Dog Training, Health and Products By Zoey Dog!!

Allergies

Zoey Dog

             Well, the news is in, and it looks like I have allergies! Apparently I don’t just have one kind of allergy either.  My vet told my owner I was sensitive, and he said allergies were not uncommon in Labs like me.  I wondered how I got these allergies and most importantly, how I could get rid of them.  As I sat there scratching and shaking my head, he told my owner what the next steps would be. I thought back to when all of this misery had started.

             I used to feel just fine.  I loved my life very much, that is until the day I could not, no matter what, stop itching, scratching, and biting myself.  It started out harmless enough with a little bit of feet licking.  The licking made my toes feel good! I would go out into the yard for a romp, and then it felt good to lick my feet.  Then I started pulling at the hair between my toes and chewing instead of licking.  I ended up with one big red mess for my feet, and my vet thought I had some kind of irritation to something in the yard.  Trouble was, my owner couldn’t figure out what!

               Summer came, and now my tummy and sides itched so badly I couldn’t stand it.  I rubbed and rolled all over the carpet and repeatedly scratched at my sides with my feet.  I begged the kids to give me belly rubs to ease some of the itchiness.  One day during a belly rub, one of the kids yelled for my owner to show her my stomach.  It was bright red, inflamed, covered in bumps and my bite marks.  Another trip to the vet, and he said I definitely had some kind of skin irritation.  Was there something in the yard? Any new cleaning products in the house? Did my owner change fabric softener?  My owner remembered trying a new carpet deodorizer and thought that might be it.  The vet gave me some medicine for the infection I created by biting and another kind of medicine to make my skin feel less itchy.

             Summer passed into fall, and my feet and tummy had cleared up.  Turned out it had been the carpet deodorizer.  Guess I was sensitive to one of the ingredients.  I got rid of one allergy only to find my ears began to itch, and I shook my head feverishly.  My family commented that I was starting to smell.  My hair became greasy, and I got some more bumps on my back.  I itched and rolled again and shook my head some more.

             The vet knew right away when my owner called what I would have again.  More allergies! Lucky me.  He showed my owner the inside of my ears, and there was a smelly, dark-colored, waxy buildup inside.  I had developed an ear infection related to my allergies.  I guess that is common.  He told my owner that he thought I might have a food allergy this time, and I worried the solution would be to stop feeding me.  Dare the thought! I quickly banished it.  It turns out I could begin eating a special kind of food that would make my skin and ears feel better.

             I am once again feeling all better! It’s winter time now, and my allergies are all under control. I have been eating my new food, and it’s not bad. I love that my owner loves me enough to take good care of me and cares about my allergies. There is just one bad part to having a food allergy: I’m not allowed to eat anything else! I only get to have this food and some special treats, but no more table scraps or anything. I guess that’s the price I pay not to itch anymore, and I guess in the end it is worth it. Now, hopefully I won’t start itching again in the spring.

Some allergies are caused by commercial dog foods.  This product has proven to be effective with skin and ear allergies.  Click on the picture below to see the exclusive offer for Zoey Dog Blog readers.