Hi Amj! As you well know, I don't have a dog, but have a cat with a quite an itchy, problematic ear! We've gone on and off Prednisone several times. We did not notice a change in the urination schedule or thirst level, but a friend of mine who has a Siberian Husky did experience these side-effects when her dog was on it. She couldn't stand it! Furthermore, there are serious health problems that can stem from long-term use of steroids, so your vet may actually prefer that you take breaks from the drug. So, if you can find an alternative that actually relieves the itching, and Bendadryl may be one, you'd be wise to use it, imo, (if your vet endorses it, of course.)

Sorry you are going through this with Rocky. It's very hard to see your little one in such discomfort. For more than a year, the vets said Jasmine's ear prob was due to allergies. (Then they found a polyp.) With animals, it's hard to pinpoint what they are allergic to...it could be the grass! We thought for a time it might be a food allergy, & fed her the expensive, low-allergen food for a couple of years to no avail.

These health care matters can be complicated. I wish you an accurate diagnosis for Rocky, and an effective, safe treatment that brings not only relief, but a cure, if possible.

Just wanted to let you know long term prednisone use in pets can bring on diabetes. The good news is, if it does, the diabetes sometimes goes away when the prednisone is stopped (not right away, but within a few months).

Do you feed your Lab a pet food without grain, soy, etc? Our dogs get Wellness CORE, but Wellness also has an allergy food.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wellness

When our vet first prescribed prednisone for our cat, she explained it's long term use can cause severe liver problems and during check ups, it's something she's always pretty concerned about. You may want to ask your vet if this is the case as well with your dog.

This fellow talks quite a bit about the connection between diet and itching.... a wealth of information.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Fox

Your vet knows Rocky best, so I would talk to him about lowering the dosage of prednisone. Has the vet tested Rocky to see what he is allergic to?

Benedryl and fish oil are what I try first, along with high quality food free of corn/corn products.

The Benedryl dosing is surprisingly high - 1 mg per pound of dog's weight every 8 hours. The standard Benedryl tablet is 25 mg, so for a 75 pound dog, that is 3 tablets every 8 hours.

Similarly, the fish oil requirements can be high. I have a dog being treated for cancer, and the canine oncologist has her on 3000-4000 mg of what the ingredients in the fish oil they need (the EPA and DHA). That's a lot of fish oil.

He has only been on it for a few days, so long-term issues are not a problem. Like SG's friend, I've about had it so I'm sure "long-term" will not be a concern for us. Lukki, I will run it by the vet, but there was never any discussion about long-term use. Perhaps just an assumption on my part.

Rocky is not itchy now, but the accidents, gas, soft-stools, etc. must be very stressing for him. I'm sure he'd prefer to be itchy.

Rocky has been on the same food for years, and it is a high quality food (Blue - something or another). What is interesting is that during the 1 1/2 years we lived in Wisconsin, the itching wasn't as bad. It still existed, but not so bad. When we moved back to Michigan it returned.

I will check out the links from allison and Bestyears tonight when I have more uninterrupted time with the computer.

Graywings - the Benedryl dosing is surprising. I was giving Rocky 3 pills in the AM and 3 in the PM, and I felt like that was a lot. Our vet in WI said we could give 4 pills 3x per day. Wow! Now our new vet in MI said 6 pills!! Yikes. I think Rocky would slip into a coma if I did that to him. I may try 3 pills, 3x per day once he is off the prednisone. It is just nice to know that I am not going to over-dose him! Also, I've never thought about fish oil for him. I know it is a miracle for humans - why not for dogs?!

Thanks for all the feedback and concern.

Sometimes, just switching food can help. I read that dogs can develop allergies to their food if they stay on the same thing for a lot of years. We gave ours Evo, but switched to Taste of the Wild after four years just in case.

Fish oil is good. We also put about a tablespoon of olive oil in with our dogs' kibble every day. If they are sick, I cook brown rice and chicken for them.

Hope something works for you. No fun for you or the dog at this point!

Hi Amj, If your Rocky has been on the same food for years, its time for a change. No one food can 100% nutritionally complete for your pet forever. You need to explore LA (limited antigen) foods and grain free varieties as well. Oy! I could wright a book .....

Anyway, online research is your friend (dog food analysis web sites are a good place to start). It was really an eye opener for me. I had thought that I was using a good quality kibble, but i was wrong.

Even amongst the top rated 5 star foods, your pet will respond better to some than others. Super high protein levels did not work out well for us (pudding poops - you know what I mean), one manufacturer did well for a while, but then our boy started loosing hair so we now avoid any product produced by a certain manufacturer. We had EXCELLENT results on Blue Wilderness (grain free) Salmon, started growing hair back after almost 2 years. We also use a salmon oil supplement to help with very dry skin and itchies. After 6 months we are rotating a new food for 3 to 6 months (completely new brand, not just a flavor) and then will go back to BW for a while.

You might also try posting on the pets forum.

What kind of dog is Rocky? With some breeds, skin conditions like itching come with the territory. I used to have a Golden Retriever with an itching problem too so I can relate. Just like people, animals can develop allergies out out of the blue. A slight change in the manufacturers' food recipe, changes in the environment or soils and even stress can cause itching. We're in Michigan too, north of Troy...

He is a lab. The vet said being itchy is common with the breed. He has had the problem his whole life so I'm sure it is some kind of allergy. It is probably something outside, which is why the symptoms eased when we lived in Wisconsin. Different conditions, different symptoms (or lack of symptoms...) Poor dog.

Meanwhile, I'm still wait for a return call from the vet about weaning from prednisone. I left a message at noon today and was told that the doctor will call back shortly (office is 24-7). Still waiting.... I'd love to NOT give him a pill this evening if possible. I'll give the vet a little more time then I'll call again.

We have a small dog (10 lbs) who is on a predisone mix pill right now. She has allergies/sensitivities. When she was spayed, she had a sensitivity to the sutures! She's sensitive to fleas, some pollens and some foods. She has only had steriods for a reaction that an antihistimine did not clear up and only for a short period. Only once did she have a high enough dose that she wanted to eat more. The med she is on now is a steriod/antihistimine/cough suppressant. We were traveling, yes had to find a vet out of town, because we thought she had something in her throat she couldn't get out! She sounded like a kid with croup. She's done very well with the med and is being weaned off. She can also have benadryl but I only gave her that the first couple of nights. We use liquid children's benadryl for her and it's only a few cc's (3 I think, I have it marked on a syringe). Of course she is alot smaller. We also use a high quality food along with certain "people" foods. Our vet always recommends chicken and rice for a few days if she has a reaction to food. I think I am going to have to give her a nightly dose of benadryl once she comes off this med, until whatever is in the air passes. She also gets itchy feet/belly during spring pollen time. I have allergies myself and tell people she takes after me. LOL Good luck with your poch - I know that has to be frustrating!

tina

I'm guessing you do treat him for fleas( Frontline,etc.) but just in case, thought I'd chime in. I've had two who were severely allergic to fleas. Only took one to set off a reaction. Along came the frontline type of meds and no more fleas at all, and no more itching.
However, back in the olden days I found Dimetapp to work much better than Benedryl. This was 20 years ago and believe formulas may be different now, but it did work best.

Your dog needs to be on ATOPICA. It's the miracle drug. Benadryl did nothing for my dog. Nor did any of the other meds they tried. Only predisone and Atopica worked but prednisone is dangerous so it's only for short term use. You can keep a dog on Atopica for his entire life. It's is expensive but so worth it.

FF - Thanks for that info! I just looked atopica up and I am going to ask our vet about it. It might be something good for Abby during the "seasons" when she has problems. Sounds much safer than prednisone. Thank you!

I've been dealing with this same problem for several years now with my dobie, Ronin. We adopted him when he was 3 years old and he arrived with a healthy, shiny coat, no hot spots . . . but scratching 24/7! It was so bad that he'd routinely wake us up several times a night with his prolonged scratching bouts.

At first our vet put him on Prednisone, but he became incontinent within hours, like yours did, having many accidents in the house. We quickly took him off that! As was mentioned here already, that drug can cause many other major problems. I would never try it again.

After that fiasco, I took him to a holistic vet who tried acupuncture on him. But, when she told me afterwards that it could take up to one year of regular sessions to see any results, I decided to look for other solutions. Those acupuncture sessions were not cheap!

We next tried eliminating all beef, poultry and grain from his diet, in hopes that an allergy to one of those was the problem. We instead fed him Taste of the Wild's "Pacific Stream" which has none of the above. It's basically salmon and sweet potato, plus the needed canine nutrients, etc. He LOVED this food, but after 2 years on that strict diet, there was absolutely no change in his itching/scratching. I'm not saying though, that Taste of the Wild's food doesn't work. It's a fantastic, very high quality dog food and its Pacific Steam works for many dogs with food allergies. We've just come to the conclusion that Ronin's allergies are not caused by foods, but by environmental factors that we can't eliminate. Instead, we now need to do what we can to counteract them.
I do need to mention that when we put him on Taste of the Wild, our vet also told us to give Ronin one fish oil capsule a day with his food. He's been on that ever since but I haven't seen that it's made a difference in his itching.

After this, our vet had us add Benedryl. It didn't make him sleepy or lethargic, but there was also no improvement, even after upping his dosage. We took him off it after 2 months

We next started using a vet-recommended canine shampoo, Allermyl. I couldn't find it locally anywhere and ended up buying it through Amazon.com. It's approximately $27 for a 16 oz bottle, but it lasts a long time as you only use a small amount. We're finding that it does help somewhat and plan to keep using it for the foreseeable future. DH, who's a family practice doc, looked at the ingredients listed and could tell that it was created to counteract excessive seborrhea build-up on the skin, which can cause major itching problems.

About 5 months ago, after talking with a local Saluki breeder, I switched Ronin to an all-raw diet that hers are on. It's not for the squeamish, as the best thing you can feed your furkid according to many raw food proponents is green tripe. This is cut up raw intestines from a grass fed cow. But, I was desperate and this is now his diet, along with raw chicken necks, beef bones, lamb, etc. Frankly, it still turns my stomach a bit, but Ronin LOVES it. It didn't happen quickly, but in the past month we are finally seeing some major improvement in his itching.

And finally, a neighbor of mine who has two dobies (a blue and a fawn) with major skin problems told me about a canine food supplement called Nupro Canine Formula (gold can). It was recommended to her on a dobie internet forum and has made a HUGE improvement with her dogs. I've had Ronin on it for about 6 weeks now and we've seen major changes for the better with his coat and with his itching. It's not cheap, but even DH is convinced that it's working. Throughout all this, Ronin has had a good, healthy, shiny coat, but with the addition of Nupro to his diet (one scoop of the powder twice a day on his food) his coat has undergone a major change in texture. It's now very soft, even more shiny and his itching/scratching has dramatically lessened . . . thank goodness!

In retrospect, I wish that we'd taken a more scientic approach to this problem, trying and then eliminating one thing at a time . . . but in desperation, we didn't. As a result, we can't say, definitively, if the raw diet, the Nupro, the Allermyl shampoo or a combination of them are what has worked for Ronin. All I can tell you is that one or more of them has made a huge improvement in his 24/7 itching/scratching problem.

I realize that you didn't ask for all this info, but as someone who has gone through this same (frustrating, expensive) problem as yours, I thought you'd appreciate hearing what I've tried, what's worked and what hasn't.

I hope that you find your own solution soon. Best wishes!
Lynn

I got the green-light for weaning from Prednisone!!! Yea! 1/2 pill a day for 3 days, then 1/2 pill every other day for 2 whole pills. I cannot wait to be done with this drug.

Rocky is on Frontline so fleas are not an issue. The vet asked the same thing.

You all have given me so much info and options on this topic. My focus now is getting him off the drug and then we'll look at perhaps fish oil and diet changes.

Lynn - I didn't ask for all the info, but I sure do appreciate it. It sounds like you went through exactly what we are experiencing.

Thanks again!

Tina...Atopica won't be as expensive for you because the price depends on the weight. When my 30lb cockapoo was alive I had him on 50mg daily. At the same time our 60 lb lab was on 100mg dose. Talk about expensive! One tiny little dog is not going to be near as much. Once the drug has had time to do its thing you can taper off, skip one day a week then two days a week. If you're lucky to dog may get away with every other day. You can't stop and start it because it takes several weeks to be effective. I forget now exactly how long, maybe 6 weeks. The vet will know. If the vet doesn't know about Atopica then they've fallen behind and it's time to find a better vet. I took my dogs to a Veterinary Allergist. Yeah, they really exist! When I told him all the things we tried with our regular vet he said it's time for Atopica. I didn't want to at first because of the cost but after I had tried everything I went back and said OK, I'm ready to do whatever it takes, just make this stop, my dog is suffering. We put him on Atopica and I could hear the angels singing. lol. We're even at the point where he can go off the med depending on the season.

I am still careful about his diet even though I am convinced it's the grasses and pollen that are causing his allergies. I feed him lamb or duck with either rice or potatoes. The Allergist told me NO chicken. I feed him Wellness Simple dry food and a variety of canned foods (Halo, Wellness, AvoDerm, Vitality, Holistic Select). The ZD food had no effect on his allergy so I stopped wasting money on that. If I see "meal" as an ingredient I avoid it. Absolutely no gluten. No preservatives, artificial anything, no wheat or soy. Vegetables are good. You also gotta check the ingredients in the dog biscuits.

OH...one more thing about starting a dog on Atopica (generic is cyclosporine but some dogs don't do as well on the generic so you have to experiment to find out). Atopica can give some dog's a tummy upset. My cockapoo never had a problem but the lab would throw up. The vet told me not to wait so long after a meal. They tell you to give it to a dog on an empty stomach but 4 hours was too long for my dog. When I moved it up to 2 hours after his meal he did much better. New research reveals that dogs are still benefitting with some food in their tummy. You can also give it with a little bit of food.
Novartis gives rebates, the vet will tell you how you can get that.

After what I went through with my dog's allergy problems, this drug was sent from heaven. The only thing I don't like about it is the price! Some day it will be cheaper but not likely during my dog's lifetime, so I just close my eyes and open my wallet. lol

I recently took Rocky to a new vet to have a lump tested. Although I liked the vet office who prescribed the Prednisone, they were such a large outfit that I felt like a number. With the fear of cancer lingering in my mind, I decided to go to a smaller office where the vets could get to know us (the vet is actually the parent of my son's classmate).

Anyway, the lump is not cancerous (thankfully). It is just a fatty growth. Of course I mentioned Rocky's issues with being itchy, our problems with Prednisone, and the fact that Benedryl no longer seems to help him. I feel like this vet and I see eye-to-eye. She usually tries to avoid the use of a steroids for long-term use and wants to try Rocky on the dermatologic diet to test for a true food allergy. She actually got us a 12-week free trial of the food. We have not received it yet, but I am so excited that this may finally provide relief for Rocky. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

If the special diet fails then will you listen to me? ATOPICA!!

flyingflower - I honestly forgot about the Atopica suggestion until I reread this thread. I will see the vet tomorrow or next week at school and I will be sure to ask her about it. Thanks for the reminder.