of the larger lumps under the skin and the skin nodules. Then I put baking soda all over her the rest of her skin. The cancerous nodules (she has terminal mast cell cancer) appear to be decreasing, but new ones pop up, and i simply just treat them with castor oil and baking soda, too. She is on prednisone, zyrtec, gabapentin, famotidine, probiotics, pre lectin and IV chemo vinblastin. We had to miss her last chemo appointment due to car troubles, but the cancer nodules seem to be responding to the head and shoulders, castor oil and baking soda treatment despite the missed chemo appointment.
We tried the keto diet. It gave her prolonged diarrhea. Palladia put her into remission for only 3 months.
After all is said and done, i now realize that when i first got her at age 5, i should have given her more bathes, treated her with fungal and antibacterial shampoo three times/week. Washed her bedding and our bedding in hit water with laundry soap for sensitive skin once/week. I should have cleaned the air with filters, kept her hair short, ears plucked, and toenails trimmed regularly. We just were not clean enough to prevent allergies on an allergy prone dog. We didnt know, but now we do and we are working hard at giving her an allergy free home.
Thank you again.
However, for whatever reason, i feel like we are out of the woods. They give her less than a year to live, but Im still praying and still believing for a cure. Im glad i found your channel. The head and shoulders was good for me and good for my dog, too. I hope this 6 year old lives to beyond 16. I hope that I’ll be complaining about hiw much work she is, and how expensive fancy dog food is. Yes. That is right. I want her to be 16, I’m complaining about hiw much I do for the dog all the way to the dog groomers. 😉
My shitzu ripping her hair out scratching so much red skin try everything even with a vet I’m out of sorts what do for her very stressful
You can also use apple cider vinegar to clean your dogs paws.. make sure to dilute with plenty of water. My dog gets a medicated shampoo, rinse, vinegar paw scrub, rinse.. finish with coconut oil body massage.. I have a 65lb Pit
I much prefer loratadine for my dog. I take it as well for my own allergies and it doesn’t make you sleepy. I save Benadryl for crisis-level discomfort. It is strong and it will work, plus it puts them to sleep. Much like us, sometimes we prefer to sleep through the discomfort until it gets a little better. I also love Veterinarian Formula antiseborrheic bath soap because it helps stop the skin dandruff that my dog gets with an allergic episode. There is also a really good hot spot ointment that calms some of the local inflammation. My dog recently had a major allergic reaction to high-efficiency laundry detergent. I had washed her bedding in it and wow was that a big mistake. These stupid HE washing machines don’t use enough water and that detergent is super concentrated. I make my own laundry detergent now with Suds liquid soap, baking soda super wash, and a little borax powder. It makes great laundry soap and the recipe can be found on line. My dog did really well until I pulled out that jug of HE laundry detergent. Never again!!
Do not give your f****** dog apaquill It does not work and it’s overprised
You were great. Gave me all the information I needed. Thank you. Jerry NC
There must be something more natural then stuffing them with meds that damage their organs😢
Sure am
Disgusting that vets are STILL pushing Apoquel, this is so dangerous along with cytopoint
Thank you ❤
Stop pushing poison on our dogs! You people should be ashamed of yourselves!
I used IVerm3cten and my dog is itch free. He had really bad allergies from our back yard. A stray cal gave him scabies too, it was horrible. HE is better now.
I was really disappointed .Thought she was going to te of natural help but she s just snother vet pushing a these drug
s and chemicals