Hallelujah!
Miracle drug, thy name is Atopica!
I don't know if I've posted about my itchy dog before. See, I have this itchy dog. She flipping scratched ALL THE TIME!!! I did my research (gotta love the Internet!) and concluded that she must not have allergies, because the number one symptom for that was constant chewing/licking of the paws, which she did not do. I set out to find out what the problem was.
First thing: food. I did my research, and discovered that the Iams that I thought was so good for her was actually just a step or two above crap. Lovely. Researched ingredients and brands, and finally settled on a brand called Canidae which is made with human grade ingredients, no wheat, no corn, no by-products, and high in omega3's.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried out a few shampoos. Colloidal Oatmeal is supposed to help with itching. Tea tree oil was too. I washed, let the suds sit on my poor, shivery pup for 10 minutes, then rinsed and repeated. I tried washing her more often, and tried not washing her at all, thinking maybe her skin was dried out.
Along those lines, I put my non-allergenic Neutrogena face moisturizer all over her belly after baths.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried anti-itch sprays. I tried creams. I tried conditioners.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried powdered supplements in her food. I gave her plain yogurt. I gave her olive oil. Her treats were all natural and made with human grade ingredients. No nasty Snausages or Milk Bones here!
The dog was still itchy.
Furthermore, after a year of trying EVERYTHING, she was now chewing her paws. It was time to make an appointment with the vet.
After I made the appointment, but before we went, I took the kids to the dog park. Poor itchy dog did nothing but scratch the whole time we were there. Finally, I noticed that she had broken out in giant hives all over her body. Now I was convinced she had an allergy to grass or pollen or somthing outside.
The vet told us NO TREATS for 12 weeks. That meant no chew bones, no bully sticks, nothing but the special $20 for a teeny tiny bag of dog food that he prescribed. She also had to take an antibiotic, because she had scratched her armpits raw, and an antihistimine.
The dog was still itchy.
Took her back last weekend, and he prescribed a steroid and a medication called Atopica. I am so happy to say, that after only three days on this medication - the dog, she is no longer itchy! I can't tell you how good my heart feels to know that my poor baby finally has some relief from the itchiness of the last year and a half. It's not cheap ($95 for a 30 day supply) but we decided that it is sooooooo worth it to have our sweet little critter finally free of her itchies.
Thank GOD for Atopica! Better living for all through chemistry!
I don't know if I've posted about my itchy dog before. See, I have this itchy dog. She flipping scratched ALL THE TIME!!! I did my research (gotta love the Internet!) and concluded that she must not have allergies, because the number one symptom for that was constant chewing/licking of the paws, which she did not do. I set out to find out what the problem was.
First thing: food. I did my research, and discovered that the Iams that I thought was so good for her was actually just a step or two above crap. Lovely. Researched ingredients and brands, and finally settled on a brand called Canidae which is made with human grade ingredients, no wheat, no corn, no by-products, and high in omega3's.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried out a few shampoos. Colloidal Oatmeal is supposed to help with itching. Tea tree oil was too. I washed, let the suds sit on my poor, shivery pup for 10 minutes, then rinsed and repeated. I tried washing her more often, and tried not washing her at all, thinking maybe her skin was dried out.
Along those lines, I put my non-allergenic Neutrogena face moisturizer all over her belly after baths.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried anti-itch sprays. I tried creams. I tried conditioners.
The dog was still itchy.
I tried powdered supplements in her food. I gave her plain yogurt. I gave her olive oil. Her treats were all natural and made with human grade ingredients. No nasty Snausages or Milk Bones here!
The dog was still itchy.
Furthermore, after a year of trying EVERYTHING, she was now chewing her paws. It was time to make an appointment with the vet.
After I made the appointment, but before we went, I took the kids to the dog park. Poor itchy dog did nothing but scratch the whole time we were there. Finally, I noticed that she had broken out in giant hives all over her body. Now I was convinced she had an allergy to grass or pollen or somthing outside.
The vet told us NO TREATS for 12 weeks. That meant no chew bones, no bully sticks, nothing but the special $20 for a teeny tiny bag of dog food that he prescribed. She also had to take an antibiotic, because she had scratched her armpits raw, and an antihistimine.
The dog was still itchy.
Took her back last weekend, and he prescribed a steroid and a medication called Atopica. I am so happy to say, that after only three days on this medication - the dog, she is no longer itchy! I can't tell you how good my heart feels to know that my poor baby finally has some relief from the itchiness of the last year and a half. It's not cheap ($95 for a 30 day supply) but we decided that it is sooooooo worth it to have our sweet little critter finally free of her itchies.
Thank GOD for Atopica! Better living for all through chemistry!
Miss M told you so @ 10:20 AM
2 Comments:
Hmmm...sometimes Maddie is itchy, too. We might have to do food tests on her. I really don't want to!!!
poor puppy!-glad to hear the medicine is working :) my dog gets allergies and sometimes chews her paws too.-we ended up having to put some kind of cream on her paws that I guess tastes nasty to get her to stop.
BTW-'A Scrap'n Time' is a smaller scrapbook store on Chandler Heights and Power Rd. its close to my house but no where near Annalis potential ;)
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