Skin allergy in dogs?

my shih tzu has a skin allergy, vet said. its only by his rear, and he is biting that area silly to the point where they're raw and red. i took him to the vet and he prescribed clavamox pills and children's benedryl.





only, it doesn't seem to be working. its been almost 2 weeks [he's due back for a checkup next wednesday] and there doesn't seem to be any improvement what-so-ever.





i don't want to take him back and the vet prescribe other pointless meds and waste our money, because we suspect that that vet clinic is overpricing us.





so im wondering if there's anything i can do? vet didn't tell us what was the cause of his skin allergy, so i'm wondering if there's anyway we can find out?





also, we're feeding him beneful, (i know it's bad, we're switching as soon as it runs out) and he's been eating that for maybe about 5, 6 years now and im thinking it might be that, but i need to know for sure. does beneful have a history of causing skin allergy in dogs? and in the meantime is getting

Skin allergy in dogs?
Yes, I'd switch his food to something that doesn't contain corn or grains. Both can cause skin problems in dogs, and neither ingredient is necessary or even good for a dog. Here's a website:





http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com





Short-term, YES, get the E-collar for him. Poor guy, he must be so uncomfortable!





I have a suggestion ... why don't you post this question in the "dogs" section of YA! There are lots of good, helpful people who frequent that category, and they can probably give you some useful advice!





Good Luck ... hope you get the problem sorted out!
Reply:Do you have any fish pond any where nearby? It probably has eaten some fish feed.
Reply:We have a shih tzu also which used to have skin allergies when we first got her at a yr. old. Our vet gave her an injection which gave her instant relief but we discovered later that type of food %26amp; type of dog shampoo have a lot to do with causing dry skin to make them itch.


A suggestion would be to take your dog to a groomer for a medicated shampoo or have him/her suggest a good shampoo (a good rinsing to remove all soap is important also). We feed her Nutro Natural Choice (chicken,oatmeal %26amp; rice) dry dog food found at Petco or Petsmart %26amp; seems to have helped her skin %26amp; is easy on her stomach also since most Shin tzus have senstive stomachs.
Reply:There are actually all kinds of food for dogs with skin allergies....try one next time you are in a feed store....





Allergies are funny things....in dogs they are especially hard to nail down, because they tend to have skin reactions to inhaled allergens as well....Shoot, he could be allergic to dust, the perfume YOU wear, literally anything....








Try adding some flax seed oil to his diet, about a half teaspoon a day for a pooch that size. I could explain why, but its almost 4am, and I need to go to bed.....it helps reduce the inflammation portion of the allergy process -