Allergies
can manifest themselves in many ways. Constant itching, skin infections,
chewing and licking, eye and nose discharge, vomiting and diarrhea,
coughing, sneezing, wheezing, ear infections and paw chewing. Dogs can
develop allergies at any age and can be allergic to more than one thing
at a time. Types of allergies they can have are contact, inhalant, food,
flea and bacterial.
Atopic
Dermatitis
Atopic
dermatitis is an allergic skin disease of dogs which is caused by immunological
hypersensitivity to common substances in the environment such as house
dust mites.
Usually,
a Shih Tzu is said to be suffering from atopic dermatitis when the Shih
Tzu begins to excessively lick and chew its paws, licking the abdomen
and its rear feet.
Atopic dermatitis can be seen as a saliva staining found in the armpits,
between the toes of the paws, and in the groin. In light-colored canines,
atopic dermatitis can be seen as a red-brown stain found on the same
parts that were mentioned.
A
variety of drugs are now available for treatment. Generally they are
used in combination rather than alone
Essential
fatty acids are now widely used for skin conditions. They are known
to have few side effects and will help about 25% of allergic dogs significantly.
Antihistamines increase the power of essential fatty acids (synergy)
and so combination therapy would appear to be valuable. I have seen
many dogs get relief just from this method. (fish oil capsules and benadryl
tablets)
Hyposensitizing
Vaccines ( also known as desensitizing vaccines) are prepared from the
allergens identified as important at skin test. By administering these
allergens subcutaneously over a long period the immune response to them
is modified and itching is reduced. They are seen to be beneficial in
about 60% of dogs, and take up to nine months to have effect.
BACTERIAL
ALLERGIES
There
are few non-harmful bacteria on the body of a Shih Tzu. Most of these
bacteria come from Staphylococcus family. However, only a few harmful
bacteria may affect Shih Tzu leading to a bacterial allergy. If you
find your Shih Tzu is lacking hair unusually and some ringworm type
of markings appear all over its body, it is quite possible that the
Shih Tzu may have developed a bacterial allergy on the skin.
SHIH
TZU & FLEAS
It
only take 1 flea that you may never see on your dog to drive it bonkers
if it has a sensitivity to flea bites. Just because you do not see them
does not mean they are not feeding on your baby.
If
your dog currently has fleas you need to address the fleas on the skin
immediately. Frontline and Advantix can only be used 24 hours before
or after a bath. I suggest giving your Shih Tzu a bath with a really
good flea shampoo. If you live in a no freeze state it is better to
give flea prevention orally. I personally use Bravecto but there
are many more oral flea meds that work great. I buy the 10 - 22 lb dosage
and cut it in half. This is not reccomended by the manufacterer. A half
of a Bravecto lasts for approx 5 - 6 months with no fleas in site.
There
is also a product on the market called Capstar. It kills all the fleas
on your Shih Tzu within 24 hours. This is safe to give as much
as needed.
Once
the fleas are under control you can begin using a shampoo to help your
Shih Tzu skin recuperate. A very good shampoo for this is Micro-Tek
shampoo by Eqyss. See my grooming
page for more suggestions. If you are having problems with lesions and
large patches of sores you can use Chris Christensen Peace and Kindness
Skin Spray.
Low
quality brands of dog foods are loaded with allergy causing ingredients,
the oats, corn, wheat, soy. They're cheap ingredients, filers/fiber
that go right through a dog and they serve little if any nutritional
value. If you're buying your dogs food at the grocery store or discount
store, it's a low quality brand and that includes Science Diet formulas
sold from Vets.. It can be as simple as switching to high quality brand
of food to stop the itching. I have a whole page dedicated to
dog food.
Limited
ingredint foods are best. Use a protien source you have never used before.
Only give kibble. No snacks of any other kind. Use kibble for a trea.
After a couple month syou can slowly start adding atreats if you like.
One at a time, giving weeks in between to ensure no reaction.
CONTACT
& INHALANT
Any
dog can get allergies, just like humans. Outside issues such as pollens,
grasses, and weeds. They can be allergic to things in the home, cigarette
smoke, cleaners, dust mites, molds, mildews, insect spray, etc.
At
different times of the year you may notice your Shih Tzu has runny eyes
and maybe a little runny nose, he or she may be scratching more than
usual. If you notice this to be around the same time allergy season
is high in your area, it is very likely your Shih Tzu is suffering from
the same type of allergy symptoms we do. Try treating the symptoms to
make your dog more comfortable just as humans do. It should go away
once the pollens and molds go down. If this is not seasonal you may
need to see your vet to have your dog tested to see what is triggering
his or her symptoms.
Allergy
testing by far is the best way to find the allergens. There's 2 types,
skin testing and serum testing. The serum testing which is the less
expensive of the 2 tests for 40+ known allergens. Finding the allergen
and totally eliminating it from their diet or environment is the best
way to combat allergies. It's not an uncommon practice for a vet to
only treat the symptoms of allergies by prescribing antihistamines and
steroids shots which only last a short time, and prolonged use of steroids
can be damaging to a dogs organs plus make their bones brittle and should
only be used on a brief and intermittent basis. Plus over the dogs life
time, you'll spend hundreds of dollars in vet visits and medications
with that type of treatment so allergy testing is more cost effective
in the long run.
Any
and all advice on this page is only my opinion. Please see your veterinarian
for a diagnosis and treatment.
Bailley's
Blog - Bailley was diagnosed with Cushing's
in November of 2014. We lost Bailley 8/15/17
This
is a record of our journey and how I chose to treat her. It is my hope
others will find comfort and answers.
