Tag Archives: allergy

Scratch, Itch, and Sniff: The Return…

Hola friends. Hoping that efurryones Fursday was splendiferous and full of Paw Love and hugs! I had a pretty good day—lots of nappy’s, squeaky toy play time, noms, belly rubs and no itchys.  So yesterday I talked a lil bit ‘bout bad ole allergies in pups and there is just so much to talk about dat I’ll be continuing wit dat today. Don’t be so surprised…I told you I was going to dat at da end of my last post silly.

Workin' hard ta Get Dis Blog Post Out. A Pups Work Is Never Done

So as I said before, just like hoomans, dogs can show allergic symptoms when dere immune systems react ta certain substances or allergens and a dog with allergies can have an extreme reaction to them. What sorts of reaction???? Check it out—>

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•      Increased scratching
•      Diarrhea
•      Itchy back or base of tail
•      Itchy, red, moist or scabbed skin
•      Itchy ears and ear infections
•      Itchy, runny eyes
•      Sneezing
•      Vomiting
•      Constant licking
•      Snoring caused by an inflamed throat
•      Paw chewing/swollen paws

Dats not a pretty list, I know, and on top of all dat, allergic pups can also ends up with bacterial or yeast skin infections, which can cause hair loss, and scabs! Lucky me has had all the symptoms except fur icky diarrhea, sneezing, vomiting & snoring. I do snores sometimes but it’s not cuz of my allergies, it just happens when I’m extra super comfy and tired.  Oh, and if dat list sounds too intense fur you ta deal with—well if you’re a pup, try not to be a terrier, setter, retriever, or flat-faced breed such as pug or bulldog, and if you’re a hooman, shy away from dose breeds cuz allergies are most common in dem.  Remember, it’s supposed to be a furever commitment furiends.

So remember dose skin infections I just mentioned 3 sentences ago? Well a few months back, I got a bad one, and it turned my pretty, pink belly, black wit spots, and made lots of my flowing golden & grey locks fall right off my back, and my butt, and dats definitely no fun in da winter time pals! I wents to da dermatologist once a month fur months and months, doin’ blood workies and trying all sorts of meds ta help beat da infection with no luck. On top of dat I haves ta take my regular allergy medicine dat comes in dese injections dat dad gives me in da scruff of my neck.

Well, finally dad said enough cuz dey would never give us enough meds and were difficult about prescribing me oral and topical meds dat had worked before or dad wanted ta try. He says dat it’s all about money. (Dad explained money ta me using biscuits once by asking me how many biscuits I would give up fur a 60 minute walk compared to a 20 minute walk.) He also says that he hates da FDA, whoever they are; I think maybe a dog cuz dad is always tellin’ ‘em ta “bite me.”  But anyway he hates ‘em cuz there’s all dis great topical medicine, just fur anipals, dat u can get no problem in Europe, but need a prescription ta get over here, and dats if dey even allow it here he says. So anyways, we went online and gots some topical stuff—Zymox and Ketoseb to name two–dat is really helpin’ me now. I haven’t been itchy, my hair is growing back and I’m not getting’ dat funny smell dat I would get after a few days anymore.  I still gots healing to do & a friend in London is gunna help us get sum other stuff from a company called PerfectPetSkin—don’t worry it’s all legal

Here's A Peek @ Some of The Topical Treatments We Use Fur My Allergy Symptoms

We’re also seeing a new skin specialist—time to change it up and so when I went to see my optomologist on Wednesday, I made an appt ta see da dermatologist. We thought dey already had us scheduled fur dat but dey so busy, dere was a mixup and so I gots ta wait a lil bit. Oh wait…what’s dat? Why do I have to see the optomolo whatever? Cuz I gots cataracts. I had a cloudy lens in my right eye ever since dad gots me so he always knew we was gonna have ta take care of dat someday and now it started showin up in my left eye. Dad says I’m too young to go blind and he’s too lazy ta have ta teach a blind dog new tricks. BOL. Just to be certain dat you guys know tho deaf or blind dogs are just as capable as other pups!! Dey just needs special training & a lil extra care at first is all…just like hoomans!!!

No, I Don't Wanna Kindly Jump Up On Dat Table Fur You ta Poke & Prod Me, Fank You!!!

So as da days and weeks go by I’ll fill you guys in more on my cataract surgery and allergy adventures if youz don’t mind. It helps me ta bark about it and I figures I could impart sum knowledge ta dose dat don’t know about dat stuff as well. We wish you a Happy Friday and fanks fur reading. Don’t furgets ta come say hi on my Fb page & catch me on twitters…

PAW LOVE, Hugs, and ArOOOOOOOOOOOO

Scratch, Itch and Sniff

Hello Furiends and anipals!!! Back again! How has efurryone been dis beautiful furst week of April? Well, beautiful except fur Texas where all dose crazy tornados are hurting people and our furry friends. Say a little prayer fur efurryone down dere please. Gotta always remember ta count ya blessings is what my dad says and things like dose tornados and people losing their furever homes reminds me dat even though I live with allergies, I’m a blessed puppy. ..and dats right animals can have allergies too.

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In fact, da number of doggies with allergies has gone up, and up, and up, a whole lots in da past few years. I read on webmd fur pets dat a whole one in seven pups suffer from allergies, and all breeds and mixes can be affected. If any of ya out dere don’t know, an allergy is a nasty reaction dats caused by things likes exposure ta a food, an inhalant, or something in da environment. What da pup is exposed ta is what dey call da allergen. The way da pups immunie system responds to the allergen is the allergic reaction. When I furst found my human and came ta live with him, he didn’t know dat I has allergies. I didn’t even know; I knew something was wrong with me, but not exactly what, and I was afraid ta tell dem. I was so happy ta be out of da shelter and being loved dat I didn’t wanna give ‘em any reason ta take me back. Dey brought me home and I right away worked really hard at my training and being a SUPER good boy and makin sure dat I showed ‘em what a great boy I could be cuz I really did love dem, but I was also afraid of going back ta da shelter. I didn’t need ta be afraid tho as it turns out cuz when my secret finally came out, my dad and gramps didn’t make any fuss over it—dey just made sure I got da care I needed…and it wasn’t easy at furst.

Ya see, it took a while to even figure out what da heck was goin on with me—why I was itchy all da time and getting red spots– after dey realized dat something even was going on. While hoomans usually gets upper respiratory symptoms when an allergy is triggered, in dogs it is usually the skin, with super bad itching being the BIG sign. Pups with allergies will scratch all da time and are usually MISERABLE. So we went to a couple of different nice vets and one told us dat it looks like I gots allergies and so dey gave me some special food dats grain and gluten free (remind me ta look up what da heck gluten is buddies) & some anti-hista-sumthin and sent me home. Well, dat helped a lil bit but den da following Spring I hads a really,really bad reaction and dats when my dad found a special puppy dermatologist–one of only two or three in all of New York City–and rushed me over dere. Dey was, and are very nice, and dats where we learned all sorts of things like what exactly I was allergic too—basically everything, including my sisfur Kenny da cat—and dat pup allergies fall into four categories—ones caused by fleas, ones caused by inhaled allergens likes dust mites, and grasses, ones caused by foods, and finally, ones caused by irritants dat have direct contact with da skin—and we also learned dat if da allergies go untreated dat dey could even kills me if I have a bad enough reaction. Most importantly tho, we learned how ta fight dem and helps me live a more comfortable life.

I wear dis sumtimes when I have flareups so I don't eats myself #E-CollarProblems

I wanna let all of you know dat, yes it was pretty expensive fur all da testing and medicines and treatments and and ongoing treatments and downright stressful fur my hoomans sometimes cuz dey don’t likes ta see me, or any furbaby’s in pain, but if ya find ya self with an anipal with special needs, don’t just dump ‘em in a kill shelter like my furst “family” did ta me. We understand if ya can’t afford ta help us, but ya CAN afford ta take just a little time from ya schedule ta find us a nice new home, or a foster, or a no-kill shelter rescue. Your anipals don’t deserve ta die just cuz we suffer from the same things dat hoomans do sometimes. Dere is help out dere for dem and fur you hoomans too and we’ll talks about dat in a future post about anipal insurance and fundraising and da like. Well, I’m gonna go play with my squeaky toy and then take a nap and do sum other important pup business now, but tune in tomorrow fur more about allergies and my latest flare up and vet visit with pictures and all….

PAW LOVE, Hugs, and ArOOOOOOOOOOOO