T-Bone's going to the vet for his dermatitis.

Just wanted to send some "I've been there!" vibes. We got Lex as a baby when we lived in Oregon and quickly discovered he is severly allergic to fleas. When he was about 11 months old he had literally (within a few weeks) chewed off every inch of hair he could reach, It was terrible! After going to vet for a round of antibiotics and lots of tlc he was back to normal. All we do now is keep up on his flea preventative and wash him on a regular basis with Earthbath shampoo (the Tea tree one). He will occasionally go through little itchy episodes and we know he probably had a flea on him, and give him a benedryl. I also use a hot spot spray from Earthbath that works very well. Good luck!! I have included some pics of how bad it was -

How is the bottom of his back near his tail?  That's typically where it starts and then crawls up the back and down onto the legs.  Poor T-Bone (and poor YOU).  Flea allergy dermatitis is SO frustrating ... particularly down here.

Just ONE flea bite can make a flea-allergic dog insane for months -- the vet will very likely have to give you prednisone (and this is one of those places where it's a necessary evil).  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they give him a shot as well.  (How far are you from New Smyrna??  The vet Megan takes PI to is **really** good.) 

You might want to give him milk thistle while he's on steroids.  (If you get milk thistle capsules give him 3 capsules at least twice a day -- you can empty them onto his food)  That will protect the liver (and actually help the liver process the drug *better*). 

Chamomile tea and aloe will also help reduce the inflammation (both can be used topically easily -- do you have an aloe plant?  If not you can get drinkable, unflavored aloe even at Publix) and just dab it on as frequently as needed.  If you can get fresh aloe straight from a plant it's best and "strongest" that way.

You *can* use DE inside no problem and you can also sprinkle it around the outside of your apartment down right at the level of the dirt all around your unit.  Fleas actually can go straight thru concrete so it's not a dumb idea even tho it's not your property.  Just make sure you get "food grade" DE -- don't get it from Home Depot.  Most high end groomers carry DE.  I can get it over here in Orlando.  Megan *might* know of someone who carries it over on the coast.  It's not a cure all but it's one more thing you *can* do.  I know how frustrating this is.  My first dog was hugely flea allergic.

So T-Bone went, and he got a steroid shot that should be good for 3-4 weeks. It seems to already be helping but I guess it could be me hoping, I don't know how long it takes. He has a terribly dry coat from all this mess and she said a lot of it was from using a flea and tick shampoo, so she told us to use oatmeal shampoo only. We are also putting him on Trifecta (sp?) as she said it's common for Advantage, Frontline, etc. to fail. The populations here are pretty much immune to it. She didn't feel he had a secondary infection or needed antibiotics. Oh she also sold us a topical spray for his hot spots called Betagen. Now we're to treat the house and yard and he should be on his way to feeling and looking good again!

Wow, poor Lex looked really miserable. Thank doG he's feeling better!!!

The steroid shots are usually a must for this and they *do* usually help the skin to clear up pretty fast.  I know how difficult this is -- been there too many times.

I'm glad you liked this vet and that T Bone's already seeming better. Steroids can really help when things get out of hand. FWIW, I don't bathe my dogs too often because it does tend to dry out their skin and coat, so it might help if you didn't bathe him unless he rolls in cat poop or something equally gross and stinky. lol  I'll probably switch my dogs to Triflex when I run out of the heartworm and flea control stuff I have on hand.

Callie, surely you didn't mean to say that fleas can go through concrete.   You must have some killer fleas down Florida way. lol

Beejou: I hope you get T-bone's allergies under control!

oranges81

Just cuz you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

LOL and just cuz a flea is in the house doesn't mean it crawled through a crack in the concrete.  They most often come inside riding on a dog or cat or a person.

Maybe trya  CapStar too...they kill fleas on the dog in about 30 mins and can be given every other day. I would honestly BOMB your place at this point and start fresh. Have you sprayed your yard with a spray made for that?

I will beef it up wth the capstar, if that won't overload him with the Triflex? The yard is a community yard at an apt compex I guess I should mention that so I can't pay Orkin or anyone to come out and get rid of the little jerks. Also I don't know what other people's pets or children are allergic to so I thought I'd try diatomacious (SPELLING SO WRONG!!) earth around instead?

Whether they're coming thru concrete, the nice dime sized hole in my front door that lets all the AC out, or in on me and the pups they sure as heck come in. Luckily we ARE on the second floor so it seems like if I can effectively keep them OFF the dogs on a walk (skin so soft solution?) and treat my apartment they shouldn't just flock in. Right or wrong?

ETA: T-Bone has lip fold pyoderma (sp?) that I thought was because his mouth has been so wet from chewing. Vet totally disagreed though she said that might have inflamed it... she thinks it's a classic allergy to a cheap plastic bowl. She asked if I had switched... which I actually HAD ( I thought the print was cute and they were only a dollar each)  and she told me to switch to stainless steel immediately and she has a feeling between not chewing and getting rid of cheap plastic that will take care of that. I had no idea that his dishes might have been causing him problems.

Beejou

Whether they're coming thru concrete, the nice dime sized hole in my front door that lets all the AC out, or in on me and the pups they sure as heck come in.

Even if the management won't take care of it, couldn't you fill that hole in the door with some putty?

Janet, yeah. I figured I'd just squirt soe caulk in there or something since maint. is NEVER gonna come do it