Is there anything you can put on an open sore on your dog to help it heal & stop itching?

[jillan]

I am fed up with the Vet.

My dog has skin allergies. I bathe her with special oatmeal soap. It helps a little.

Yet my poor baby keeps getting areas on her body that drive her crazy and she won't stop biting that area.

I take her to the vet. It's always the same thing. Give her benadryl, here's some antibiotics, - that will be $75... it's a never ending circus, I'm back again within a month.
She just finished a round of antibiotics, and obviously they didn't help. I can't say if the Benadryl helps because she is still biting at the area.

There has to be some kind of lotion or something to put on it. Just like we use neosporin - except for dogs.

It breaks my heart, and I feel so bad because it makes ME crazy watching her that I snapped at her earlier to stop. :(

Hoping that someone knows of something that will soothe her skin & make her stop tearing herself to pieces.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Try another vet. Cortisone shots might be appropriate.

Years ago I had a cat who licked a big patch of fur off his belly; it was obvious that this area was itchy and irritated. The vet gave him cortisone, which stopped the itching so he stopped licking, and before long the fur grew back. He never had that problem again.

[jillan]

2. We actually did that a couple of visits ago. It did help... for awhile.

So frustrating. I might try another vet. The thing is that I bought health insurance for my dog at Banfield - which is Petsmart's Vet services.
Maybe I should take her to a different location.

[roody]

3. Try liquid vitamin E. If they lick it off,

it is good for them.

[jillan]

4. Thanks! I just googled using vitamin E on dogs and it led me to a really helpful website!

http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/home-remedy-for-a-dogs-itchy-skin_751.html

:pals: You have no idea how much these means to me.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Our German Shepherd Dog, Big, has similar problems. They're persistent and chronic.

Our vet is a GSD lover herself, and one of her GSDs has the same thing, too.

We have to bring Big in one to three times each "heating season" for a course of steroids. As soon as we move out to the deck for the summer, and Big stays outside longer, her condition essentially disappears. (She won't stay out if her humans aren't out there with her.) Added to the steroids, we give her a (generic) Claratin each day. We were advised to try a series of antihistamines until we found one that gave her some relief, and the Claratin was it. The vet actually had a published list of over the counter antihistamines and the appropriate dosages for each; dogs can take these for the rest of their lives with no side effects, we were told.

Collectively, this works to reduce, but not eliminate, her scratching.

Clearly, this is an allergy symptom. Big is allergic to something, and that something is clearly in the house. Dust? Something in our heating vents? A cleaning product we use? The dye in a carpet?

We have no clue, and neither does our vet - about our dog or her own. Dogs can be tested, but the tests are lengthy and costly. Treating things symptomatically, if it works, is the best course.

We also use several over the counter "hot spot" sprays from the pet store. These are actually our first line of defense when she starts to scratch. We were advised not to use topical creams (neosporin, etc.), as licking them could be bad for the dog. The hot spot sprays are not harmful if licked. Just part the hair and spray on the skin.

True story: When I say to Big "Want a pill ? Let's give you a pill! Time for a Piillllll!" she gets all happy and readily accepts the pill with no fuss, no muss, no bother. Does she accept/realize it makes her feel better? We had to give her antibiotics for an unrelated matter and she did NOT want those pills. I had to wrestle her to get those down. But her Claratin? No problem at all.

Anyway, I hope this helps. And don't be down on your vet. These chronic issues are hard to treat.

[irisblue]

6. question

princess pretty paws chewed off a huge area on her right side two years ago. we did the shots, antibiotics, skin scrapings. we finally changed her food and treats, have you tried this yet?

[jillan]

7. I am going to try that. I feed her Iams and the vet told me that Iams makes a formulas that don't

contain beef or chicken and to try that.