I had a very similar situation with my cat. It affected his paws, and they ended up bleeding, and severely scarred, and we had to keep them wrapped, not easy with a cat. He had to end up with cortisone shots, but that didn't help. He became really sick, and we actually made arrangements to have him put down before we figured out the problem.

I know that people say this is a myth, but in our case it absolutely turned out to be the swiffer wet jet that caused his problems. My son figured out that he always got worse a day or so after we washed the floors, and then we realized that the problems started after we had bought it the year before. We stopped using the wet jet, cancelled his euthanasia appointment, and within two weeks his symptoms all cleared up (except for his scars, of course).

Someone sent me an email from the manufacturer of the wet jet that "debunked" claims that their product causes problems in animals, and I emailed them and told them of my experience and that I had much documentation from the vet to support my claim. They never responded. But the fact remains that when we made that ONE change, and stopped using their product, our cat-who had been sick for a year- recuperated. And it's not hard to believe that some animals are sensitive to certain chemicals.

You may not use a wet jet product, but try to think if there was some change in cleaning products or something that you have made. And of course, allergies can develop at any time too. Good luck with your dog, I hope you get it figured out for the poor thing.

I have a question. Do you feed him out of a plastic bowl? If so make sure his bowls are stainless or glass and keep them clean. Some of the cheaper toys are made of latex and dogs can have latex allergies just like humans. Most toys are imported and nobody really knows knows what they might contain. Most animals can handle them but a dog prone to allergies may not. Stay away from pig ears and rawhide too.

A lot of people will go to great lengths and expense to change the feed but forget about the other items their dog ingests.

Then again if the Antihistamines didn't show any improvement at all your dog may just be an anxious dog who licks.

Also stay away from all those shampoos.sprays and drops you buy over the counter. It sounds like he should have been under the care of a vet and allergy tested long ago.

Internet and pet store advice may have worsened the problem.

At eight I would definitely do the allergy test. I would also try another vet who specializes in skin disorders.

Plase have the thyroid test. We had a Chow, that is no longer with us. She died of old age 2 yrs ago. Anyway, she had the very same symptoms. It got so bad, that she started to lose big patches of hair, along with the sores. Our vet did the thyroid test and that was the problem. Once started on the meds, she started to improve imediately, and in about 3 months, was completely covered with hair, and had no more sores. Good thing is that the thyroid med is really cheap. Good Luck to you.

I feel your pain. I know how frustrating it can be to see your pet miserable and nothing seems to work to help him.

I have a Shih Tzu here that actually belongs to my sons ex-girlfriend, but she's not able to care for it..so, it's fallen into my hands.

This little dog was miserable. She scratched constantly and when you would pet her, you could feel little scabs all over her skin under her fur. It was terrible. She would often just sit up next to the kitchen cabinets and scoot her body back and forth against the bottom of the cabinets scratching constantly. When she wasn't doing that, she was laying under my bed in misery. I felt so darn sorry for her. OH, and she also had that smell to her like you described.

The vet finally prescribed Prednisone (1/2 tablet of 5mg. once a day). That helped, but the itching although, not severe like it was..was still happening.

Then, while searching on the internet, I came across someone saying that red dye #40, which is common in most dogs food can cause allergies/itching in dogs.

I went and searched the dog isles and finally found dog food called Nutrish (by Racheal Ray) that did not contain the red dye #40. I now use that brand to feed both of my dogs and the little Shih Tzu is now back to normal. No scratching or bad odors at all! I still give her the Prednisone every day, though..along with the Nutrish dog food.

Susan, I am sorry to hear about all that your cat had to go through and that even after you wrote to the company that you didn't even get an apology from them. While I can say that I have tried the swiffer wet pads, that wasn't until about 6 months ago which was way after Stanley first started with all of this. I didn't care for them anyway I only used them for about a week.

dianamo, I am glad that you have also found what it was that was causing the problem with your little friend. I just looked up the food that he is eating and there isn't red dye listed on there. :( Thank you though for your help.

Here is a link to what Stanley is eating right now. This is the ONLY thing he eats aside from his antibiotic pills.

Thanks again for any and all of your advice.

Wildchild, Stanley uses glass/ceramic dishes. And even though he used to share all of my food with me, ever since he has been on this special food he has had absolutely ZERO table scraps. No one feeds him ANYTHING other than the special food. However, we have never once considered that it might be one of his toys! He has many toys and a lot of them he has had for years now. So it very well could be a reaction to one of them. I put all of his toys up as soon as I read that. Thank you for the ideas.

Cat_ky I am sorry that you, too have gone through what we are experiencing. I am very glad that you had gotten an answer to your problems and that you friend was able to enjoy the rest of her life without any further itching. ((((hugs)))) I am sorry that you lost her though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stanley Food

Just thought of something. My DD dog also has a iching problem. She is algeric to sunshine, meaning her skin can get irriated if she is outside too much. She has other problems, but that was one of them. Grass, stuff you put on the grass, like weed killer, fertilizer also can cause problems. You might contact a Veterinary College for help. I know there is one in Ca at U of Davis in the San francisco area. (think it is there). I do wish you the best.

2 ideas.

Do you frequently clean your carpets? I have heard reactions to the shampoo are common.

We had a dog who devloped itchy skin mostly at the base of his tail, he was miserable and was leaving blood all over our carpets. We tried several different things, finally trying a product called Pet's Alive (a dry additive you add to your pet's food) and within weeks our dog was healing up. We kept him on the Pet's Alive until he had to be put to sleep at age 17. I don't know if it will help your dog, but it could be a inexpenive solution.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pet's Alive

I think at this point you have no choice but to do the thyroid and allergy testing. At least you can rule things out at the very least. Is your lawn treated?? Maybe try using an Shark Steam mop for floors. They use only water, no chemicals. If he stinks again, check his ears. Those infections can recur. Stores and vets sell ear cleaning liquid. Keep his ears clean. I'd consider a second opinion from another vet too. Its odd the benadryl didn't help if its an allergy.

A friend of mine went through this with her cat. She had a full battery of allergy tests done and learned the cat was allergic to numerous foods as well as many things in the environment. She has been on special food (lamb maybe?) now for years. She also gets ocassional steroid shots when certain allergens are in season (like oak or pine). She rarely needs the collar and is doing well now. I would stop messing around with this vet and find someone who knows what they are doing. Is there a veterinary school near you?

The thought of a veterinary school never crossed my mind. I will surely look into that. Thank you Mariend and Sue for bringing that up.

Wow mariend, the secretary at my vet office said that he could be allergic to a number of different things. I never thought sun light could be one of them! I bet that was shocking to you when you first found out about it. We live in an apartment building. They do use the fertilizer on their grass but they haven't for about 6 months now. We have only lived here for about a year though, so again Stanley would have been having his issues way before then.

Lydia, I used to shampoo my carpets VERY frequently before we moved here. Now I never do it as I'm not sure if I am allowed to do it on my own. That was a good thought though. I have book marked the page that you put a link to. I will show it to DH. Thank you so much.

Lisa, the vet just mentioned his ears the last time we were there. She said that they look great and she suggested that I continue with the drops twice a week for the rest of his life. So I will surely do that. And I am thinking that we are going to go ahead with the thyroid testing first. Hopefully they will find something then. That is what my vet is really pushing for. And then if nothing shows up from that I guess the only thing left to do then would be the allergy testing.

I am very glad that i have posted this. Honestly at this point DH feels just really peeved with the vets. We have been to 2 now within the last 3 years. And like I said, the one said it was a bad habit. DH feels that an allergy test should have been discussed as an option from the very beginning with this 2nd vet once they told us it was allergies. I'm kinda confused as to why it wasn't mentioned before now as well. We didn't even know it was an option. I mean I knew that humans had them done but I'd never heard of it being done on a pet before. So here we are, now having spent well over $1,000 in vet bills alone and we have made absolutely no progress at all. We aren't rich by any means. Sorry for venting. Anyway, I think it has helped DH to see that we aren't the only ones that have had to deal with this. Thank you for sharing your own stories and thank you again for your ideas and thoughts.

I heard if its not wheat and the typical things, then its they dye they put in and to make sure that it doesn't have dye in it.

Dogs can be allergic to a lot of the same things people are like fabrics, foods, plants just to name a few. My dog has all kinds of white bumps on her and was also constantly licking and itching. We changed foods several times, had tests done and nothing worked. I bought expensive shampoos from the vet and it did no good. Vet said it might be a allergic reaction to something inside or outside the house.

We finally got rid of all the carpet and put in hardwood floors this last year because my DS and I have an allergy to dust mites. Guess what, her bumps and licking and itching went away. I don't know if she was allergic to the carpet or the dust mites but it worked. I know how frustrating and expensive it can be.
Good luck.
Clare

Hi. You might check into a drug called Atopica. I have a cairn terrier who has terrible allergies on her feet from late spring through fall. She licks and licks and scratches and scratches with sores and scabs that will not go away. The vet had me try this last year and it made a huge difference. While taking it, she did not lick and cry and whine (which was a miserable sound from a little doggy) all the time like she was doing This year I am going to try the allergy shots and see if they will help. The vet said to try for one year and if the shots don't work, to go back on the Atopica. So, you might want to check into this pill and see if it would help your doggie.

I forgot to add, Atopica is not a steroid, so, relief without the crazy side effects of steroids. Hope this might help your dog (and you).

Wow! I so feel your pain. I wish I had an answer for you. We have a Chow mix that has a skin condition. We did the same thing with all the different foods. What we found that works is a teaspoon of cooking oil in her food works. But I am sure Stanley is in need of some good meds. Poor guy! I hope you are able to find a solution quickly!

Trish

Wow, Heather--it's like fighting a war, isn't it? The above suggestions sound very good to me, and I hope one or more of them works for you. I have nothing to add other than to express my admiration for you as a wonderful dog mommy.