Thanks, I just thought it was weird that it started after living here a while. Guess I’ll get him checked out by a vet!

You can take him to the vet as recommended – however I suspect that the vet will tell you that it is most likely he has developed an allergy to something.  Most likely mold spores this time of year what with the damp and cold.  And most of my dogs develop their allergies at about 2 years of age – so your dog is completely normal.

I recommend that you rinse off his feet when he come in – that will keep him from tracking the allergen around the house and into his bedding, etc.  I use a shallow tub that I fill with a mixture of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water.  I dump and make fresh mix every day so I am not growing things in the the tub.  Some of my dogs will walk right into this pan/tub, some have to be picked up and placed in the tub.  People with large dogs some times use a giant plastic mug (32 oz of soda anyone?!) and they dip each paw into the mug. 

You then dry off the paws or let them make spots as they run through the house, no need to rinse out the vinegar/water mix.  

You can also use the same mix to rinse off the his entire body every day or two – this removed allergens from his coat, and the vinegar helps reduce the itch.

If your vet recommend Benedryl use Zyrtec (cetirizine hydrochloride) instead – many people find it works much better for their dogs.

If you haven’t gotten your dog on a grain free diet now is the time to do so.  No corn, wheat, soy, or rice!  Not even in treats, and no more sharing your bread crusts, cookies or taco chips!  

To find the good dog food, go to a pet store (not a grocery store or Walmart) and ask to be shown to the grain-free dog foods.  Then start reading labels.  You want the package to say “grain-free”, and the first 2 or 3 ingredients to be real meat.  Real meat will be beef, lamb, bison, turkey, chicken (although a lot of allergic dogs are reactive to chicken), salmon meal (meal is the entire animal ground up and dried – a good thing), whitefish meal, etc.  

Then read on to make sure the food contains NO BY PRODUCTS.  By products can be nothing more than feathers, or what ever the manufacturer shoveled off the slaughter house floor.  No one needs that.

Good luck!

There is a new study out that indicates that for dogs with mild allergies, swimming every day does as much for relieving the symptoms as does any prescription drug. They believe it removes enough allergens from the dog’s body that the dog’s immune system can then deal with the allergy.

I put a call in but I haven’t heard back yet. I’ll be at their door first thing in the morning. She has to knock him out to do anything. Thank you

Thanks! I hope she adjusts soon, I feel bad for her. Nothing I do seems to help – she walks around with her tail in between her legs.

Krista is right!  Puppies need exercise, mental stimulation and love!  Give her some puzzles that she needs to do — something as simple as a stuffed Kong or you can make homemade puzzles with treats, a muffin pan and tennis balls.  Work with her on basic obedience.  Chicago might be a bit harsh for outdoor activities but if she’ll fetch (or even is interested in tennis balls or other toys) throw them down a flight of stairs and call her back to you so she is running up and down the stairs.  A good game of tug can get her energy going too.  Also think about a flirt pole — this is sort of like a fishing pole with a toy on the end (almost like a cat toy) where you can have her chase it, stalk it, pounce on it.

Good luck!