11-yr-old, 29 lb. Brittany gal. She's always had an itchy schnoz, but
is mostly OK Dec.- May.

From about July to Nov. she is severely tormented. Licking, biting,
hair loss, slightly broken skin on breast and on/around paws/legs.

We've been dealing with this for years, saw the vet 10 days ago.
Put her on Cephalaxin for 10 days. I tried Chlorpheniramine last
season, she's been on Diphenhydramine/Benadryl for weeks.

I've tried bathing her, swabbing legs/paws after a walk, etc.

Nothing seems to help.

I have prednisone and have given it in years past. I hate to use it
and am not certain of correct dosage (old vet gave at least 2 sets of
instructions). Pred has both positive and negative effects.

Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Thx,
Puddin'

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

In article ,
Puddin' Man wrote:


Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Don't give pred willy-nilly. Your vet can give you instructions along
with a scrip, if s/he feels that is the best course of action. Pred is
great and horrid at the same time, so I avoid it as much as possible
while still realizing it can bring sanity back to a situation.

I would not be able to live in my skin without daily Hydroxyzine, and
have not suffered any ill effects after 20 years on the stuff, so if
that helps your dog, I'd use it.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

"Puddin' Man" wrote in message
...

Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Thx,
Puddin'

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

No experience (thankfully) with prednisone.
Atty (60 lbs) takes 25 mg 2x a day of hydroxyzine. It has helped her
immensley without the drowsiness of benadryl. (She was permitted to take 2
tablets up to 3x a day. 1 tablet put her to in lala land)

Sue and Atty

In article ,
Puddin' Man wrote:

We've been dealing with this for years, saw the vet 10 days ago.
Put her on Cephalaxin for 10 days. I tried Chlorpheniramine last
season, she's been on Diphenhydramine/Benadryl for weeks.

I've tried bathing her, swabbing legs/paws after a walk, etc.

Nothing seems to help.

I am sorry to hear about your Brittany, I know how frustrating allergies
can be to deal with.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association has their notes online
from the 2007 Congress. The dermatology portion is available at:
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proce...7&Category=297
6&O=Generic You may find "Drugs for Itchy Animals" by Peter Ihrke quite
helpful.

I believe the general consensus on antihistamines is they are effective
20-30% of the time in dogs. There is a synergistic effect between
antihistamines and essential fatty acids. If you do continue with
antihistamines be sure to ask your vet about a good EFA supplement too.

If you are considering using prednisone, you may first want to speak to
your vet about Temaril-P made by Pfizer. It does contain prednisolone,
but the amount required to control itching is typically much less than
straight prednisone. This is what ultimately allowed our Newf with
severe atopy to maintain a good quality of life, in addition to other
concurrent management therapies. More information is at:
http://www.pfizerah.com/product_over...y=US&lang=EN&s
pecies=CN

If you are not getting the results you hope for, I'd encourage you to
schedule an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. There is a
list up at the American College of Veterinary Dermatology:
http://www.acvd.org/

It may take time to discover what combination of therapies work best for
your girl and keep her below itch threshold. Don't give up on the
topical treatments just yet.

Good luck.

Best regards,

Becky
--

On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:42:42 -0400, "Sue and Atty" wrote:

Atty (60 lbs) takes 25 mg 2x a day of hydroxyzine. It has helped her
immensley ...

Thanks. I've requested a hydroxyzine prescription from the vet.

P

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

"Puddin' Man" wrote in message
...

11-yr-old, 29 lb. Brittany gal. She's always had an itchy schnoz, but
is mostly OK Dec.- May.

From about July to Nov. she is severely tormented. Licking, biting,
hair loss, slightly broken skin on breast and on/around paws/legs.

We've been dealing with this for years, saw the vet 10 days ago.
Put her on Cephalaxin for 10 days. I tried Chlorpheniramine last
season, she's been on Diphenhydramine/Benadryl for weeks.

I've tried bathing her, swabbing legs/paws after a walk, etc.

Nothing seems to help.

I have prednisone and have given it in years past. I hate to use it
and am not certain of correct dosage (old vet gave at least 2 sets of
instructions). Pred has both positive and negative effects.

Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Thx,
Puddin'

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

I had the same years-long battle with my dog Duke. He got bad ... Benadryl,
Prednisone, Cephallexin, special shampoos ... I was even injecting the poor
dog several times a week with allergy shots. He looked five years older than
he was -- he had chewed his coat to shreds, especially around his hind legs,
rump and flanks. He was constantly scratching and chewing himself. He'd draw
blood. He'd get infected. He -- and I -- were both miserable.

This past May I ordered a bottle of NuVet Plus canine supplement from
www.nuvet.com to give to my dog Rocky for an unrelated ailment. I had read
all the testimonials and product reviews, and even though I thought some of
them were a bit over the top, I decided to give the product a try. After
giving Rocky one daily wafer a week for three weeks, I was so impressed with
how he was responding that I started giving a daily wafer to Duke as well.

Duke has been on this product for about two months. The constant scratching
and biting have just about completely stopped. No more infections. His coat
has grown back, and nobody assumes that the dog is 13 or 14 anymore (he's
only 8!). He's much happier, and full of energy. I did spot him chewing on
his flank last night, but that's probably because these two have gone over
two weeks without a bath. (I try to bathe them -- especially Duke -- every 7
to 10 days, but the weather and my own health issues have not been kind to
me this month.)

I do try to bathe Duke once a week, which also helps keep the allergens at
bay. And swimming in the bay also helps -- the salt water does wonders for
him, plus I then have to hose him down ...

In addition to the NuVet, I instituted some dietary modifications (a serious
increase in raw chopped veggies for Rocky, somewhat less of an increase for
Duke). The increased veggies were (are) part of Rocky's treatment, and I
figured that they couldn't do any harm to Duke. But I had been giving Duke
two PetTabs a day at the vet's recommendation, which wasn't helping much.
And now with just the one daily NuVet Plus, they are both doing much, much
better. And Duke hasn't had as much as a Benadryl now for well over a
month -- in the height of summer, no less.

That's my story. YMMV ...

Chuck

Oops --

"After giving Rocky _one wafer a day_ for three weeks, I was so impressed
with
how he was responding that I started giving a daily wafer to Duke as well."

That sounds better ..

BTW -- Duke was diagnosed last year, after years of trial and error
resulting in a definitive (and expensive) battery of allergy tests, with
allergies to just about every mold spore out there. And in South Florida,
mold is impossible to avoid -- _especially_ during the summer rainy season.
So the fact that Duke is doing so well in August, without his allergy shots
or any of the other medications I have on standby in the cabinet downstairs,
is really noteworthy.

Chuck


"Charles Lavin" wrote in message
. ..

"Puddin' Man" wrote in message
...

11-yr-old, 29 lb. Brittany gal. She's always had an itchy schnoz, but
is mostly OK Dec.- May.

From about July to Nov. she is severely tormented. Licking, biting,
hair loss, slightly broken skin on breast and on/around paws/legs.

We've been dealing with this for years, saw the vet 10 days ago.
Put her on Cephalaxin for 10 days. I tried Chlorpheniramine last
season, she's been on Diphenhydramine/Benadryl for weeks.

I've tried bathing her, swabbing legs/paws after a walk, etc.

Nothing seems to help.

I have prednisone and have given it in years past. I hate to use it
and am not certain of correct dosage (old vet gave at least 2 sets of
instructions). Pred has both positive and negative effects.

Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Thx,
Puddin'

"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

I had the same years-long battle with my dog Duke. He got bad ...
Benadryl, Prednisone, Cephallexin, special shampoos ... I was even
injecting the poor dog several times a week with allergy shots. He looked
five years older than he was -- he had chewed his coat to shreds,
especially around his hind legs, rump and flanks. He was constantly
scratching and chewing himself. He'd draw blood. He'd get infected. He --
and I -- were both miserable.

This past May I ordered a bottle of NuVet Plus canine supplement from
www.nuvet.com to give to my dog Rocky for an unrelated ailment. I had read
all the testimonials and product reviews, and even though I thought some
of them were a bit over the top, I decided to give the product a try.
After giving Rocky one daily wafer a week for three weeks, I was so
impressed with how he was responding that I started giving a daily wafer
to Duke as well.

Duke has been on this product for about two months. The constant
scratching and biting have just about completely stopped. No more
infections. His coat has grown back, and nobody assumes that the dog is 13
or 14 anymore (he's only 8!). He's much happier, and full of energy. I did
spot him chewing on his flank last night, but that's probably because
these two have gone over two weeks without a bath. (I try to bathe them --
especially Duke -- every 7 to 10 days, but the weather and my own health
issues have not been kind to me this month.)

I do try to bathe Duke once a week, which also helps keep the allergens at
bay. And swimming in the bay also helps -- the salt water does wonders for
him, plus I then have to hose him down ...

In addition to the NuVet, I instituted some dietary modifications (a
serious increase in raw chopped veggies for Rocky, somewhat less of an
increase for Duke). The increased veggies were (are) part of Rocky's
treatment, and I figured that they couldn't do any harm to Duke. But I had
been giving Duke two PetTabs a day at the vet's recommendation, which
wasn't helping much. And now with just the one daily NuVet Plus, they are
both doing much, much better. And Duke hasn't had as much as a Benadryl
now for well over a month -- in the height of summer, no less.

That's my story. YMMV ...

Chuck

Anybody else found NuVet Plus to be effective?

Anybody have any idea what ingredients:

http://www.nuvet.com/ingredients.asp

might make the product so effective for Chucks pooch?

Thx,
P

On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:20:22 -0400, "Charles Lavin" wrote:


"Puddin' Man" wrote in message
.. .

11-yr-old, 29 lb. Brittany gal. She's always had an itchy schnoz, but
is mostly OK Dec.- May.

From about July to Nov. she is severely tormented. Licking, biting,
hair loss, slightly broken skin on breast and on/around paws/legs.

We've been dealing with this for years, saw the vet 10 days ago.
Put her on Cephalaxin for 10 days. I tried Chlorpheniramine last
season, she's been on Diphenhydramine/Benadryl for weeks.

I've tried bathing her, swabbing legs/paws after a walk, etc.

Nothing seems to help.

I have prednisone and have given it in years past. I hate to use it
and am not certain of correct dosage (old vet gave at least 2 sets of
instructions). Pred has both positive and negative effects.

Alternatively, I could get a scrip for, say, Hydroxyzine/Atarax.

Anybody with similar condition had luck with Hydroxyzine or other
prescription antihistamine? I have a list of them: they are too numerous
and some are too expensive to take blind stabs at them.

Failing that, perhaps a proper prednisone dosage for a 29 lb. pooch?

Thx,
Puddin'


I had the same years-long battle with my dog Duke. He got bad ... Benadryl,
Prednisone, Cephallexin, special shampoos ... I was even injecting the poor
dog several times a week with allergy shots. He looked five years older than
he was -- he had chewed his coat to shreds, especially around his hind legs,
rump and flanks. He was constantly scratching and chewing himself. He'd draw
blood. He'd get infected. He -- and I -- were both miserable.

This past May I ordered a bottle of NuVet Plus canine supplement from
www.nuvet.com to give to my dog Rocky for an unrelated ailment. I had read
all the testimonials and product reviews, and even though I thought some of
them were a bit over the top, I decided to give the product a try. After
giving Rocky one daily wafer a week for three weeks, I was so impressed with
how he was responding that I started giving a daily wafer to Duke as well.

Duke has been on this product for about two months. The constant scratching
and biting have just about completely stopped. No more infections. His coat
has grown back, and nobody assumes that the dog is 13 or 14 anymore (he's
only 8!). He's much happier, and full of energy. I did spot him chewing on
his flank last night, but that's probably because these two have gone over
two weeks without a bath. (I try to bathe them -- especially Duke -- every 7
to 10 days, but the weather and my own health issues have not been kind to
me this month.)

I do try to bathe Duke once a week, which also helps keep the allergens at
bay. And swimming in the bay also helps -- the salt water does wonders for
him, plus I then have to hose him down ...

In addition to the NuVet, I instituted some dietary modifications (a serious
increase in raw chopped veggies for Rocky, somewhat less of an increase for
Duke). The increased veggies were (are) part of Rocky's treatment, and I
figured that they couldn't do any harm to Duke. But I had been giving Duke
two PetTabs a day at the vet's recommendation, which wasn't helping much.
And now with just the one daily NuVet Plus, they are both doing much, much
better. And Duke hasn't had as much as a Benadryl now for well over a
month -- in the height of summer, no less.

That's my story. YMMV ...

Chuck


"I Ain't Blind, I Just Don't Wanna See"
- the title of a tune by Little Joe Blue, maybe 1966

Puddin' Man wrote:

Anybody else found NuVet Plus to be effective?

Anybody have any idea what ingredients:

http://www.nuvet.com/ingredients.asp

might make the product so effective for Chucks pooch?

No idea.

What I do know is that posters with no previous history with the group
who pop out of nowhere to rave about a proprietary remedy generally have
a vested interest in sales of said remedy.

Word to the wise.

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
Puddin' Man wrote:

Anybody else found NuVet Plus to be effective?

Anybody have any idea what ingredients:

http://www.nuvet.com/ingredients.asp

might make the product so effective for Chucks pooch?

No idea.

What I do know is that posters with no previous history with the group who
pop out of nowhere to rave about a proprietary remedy generally have a
vested interest in sales of said remedy.

Word to the wise.



1) I did not pop out of nowhere. I have been popping into these ngs for
eight years now. This NNTP reader's blacklist consists entirely of Jerry
Howe addresses -- and I use this reader to monitor close to 60 groups.

2) I did not "rave" about the product. I just stated my findings based on
the responses I observed in a dog with osteosarcoma and another one with a
years-long allergy problem.

3) I post with my full name, not a pseudonym or a first-name only. I post
with the same name everywhere I go.

4) I do not have a vested interest in this company. I never even heard of it
before I started researching treatments for Rocky.

5) I did not push the product in any way. I reported my findings, provided
the link to the company's Web site, mentioned that I thought some of the
claims I found were a bit over the top, and even included the fact that the
addition of this supplement accompanied a change in diet. And ended the post
with "YMMV," even. I expect anyone who reads my post with any interest to do
the same due diligence I did, and weigh all the facts before deciding on a
course of action.

Your "word to the wise" is dripping with so much cynicism there's no way to
touch it without getting messy. Did you even read my post from beginning to
end? You're stating that anyone who expresses an opinion or shares his/her
findings about any dog product has ulterior motives. Well, I guess you have
a vested interest in the Diamond Pet Food company, since you recently
"raved" about feeding your dogs their Premium Adult Formula ...

"Word to the wise," indeed.

This attitude (not to mention the aforementioned blacklisted addresses) is a
reason why I don't frequent these two boards more often.

Chuck