Excessive scratching/chewing

[CigarGuy]

It takes longer than 5 days to switch a dog over to a different food. It's probably more important switching to a RAW diet. Like others have said, approx 3 weeks to gradually switch. Starting at 75%(old)/25%(new)wk, 50/50-wk, 75/25-wk, than good to go. You have to give the dog a couple months to determine if it works.

[ducker]

We're back at it. The dog started scratching again. Got some more prednisone. Helped for awhile but got worse. Took to the vet and she had hives and crystals in her urine. On antibiotics now and the expensive vet recommended Science Diet to help with urinary track issues. Thinking very seriously about Taste of the Wild Dog Food. Any recalls on that brand of dog food?

[311Hemi]

Does this start at a certain time of the year?

Does the prednisone work at all?

My dog started getting seasonal allergies bad about 3-4 years ago, he is now 7. They coincided with the ragweed and late summer pollen, almost exactly at the same time a good friend of mine got his seasonal allergies. We seem to have better luck with the prednisone shot vs the pills.

[DTro]

Like clockwork this happens to our dog every late August and usually lasts until first frost. I can’t say for certain if it’s a weed or a bug, but it hits him hard. Nothing we tried has completely worked so we do a combination of things. The Prednisone shots probably work the best but gets expensive and has some side effects.

Our ritual is to wash every few days with an anti itch shampoo, some Benadryl, anti itch spray and rawhide chews to take his mind of the chewing/licking.

If you just ignore it, the excessive licking/chewing can lead to a nasty hot spot.

This year seems to be on par or even worse than any other year we have dealt with it. Pray for frost.

[311Hemi]

Like clockwork this happens to our dog every late August and usually lasts until first frost. I can’t say for certain if it’s a weed or a bug, but it hits him hard.

Sound just like my dog, and I would vouch to say it's ragweed or something similar that releases pollen this time of year. It seemed early this year and it does go away after the first frost, which is exactly the same as as how that close friend of mine reacted with bad allergies at the exact same times. He now gets shots for ragweed and I think some other pollens and his allergies are for the most part gone.

[Pherris]

We'Thinking very seriously about Taste of the Wild Dog Food. Any recalls on that brand of dog food?

The following information is from the Taste of the Wild HSOforum...

Diamond Pet Foods, Manufacturer of Taste of the Wild Pet Food, Issues Voluntary Recall of Dry Pet Food

Recall is limited to product manufactured between December 9, 2011 through April 7, 2012 and distributed to 16 states and Canada

05/04/12

Diamond Pet Foods, manufacturer of Taste of the Wild Pet Food, has issued a voluntary recall of limited batches of their dry pet food formulas manufactured between December 9, 2011, and April 7, 2012 due to Salmonella concerns. Diamond Pet Foods apologizes for any potential issues this may have caused pet owners and their pets.

Although none of the products being recalled have tested positive for Salmonella, the company is pulling them from store shelves as a precaution. Diamond Pet Foods is coordinating efforts with federal and state health and regulatory agencies but decided to independently expand the recall to ensure the safety and well-being of customers and their pets.

To determine if your pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production codes on the back of bags. Any production codes that have a number “2” or a “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit in the production code should be discarded. The best before dates are December 9, 2012, through April 7, 2013.

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada. Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.

Alabama

Florida

Georgia

Indiana

Kentucky

Massachusetts

Maryland

Michigan

Mississippi

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

Canada

I am in the process of switching my lab to Taste of The Wild from Canidae. Only a couple days into it so cant really offer an opinion but I am optimistic.

Good Luck!!

[ducker]

Prednisone and the anitbiotics seem to be working. She also had a oatmeal bath at the vet.