I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies. Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day. Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites. Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

When you mention allergies are you talking severe where the pred is really
necessary or just plain old sneezing. If it's sneezing and watery eyes I
would be more inclined to use benedryl than the prednisone.

My Brandy has mild allergies and will sneeze alot and when it gets bad
she'll scratch her nose & chin on the rug till they are sore. My vet has me
give her Benedryl daily and wash her chin off with mild antibacterial soap.
This seems to work great.

Celeste


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites. Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

Emma's symptoms from her allergies are mostly related to skin problems. I
have had some problems getting her medical history as she was a rescued dog.
Her symptoms, so far, include scratching and licking. She does not have any
apparent "hot spots". and the scratching is minimal as long as she takes her
prednisone. I actually tried to taper her off the prednisone, by cutting
the dosage in half.. but she was noticeably scratching more.. so I have
reverted back to her original dose.

Because of privacy laws, etc. it appears that my vet may not be able to
acquire her previous medical records... so we are pretty much starting from
scratch ( excuse the pun ).

I am going to try to keep a diary of her symptoms and watch the pollen
counts, etc. She is such a sweet thing and right now she is doing very
well. We will see what happens in the spring and summer.

This is the first dog I have had with allergies .. so any info would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks

--
Colleen

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com


"Spot" wrote in message
news
When you mention allergies are you talking severe where the pred is really
necessary or just plain old sneezing. If it's sneezing and watery eyes I
would be more inclined to use benedryl than the prednisone.

My Brandy has mild allergies and will sneeze alot and when it gets bad
she'll scratch her nose & chin on the rug till they are sore. My vet has
me
give her Benedryl daily and wash her chin off with mild antibacterial
soap.
This seems to work great.

Celeste


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for
the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different
med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and
that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites. Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

Colleen,

I was afraid these were the kind of allergies you were talking about.
Pretty much the standard treatment is prednisone it seems. Pred is good
short term but long term use can cause problems. Also please note pred
should NEVER be stopped abruptly it always has to be tapered off slowly so
it doesn't shock the animals system and possibly kill them.

I would be very interested in what your vet recommends since my mom has a
cat who has for her whole life been on and off pred due to skin problems.
She's a very nervous cat and part Siamese mix and the vet says it's not
uncommon for cats like this to have nervous problems where they groom
themselfs raw and she is also extremely allergic to flea bites to which
doesn't help any. Also over the years different diets have been used to try
and determine if there is any particular foods setting her off.

At one point in time we even tried valium which helped some but she always
ends up back on the pred to help control things.

Celeste




"Colleen" wrote in message
news:OaO1c.688965$X%5.223219@pd7tw2no...
Emma's symptoms from her allergies are mostly related to skin problems. I
have had some problems getting her medical history as she was a rescued
dog.
Her symptoms, so far, include scratching and licking. She does not have
any
apparent "hot spots". and the scratching is minimal as long as she takes
her
prednisone. I actually tried to taper her off the prednisone, by cutting
the dosage in half.. but she was noticeably scratching more.. so I have
reverted back to her original dose.

Because of privacy laws, etc. it appears that my vet may not be able to
acquire her previous medical records... so we are pretty much starting
from
scratch ( excuse the pun ).

I am going to try to keep a diary of her symptoms and watch the pollen
counts, etc. She is such a sweet thing and right now she is doing very
well. We will see what happens in the spring and summer.

This is the first dog I have had with allergies .. so any info would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks

--
Colleen

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com


"Spot" wrote in message
news
When you mention allergies are you talking severe where the pred is
really
necessary or just plain old sneezing. If it's sneezing and watery eyes
I
would be more inclined to use benedryl than the prednisone.

My Brandy has mild allergies and will sneeze alot and when it gets bad
she'll scratch her nose & chin on the rug till they are sore. My vet
has
me
give her Benedryl daily and wash her chin off with mild antibacterial
soap.
This seems to work great.

Celeste


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was
initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and
have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with
her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for
the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different
med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch
and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and
that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites.
Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

What type of food is she on? My min poodle's (15 lbs) allergies
decreased a great deal when i changed his food to wellness fish and
sweet potato. He also gets no treats (not even dog biscuits etc)
other than fruit & veggies. Mostly apple, melons, baby carrots. He is
also on an antifungal from the dermatologist called nizoral. Most of
his problems were yeast related on his face, feet and ears. He also
gets 1/2 benadryl up to 3 times a day as needed. My regular vet says
twice but the dermatologist said 3 is ok. I do have him on allergy
shots but really don't see much difference. I will order one more
vial of serum to get him thru the next season change when we are at
our worst (me too!) to see if it changes anything. If i'm good and
keep him on the strict diet regimen AND the meds I notice the change.
When i slide on the meds he reverts back. He will be 12 yrs old and
his allergies keep getting worse so i took him to the specialist.

Good luck! the cheapest way to go is eliminate wheat & corn from the
diet. Some dogs are even allergic to the lamb.

Tracey

"Spot" wrote in message . ..
Colleen,

I was afraid these were the kind of allergies you were talking about.
Pretty much the standard treatment is prednisone it seems. Pred is good
short term but long term use can cause problems. Also please note pred
should NEVER be stopped abruptly it always has to be tapered off slowly so
it doesn't shock the animals system and possibly kill them.

I would be very interested in what your vet recommends since my mom has a
cat who has for her whole life been on and off pred due to skin problems.
She's a very nervous cat and part Siamese mix and the vet says it's not
uncommon for cats like this to have nervous problems where they groom
themselfs raw and she is also extremely allergic to flea bites to which
doesn't help any. Also over the years different diets have been used to try
and determine if there is any particular foods setting her off.

At one point in time we even tried valium which helped some but she always
ends up back on the pred to help control things.

Celeste




"Colleen" wrote in message
news:OaO1c.688965$X%5.223219@pd7tw2no...
Emma's symptoms from her allergies are mostly related to skin problems. I
have had some problems getting her medical history as she was a rescued
dog.
Her symptoms, so far, include scratching and licking. She does not have
any
apparent "hot spots". and the scratching is minimal as long as she takes
her
prednisone. I actually tried to taper her off the prednisone, by cutting
the dosage in half.. but she was noticeably scratching more.. so I have
reverted back to her original dose.

Because of privacy laws, etc. it appears that my vet may not be able to
acquire her previous medical records... so we are pretty much starting
from
scratch ( excuse the pun ).

I am going to try to keep a diary of her symptoms and watch the pollen
counts, etc. She is such a sweet thing and right now she is doing very
well. We will see what happens in the spring and summer.

This is the first dog I have had with allergies .. so any info would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks

--
Colleen

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com


"Spot" wrote in message
news
When you mention allergies are you talking severe where the pred is
really
necessary or just plain old sneezing. If it's sneezing and watery eyes
I
would be more inclined to use benedryl than the prednisone.

My Brandy has mild allergies and will sneeze alot and when it gets bad
she'll scratch her nose & chin on the rug till they are sore. My vet
has
me
give her Benedryl daily and wash her chin off with mild antibacterial
soap.
This seems to work great.

Celeste


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was
initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and
have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with
her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for
the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different
med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch
and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and
that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites.
Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

Tracey,

I am feeding Emma Nutro Lamb and Rice. This does seem to be helping. My
vet seems to think this is a good choice for now. Just curious .. is the
fish and potato dog food a prescription diet or can you purchase it from a
pet store. I have been doing some reading and this sounds like it has an
even better success rate than the lamb and rice. Maybe I should give it a
try. She does still scratch a little.. but really not much. I am being
very strict with her diet. I never thought of apples.. I will give this a
try.

I was encouraged to hear that you feed your dog vegetables and I have been
wondering if it would be all right for Emma to try some. My previous dog
( a sweet little Lhasa ) was diabetic and her only treats included frozen
beans and broccoli.. which she just loved :-). I was wondering if these
would be all right for Emma also.

Good luck with your 'little one' and his allergies.

--
Colleen

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com


wrote in message
om...
What type of food is she on? My min poodle's (15 lbs) allergies
decreased a great deal when i changed his food to wellness fish and
sweet potato. He also gets no treats (not even dog biscuits etc)
other than fruit & veggies. Mostly apple, melons, baby carrots. He is
also on an antifungal from the dermatologist called nizoral. Most of
his problems were yeast related on his face, feet and ears. He also
gets 1/2 benadryl up to 3 times a day as needed. My regular vet says
twice but the dermatologist said 3 is ok. I do have him on allergy
shots but really don't see much difference. I will order one more
vial of serum to get him thru the next season change when we are at
our worst (me too!) to see if it changes anything. If i'm good and
keep him on the strict diet regimen AND the meds I notice the change.
When i slide on the meds he reverts back. He will be 12 yrs old and
his allergies keep getting worse so i took him to the specialist.

Good luck! the cheapest way to go is eliminate wheat & corn from the
diet. Some dogs are even allergic to the lamb.

Tracey

"Spot" wrote in message
. ..
Colleen,

I was afraid these were the kind of allergies you were talking about.
Pretty much the standard treatment is prednisone it seems. Pred is good
short term but long term use can cause problems. Also please note pred
should NEVER be stopped abruptly it always has to be tapered off slowly
so
it doesn't shock the animals system and possibly kill them.

I would be very interested in what your vet recommends since my mom has
a
cat who has for her whole life been on and off pred due to skin
problems.
She's a very nervous cat and part Siamese mix and the vet says it's not
uncommon for cats like this to have nervous problems where they groom
themselfs raw and she is also extremely allergic to flea bites to which
doesn't help any. Also over the years different diets have been used to
try
and determine if there is any particular foods setting her off.

At one point in time we even tried valium which helped some but she
always
ends up back on the pred to help control things.

Celeste




"Colleen" wrote in message
news:OaO1c.688965$X%5.223219@pd7tw2no...
Emma's symptoms from her allergies are mostly related to skin
problems. I
have had some problems getting her medical history as she was a
rescued
dog.
Her symptoms, so far, include scratching and licking. She does not
have
any
apparent "hot spots". and the scratching is minimal as long as she
takes
her
prednisone. I actually tried to taper her off the prednisone, by
cutting
the dosage in half.. but she was noticeably scratching more.. so I
have
reverted back to her original dose.

Because of privacy laws, etc. it appears that my vet may not be able
to
acquire her previous medical records... so we are pretty much starting
from
scratch ( excuse the pun ).

I am going to try to keep a diary of her symptoms and watch the pollen
counts, etc. She is such a sweet thing and right now she is doing
very
well. We will see what happens in the spring and summer.

This is the first dog I have had with allergies .. so any info would
be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks

--
Colleen

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com


"Spot" wrote in message
news When you mention allergies are you talking severe where the pred is
really
necessary or just plain old sneezing. If it's sneezing and watery
eyes
I
would be more inclined to use benedryl than the prednisone.

My Brandy has mild allergies and will sneeze alot and when it gets
bad
she'll scratch her nose & chin on the rug till they are sore. My
vet
has
me
give her Benedryl daily and wash her chin off with mild
antibacterial
soap.
This seems to work great.

Celeste


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was
initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and
have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have
allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put
her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict
with
her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet
for
the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a
different
med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to
watch
and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner
and
that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there
any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good
websites.
Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

That is a very good food.

"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food and am being very strict with her
diet. She is also receiving prednisone 1/2 tab every other day.
Apparently
she has been on this medication for many years. We visited my vet for the
first time yesterday and he is talking about trying her on a different med
that is not so dangerous long term. But first we are going to watch and
observe her for any reactions. Spring is just around the corner and that
may introduce many different allergens.

Having an allergic dog is a whole new ball game for me. Are there any
canine newsgroups on this topic. Do you know of any good websites. Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Colleen and Emma

Colleen's Corner
http://colleenscorner.com

From: "Will Carson"
Date: 3/5/04 8:25 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

That is a very good food.


"Colleen" wrote in message
news:F531c.668790$X%5.471363@pd7tw2no...
I have adopted an 8 year old rescued poodle named Emma. I was initially
fostering her for a local small dog rescue... but fell in love and have
adopted her. She is overall a healthy dog but does have allergies.
Because
she is a rescued dog, her medical history is vague. I have put her on
Nutro
Natural Choice Lamb and Rice dog food

I disagree. It's very high in phosphorus and calcium and is for "all life
stages" (look at the AAFCO statement), which means that it has met the
standards for a puppy food and is not appropriate for adult dogs in almost all
cases.