Treat Itchy and Allergic Dog Skin!!! | MUST WATCH

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Recap of what you just watched!
Ways to help your dogs itchy and allergic skin:
First, I discussed in my previous video “Why do dogs lick and chew their paws”, I ended that video with the fact that allergies a disease also called Atopy, is the number one reason most dogs are itchy!

With Atopic dermatitis, the dog’s immune system overreacts to an allergen. This can be hypersensitivity to their own skins bacteria and yeast, environmental allergies in the grass or air, fleas or insect bites or dietary ingredients. And certain breeds simply have genetic hair loss issues!

But let’s get into the simple steps and medications you can discuss with your veterinarian to use to help your dogs itchy skin.

Number 1:
Is medicated Baths ever 3 days or weekly to keep your pets skin clean!
- Get prescribed Chlorhexidine or Ketoconazole shampoo from your vet.

Number 2 Allergy pills and injections
- You can try over the counter Benadryl 1 mg per lb to help alleviate itchy skin and allergies in dogs, however most pet owners find this doesn’t work well.
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So there are 2 stronger pills veterinarians can prescribe, that really work.

The first one and more commonly prescribed allergy pill for dogs is Apoquel, brand name Oclacitinib. This pill works great and dogs can be on it seasonally or long term of over 5 years to alleviate their allergies. Apoquel may also be prescribed for short term situations such as flea allergies, instead of steroids to avoid steroid side effects such as peeing in the house.

The second pill is called Atopica, with the brand name of Cyclosporine. Atopica is another immunomodulatory drug that has inhibitory effects on T-lymphocytes by decreasing production of cytokines such as interleukin-2 which decreases skin inflammation and itchiness.

Cyclosporine is a strong medication and is very affective at treating Atopic dermatitis in dogs and is also used for dogs with other autoimmune diseases.

And then there is an allergy injection called CADI or Cytopoint. And this injection helps control itch in dogs for 4 to 8 weeks. Cytopoint (Lokivetmab) is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31, an important cytokine involved in sending the itch signal to the brain in atopic dermatitis dogs. Cytopoint has minimal impact on normal immune functions.

Cytopoint starts having itch reducing effects for pets within 48 hours. It is so far studied to be a very safe drug for controlling Atopy in dogs and I definitely recommend discussing this for your pet.

Number 3: A course of Antibiotics
Dogs with hotspots or severely itchy skin due to bacterial infections will need a 2 to 4 week course of antibiotics to help clear up their skin infections. Dogs are obsessive scratchers and lickers and can cause traumatic dermatitis within hours to their body or paws. If your dog has been on multiple courses of antibiotics your veterinarian may ask to culture his or her paw puss or skin to rule out any antibiotic resistance.

Number 4: Steroids
- Now that veterinarians have access to the allergy medications that we spoke about, steroids are becoming last on our list to use to control itchy skin and inflammation. Steroids are dangerous to use long term and are hard on your dogs liver and body. Steroids are also strong immunosuppressives so if your pet has a nasty bacterial or fungal infection they can make it harder for your pets immune system to fight off the infection.

However, steroids are significantly cheaper and are safe to use along with antibiotics as a short course alternative to alleviate your pets itchy skin and inflammation due to a hot spot or flea allergies.

The 5th thing I like to use in combination with the above are a short course of anxiety medications to help stop self-traumatic damage from excessive itching. I like to use trazadone, valium or gabapentin to help keep your pets calm for a few days while their antibiotics or allergy pills are kicking in.

Most importantly make sure your pets are on a monthly flea prevention medication and then go from there with their skin care. Also, don’t be afraid to see a Veterinary Dermatoloy specialist to help diagnose and treat your pets skin condition, that’s what the got their degree for.

Alright guys, subscribe to my channel and smash that like button so other desperate pet owners can find this video too! See you next time!
~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer

[ichiban]

Vets are a business. They are not trained to help with naturopathic remedies they are trained to push chemicals, medication and vaccines on animals. They are a business people.

[NikPen]

just use some quality coconut my two dogs i just rub some into their problem areas on their fur/skin making sure to massage it well and it helps relieve itchiness dandruff. one of my dogs had some bumps on top of her head and after rubbing in coco oil for a few days it went away.

[goodgirlist]

I dont know if my experience would help anyone but i have a small breed dog who had devoloped skin allergies itcing real bad and shed a lot of fur was bare behind the ear and by her butt and a spot on her back i have o money to take her to a vet and i know when i have any skin problem i use sulfer soap to clear it up so i tried that on her plus i started sprinkling some tumeric in her food nd now her fur had grown back in the areas that were bald and the itching had subsided a lot

[deannacauley]

Benadryl doesn't do anything for this but it will help if your dog is having some kind of allergic reaction to something I know because mine did last week and I gave it to her and it worked

[AnotherJonDoe]

Long time, 4th generation, German Shepherd adopted/owner here. 25 years?? 4 different Shepherds, and they all had 1 thing in common. In the spring, they get very itchy all over, but especially on the center of their backs to the base of the tail. Their skin dries out and becomes flakey. The intching becomes insane. So 3 different vets, 3 different professional suggestions. A lot of research and trial and error, on my own. Here is my experience....I have tried numerous different kibble bagged foods for sensative skin, thinking (incorrectly) the dog(s) were alergic to food, and/or chicken. They were not. I tried several variations of Purina Pro for sensative skin, and numerous other brands as well. None of these foods really helped. I quit the Milk Bone treats, thinking they were the cause, and they were not. Frequent baths work to some degree, but its very short term (48 hours) and a lot of work, as these were/are all indoor/outdoor pets. A few years ago, I discovered Apoquell. So after 25 years of trial and error, I now use Benadryl (1mg per 1 lb., per day) when the MILD itching begins, (aprox.March or April to June). As the itching becomes more MODERATE, (about June/July) I begin with Apoquell. My 100 lb dog gets half a tablet per day (8mg.) for 4 or 5 months a year (June/July to October). I currently pay $3.42 per 16mg. tablet of Apoquel, due to "Bidenomics". It used to be less expensive. When the itching gets to SEVERE, (October /Nov.), only then do I increase the Apoquel to 1 tablet (16mg) per day. USUSALLY, by December, we are off the Apoquel completely. Then the cycle begins the following year, begining about mid-March. Yes, its expensive, and yes I am aware of bad experiences others have had with Apoquell. But for us, Apoquel works well. AND by breaking the tablets in half, and giving half doses, I am not only reducing the costs, but also reduceing the possible ??? long-term side effects as well. In the future, I may experiment with Cytopoint and/or Zytec at some point, as we have never experimented with either of those products. Without the meds, my Shepherds get very itchy all over, but especially on the center of their backs to the base of the tail. Their skin dries out and becomes flakey. They itch to the point that they would casue severe bleeding, without meds. Without Apoquel, they become absolutely miserable. Following this simple routine seems to work the best for us. Your results may differ. Their comfort is all that matters! Hope this helps someone out there. If you read all of this, please give your dog a treat!

[tinacaruselle]

Im horrified with this video. You would think after the incredible rise in canine cancer, low immune function, allergies due to improper diet. Wake up people!! Dogs always ate raw and organ meats in the wild, they never ate kibble or these poisonous treats and its disgusting that some vets still think diet has nothing to do with any of this. Just look at our kids today poor diets! Eczema is a pandemic and our dogs show the same dermatitis from poor diet and environmental triggers. Apoquel and Cytopoint will cost you a dog with kidney failure or cancer down the road. they deserve better

[smartTv-zdzp]

Good to hear that head and shoulder shampoo is an option

[PetFoodPuzzleGuy]

As a former Hills vet rep I trained vets on diets for allergies. Canine ZD is a hydrolyzed protein diet that is extremely effective if good is the allergen. If environmental, Canine Derm Complete is the only diet designed to manage environmental allergies by normalizing the immune response. Both work in about 6 weeks.

[kikiob]

Stopped watching as soon as you started pushing apoquel and cytopoint! My HEALTHY dog almost died after a cytopoint injection. Then I started researching and came across so many discussion boards regarding these 2 drugs and how they killed so many pets.

[sweatingbullets]

My grandmother gave her dogs stinging nettles/wood nettles she would make a tea and put it in h there water or make a wash and wash them or even Make a tincture of it and give them orally as well and would work every time. You can do the same for yourself if you have allergies as well.

[brl]

Thank you for mentioning Head and Shoulders. I literally googled it to try to find out if it was safe for my dog and I got nothing but the general "don't use people products for dogs!" line.
That being said, Cytopoint is a gift from the most gracious of gods!

[CEBGRACE]

My pitbull has bad itch and hot spots been using vinegar and baking soda baths for a couple of weeks and zyrtec while trying to heal his itch...looking better but, takes a lot of baths like every third day!!! Dry them well! I'm not sure about apoquel 😂 or being able to afford vet God bless and help all who Need help with there babies❤

[Jem-]

Over medicating can also be a problem 🤔

[JanisFoleyPhotography]

I have never heard of a veterinary dermatology specialist until now... OMG! My poor dog has had paw licking habits and lately, very itchy skin... Poor girl has been miserable... The baths help, but now I want to see a specialist! We keep thinking she's getting itchy from medication. I've always thought that maybe she is allergic to chicken but no veterinarian has EVER suggested any change in food or anything. So frustrating! Thank you for this video!

[blairbirthisel]

Bully breed with horrible itching issues...done all that you discussed, but in the end, found a couple of things that work best. I always fed designer, baked foods, but switched to Purina Sensitive skin and stomach, which I swore I would never use and helped a lot. Secondly, bathing three times a week with the shampoos you mentioned, prevents all skin infections now for the last year and a half. Thirdly, the allergy shots I give now helped in a huge way...and lastly, I use Zyrtec...for some reason, it worked better than Apoquel and Apoquel is very expensive. Great video.

[zenn]

And please bring your animal into the Vet so they can charge you $500 a pop for doing absolutely nothing.

[van]

TY, you gave us some long term choices. It took years of switching foods for a vet to finally diagnose seasonal allergies. Every Summer and fall is pure hell!

[angelamuse]

I was told Selsum Blue is also a good shampoo to use on our pets.

[dawnakern]

My rescue puppy (18 months old) is constantly chewing her skin, mainly on the back half of the body. She has some new stressors instead of the weekly trucks that go by. My nephew lives here and has episodes of screaming horrible things in a dark room like his room or the bathroom. She's a very fearful white German shepherd who was thrown away in our neighborhood along with her brother when they were 14 weeks old. We spent the first 6 months just being able to pet her without her flinching and the next 6 months being able to have a leash put on and go for a walk. She's on super high-quality food and bathed once a month with medicated shampoo. Going to a vet next week to get an annual check-up.

[jackcassandra]

Also, one of my problems is that there is so much information and advice out there that contradicts one another. For instance you say you can wash your dog 3x a week. Most dog advice on that subject says no more often then once a month. This seems to be 3 concensus because it is thought that bathing your dog more often will in fact dry out there skin and cause more problems with itching and such with their skin. Also, I have heard you should give your dog/puppy 1oz of water for pound of weight. Then I hear that over 70% of dogs are dehydrated, which can actually promote our exacerbate skin conditions, so you should encourage your dog/puppy to drink a lot of water, certainly more than the 1oz per pound ratio. My GSD 4mo 24.5lb puppy certainly wants to drink much more than 24.5 ounces of water each day! So, what should I do? I just now noticed a mild rash on her tummy and I am not sure how to deal with it. My funds are limited right now so a vet visit is something I need to avoid at this point. Please help!