[Maxismom]

ok everyone whats the signs of allergies
Maxi has been biting his paws and itching
he also has been sneezing here and there
its not fleas he has been getting the frontline plus he is only out with me
i checked also i didnt see anything so since we have been having nice weather i notice a difference in him

 

[dr.jaimie]

licking, itching, rubbing eyes, rubbing rear end, runny eyes...if he is excessively licking his feet it is possible....being he is so young if it is anything i would say a food allergy. but thats something you can discuss w/ your vet, but its not an emergency.

 

[Maxismom]

Thanks Lady
he eats the same food every day so i dont think its that
i don't allow anyone to give him any crap , so like i said it can't be food
he isnt rubbing his eyes but he is definetly eating at his front paws
and chasing his tail
he also has his tongue hanging out alot which he never use to do so i have to watch for anymore signs

 

[ilove_d&m]

I would like to know that also.
My little Maya rubs her face on the bed, counch, etc. every morning.
I check her ears and she doesnt seem to have an ear infection. I clear her ears every week when I gave her a shower and plug the hair out aswell. She does the face rubbing in the morning and in the afternoon. almost every day.

On the other hand Daezie never does this!

 

[TikisMom]

We could be talking about a number of different things here.

Chewing at the feet could be allergy or the hair between the feet may be bothering Maxi. If the hair needs to be trimmed do that, if not I would just watch him. Check with the vet if his feet become inflamed or he chews them to a point that he is injuring himself. Tiki will clean his feet and chew his nails sometimes; it usually means I need to trim his feet and clip his nails

Sneezing is the same; maybe allergy, maybe his nose just itches from something outside. I wouldn't worry about it unless it gets excessive or you see some discharge.

Face rubbing is usually "marking". Either he/she wants your scent on them or their scent on your things. Tiki does this also; I think it is kind of cute

(unless it is in those yucky worms

).

Animals can react as we do to pollens. This may be mild and will go away, but if you see excessive scratching, chewing I would talk to the vet. If it seems like it is bothering him more after he has been outside for a while you could wash his feet and face when you come inside to remove any pollen, mold or dust he picked up from the grass/ground.

I had a boarder collie, years ago, that had very bad allergies. She had to take prednesone (sp?) every spring because she would chew and scratch until she bled; not a pretty site and painful to watch.

Hope this helps.

Judi

 

[ilove_d&m]

Originally posted by TikisMom@Apr 21 2004, 03:35 PM
Face rubbing is usually "marking".  Either he/she wants your scent on them or their scent on your things.  Tiki does this also; I think it is kind of cute

(unless it is in those yucky worms

).

Tikis mom --Thanks for the info about the face rubbing. I always thought that Maya had strong allergies in the morning....

 

[dr.jaimie]

still can be a food allergy...they develop over time. a dog can eat a food for years before it develops an allergy to it. every time the body is exposed to something it doesnt like it builds up antibodies...the more it is exposed, the more antibodies are made. the body sees this and when it gets to a certain level you get allergies. that is why he is probably too young for a pollen type allergy. he hasnt been exposed to it enough times. but it could be another inhalent type allergy he is exposed to often. does this make since? sometimes i dont know when im using vet words or normal words.

or he could also not have any allergy at all...just depends on if he continues to itch etc. usually dogs dont develop allergies unti they are 1 but they can get them when they are younger. i know cats rub their face to mark but i dont believe dogs do...i have seen no evidence to suggest that, but i could be wrong...i'll look it up in a dermatology book at school, but everything i have read says the rubbing is a sign of itching. well hope the info helps and i didnt confuse anyone

 

[TikisMom]

When Tiki first started rubbing his face I was concerned it could be allergy so I asked the vet. he is the one that told me he was rubbing his scent on my pillow or mine on his. <_<

I was aware that allergy takes time to develop, but the same vet told me that the pollen, dust, mold etc... could be causing the irritation resulting in the sneezing and chewing; he also recommended washing the paws and face.

I will have to ask him about it next time we go in; maybe he was trying to get me to shut up and stop bothering him

???

Judi

 

[dr.jaimie]

its also possible i could be wrong but rubbing of the face is def a sign of allergies but not necessarily a definitive sign (meaning they could be rubbing the face for other reasons) I havent been able to look this up yet.. it could also be that some vets are not all up to date with their knowledge of allergies and now they are becoming more of a well documented problem, and when some vets were in school it wasnt documented, so they might not know as much on the subject. even when i look up info online, i find that some of the data isnt correct b/c on the internet i have read that food allergies weren't as common, but it has become more known about the condition b/c more dogs have been put on food trials ( which are feeding them diets of protein products that are not normally in dog foods like duck, kangaroo, egg, due to the whole previous exposure thing i talked about in the previous post). with these food trials they are finding more dogs to be proven allergic to their foods. and keeping them on these "foreign protien" diets is all they need to rid them of their allergies. but like i said ..im not a vet YET but this is what they are teaching me...so just trust what your vet says or seek another for another opinion. I'm not trying to accuse anyones vet as lying, but just want you to know there is a possibility that they just dont know. but allergies is not a real serious problem...if they are not eating them selves, having cronic ear probs, skin problems, or stomach probs..it is not a necessity to treat the problem. so if all the dog does is rub the face in the morning and had no other problems, then i wouldnt stress over it unless you think it is effecting the dogs quality of life..because making our dogs happy is to me what is most important.

i hope no one gets angry of me b/c i try to diagnose problems before i'm an actual vet. it is just my natural instinct to try and help these little guys, so please take my info as an opinion and not FACT.

 

[Maxismom]

Something dawned on me my vet didnt test maxi first for heartworm before giving him the 6 month pro heart shot is that wrong?

 

[dr.jaimie]

no..dogs really cant get heart worms until they are older than 6 months b/c thats how long it takes for the worms to grow and get to the heart. vets just start puppies on heartworm preventative at an early age to get clients used to the idea of giving it.

dont worry

 

[TikisMom]

i hope no one gets angry of me b/c i try to diagnose problems before i'm an actual vet. it is just my natural instinct to try and help these little guys, so please take my info as an opinion and not FACT.[/B]

Don't be silly, I was just letting everyone know where I got my information. We all appreciate your help and information!

As far as my vet, I really do think he just wanted me to stop asking <_<
I tend to over react when Tiki isn't feeling well. ^_^

Judi

 

[ilove_d&m]

LadyMontave, Thank you so much for the information.

 

[dr.jaimie]

your welcome

glad to be appreciated

 

[joe]

Originally posted by TikisMom@Apr 21 2004, 03:35 PM
Chewing at the feet could be allergy

I always no when Sampsons alergies are kicking in because he will start licking his right paw like there is no tommorow, sure sign its time for a trip o the vet

 

[Maxismom]

Thats exactly what maxi is doing licking his left paw like no tomorrow
ok well i guess that answers my question he must have allergies
my vet is the same way i get the feeling when i ask him stuff he thinks im over the top but hey this is my baby and if i am not comfortable with something he best answer it or ill go somewhere else
also Lady montava i value your opinion so please don't stop giving it

 

[dr.jaimie]

thanks...im surprised the vets are blowing this off...seems like they would want to charge you for everything they could, and would want you to think he has allergies.

 

[Maxismom]

Maxi is 7 months i meant that he got the 6 month pro heart shot
( it lasts for 6 month) he got it at 7 months old shouldnt he of tested him

 

[dr.jaimie]

no its still okay...you would have to wonder if he were a year old, but 7 months he is okay

 

[Maxismom]

thanks what will they do for allergies