pretty sure its eggs

donSeems like you are getting a good handle on the food allergies. But I have to confess, that difficulty in swallowing along with the lumpy skin worries me, but I don't want to be an alarmist . Severe allergies can cause symtoms like that I have "heard" , but so can spider bites. I'm also concerned about lyme disease, has  Bugsy ever been tested for it?
The fact that he did seem better quickly is great,   but with lyme, symptoms can mysteriously appear, disappear, then show up again. Just a thought.....I don't want that baby or you to suffer ![] I'm a sucker for B&W dogs!

That makes me wounder if that is the problem with my Mi-Mi(BLK/White shih-tzu).  I just got her and the lady told me she has Food Allergies, so she had just started feeding Purina Puppy as it was the only thing she had good results with. Her skin was dry on her back. Now it is much better tho, I put  Pure Aloe Vera Jell on her back and it has helped ALOT. Any other helpful tips would be great!

thanks for the heads up - he's not been tested and they don't vaccinate for it here because it hasn't been a problem
HOWEVER when he first (in July) lost interest in eating (he's a big boy with a BIG appetite) and was very lethargic, i took him to the vet and got a blood test.  The vet said at that time that this was the first year that they were getting dogs with Lyme's disease despite people using precautions (we use K9 advantix).  The standard blood test came back with slightly elevated white count and the vet said keep our eye on him and the next step would be a Lyme's test which they can do onsite.
So with your input perhaps we should rule that out (or not)

   I agree with bls4pets;   The difficulty swallowing would worry me more than the bumps. Jessie has a food allergy to chicken which makes her chew her feet but I have never heard of a dog having lumps on their back from food allergies and I have read quite a bit about allergy symptoms in dogs. Have you discussed the lumps and problems swallowing  with the vet?

when he didn't eat back in July and we took him to the vet I mentioned to him that it looked like he was having trouble swallowing and he did his best to look into his throat and couldn't see anything.  He also palpated the whole throat and neck area and there were no signs of soreness.
He only has this when he gets the lumps bad - it also is when he is less enthusiastic in his eating, which is readily detected!


As for the lumps on his back I liken that to hives.  He does chew his feet on occasion, his ears get all hot and bothered, he flaps them often, many times a day, I have to clean them frequently, and he has had killer flatulence all along.
Interestingly after 2 feedings of his salmon, carrot, &  potato  (also had yogurt and olive oil) we boht noticed last night that he wasn't killing us with gas.  I can't tell you how frequently this dog normally farts [&:]
He generally seems much happier, more content, and even livelier  [sm=dance.gif]  (oh dear)

The lumps have subsided but the skin is flaking in that area
He has now had 2 feedings of Purina One lge breed ( the remains of the emergency purchase from his last outbreak) and Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin/stomach which has no egg.  We are likely to switch him to Blue Lge breed which is thankfully egg free but are considering home feeding (thanks for your other post!)
Should the rash not clear or the lumps return we will go straight to the vet
I've read that allergies take a long time to clear fully but he is unquestionably  better

thank you so much for sharing your expertise and experience
Karen

It sounds like this dog needs more frequent follow up with the vet.  I think it might be time for allergy testing, and another look-see in the throat.

Appreciate your input to clarify - The swallowing issue was only Monday AM feeding and has not reappeared since the removal of all egg.
The other time he did this was back in July and was when we took him to the vet because he was lethargic and not eating with his normal verve.  The vet did full bloodwork at the time and only the white count was slightly elevated and not enough for him to be concerned.

He shows no other signs of being ill - quite the opposite. In fact even the hive-like lumps don't seem to bother him, he doesn't itch or scratch them.  He is wolfing down everything like the madman he is starting Monday evening with no indication of a swallowing issue.

If as I said he gets lumpy again (with no egg in his diet) or I see the swallowing thing again (they appear related to me)he will go straight to the vet

we went to the vet today and they felt strongly that it is a food allergy and the lumps/hives make it a serious one.  His ears were clean but mildly inflamed - she prescribed the royal canin and hills allergy diets (whatever they are called) and felt that was probably appropriate.
I told her about the eggs and she stated that it was an unusual allergy for dogs but sounded like a major source.  She also suspected that he might have some inhalant allergies that put him over the top so to speak in the last 2 months.

we went to the vet today and they felt strongly that it is a food allergy and the lumps/hives make it a serious one

 
  I have heard of hives being in the throat in people; did the vet think that may have caused the problem with swallowing? One of the reasons I love idog is because I'm always learning new things; I said I have never heard of a dog having hives from a food allergy; guess I have now. The thing the vet said about him having some inhallant allergies and the two combined putting him over the top; that's called an allergy threshold and is the principle Jessie's immunotherapy works on. She has more allergies than can be put in the allergy serum; the max amount of allergens in a serum is 12 or it won't be effective. The 12 that the veterinary dermatologist chose for the serum are enough to keep her allergen load below her threshold. I hope he doesn't have to be on the Rx diets long term; eight weeks should be enough to see if the hives were caused by a food allergy; the Hill's z/d is only 14% protein; the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic HP 19 is 19% protein. The Natural balance foods don't have eggs and I'm sure there are some others as well so that may be an option for you if he is allergic to them.

I cant offer much help but i hope he is feeling better soon! Dutchess told me to tell you that she thinks Bugsy is a hottie!

I'm not sure what we are going to do just yet.  He certainly is better being egg free.  I've contacted Blue Buffalo about their large breed kibble it doesn't list egg and am hopeful to hear back from them today.  Canidae doesn't list egg but they emailed me back and told me it does in fact contain some egg.
I would really like to hold off on the prescription diets until he's older because as you noted the protein levels are so low for him.  His bone growth is most likely complete but even she said he has a ton of muscle to pack on.  So I need to do some more research on that.  The vet & I discussed that and she did feel it was a tough call at his size, age and the fact he had great dane genes so he has a longer growth period.
Certainly if he has another outbreak we will have to go ahead and do it.
He has been so much better since removing the egg that I am really hopeful that we can do that until he's older and then try the prescription diet to see if there is any other food allergy.
By better I mean (even) higher energy yet more settled, poop is firmer too.  Even when he was full of lumps he was super happy - bless him you couldn't find a sweeter, more happy-go-lucky dog.

anyway thank you for all your insight and advice - much appreciated []

Bugsy says woo hoo she's pretty!
and thanks but tell Duchess that you wouldn't even know I wasn't fully healthy cause I'm the happiest lovingest pup ever! [sm=talker.gif]

She's is gorgeous!  I take it she is a pure dane?  Send me a larger photo if you would to kpwlee@gmail.com if you would be so kind, it looks like his coloring is pretty similar
thanks

quick update - he's doing great on his egg free diet.  There's something else that he's allergic too - I think inhaled - but his coat is great (some thin patches where the hives were - interestingly centered on his spine??) And overall he seems much better.
He's still using the Pro Plan sensitive formula which we supplement with yogurt, sweet potato, and he's had tuna, chicken liver & heart.  Loves it all!
And as usual the odd beetle, cicada and toad []