Thank you very much for the immediate reply. She is very active and eats well so far. I intend to ask our vet to do CBC

It could be allergies or maybe something like a foreign body in the nose.  I’d be tempted to run to the vet if this goes on for more than a day.

When was her last vet visit?  I’d get her in.  I’d be worried about dental issues.

To the vet with you, first thing this morning.  There may be a scratch on her eye.  Don’t delay on this – eye problems can go downhill QUICKLY.

Statistically cats live longer healthier life if they live indoors. Your cat should be spayed neutered and microchip along with having the required vaccines. You may want to consider harness training your cat so that you can take it on long walks they love it.

Thank you for rescuing!  I would plan on a vet visit once they’re open, just to make sure he’s alright.  All new pets should be seen within 3 days, anyway.

What did your vet say when you took your dog to see him/her?  Haven’t been to a vet yet?  What are you waiting for?

Took to the vet. Gave her steroids

So, steroids.  Did the vet tell you this was the result of an allergy?  

If so, the first thing you must do is get all grains out of her diet, including treats.  No more sharing the odd cookie or corn chip with her.  Go to a good pet store (not the grocery store or a big box store) and ask to be shown to the grain-free dog foods.  Then start reading labels.  You want a dog food that lists real meat as the first 2, or even better, 3 ingredients.  Real meat is easy to recognize, it will say Elk, Bison, Turkey, Lamb, Pork, Salmon meal, Whitefish meal, etc.  Meal is the entire animal ground up and dried – a good thing.  Avoid chicken and beef – many dogs are reactive to those two proteins.  Do NOT buy any food that lists ‘by products’ as an ingredient, this is a sign that you will be paying premium price for a sub-standard food.

Read all treat packages – they sneak a lot of grains into treats.

To help with the itching right now – rinse your dog daily with a mix of vinegar and water (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water – organic apple cider vinegar is best if you can afford it.  Use white vinegar if your dog is a very light color since apple cider can stain the coat.).  Flush the mix through her coat, working it down to her skin, then let her shake and dry – don’t rinse it out.  The vinegar helps calm the itch.  You can do this several times per day on the naked skin since it will dry fast – you don’t want her to go to bed damp though.

You can keep a bowl of this mix at the door (use fresh mix every day) and dip her feet when she comes in from outdoors – this helps keep down the amount of pollen and mold spores she tracks into the house.

Cover your furniture with sheets or towels where ever you allow her to nap – then toss those covers in the wash every week.  Same with her dog bed or crate liner.  If she sleeps in bed with you – cover the foot of the bed with a sheet or beach towel – and wash it weekly.  This keeps down the amount of pollen and mold spores on those surfaces too.  Vacuum each day with a HEPA filter in your vacuum.

If the vet suggested Benedryl use Zyrtec instead – it seems to work better for dogs.  The generic is fine, and use the same dose as the Benedryl – one pill in the morning and one at night.

If she has any hot spots (raw open wounds), dab on witch hazel with aloe vera (find in any pharmacy over the counter) and let it dry.

Consider feeding your dog a raw diet – google “BARF diet for dogs”, “raw diet for dogs”, “biologically appropriate diets for dogs” to learn more.  It is a little intimidating at first, but after the first 6 months you will see such changes in your dog that you will never go back to dry bits out of a bag.  And your dog will smell wonderful!

Keep in mind that a naked dog will feel warmer to us – we are used to having a layer of insulation (fur) between our skin and theirs.  Normally a dog’s temperature is 102.5 degrees F and we are only 98.6.

If your dog has a skin infection you will need to continue to work with a vet – don’t let your girl get worse! 

Take her to the vet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Goodluck.