Oh, please don't give your Rottie two Benadryl caps/tabs, you will surely kill her. That is way, way too much, it will shut down her kidneys and/or liver. Based on the breed standard, I am guessing that your Rottie is anywhere between 80-100 lbs, if you want to go the Benadryl route, I would start her off with 1/2 a tab a day for a week and see how that works. Benadryl is made for Humans, trust me, my 250lb husband can be knocked on his behind by just taking one of them, so could you imagine what could happen to your dog? Give her a 1/2 tab in a little bit of Peanut Butter and she will most likely be much better. I went through this same exact scenario. I took the dogs for a walk and sure enough the next day, one dog is scratching like mad and I have PI. Well I went to the drugstore for myself and took the dog to the Vet. The Vet told me that the dog did not have PI because dogs do not have the same allergic reaction to the oils from PI as Humans do, they carry it on their coat and when the owner pats the nice doggy (or in your case rubs againest a person) that person now has the oil on them and we react to it. What my dog has is season allergies, and since it occurs at the same time as PI, people think dogs have PI. Husband has the same allergies as the dog (it's kind of funny, mind you, not to him but it is to me, LOL), in their case it's ragweed and pine pollen--if one of them is sneezing or scratching I know the other one is going to be soon. In dogs the symptons are scratching, sneezing and licking, especially their pads on their paws. Vet told me to give him 1/3 of a tablet of Benadryl based on his weight (he is about 45 lbs, Dalmation/Beagle mix, not a 'Designer Dog', he is a MUTT), he said to start him off there and see how that is for a week and sure enough three years later it is still working wonders. As for you, well that is a whole different case. When I take the dogs out for a stroll somewhere where I know there most likely will be PI somewhere, I bring along a bottle of Technu made by a company called Oak'N'Ivy, you will find it almost everywhere, it is made for treatment immediately after contact with PI, it removes the oil that causes the reaction. If you do not get it in time they also make something called Ivy Dry. Good luck!

Growing Zone 6, PA is abbrev. for Pennsylvania, USA, about 3 hrs' north of Washington, DC. It is a stupid regulation, but enough people were annoyed by cat actions to get it passed. Any little bedroom community full of suburban developments can pass any sort of stupid regulations it sees fit, and often does. One of the ramifications of a true democracy... One reason may be that feline leukemia is present in the stray cat population, and they are hoping to eradicate it. Fat chance. Another possible reason is the Animal Rights movement, which some members of appear to desire to make mankind's long, traditional associations with animals obsolete. The trend in the States is to raise dogs and cats as if they were overprotected children that should never be out alone. Admittedly, as our population increases, the ecological niche for other beasties in our population is being threatened. Some of the dog and cat breeds becoming popular in this country may also be a factor. We have all kinds of cats showing up in our yard; I planted catnip for my crew. I can't let my cats out because the fine is enormous; we already had a warning because a bird-loving neighbor who knew about the law (we didn't) called the police on a previous cat we had. It actually could not have been our cat, either, because he said it was in his yard at 10:00 pm, when we only let ours out from 4 to 6 pm, when he would then come back in for supper. We use unscented detergent, but, come to think of it, that cat rarely sleeps on their official bedding anyway.

""They are kind of pretty, until they jump towards me, then they just creap me out!"" Okay, that cracks me up! I spent about three minutes yesterday shooshing out a grasshopper and trying to keep three dogs from killing it accidentally with their excitement. It was kind of fun... My boyfriend asked why I didn't just pick him up and put him outside--he even offered to. Hah! My bug, my fun :) I don't think I will give up on the Mexican hat...I like it so much!! Even if it does start, I think I will bring most of the seeds to the swap as it is supposed to only go up to 7000 feet. I wonder if it matters that I am at 8240? Eh, worth a try! Yes, most definitely a lacewing. I used to get so spastic when I saw lacewing eggs and croco-lady bugs back in SF. There were so many aphids in that neighborhood that the arrival of predators made me jump for joy. I used to have (and still have if I ever find it again) a tiny hand help monocle-type magnifier and I would just stare at the little bug-eating monsters. Like aliens, they are!! Those syrphid (sp?) flies are everywhere, too, so that must mean there is something bad for them to eat. Either that or they are just hanging around and enjoying the blooms. I like those guys a lot, something about their tiny, super-fast wings and the way they hover and buzz ever so slightly. I did not get enough of a look at my dragon to see if it was one kind or another...I just got so excited...kind of the way my dogs do! "Oh, oh, look! A bug!" I AM going to try sweet peas again!! I plan on starting earlier next year and on being better informed. I am also going to try something new. I am going to bring in my petunias and their cousins when winter starts to hit and pop them in a flower box in a window. Maybe they will be happy inside and then I will be able to plop them back in the flower bed next spring? The book says they won't come back with our cold temps, but that they should come back during a milder winter. Who knows, try and learn, trial and error. Wheeeeeee!!!!!!! Oh, and an important and fun link...well, it might not be important, but it has great and many pictures and proper labeling of the scientific names of bugs and insects. If you scroll down a ways and look on the left, there is an alpha. listing of zillions of good bug pics. Here: Here is a link that might be useful: Whats that bug?

I agree with the idea of going to a veterinary dermatologist, and you can try several approaches to helping your dog (often trying them all at the same time works well). First of all, though food allergies do occur, MOST skin allergies are NOT related to food (90%). But if it were a food allergy, changing brands of food is rarely going to help, as most of the time dogs are allergic to an ingredient in the food, not a brand of food. Common ingredients implicated in food allergies are soy, wheat, beaf, chicken, turkey, and less often, corn and lamb, and least often, rice and other products. You will find most dog foods contain at least one of these items so swithching brands rarely (though possibly) resolves the problem for those 10% of itchy dogs who have any sort of food allergy. For the rest (90%) it is usually an enviromental allergy- atopy or flea allergy or house-dust mite allergy (sometimes it can be mange or something more serious, but mange is not seasonal and it is incredibly itchy- rarely ever would respond to cortisone). So for those dogs you can do multiple things. Best would be to move to a new cliamte... oh well, not usually an option for most people. Antihistamines are always a safe thing to add into the treatment mix, though they are not very strong medicine... just very safe (as long as you follow your vet's dosages- MORE is rarely better with antihistamines and can really create some bizarre manias if overdosed). Long term use of antihistamines is very safe. Fatty acid supplements are likewise very safe, though sort of slow to help out. Still, good for lots of things (joints, kidneys etc.) other than just allergic skin. Fish oil (primarily Salmon oils) are the best. Cod Liver oil is NOT a good choice- too much vitamin A and can end up being very toxic. Antibiotics are almost always a good idea when skin is getting scabby or raw, and can help with the itch as well as get rid of the secondary Staph infections... antibiotics should be used precicely as your vet recommends, and often for months at a time (1 week of antibiotics rarely end up doing anything worthwhile). Most cases I refer to the derm clinics that end up on antibiotics are on a 2-4 month course of therapy, sometimes indefinite. Shampoos are rarely that useful in treatment of allergies, as most, if not all, further dry the skin and make it itchier. They can rinse off antigens, and help get rid of infections, but usually need to be followed by conditioners if they are not going to contribute to the problem rather than help it. Topical sprays can be useful for focal allergic spots, but rarely are useful for 'whole body' itching. Some have cortisone and antbiotics in them, and are really pretty good at helping, at least a lot more so than over-the-counter products. And lastly, of course are the 'strong meds' like cortisones and cyclosporines... these are meds with potential side effects so using them has to be done under close veterinary supervision. Often using all of the above is needed for severe allergy dogs. The veterinary dermatology specialist will help you diagnose the problem, first, and then prescribe appropriate treatment. Good luck!