Tex' vet appt

[vicklynn]

Tex had a bad allergy break out so last night I gave him a oatmeal bath and said tomorrow he is going to the vet. I had enough of trying to figure it out.

Vet said that usually allergies stem from grass, pollen, mold, dust spores. Kind of like those ones we get yrly. Probably why he started having issues when the season hit.
She did not want to put him on steroids as she would use that as a last resort.
Right now he is on antihistamines for 3 days, then as needed. He is on an antibiotic as the sores have some skin bacteria issues with them, so even if they look ok in 2 days, the bacteria needs to go bye bye, so to use all the pills until they are gone.
He is on some stuff called Reslchlor Conditioner. After his bath 2 or 3 times a week(oatmeal left in for up to 10 min)to rub that in while he is still wet.

He did not get tested for allergies, but if this does not fix his issues that we will take the next step. Which could be a few different ways of testing.

We had a long talk about dog food and she dosnt think that is his issue from what she sees and knows.
She said that with all the store food they have now its so hard for a vet to fix actual dog food allergies. Used to be, they could say try this feed, but its all on the shelf now, people buy it, dogs have allergies, even to the new foods, so the only thing they can say now is feed lima beens. Made sence to me.
So, I will be mixing all the dogs food until we are back down to the Beneful and feeding that. She had no qualms with that. Im sure the dogs will be in heaven too.
All the dogs love Benefil and Im sure they will love Tex' 40.00 food mixed in with it..lol

This vet, who works at my vets office part time, is the vet where we took Lady when she was a pup and had all her issues with multiple worms, mange, and spayed when we first got her. I trust this lady with my dogs, so Im happy with everything she said.

Here is a HUGE funny and I about rolled when the vet tech and I were talking about Tex' breed. We came to the conclusion awhile back that Tex is not fully a mini schnauzer, but what is his mix, cause he is schnauzer.
She had been thinking and all of a sudden she said I got it, Jack Russel. I just started laughing so hard as ya know what, she may be right. If you could see Tex, not in pictures, you can sure see that sure may be the mix.
So, we are now calling Tex' breed, schnauzer/jack russel X, until we hear otherwise.
We may do a DNA on him, but thats only IF we feel we really need to get down to the dirty on him.
Tex is a wild one(in a fun way) and fits the JR energy level right on. What I call a JR, ping ping ping.
He sure makes ya smile:D

[natisha]

I hope this works for him.:) And you

[Gypsy Rose]

Hope things work out for Tex! He has to be pretty miserable!

You never know on the breed cross. What the hay- he's just loveable Tex!

[vicklynn]

Hope things work out for Tex! He has to be pretty miserable!

He could care less...LOL....You'd never know there was a problem other than looking at his underside. He is as happy as a clam. Not much brings him down.

[oursarge]

Hope all will clear up with him. This is the worst time of year for allergies for people and animals I think. Mine are horrid since Mold is my worst allergy. When I had Noah every year at this time his back feet would turn red and scabby, I'd use cortosone creme on them, his nose would even turn a different color sometimes. Once it got real cold he'd be fine again. It never really bothered him either just looked bad.

Rompy had the bacterial thing and had to take anti biotics too and have creams put on him etc. He has the worst coat for a horse I've ever seen and I give him suppliments for it but they don't work that great I guess I don't know, maybe he'd be worse without them. All the rain we've been having hasn't helped either.

I wanted to get Puppy allergy tested but my vet said they don't like testing puppies, I forget why, he told me but I can't remember and they didn't want to give her steriods if she does have IBS so we tried the food and so far that works. He said the testing is pretty pricey so he said to try the food change and see what happens. I just hope this will work for Tex, he is so cute and such a good puppy. Now you can tell everyone you have a "Designer Dog"!!!!! A S/JR Mix!

[mygirlmaggie]

your boy looks just like mine when he was a pup. Mine is now 13 but they could be twins if mine still was a youngin' lol. He's a schnoodle. (poodle schnauzer) I just think they're so much alike in looks. I'm not sure how to get a pic embedded in this post or how to even post a link. But he looks just exactly like him!

[vicklynn]

really mygirlmaggie? Id like to see a pic of your dog.

Do you have photobucket? Thats all I use, so all Id know how to help you with.
If its photobucket, go to the pic, click on direct link, copy and paste here(look at the captions above your reply screen, there is a brown square with green in it, click on it, that is where you paste too.)

[mygirlmaggie]

Ok thanks Vicki! Hoping this works. Here's a pic of him. They're recent. I can't find any of his pup pics. But when he was a baby he looked exactly like your tex. Same ears and everything.

http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq21/mygirlmaggie/SANY0286.jpg

[mygirlmaggie]

Here's one where he's looking at the camera..hopefully this works.


http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq21/mygirlmaggie/SANY0288-1.jpg

[oursarge]

He's cute!!!!!

[Equine_Woman]

Poor Tex!!!! I hope he does well on his antihistamines. I know how he feels. Although my belly isn't broken out. . .just my nose stuffed. . .

[WashingtonBay]

Boy do I sympathize with itchy dogs! We've been through everything with our Homer... not sure if you saw our recent thread about the latest attempt at a solution or not.

Homer ate antihistamines every day, and he'd usually eat them right in his dinner, without difficulty. We'd do rounds of prednisone then when that wasn't enough.

[Remali]

Awww man, poor Tex. I hope he gets better and the antihistamines help him. A friend of mine has a Boxer with terrible allergies, her dog gets very itchy and has a bad time. My friend did put her dog on some different food tho, and it really has helped the allergies to the point where she needs no meds at all.....so I wouldn't rule out trying different dog food. My friend feeds her dog Taste of the Wild, in fact I put my two dogs on it last year too..... Bentley had issues with soft stools, and the Taste of the Wild dog food helped him with that. Hope Tex feels better.

Cute pictures! :)

[vicklynn]

Here's one where he's looking at the camera..hopefully this works.


http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq21/mygirlmaggie/SANY0288-1.jpg
Oh how cute! That sure does look like Tex. They sure could be from the same litter hu?
Tex has a curly tail, wraps back up over his bum like a JR, why were thinking that.
What ever he is, he is loved all the same.

[mygirlmaggie]

Yeah they sure could be..lol His tail curls over his back but not tight to his body..kinda like a question mark. Now his sister's tail curls up tight just like a little piggies tail. He looks hairy in the pics due to not having a haircut. But they said the poodle is what makes his hair curly. I guess schnauzers have straigher stiff hair.

[vicklynn]

Hmmm, been looking up Schnauzer info and look what I found.
The vet said pretty much the same thing.
Im thinking pollen, grass during the season is the issue, beings he didnt have it when there was no pollen and grass wasnt growing. Makes me happy to know this and have the treatment for it!!

Allergies
Allergies are one of the most common causes of Schnauzer skin conditions. This is a BIG subject, whole books have been written on the subject. Here are some of the main points in a nutshell: Inhalant Allergies.
Substances which can cause an allergic reaction in dogs are similar to those causing allergies in humans and include pollens, trees, other animals, dust mites and mold.
A clue to diagnosing these allergies is to look at the timing of the reaction. Does it happen all year round? If so, this may be mold or dust. If the reaction is seasonal, then pollens may well be the culprit.
Symptoms of inhalant allergies include scratching, biting, chewing at paws and constant licking. The itching may be most severe on feet, flanks, groin and armpits. Dogs may also rub their face on the carpet.
Flea Bite Allergies
This type of reaction is not to the flea itself, but to proteins in flea saliva, which are deposited under the dog's skin when the flea feeds.
Just one fleabite in a sensitised Schnauzer will cause intense and long-lasting itching. Most of the damage is done by the dog scratching, rather than the flea bite. This can result in the dog's hair dropping out or skin abrasions.
Some dogs will develop round, red, painful sores called hot spots. These can occur anywhere, but are often along the back and base of the tail.
Flea bite allergy is the most common form of canine skin allergy and can only be totally prevented by removing all fleas from the dog's environment.


Other Causes
some other reasons for Schnauzer skin conditions are:Bacterial infection (Pyodermas).
Fortunately this Schnauzer skin condition is not contagious.
Early signs are itchy yellow spots filled with pus, and possibly later red ulcerated skin with dry, crusty patches.
Often dog bacterial problems are signs of another skin condition, such as parasites, allergies or a hormonal imbalance.
Following a consultation with your vet, a course of treatment will follow, which may include antibiotic capsules or ointments.


All the highlighted words fit in with what Tex has been going through and what the vet said.
She said the Bacterial infection is 2nd to his allergies.....so this is right on info.

[elevenelevenxo]

Vick, ask your vet about giving Tex Benadryl. The 25mg over the counter human allergy medication. :) That's one thing we suggest to our clients who have dogs with seasonal allergies. I've had to use it with my own before and it really does work well. Just check with her on the correct dosage. :)

Might be that Tex would need to go in a few times a month to get an allergy injection. Allergies are REALLY common in dogs....aside from vomiting/diarrhea issues, the most common thing we see at the hospital during the warmer months are allergy issues.

[Gypsy Rose]

Hopefully, with all the new info, you'll be able to get Tex feeling batter!