I have a very good neighbor named Tracey. She is a beautician, so as one would expect, she herself is beautiful--hair, make-up, nails, clothes, and jewlery are all perfect, all the time. Her home is decorated with warmth and style, immaculate and inviting. I, on the other hand, have spent a large protion of my life covered in animal excrement and other things that look, smell, and feel awful. My hair is wash-and-go, my clothes comfortable and easy-care, my home...well, it wouldn't surprise me to wake up one morning to find men in pristine white biohazard suits wandering around collecting samples. Despite our differences, or maybe because of them, Tracey and I are great friends.
I called her one day to invite her to a last minute party I was planning for a mutual friend. She, as good friends do, asked what she could do to help. In the course of the conversation, she wound up offering to host the party. I agreed that this would be a terrific idea, since I didn't really have time to properly disinfect my domicile. She put her hand loosely over the mouthpiece of her phone and shouted, "Hey, Jim! Kristie's having a party at our house! Wanna come?"
So....
One day Tracey told me excitedly that they were getting a puppy. A labrador puppy, to be exact. I pictured a lively, un-house-broken, teething ball of hair and energy gamboling about in that immaculate house, and raised a metaphorical eyebrow (I'm not talented enough to raise an actual eyebrow, but I'm pretty good with the metaphorical ones). She had owned dogs before, though not while we'd been neighbors, so I kept my reservations to myself.
A few days after they brought the puppy home, it developed diarrhea.
Then it started vomiting.
It had parvovirus.
For those of you who have never owned a pup with parvovirus, I'll tell you a bit about it: parvo is a viral infection, which means that unlike a bacterial infection, you can't just use the right antibiotics and make it go away. You can only keep the pet alive while the disease runs its course. It causes loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Not just a little, either. We're talking nasty, foul, bloody stuff from both ends, several times an hour. Tracey was going to have a miserable little pup that just wanted to be held and loved, who would be covered in nastiness and reek to high heaven. The illness generally lasts about a week, often requires hospitalization for IV fluids and injectable antibiotics (to prevent bacterial infections from joining in), and is often fatal.
Tracey was distraught. A sick puppy, a horrible mess, an expensive vet bill, and a guarded prognosis. What should she do? Should she take the pup back, since the breeder had given them a health guarantee? Or should she and her family fight for this pup?
I thought about my beautiful, very feminine friend with her immaculate home. I thought about all the parvo cases I'd ever seen. I thought about people.
"It will be a lot of work, trying to get her through this. There are things I can do to try to keep your vet bill down, including coming to your house to give her fluids and injections so she doesn't have to be hospitalized. But you will be cleaning up messes, and cleaning her, constantly. She will be demanding a lot of time from you. Your house will smell awful, and she may still die. But if she does come through it, you will have a bond with her that you wouldn't have otherwise. All the extra care you will be giving her will make you love her more."
They chose to keep Maggie, and I helped as best I could. She survived her battle with parvovirus, and was soon a very skinny but happy, energetic puppy once more. When I saw her a month later for her vaccines, her coat was glossy, she was becoming muscular, and she was almost too much for Tracey to handle. "You, know, you were right," Tracey panted, trying unsuccessfully to keep Maggie's feet off my chest. "I do love her more than I've ever loved our other pets, and I'm sure it was because she was so sick."
"Love thy neighbor as thyself." A passage from the Bible, not sure which chapter and verse, and frankly I'm too lazy to look it up right now. The thing is, we live in a nation with an incredible suicide rate that has been referred to as the "Prozac Nation". Almost everyone I know is taking some sort of medication, for depression or anxiety or both. "Love thy neighbor as thyself"? Maybe that's part of the problem.
I am convinced that God sent pets and children to teach us how to love. After all, He calls Himself our 'Father' and the first two tasks He gave Adam and Eve were to go make babies and take care of the plants and animals that He had made for them.
Why do we love our dogs, when they poop on the floor or chew up our favorite shoes? Why do we love our cats, who leave dead mice in strategic places and urine mark the custom-made livingroom drapes? Why do we love our children, when they talk back to us and need to be reminded of every task twenty times before it gets done?
The answer is that they need us. As babies, they rely on us to fill their basic needs, to keep them clean and fed, to play with them and shower them with affection. Their need, and their acceptance of what we do for them, makes us love them.
Maybe all of you have known this all along, but it only recently occured to me that we have to be willing to allow others to feel needed in order for them to also feel loved. I was raised as a Christian, and taught to put others ahead of myself. But when you always do that, when you meet others' needs at the expence of your own, you are never allowing THEM to put YOU first, and it creates a barrier. We accept this readily from our pets: the dog who offers you its belly to rub, displaying its willing submission; the cat that gives you that slow blink, and purs contentedly while submitting to your petting (with cats, the dominant one grooms and the submissive one accepts the grooming). Our children constantly seek our attention and approval, because their self-confidence and sense of security are dependent upon it.
So what have I learned from a lifetime of observing people and their pets? The more you do for others, the more love you feel for them. The more you allow them to do for you, the more you feel loved. With your family and friends, it has to be a two-way street. Cooking a meal, folding the laundry, mowing the lawn, changing the oil in the car...all of these sacrifices of your time and energy demonstrate your love. Accepting the sacrifices that others want to make for you--breakfast in bed, a gift, a party invitation--this also demonstrates your love, and allows others to develop their love for you. Receiving, submitting to another's kindness, is an important aspect of developing unconditional love that our pets show us every day.
So forget loving your neighbors the way you love yourself. Instead, love your neighbors the way you love your pets: by satisfying their needs, and allowing them to satisfy yours.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Helping Your Cat Get Back In Shape
"Yo, Dude, have you seen my leg warmers? The community theatre is auditioning for CATS! and I am sooooo out of shape!"
Anyway, the fact is, people equate food with love, and our pets do, too. That's why we get along so well.
It's also why so many people have to learn how to give their cats insulin injections, and how the pet food companies manage to keep giving their employees Christmas bonuses when the rest of the business world is having nightmares about the next Great Depression.
I have listened to many, many lectures on feline obesity over the years, but the best advice I ever heard came not from a nutritionist or internal medicine specialist, but from a behaviorist. That's right: the key to getting a cat to lose weight lies not in knowing how many calories it needs, but in understanding WHY it over-eats in the first place.
First of all, let's just look at feral (stray) cats. Now, I know you good-hearted people are sneaking bowls of food out, even though your practical relatives are telling you not to. Still, stray cats don't sit in one place and gorge themselves, as a general rule. They hunt. They kill one small rodent or bird, eat it, and move on. If they are still hungry, they have to find, catch, and kill another little soul. Er, I mean animal.
So...cats are biologically wired to eat as much as they can in one to three minutes and MOVE ON, lest they become the prey of some larger predator themselves. They don't eat until they are full, like people. They eat until that internal timer goes off, and then they walk away and groom themselves. If there is a full bowl of food right there in front of them, they will eat and eat and eat, despite feeling full, until their time is up. Has your cat ever eaten, and then almost immediately thrown up a huge pile of undigested food? Well, that's why. It ate more than its stomach could hold, but its stomach doesn't control the drive to eat. Its brain does.
Another thing to keep in mind with cats is that they are not designed to sit and drink. Like many highly adapted predators, cats are supposed to get their daily fluid allowance, not from some ice-cold water fountain, but from the flesh of their prey. That means that when they get thirsty, they think they are hungry, unless they see, hear, or smell water. Then they'll get a drink before heading to the food bowl.
Before you start scooping up bowls and pulling out cat-sized leg warmers, let me give you this very serious piece of advice: never, ever starve an overwieght cat. Cats are very good at pulling fat out of stored areas and transporting it to the liver to be converted to blood sugar. They do this when their blood sugar gets too low, for instance from missing a meal. Unfortunately, their liver can only transform so much fat, and what doesn't get changed to sugar gets stuck in the liver cells, interfering with liver function to the point that they can actually go into full blown liver failure. It's called hepatic lipidosis, more fondly known as fatty liver disease, and it is a serious problem. The ideas I've listed below should NOT lead a cat to develop this condition (since food is always available), but you do need to watch to be sure the cat is eating if you alter its feeding routine the way I'm suggesting.
Alrighty, then. If you are serious about getting your cat to lose weight, whether it be an indoor, outdoor, or 'both' kind of cat, here are some things to try:
1) Spread the food out. Rather than putting half a cup of food in one bowl (look at it! Do you really think a normal cat's stomach can hold all of that at once?!) that the cat could possibly consume within its one-to-three-minute lunch period, spread it out. You can get four or five bowls, and put a tablespoon (or LESS) of food in each one, placing them in various rooms throughout your home. You will never have to feel guilty about your cat going hungry, because there will always be food available, but if your cat eats the little bit that's in one bowl and is still hungry, it will have to MOVE in order to find more. You can also spread food out over cookie sheets, so your cat has to move around the pan to eat its fill. It will consume fewer calories in its 3-minutes-or-less binge this way than it would if all the food was neatly piled in one small place.
2) Make a food puzzle box. (see pictures) I love this idea. Now, if you think of it as, "I wouldn't like it if I had to work for every morsel!" you will start feeling guilty. Instead, keep in mind that most cats love to play. So, using a cardboard box with a lid, or better yet, one of those plastic under-the-bed storage containers, make a toy that also feeds your pet. Here's how it works:
Obesity is a national epidemic here in the good ol' US of Abundance, and it isn't limited to our two-legged citizens. People love to feed animals. I mean, it isn't just the kids holding out handfuls of cracked corn at the petting zoo, is it? And admit it, you've plucked some grass and held it over the fence for somebody's cow, horse, or sheep, haven't you? As if there weren't any grass on the other side of that fence....
Anyway, the fact is, people equate food with love, and our pets do, too. That's why we get along so well.
It's also why so many people have to learn how to give their cats insulin injections, and how the pet food companies manage to keep giving their employees Christmas bonuses when the rest of the business world is having nightmares about the next Great Depression.
I have listened to many, many lectures on feline obesity over the years, but the best advice I ever heard came not from a nutritionist or internal medicine specialist, but from a behaviorist. That's right: the key to getting a cat to lose weight lies not in knowing how many calories it needs, but in understanding WHY it over-eats in the first place.
First of all, let's just look at feral (stray) cats. Now, I know you good-hearted people are sneaking bowls of food out, even though your practical relatives are telling you not to. Still, stray cats don't sit in one place and gorge themselves, as a general rule. They hunt. They kill one small rodent or bird, eat it, and move on. If they are still hungry, they have to find, catch, and kill another little soul. Er, I mean animal.
So...cats are biologically wired to eat as much as they can in one to three minutes and MOVE ON, lest they become the prey of some larger predator themselves. They don't eat until they are full, like people. They eat until that internal timer goes off, and then they walk away and groom themselves. If there is a full bowl of food right there in front of them, they will eat and eat and eat, despite feeling full, until their time is up. Has your cat ever eaten, and then almost immediately thrown up a huge pile of undigested food? Well, that's why. It ate more than its stomach could hold, but its stomach doesn't control the drive to eat. Its brain does.
Another thing to keep in mind with cats is that they are not designed to sit and drink. Like many highly adapted predators, cats are supposed to get their daily fluid allowance, not from some ice-cold water fountain, but from the flesh of their prey. That means that when they get thirsty, they think they are hungry, unless they see, hear, or smell water. Then they'll get a drink before heading to the food bowl.
Before you start scooping up bowls and pulling out cat-sized leg warmers, let me give you this very serious piece of advice: never, ever starve an overwieght cat. Cats are very good at pulling fat out of stored areas and transporting it to the liver to be converted to blood sugar. They do this when their blood sugar gets too low, for instance from missing a meal. Unfortunately, their liver can only transform so much fat, and what doesn't get changed to sugar gets stuck in the liver cells, interfering with liver function to the point that they can actually go into full blown liver failure. It's called hepatic lipidosis, more fondly known as fatty liver disease, and it is a serious problem. The ideas I've listed below should NOT lead a cat to develop this condition (since food is always available), but you do need to watch to be sure the cat is eating if you alter its feeding routine the way I'm suggesting.
Alrighty, then. If you are serious about getting your cat to lose weight, whether it be an indoor, outdoor, or 'both' kind of cat, here are some things to try:
1) Spread the food out. Rather than putting half a cup of food in one bowl (look at it! Do you really think a normal cat's stomach can hold all of that at once?!) that the cat could possibly consume within its one-to-three-minute lunch period, spread it out. You can get four or five bowls, and put a tablespoon (or LESS) of food in each one, placing them in various rooms throughout your home. You will never have to feel guilty about your cat going hungry, because there will always be food available, but if your cat eats the little bit that's in one bowl and is still hungry, it will have to MOVE in order to find more. You can also spread food out over cookie sheets, so your cat has to move around the pan to eat its fill. It will consume fewer calories in its 3-minutes-or-less binge this way than it would if all the food was neatly piled in one small place.
2) Make a food puzzle box. (see pictures) I love this idea. Now, if you think of it as, "I wouldn't like it if I had to work for every morsel!" you will start feeling guilty. Instead, keep in mind that most cats love to play. So, using a cardboard box with a lid, or better yet, one of those plastic under-the-bed storage containers, make a toy that also feeds your pet. Here's how it works:
Cut 2 inch wide slots 3 or 4 inches apart in the top of a shallow plastic storage container (or practice with a cardboard box, first).
In one corner, make a triangular hole that is just large enough for the cat to get its head into without getting stuck.
Poor food in at the opposite corner. The cat will have to stick its paw into the slots, pushing food from one to the next, until it gets food all the way to the 'feeding corner'.
Again, your cat can eat as much as it wants, but of course their timer goes off before they've eaten too much. My cats seem to think this is a great game, especially if I put cheese cubes in the box instead of food. Do as I say, not as I do! :) Oh, if your cat is quite overweight, you may have to pad the cut edges of your slots by putting duct tape over them, other wise he (or she) may rub those armpits raw.
3) Invest in a cat water fountain. I know it sounds ridiculous (Oh, Culligan man!), but do you like drinking stale, room temperature water? Why do you think dogs drink out of the toilet? Cats as a rule do not take in enough water. I'm convinced that the real reason so many cats suffer from urinary tract problems--including kidney failure--is a lifetime of being mildly dehydrated. Their urine is too concentrated, so crystals can form in it, irritating the delicate lining of the oh-so-fragile urinary tract. When cats smell or hear water, and see it moving (movement is almost irresistable to cats), they take a drink even if they didn't realize they were thirsty. They will eat less, because they are often eating due to misunderstood thirst, and their urinary tracts will be healthier. There are other benefits to staying properly hydrated, but that's enough for now.
4) Replace treats with play as your expression of love. There are so many great toys out there nowadays, how can you not be tempted? Beware of the small, rabbit-fur covered plastic mice or sparkly balls. I've seen cats swallow these whole, and need surgery to get them out. Is it safe to assume that you all know how dangerous string, thread, ribbon, Easter grass, and tinsel can be to cats? All of these things can get lodged in their intestines, causing obstructions and sometimes even cutting through them....bad, bad, bad. This constitutes a surgical emergency, and can prove fatal. Choose large toys, and supervise play with anything that can be torn into small pieces or has a string attached.
A word about foods.....
Dry vs. canned? Diet, or regular?
The short answer to the dry vs. canned debate is: the jury is still out on that one. We (meaning vets) used to say dry was better for pets' teeth. Then we realized that most pets, especially cats, don't really chew their food. Cats don't have a string of nicely apposed molars, like people or cattle. They aren't intended to grind food up. They are meant to...pardon me for being graphic...pull off chunks of meat and swallow them. So is dry food helping if the cat doesn't chew it? No more than your dental floss is helping when it stays in the medicine cabinet. From a urinary tract health standpoint, canned food may be better, but from an obesity and owner-sanity standpoint, unless you have the patience to give your cat a mouse-sized spoonful of cat food 10 times a day, you may have a hard time keeping your cat in a healthy weight range using canned food alone.
I would like to say that I find diet foods to be helpful, because...well, fewer calories in just makes sense. However, my Jibber-kitty was on diet food for most of his life, and he was a good five pounds overweight--in other words, he weighed almost twice what he should have. Maybe diet foods combined with the tricks above will be more effective than either diet foods or 'tricks' alone. Feel free to let me know what you discover!
I will leave you with this tidbit from one of the many obesity-management lectures I attended during vet school. Keep in mind that this was a guest lecturer from a well-known pet food manufacturing company, who bribed us to sit through a talk during lunch by bringing in free pizza and pop. That's soda, to the rest of the US. Anyway, he didn't bring salad and bottled water, is the point I'm trying to make.
So, he started by reminding us that it can be very difficult to tell a client that their pet is overweight, because often the client is overweight, as well. I should mention that I was eight months pregnant by then. One of my male classmates, Brian, turned to me and said, loudly, "Wow, your pets must be HUGE!"
No, he wasn't married....And yes, he did leave on a stretcher. :)
I'm just saying, if you like this information and want to share it with a friend, be careful how you broach the subject....
C'mon, Kitty! Feel the burn!
Helping A Pet With Allergies
Living in a mid-Western state has certain advantages. We don't have the opportunity to become bored with the weather, because it's always changing. We have beautiful, warm summers; gorgeous, colorful autumns; dazzling white winters; and mild, welcoming springs. We also have mosquitoes, wood ticks, and a huge variety of allergens.
Oh, and a plethora of labrador and golden retrievers, who are genetically prone to allergies. I could have made a living off of treating nothing but allergic dogs, I swear!
"So, dogs get hay fever?" you are thinking to yourself. The short answer is yes, they do, but....
SYMPTOMS:
Allergic dogs and cats usually don't present with itchy eyes and runny noses. Well, okay, sometimes the skin around their eyes is itchy, but it really doesn't look like the hay fever people get at all. Instead, they tend to have itchy skin, especially on their feet and faces, and may also be prone to skin and ear infections as well as anal sac impactions. If your dog is doing that funny thing where it sits down and drags its rump along the ground, weeellllll....It may have allergies.
WHAT ARE THEY ALLERGIC TO?
Anything and everything. Dogs and cats can be allergic to all the same things people are allergic to--pollens, molds, dust mites, other animal dander, even human dander! Yes, your pet may well be allergic to you! How ironic is that?!
Animals can also suffer from food allergies. Typically (but not always) pets with food allergies will not only be itchy, they will also have digestive problems that come and go, like vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive gas.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO?
Animals (and probably people, too) have what is known as an "allergy tolerance threshold". That means that they are usually allergic to a whole bunch of things, but if you take some of them away, the rest aren't enough of a problem to make them itch. Or at least they will be less itchy.
Your veterinarian has many options available now for treating allergies. Antihistamines, steroids, immune suppressants, hyposensitization injections, allergy testing, medicated shampoos, medicated sprays, it's all out there. However, given these tough economic times, I can understand why you may not be able to pursue the ideal option of consulting your vet. So, as long as you are convinced that your pet does not have an infection on top of the allergy, here are some things you can try:
1) Salmon oil capsules. You can generally find these in the 'people' vitamin department of most grocery or department stores. I recommend 1,000 mg twice a day for a 60 to 70 pound dog. The omega fatty acid in salmon oil has been shown to change the inflammatory response of the skin, so even though the immune system is screaming, "Hey, we've got an allergy here!!" the skin is ignoring it. Be patient, and stick with this for a month before you decide whether or not it's helping.
2) "Novel protein" foods. When it comes to food allergies, researchers say that it takes 6 to 24 months for the body to become allergic to a new ingredient. So, go to a pet food store (NOT a grocery store!) and talk to a knowledgeable staff member. What you are looking for is a diet with a small ingredient list that does NOT contain the common things (beef, chicken, corn, wheat). Some of the options available at present are salmon and oatmeal; duck and pea; or venison and potato. Choose one, and keep your pet on just this diet, NOTHING ELSE, NOT EVEN TREATS OR FLAVORED VITAMINS, for at least 6 weeks. If your pet does have a food allergy, you should notice a decrease in symptoms (less itchiness, less vomiting/diarrhea, fewer ear infections) by the end of 6 weeks.
3.) Antihistamines. Yes, your dog can take Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at a dose of 1 mg per pound (Which would be two 25 mg tablets for a 50 pound dog. I know, it sounds like a lot, but trust me, it works). MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING BUT DIPHENHYDRAMINE IN THE TABLETS YOU BUY!!!! Some formulations (such as Benadryl Sinus) add Tylenol (acetominophen) to the antihistamine; if you dose for the Benadryl, you will give your dog enough Tylenol to kill it. You may also be able to get suggestions/doses for different antihistamines from your veterinarian; often you can buy larger tablets (i.e. 50 mg Benadryl instead of the 25 mg available for people) from your vet and save yourself some money.
4.) Medicated shampoos. Baths actually help in a number of ways. For one, they physically remove allergens from your pet's skin. The cool water relieves some itching, as well. Shampoos that contain oatmeal, tar, or sulfur can also decrease allergy symptoms. These shampoos work best if they are allowed to stay on the pet for 5 to 10 minutes, after which you need to rinse them very thoroughly (dry shampoo is itchy!). You may want to talk to your vet about how often to bathe your pet so you don't over-do it and dry their skin out. Frequency of bathing depends on the amount of oil your pet produces and the type of shampoo you are using, so you will need to talk to someone who knows your pet in order to get a good answer to this question.
5.) Reduce the number of allergens in your home. There are some great products out there, intended for use by people with allergies, that will help with this. There is a powder that you can put on your carpeting to combat dust mite allergens, and spray cleaners that break down other allergens, including pet dander. Frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter in place is useful, and don't forget that allergens can stick to all flat surfaces, even bare walls!
6.) Make absolutely sure that fleas aren't contributing to the problem! If a dog or cat has a flea allergy, one single bite can make them itch themselves bald for WEEKS! Even if you aren't seeing fleas in the house, they may be lurking, or your pet may be getting bitten while it is outside. I like to use a topical product (like Frontline or Advantage) that is applied to the pet once a month. These two products in particular get into the oil that coats the hair, so that as the pet sheds, the flea 'poison' is spread around the house. These two products are very, very safe for people and pets, as well, which is why I like to use them. It is also wise to treat the home with an area spray, but frankly, the subject of fleas really deserves its own post.
There are some things, like yeast infections, bacterial infections, mange, or even skin cancer that can start out looking just like allergies. If at all possible, your best bet is always to consult a veterinarian FIRST. If your vet determines that your pet has uncomplicated atopy (the professional term for allergies), give these recommendations a try and see if they help.
Good luck!
Oh, and a plethora of labrador and golden retrievers, who are genetically prone to allergies. I could have made a living off of treating nothing but allergic dogs, I swear!
"So, dogs get hay fever?" you are thinking to yourself. The short answer is yes, they do, but....
SYMPTOMS:
Allergic dogs and cats usually don't present with itchy eyes and runny noses. Well, okay, sometimes the skin around their eyes is itchy, but it really doesn't look like the hay fever people get at all. Instead, they tend to have itchy skin, especially on their feet and faces, and may also be prone to skin and ear infections as well as anal sac impactions. If your dog is doing that funny thing where it sits down and drags its rump along the ground, weeellllll....It may have allergies.
WHAT ARE THEY ALLERGIC TO?
Anything and everything. Dogs and cats can be allergic to all the same things people are allergic to--pollens, molds, dust mites, other animal dander, even human dander! Yes, your pet may well be allergic to you! How ironic is that?!
Animals can also suffer from food allergies. Typically (but not always) pets with food allergies will not only be itchy, they will also have digestive problems that come and go, like vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive gas.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO?
Animals (and probably people, too) have what is known as an "allergy tolerance threshold". That means that they are usually allergic to a whole bunch of things, but if you take some of them away, the rest aren't enough of a problem to make them itch. Or at least they will be less itchy.
Your veterinarian has many options available now for treating allergies. Antihistamines, steroids, immune suppressants, hyposensitization injections, allergy testing, medicated shampoos, medicated sprays, it's all out there. However, given these tough economic times, I can understand why you may not be able to pursue the ideal option of consulting your vet. So, as long as you are convinced that your pet does not have an infection on top of the allergy, here are some things you can try:
1) Salmon oil capsules. You can generally find these in the 'people' vitamin department of most grocery or department stores. I recommend 1,000 mg twice a day for a 60 to 70 pound dog. The omega fatty acid in salmon oil has been shown to change the inflammatory response of the skin, so even though the immune system is screaming, "Hey, we've got an allergy here!!" the skin is ignoring it. Be patient, and stick with this for a month before you decide whether or not it's helping.
2) "Novel protein" foods. When it comes to food allergies, researchers say that it takes 6 to 24 months for the body to become allergic to a new ingredient. So, go to a pet food store (NOT a grocery store!) and talk to a knowledgeable staff member. What you are looking for is a diet with a small ingredient list that does NOT contain the common things (beef, chicken, corn, wheat). Some of the options available at present are salmon and oatmeal; duck and pea; or venison and potato. Choose one, and keep your pet on just this diet, NOTHING ELSE, NOT EVEN TREATS OR FLAVORED VITAMINS, for at least 6 weeks. If your pet does have a food allergy, you should notice a decrease in symptoms (less itchiness, less vomiting/diarrhea, fewer ear infections) by the end of 6 weeks.
3.) Antihistamines. Yes, your dog can take Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at a dose of 1 mg per pound (Which would be two 25 mg tablets for a 50 pound dog. I know, it sounds like a lot, but trust me, it works). MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING BUT DIPHENHYDRAMINE IN THE TABLETS YOU BUY!!!! Some formulations (such as Benadryl Sinus) add Tylenol (acetominophen) to the antihistamine; if you dose for the Benadryl, you will give your dog enough Tylenol to kill it. You may also be able to get suggestions/doses for different antihistamines from your veterinarian; often you can buy larger tablets (i.e. 50 mg Benadryl instead of the 25 mg available for people) from your vet and save yourself some money.
4.) Medicated shampoos. Baths actually help in a number of ways. For one, they physically remove allergens from your pet's skin. The cool water relieves some itching, as well. Shampoos that contain oatmeal, tar, or sulfur can also decrease allergy symptoms. These shampoos work best if they are allowed to stay on the pet for 5 to 10 minutes, after which you need to rinse them very thoroughly (dry shampoo is itchy!). You may want to talk to your vet about how often to bathe your pet so you don't over-do it and dry their skin out. Frequency of bathing depends on the amount of oil your pet produces and the type of shampoo you are using, so you will need to talk to someone who knows your pet in order to get a good answer to this question.
5.) Reduce the number of allergens in your home. There are some great products out there, intended for use by people with allergies, that will help with this. There is a powder that you can put on your carpeting to combat dust mite allergens, and spray cleaners that break down other allergens, including pet dander. Frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter in place is useful, and don't forget that allergens can stick to all flat surfaces, even bare walls!
6.) Make absolutely sure that fleas aren't contributing to the problem! If a dog or cat has a flea allergy, one single bite can make them itch themselves bald for WEEKS! Even if you aren't seeing fleas in the house, they may be lurking, or your pet may be getting bitten while it is outside. I like to use a topical product (like Frontline or Advantage) that is applied to the pet once a month. These two products in particular get into the oil that coats the hair, so that as the pet sheds, the flea 'poison' is spread around the house. These two products are very, very safe for people and pets, as well, which is why I like to use them. It is also wise to treat the home with an area spray, but frankly, the subject of fleas really deserves its own post.
There are some things, like yeast infections, bacterial infections, mange, or even skin cancer that can start out looking just like allergies. If at all possible, your best bet is always to consult a veterinarian FIRST. If your vet determines that your pet has uncomplicated atopy (the professional term for allergies), give these recommendations a try and see if they help.
Good luck!
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