Allergies? Or Worse?

calliecritturs

The head swelling and the huge lymph nodes make me think auto-immune. 

 Exactly what I was thinking too; could be pemphigus or discoid lupus.  Your vet will need to take a biopsy to know for sure if it's one of those diseases. That being said, Jessie had a similar problem several years ago. Like Rowdy, she started with swollen eyelids for which the vet prescribed an ointment. She developed pustules on the eyelids and then the skin on her nose became very smooth and turned red, and she had pustules there too. After that the left side of her head swelled severely. Her problem was caused by severe allergic reaction to a spider bite or being stung by an insect. She did not have all the blisters on her muzzle, which makes my think this may be one of the auto-immune diseases I listed earlier; they both cause blisters or sores on the muzzle.  Poor baby; I hope you find out what caused this.

CherylDee

I would also love to know more about (not) immunizing a mature dog (?)  

You can find a lot of info by doing a search for Vaccines or Titers on this forum.  Also, there was a great article about this in the most recent issue of the Whole Dog Journal: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_8/features/Annual-Pet-Vaccinations_20036-1.html

It has definitely prompted me to want to have a conversation with my vet about vaccines...

I hope your boy is feeling better!!

CherylDee

I would also love to know more about (not) immunizing a mature dog (?)  

Search in the search function here for Kris Christine's posts -- she helps a ton with the Rabies Challenge Study -- and has posted a wealth of information on here about that.

I never use brown rice -- only because it's darned hard to digest.  You may want to try barley or oatmeal?  (they can be less inflammatory than white rice)

  Or even try mashed white potato and ground beef.  Might be more digestible (and trust me -- the dog won't mind at all *grin*)

He has now been off his commercial dog food for 48 hours -- and his eyes are *almost* normal again.  Blisters around the mouth are somewhat better, too.  I am SO relieved.

This seems too soon to be related to the dog food, though (?)   Wouldn't it take longer to show improvement if it was a food allergy? 

Maybe it is just a coincidence and the steroids are kicking in... 

 No, not if he was seriously allergic to the dog food. If Emma ate something she shouldn't have, you knew, right away. If she went without it, the symptoms immediately started to subside.

Don't be too quick to just label "food allergies" unless you have a specific thing in mind.  commercial foods have a TON of additives and preservatives which can cause    every bit as many and sometimes MORE problems.

The tricky thing is that in the US (most states) a dog food company ONLY has to put on the label what *THEY* add.  So if they get their meat products from a  rendering plant that has *already* added BHA, BHT, & ethoxyquin .. they don't have to put THAT on the label even tho they *know* it's in the food because *they* didn't add it.

You can be intolerant to ANYTHING ... and sometimes just how a thing is prepared can make a huge difference.

For example ... I am vicously allergic to **fresh** basil.  Like fresh cut basil that is a garnish?? It will make me itch like a fiend just from a tiny bit of it on one bite of food.

But once it's cooked?         I have far less problem with it -- Benedryl will completely control it IF I notice it at all.  Weird!

Now -- it's likely that the pred may also be having a serious effect -- that's what it's SUPPOSED to do after all. 

Keep copious notes -- write down everything including what *time* you gave something.  Good luck!

CherylDee

I would also love to know more about (not) immunizing a mature dog (?)  

For an update... here is what Rowdy's muzzle looks like 10 days later... still on steroids and taking Benadryl twice daily...

His eyes look normal again.  They cleared up almost immediately after beginning the steroids.  The "blisters" on the muzzle are drying up but he is only improving a little bit each day -- which concerns me.  I hope the hair grows back in those spots.

I took him out to play ball for a few minutes, and he began acting weird and his muzzle starting bleeding.  Grass allergy, perhaps?

I am going to call and ask for a referral to the allergist/auto-immune specialist on Monday.

Thoughts anyone? 

It could easily be a combination problem -- if it were simple the steroids would have cleared it.

I'd be thinking contact allergy -- it is itchy?

CherylDee

I took him out to play ball for a few minutes, and he began acting weird and his muzzle starting bleeding.  Grass allergy, perhaps?

I am going to call and ask for a referral to the allergist/auto-immune specialist on Monday.

Was it sunny while you were outside playing?  Exposure to sunlight can aggravate the symptoms of discoid lupus.

I think it's a good idea to get a referral to a specialist.  I really think it's more than an allergy, especially if he isn't showing other allergy symptoms (widespread itchiness, ear and face rubbing, ear shaking/rubbing or infections, etc.).  If it were a grass allergy, I would expect his feet to show involvement.  And although I'm sure it can and does happen, my understanding is that it's relatively rare for an older dog to develop allergies.

Myra

I think it's a good idea to get a referral to a specialist.  I really think it's more than an allergy, especially if he isn't showing other allergy symptoms (widespread itchiness, ear and face rubbing, ear shaking/rubbing or infections, etc.).  If it were a grass allergy, I would expect his feet to show involvement. 

 Great advice; I strongly agree. Jessie has been shown to be allergic to many pollens through skin and blood tests, and as Myra said, she scratches several places, such as her armpits and flanks, legs, and her ears. Thanks for the update; I have been thinking about you and your dog. I'm sorry he's not improving very much and hope you can get him to a specialist soon.

 Edited to add; here's some links with information about pemphigus;

http://www.vetinfo.com/dpemph.html

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pemphigus-foliaceus-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_pemphigus_foliaceus.html

  and lupus;

http://www.vetinfo.com/dlupus.html

 http://www.petplace.com/dogs/systemic-lupus-erythematous/page1.aspx

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/discoid-lupus/page1.aspx

CherylDee

I hope the hair grows back in those spots.

I took him out to play ball for a few minutes, and he began acting weird and his muzzle starting bleeding.  Grass allergy, perhaps?

I am going to call and ask for a referral to the allergist/auto-immune specialist on Monday.

Thoughts anyone? 

Could it be that the play scraped or irritated the areas on his muzzle? I think you're wise to seek the help of a specialist but just wanted to say that when my lab had those sores on her chin area, it took a long time for them to heal and several years later, I can still see the areas where they were. I hope you find some answers soon.

Another thot -- how far are you from your State's best vet school?  SEriously -- when you begin to get into the realm of "specialist" it can be expensive and ... sometimes, I .... I ..... I .... I'd rather use a cutting edge vet school than a specialist who might be in it for the money.  *rubbing toe in dirt* -- I've had some bad experiences but a vet school usually can be not as expensive and *better* diagnostics. 

I've taken my dogs to the University of FL many times and it can literally be a fraction of the expense of a specialist.  Even tho it's 3 hours away I can take the DAY off, stay overnight in a motel and STILL come out way cheaper for some difficult things.

I'm not saying you gotta make an overnight visit -- just demonstrating how it may be really cost effective even if you gotta travel a bit.

 So here we are now on 9/27 still dealing with Rowdy's skin problem.  He is now on Doxycycline and Azathioprine in addition to Prednisone.  The Azathioprine is so toxic I have to wear gloves to handle it.

I thought there was some improvement -- pink patch seemed to be healing directly above his nose -- but today I saw it breaking out again in that area and bleeding.

I am at my wits end with all of this.  The expense and frustration are driving me nuts!

Any thoughts?