White Boxer Skin Allergies, HELP!!!?

I have a 2 yr old white boxer who has never had skin allergies before. We moved to virginia from massachusetts and during the summer he started having serious skin allergies. hes a mess, the vet put him on like 10 meds and it helped his skin, but the side effects are not good, hes not the same dog on the meds. does anyone have similar experience with their dog?

White Boxer Skin Allergies, HELP!!!?
Allergies often take time to develop and can pop up at any time. Plus you have moved...it is not at all uncommon for dogs to react to pollens and other environmental allergies in one state/region but not in another. Plus, boxers in general and white boxers especially are predisposed to skin problems such as allergies.





You can try switching foods. Although it seems pretty clear that these are environmental allergies (since they popped up right after you moved) dogs with environmental allergies often also have food allergies. Plus, changing food to a higher-quality diet may help your dog's immune system cope with the allergies better. Avoid corn, wheat, and soy as much as possible (these are three of the most common allergens in dogs and are often used more because they are cheap filler materials than for their nutritional value). Also avoid any artificial flavors or colorings. Many vets, trainers, and owners of allergic dogs recommend going with a totally grain free food (such as raw, homecooked, or nature's variety grain-free kibble) to support the skin and immune system.





Dogs with allergies usually benefit from adding vitamin E and omega fatty acid supplements to their diet. I have a dog with environmental allergies. Whatever he's allergic to starts in late July/August and runs until it gets really cold out...and it causes him to develop raw hot spots on his face. He is on an antihistamine (we alternate between benedryl and hydroxazine) and that does seem to help somewhat....at least his ears aren't quite so red when he's on the antihistamines. But what REALLY makes a difference in his itchiness is the vitamin E/omega fatty acid supplement (we use EFA caps from the vet, but fish oil and vitamin E available at any drug store seems to work well for others too). When his allergies are flaring up he is constantly itchy, but if we skip a dose of the EFA caps he gets SUPER itchy!





For dogs with environmental allergies, frequent bathing can help a LOT. From August through November, my allergy dog gets baths once a week. He is MUCH more comfortable after a bath and towards the end of the week, when he is due for his bath again, he is much more itchy. Since my dog's allergies are associated with secondary bacterial skin infections I use a medicated shampoo that kills most microbes (both bacterial and yeast) as well as a skin and coat conditioner to counteract the drying effects of the shampoo and frequent bathing. Between baths, I often use medicated wipes on trouble areas (his face and the inside of one foreleg where he licks himself raw) and follow up with a topical leave-on conditioner that is supposed to make him less itchy (I don't know if it does or not, especially since he probably just licks it off, but it makes me feel better that I've at least tried it).





As for the medication, I hope you're guestimating/exaggerating a bit...10 meds seems like a LOT. Even when my dog is having hot spot flare-ups, he is never on more than 6 or 7 medications/supplements (antibiotics, antihistamines, EFA caps, maybe a probiotic, medicated shampoo, medicated wipes, leave on conditioner). Some vets like to use steroids on severe allergies...but I would try all other options before resorting to these drugs because of the side effects.
Reply:Allergies in dogs have several causes:





Food Allergy (sometimes this takes time to develop)


Environmental


Auto-immune





Itchy dogs may also have mites, fleas (flea-allergy dermatitis can be caused by ONE flea bite!), or other infection... Make sure other causes of itchiness are ruled-out.





I work with a dog with atopy, the vet-term for having allergy. He has thick red ears, red itchy skin around his eyes, mouth, toes, armpit, and inside front legs. I started him on an anti-biotic (Clavamox) and he's on injectable dexamethasone (a steroid). If he wasn't in a place where injections were not an option, I might have gone with predisone or cyclosporans...





He has improved on these medications...side effects include increase in thirst/urination, increase in appetite...even though he's on a low-dose steroid.
Reply:I havent had anything like this ever happen to my dogs before. Though you should ask your local boxer breeders about it. Breeders usually know more about your breed than the vet does. :]
Reply:Are you sure it's allergies? White boxers are white because of the lack of skin pigmentation, unlike other white dogs. This means that they shouldn't be out in the sun for long periods of time otherwise they can get sunburned and sunrashed easily. If you think it might be that, try suntan lotion on your boxer. You might want to give this a try:


http://www.amazon.com/UVet-Sunscreen-Lot...