Discussion
Evening all.
Basil Beagle is itchy. He has been for a couple of days. He is scratching in various areas, front leg, armpit, side of muzzle and on his back, My first thought was fleas, but after scrutineering I can find no trace. Also , we use Advocate flea and worm every 4 weeks, and he is midpoint between treatments.
I have washed his bedding, and he has been bathed and groomed, but still he itches.
Not making the skin raw, and there is no obvious signs of irritation. other than him going bat s
t mental trying to itch.
It is obviously causing him some distress, and if it is still bad Monday, I am off work so will take him to the vet.
But in the meantime, Any ideas?
Might it be pollen allergy? it is that time of year.
Basil Beagle is itchy. He has been for a couple of days. He is scratching in various areas, front leg, armpit, side of muzzle and on his back, My first thought was fleas, but after scrutineering I can find no trace. Also , we use Advocate flea and worm every 4 weeks, and he is midpoint between treatments.
I have washed his bedding, and he has been bathed and groomed, but still he itches.
Not making the skin raw, and there is no obvious signs of irritation. other than him going bat s
t mental trying to itch. It is obviously causing him some distress, and if it is still bad Monday, I am off work so will take him to the vet.
But in the meantime, Any ideas?
Might it be pollen allergy? it is that time of year.
Edited by Flat6er on Friday 27th April 20:15
Edited by Flat6er on Friday 27th April 23:12
bexVN said:
There are so many possibles that it's impossible to guess!
Diet,
Grass,
Pollen,
Mange,
Shampoo etc
Any chance of seeing the vet tomorrow. It's not nice for a dog to be itchy and the quicker he's treated the quicker the he should respond to tx.
It's probably a contact allergy rather than mites as there are no sore patches. Dogs can have Piriton but I wouldn't give it without checking with your vets first. Normally a dog is seen before Piriton is px. Hope Basil is feeling better soon.
Well, we are 4/5 days into a course of Piriton, and a 2nd dose of Advocate. To be honest there is no marked improvement he is still scratching/ nibbling away on the back of his front legs, his armpits, back and muzzle. Diet,
Grass,
Pollen,
Mange,
Shampoo etc
Any chance of seeing the vet tomorrow. It's not nice for a dog to be itchy and the quicker he's treated the quicker the he should respond to tx.
It's probably a contact allergy rather than mites as there are no sore patches. Dogs can have Piriton but I wouldn't give it without checking with your vets first. Normally a dog is seen before Piriton is px. Hope Basil is feeling better soon.
The diet hasn't changed over the last 6 months, he settled on to adult food no probs and stuck to a mix of Nature Diet and James Welbeloved.
Grass/ Pollen, Well the Piriton should sort that out shouldn't it?
Mange, The vet gave him a good going over, and saw no obvious signs of irritation or cause to scratch.
Shampoo, Well He was done last Friday before I posted, with a combo of pet shop bought flea shampoo, (just incase) and a 2nd wash with his puppy shampoo.
The only other thing I can think of is there is something in his crate, one of his beds or even our carpet that is irritating him.
I have washed his bedding, and the cover we put over his crate before going to the vet with him, so I am stumped. Could it be washing powder? We use Ariel biological.
How about a switch to non-bio and wash his bedding again?
R300will said:
How old is he? Is there any other change in his behaviour? how long has been scratching? Is it always using his hind legs or is he rubbing himself against things?
15 MonthsNo other changes.
Scratching with back legs, Nibbling front ones, and propelling himself along the carpet on his face to itch his muzzle.
SW67 said:
some really alarming stuff. Poor thing.
Yep we have Petplan for life cover, so will book back to the vet and see if swabs or samples need to be taken. He is not drawing blood, or anything like that, although I think I am seeing things looking for redness, and am not sure if the pink of his skin is getting pinker, if that makes any sense.
Edited by Flat6er on Friday 4th May 16:51
Ok, Well we took him back to the vet yesterday, The Piriton was making him puke and his itching was no better. They have offered some stronger antihistamine and antibiotic for the infection where he has been scratching.
We spoke about allergy, and she mentioned the usual, pollen, grass time of year type suggestions. Also, dust mites might be a cause. So on return home I hot the hoover out and lifted his crate out to give everything a proper going over. I was ashamed at how bad we had ley it get behind, and under his crate, Perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nastiness.
So we will see if this latest course of drugs and clean out has any effect, but now he is puking up the drugs (Which he has been wolfing down in his dinner).
I think a block of cheese and small and often dosage throughout the day might be in order.
We spoke about allergy, and she mentioned the usual, pollen, grass time of year type suggestions. Also, dust mites might be a cause. So on return home I hot the hoover out and lifted his crate out to give everything a proper going over. I was ashamed at how bad we had ley it get behind, and under his crate, Perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nastiness.
So we will see if this latest course of drugs and clean out has any effect, but now he is puking up the drugs (Which he has been wolfing down in his dinner).
I think a block of cheese and small and often dosage throughout the day might be in order.
Right, a bit of an update.
A week of stronger antihistamines and antibiotics had mixed results.
No real improvement on the discomfort, he is still licking, biting and scratching, but the infection (where he was scratching so much)has cleared up.
I took him back on Saturday, and they have suggested a skin scraping. so I dropped the little man in at the Vets this morning to be sedated, and have some layers of skin taken for testing.
Fingers crossed. but its more positive than groping around throwing different drugs at it.
PetPlan have agreed to consider the claim, so am awaiting a claims form.
A week of stronger antihistamines and antibiotics had mixed results.
No real improvement on the discomfort, he is still licking, biting and scratching, but the infection (where he was scratching so much)has cleared up.
I took him back on Saturday, and they have suggested a skin scraping. so I dropped the little man in at the Vets this morning to be sedated, and have some layers of skin taken for testing.
Fingers crossed. but its more positive than groping around throwing different drugs at it.
PetPlan have agreed to consider the claim, so am awaiting a claims form.
Bex, Yep this is exactly the route the vet has advised. As ever your advice is spot on. I just wish we could have got to this stage sooner.
I am (as I am sure Basil is) hugely relieved that we are beginning to make progress, as The poor mite has been so uncomfortable for at least a fortnight.
We just had to follow the guidance the vet set out to start with to get to this position.
I am (as I am sure Basil is) hugely relieved that we are beginning to make progress, as The poor mite has been so uncomfortable for at least a fortnight.
We just had to follow the guidance the vet set out to start with to get to this position.
Update,
Blood tests came back allergic to all types of grass and 3 of the 6 types of tree pollen tested for.
We have asked for allergens to be made up to start injecting him with, as having a dog that cant go outside is silly. so in the meantime are treating his sore bits with a steriod spray.
Its all a bit nasty, poor mite is off his food now too.
Blood tests came back allergic to all types of grass and 3 of the 6 types of tree pollen tested for.
We have asked for allergens to be made up to start injecting him with, as having a dog that cant go outside is silly. so in the meantime are treating his sore bits with a steriod spray.
Its all a bit nasty, poor mite is off his food now too.
bexVN said:
Op sorry for the thread derailment but I'm sure you'll understand. Hope your four legged friend is feeling better.
No Worries, It is interesting to read the info about homeopathic medicine, We have had recomended Chris Day as a complimentary speciallist, aparrently he works wonders with horses. http://www.alternativevet.org/As for scepticism, I do find it difficult to believe that the more you dilute a drug with water, the more effective it becomes. Also the name that science gives to Alternative Medicine that is proven to work, is,,, Medicine.
However, as things stand with Basil.
He is not much better, We have been prescribed Virbac Cortavance steriod spray, untiol they can create the specific alergens he needs, and in the meantime we are doing walks away from grass, as much as possible, but this is cruel. as all he wants to do is be of lead and beagle his way round teh park,field.
He is still scratching and managed to draw blood, so the steriod spray stings him. Its all a bit nasty at the moment.
As for Petplan, They have recieved the claim, and are chasing the vet for more info before agreeing the claim. Grr Bloody Insurance.
gd49 said:
Insurer's usually want the animal's clinical history to make sure the condition didn't exist either before the policy was taken out or within the time frame required for claims to be initiated. Either something may be unclear in the clinical notes or they want to see more clincal history, Petplan are normally good about paying out for claims.
Yes This is understood, but he has been insured with them since a pup, and this is our first claim through them. I just hope it is a formality, although our vet has been great, and she will give all the help we need to get Petplan onside. But I am hoping that this is just a formality, as you say, to check clinical history. as for steroid tablets, she advised against them, because he had been quite sick, and not interested in food the lead up to the last visit. All as a result of antihistamines, infected scratches, and making himself ill with constant scratching. Although it is absolutely worth asking again.
We have a trip down to my brother planned for the weekend, and he has a boat in Hythe Marina, so plenty of chance for salt water and coastal walks with less grass.
As ever, all your posts and suggestions are all valued, and bex, thank you for your advice, as if anything it just offers a 2nd opinion to our Vet, as every stage so far you have 2nd guessed the advice of our Vet.
bexVN said:
I have to clarify that I'm not a vet and it is not my place to say what your vet should or shouldn't be px for him esp over the internet but I do feel double checking is a good idea.
It's fine, when I have compared your advice to my vets, I was not insinuating your info was being treated as clinical advice. It is just nice to be able to hear from someone that clearly knows their onions that our vet was not leading us down a path that would net them the most funds from my ever increasing insurance premiums. Update.
Steroid injection and a course of Tablets too. Dexadreson and 20 mg of prednecare a day.
Hopefully the allergens will be made up by end of next week. The injection was 9 am today and he is already noticeably less itchy. I know its only masking the issue but for now, this is more important than anything. the poor bugger was beginning to draw blood from top of paws, and armpits.
Blurry phone pic.
Steroid injection and a course of Tablets too. Dexadreson and 20 mg of prednecare a day.
Hopefully the allergens will be made up by end of next week. The injection was 9 am today and he is already noticeably less itchy. I know its only masking the issue but for now, this is more important than anything. the poor bugger was beginning to draw blood from top of paws, and armpits.
Blurry phone pic.
gmasterfunk said:
Have you considered other factors. Stress is a common reason for doing what your dog is doing. It sounds odd, as what do they have to be stressed about? For example Our collie went through something similar when we were expecting our first child. We changed where he slept. The dog was on a herbal relaxant, and it cleared up in a month or so?
Has anything changed recently such as food, environment? could be something as simple as a plugin air freshener, where the dog sleeps etc?
Yip, we explored lots before going down the blood samples route, and had various conversations with the Vet about dietry changes, or but the results from the blood tests were prety conclusive. He is alergic to grass and trees. Has anything changed recently such as food, environment? could be something as simple as a plugin air freshener, where the dog sleeps etc?
As for the current situation, we have dropped the sterroids down to 2 tabs a day, and the scratching is so much better, He has'nt scratched since saturday evening. As such the wounds are healing nicely and he is 100% more comefortable.
However he is pi$$ing like a raehorse, and will regularly (6/7 times)throughout the day drain atleast a pint of water, and gush another out.
We were warned about this side effect so all is good, its just when he needs to go, he REALLY needs a wee, so there have been a few accidents while he is waiting for us to unlock the patio doors at 3am. but in balance, he is comefortable.
Petplan have agreed the claims so we are good to go as soon as the lab can create the allergen injections. Having said that. with the lovely damp weather, combined with steroids, he is no-where near as bad.
Edited by Flat6er on Friday 8th June 10:12
Ok, a year in, its the next pollen season and we were no further on.
We know its pollen, as the skin scrapes and blood tests from last year showed the extremely high ppm levels in his system.
We have been injecting him every month with a dose of allergens specifically designed to treat his allergies. and 4 weeks ago it started to get bad again.
We have tried other things in the mean time. Apple Cider Vinegar (unpasteurised)is supposed to help, but really all it does is make him smell like a chip shop.
So, I took him back to the Vet on Tuesday. We had 2 options. a lifetime of summer seasons on steroids, or try Atopica. Well I did some reading on this stuff and whilst it is a T blocker, and could reduce his immunity to things like Cancers, it is designed to replace long terms steroid treatment which also has major pitfalls such as Kidney and Liver failure.
First things first, the tablet, which is enormous and smells floral, so he spits it out. Cannot be given 2 hours either side of food, so you cannot trick him into eating it. We have to force it into him.
However, 3 days in and its has stopped the itching in its tracks. Completely.
Has anyone else had experience of this stuff?
We know its pollen, as the skin scrapes and blood tests from last year showed the extremely high ppm levels in his system.
We have been injecting him every month with a dose of allergens specifically designed to treat his allergies. and 4 weeks ago it started to get bad again.
We have tried other things in the mean time. Apple Cider Vinegar (unpasteurised)is supposed to help, but really all it does is make him smell like a chip shop.
So, I took him back to the Vet on Tuesday. We had 2 options. a lifetime of summer seasons on steroids, or try Atopica. Well I did some reading on this stuff and whilst it is a T blocker, and could reduce his immunity to things like Cancers, it is designed to replace long terms steroid treatment which also has major pitfalls such as Kidney and Liver failure.
First things first, the tablet, which is enormous and smells floral, so he spits it out. Cannot be given 2 hours either side of food, so you cannot trick him into eating it. We have to force it into him.
However, 3 days in and its has stopped the itching in its tracks. Completely.
Has anyone else had experience of this stuff?
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