Ok guys. I need your help. *pic heavy*

    • Gold Top Dog

    I agree with Callie. I see contact allergies. If she's eating Z/D Ultra, and she looks like that, and she's NOT "sneaking" any goodies, my guess is that she doesn't have food allergies. Emma was allergic to human dander, dust, fleas, and grass. She would break out and puff up, just like that, til I finally started managing her like a severely allergic child. I ran an air purifier, 24/7, in the bedroom. I put allergy covers on all the pillows, mattresses in the house. I took down the curtains, and put them away, and put blinds on all the windows. I vaccuumed daily. I kept her washed weekly, with a clean t shirt daily, and I showered twice a day, to get the dander off of me. We both took LOTS of fish oil, to manage dry skin (mine irritated her LOL). It worked!!!

     

    Oh, and I kept her off of grass. I made her a pea gravel area to potty in, and hosed it daily to get the pollen off.

    • Gold Top Dog

     I'm sure they've checked for this, but just in case: have they checked for mange?

    • Gold Top Dog

    Jennie, I remember when you first said Emma was allergic to people. I was shocked to read that.

    My brother is coming over tomorrow for dinner before I leave on Friday so I will be asking for more information.

    Erin: My first thought was mange also when I saw her last Monday.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I'm certainly not an expert on this stuff and I know it seems like we mention thyroid every time a dog has anything.   But, at one point Willow's vet checked her thyroid because she had a "rash" that was symmetrical like that.  In other words if you look at her it's exactly around both eyes, both ears are red, the legs in the same areas on each side, etc.  It's worth a shot, right?!?!  The other thing was you mentioned she could stand to gain a few pounds and weight can be affected by the thyroid depending on whats going on with it they can either loose weight or gain. 

    Aside from that, is she on any medications at all?  It could be a side effect if she is. 

    I hope they can get to the bottom of this.  She's such a pretty girl.

     

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    She's not on any medications. I think the vet is afraid to put her on anything until they know what's going on.  I put some cream on her ears to help the itch and dry skin.

    I'm making a list of all the suggestions to talk to my brother about tomorrow. And I've given Callie some information as well.

    • Bronze

    My first thought was either discoid lupus or pemphigus.  The symmetrical rash around the eyes and the nose involvement (it looks like there's irritation around and under her nose?) are red flags.

    My second thought was mange.  I'd want a skin scraping done ASAP.  Can't believe the vet wouldn't have already done that.

    Allergies -- Possible, particularly given how common allergies are in dogs.  But my guess is that something else is going on.  The symmetrical eye involvement just doesn't look like allergies to me. What kind of testing was done?  I've had dogs tested via the blood method and was really pleased with the results and confident they were accurate, but the gold standard is skin testing by a veterinary dermatologist.  Was she on any type of medication (steroids, antihistamines) within a week or so prior to testing?  That can mess up the accuracy.

    Having her lay on a sheet or wear pajamas sure won't hurt, but it's no guarantee with contact allergies.  Dogs can be allergic to such common fabrics as cotton and polyester (which would likely be in sheets and pajamas).

    Personally, my advice would be to consult with a veterinary dermatologist.  Spendy, yes.  But probably less spendy than having a general vet play the guessing game, and likely to get the dog relief faster.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Myra
      But my guess is that something else is going on.  The symmetrical eye involvement just doesn't look like allergies to me. 

     

     That's what I was thinking too.

    Myra
    Dogs can be allergic to such common fabrics as cotton and polyester (which would likely be in sheets and pajamas).

     

     Yep; Jessie's allergic to wool and kapok.

    Myra
    Personally, my advice would be to consult with a veterinary dermatologist.  Spendy, yes.  But probably less spendy than having a general vet play the guessing game, and likely to get the dog relief faster.

     

     I agree. It doesn't have to be very expensive if they go to a veterinary teaching school; that's where I take Jessie to see a dermatologist.

     She looks so sweet; I just want to give her a big hug. I hope they find out what her problem is soon. They're lucky to have you to help them.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Thanks Janice. I'm trying my best for Kasha. The shea butter cream seems to be helping her dry cracked ears. So she's getting some relief there.

    I'm not sure if there is a vet teaching school in Calgary.. I'll have to take a look. Curiosity and all that ya know Wink