So You Think Your Dog Has Allergies, Part 3: Treatment

So your dog has allergies. Not only does he show the classic signs and symptoms, but you’ve also done some work to determine what he’s allergic to. But what do you do with that information? And how can you give the poor guy some relief? Today’s post will discuss just that.

My go-to treatments.

Don’t Touch!
One of the easiest ways to treat allergies is to avoid the allergens. This is especially easy if your dog has a food allergy- just don’t feed him that food! This will mean that you will read labels like a hawk- on everything. One of Maisy’s allergies is to eggs, and let me tell you, they are everywhere. Nothing goes in her mouth unless I’ve read the label or made it myself. Treats at the pet store or drive through are turned down, much to Maisy’s disappointment.

But other things are harder to avoid. You can’t exactly keep your dog in a bubble, but for a dog allergic to grass and trees, you might be tempted to do just that. However, you can help reduce your dog’s exposure to environmental allergies simply by keeping clean. Dust regularly, wash your pup’s bedding more than usual, and if he’s especially sensitive, invest in some HEPA filters.

Don’t forget to keep your dog clean, either- wiping down his feet and belly after he’s been outside can help cut down on his itchiness. During peak allergy season, Maisy gets a weekly bath to catch the rest. If you do this, be sure to use a gentle shampoo (I like Cloud Star’s Buddy Wash, although I could do without the scent).

Treat the Symptoms
No matter how hard you try, though, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to prevent all exposure. Maisy is allergic to human dander, and I just don’t know a way to protect her from me. As a result, she receives a daily antihistamine. Medications like Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec are generally considered safe for dogs, but you should talk to your vet to get the correct dosage and make sure the medicine is right for your dog. This is especially important if your dog takes another medication (like Maisy does); sometimes there are weird interactions to be aware of.

Corticosteroids can be helpful for dogs with more serious allergies, or during an especially bad allergy season. According to the April 2011 issue of the Whole Dog Journal, corticosteroids tend to be the most effective. That said, there are also some dangers associated with them; in the article, Nancy Kerns points out that they can leave dogs vulnerable to infections and metabolic imbalances, and long-term use can result in more serious problems like liver disease, diabetes, and adrenal suppression. Personally, I prefer to avoid steroid use; I’ve taken them for my asthma, and boy did they make me cranky. Maisy, with her reactivity, does not need that.

Allergy Shots
Allergy shots- also known as immunotherapy- can go a long way to helping reduce your dog’s allergies. Nancy Kerns’ article Itching to Be Well confirmed that most dogs who receive this therapy improve. Some even recover completely. Immunotherapy does need to be customized to your dog’s specific allergies, though, which requires that you do the skin tests instead of the cheaper and easier blood tests. It also requires you to give your dog a small shot once or twice a week for months, and possibly longer. This can be costly, and it’s definitely more invasive than either avoidance or symptomatic treatment.

Holistic Options
The least controversial holistic option is to supplement your dog’s diet with fatty acid supplements, like fish oil. In Itching to be Well, Nancy Kerns quotes a veterinarian who shares that the fatty acids will go into the skin layers, which helps improve the barrier and decrease inflammatory cells. These tend to work best for mildly allergic dogs, or in conjunction with other treatment. Other options include the use of probiotics, acupuncture, homeopathy, and glandular supplements, all of which I know very little about.


Personally, I manage Maisy’s allergies through avoidance to the foods she’s allergic to, regular baths in the summer, wiping off her feet, legs, and belly when some comes inside, and a daily antihistamine (Claritin). Maisy also gets fish oil daily. This has been very successful so far, although this year looks like it will be a doozy of an allergy season, so we may be changing things up soon...

What about you? What do you do to treat your dog’s allergies? I know there are a lot of holistic treatments, although I haven’t used any myself. I’d love to hear from others about their experiences!

So You Think Your Dog Has Allergies, Part 2: Diagnosis

In my last post, I discussed the types of allergies dogs typically have- flea, environmental, and food- as well as the typical symptoms. These symptoms can range from irritating to painful for your dog, so it’s important that you treat them. That said, it is tricky to treat them if you don’t know what they are, so today’s post will discuss some ways you can determine what your dog’s allergies are.

The first step in diagnosing allergies is to visit your vet to rule out other health problems. There are a number of other issues that can mimic the itching typical of allergies (and the not-so-typical symptoms like GI distress).

Veterinary Tests
Your vet can perform a few tests to determine what your dog is allergic to. There are two basic types that I’m aware of: a blood test that can detect antibody levels, and a skin or intradermal test.

Blood tests are relatively simple; your vet simply draws a vial or two of blood and sends it into a lab to be analyzed. The Whole Dog Journal’s April 2011 article Itching to be Well recommends doing the blood test at the end of peak allergy season- typically the fall in North America- as this is when antibody levels are highest. There will probably be some false positives or negatives, which means that while this test can be helpful, it may get some things wrong.

The skin/intradermal test requires shaving your dog’s belly/side, injecting small amounts of various allergens, and then reading the reaction. It is more time consuming, expensive, and stressful for your dog, but it is also more accurate.

It should be noted that neither test is very reliable for foods- the Whole Dog Journal article cites a 30% accuracy rate- so take those results with a grain of salt. The best way to test your dog for food allergies is through the use of a food elimination trial.

Food Elimination Trials

This is what I feed now, but look at the ingredients below; 

despite the high quality, it's entirely inappropriate for a food elimination trial.

When you do a food elimination trial, you feed your dog a diet with one protein source, and one carbohydrate source, and nothing else. Both the protein and carb should be novel- something you’ve never fed before. With the explosion in the pet food market, it is getting more difficult to do this. Some of the proteins that used to be recommended- like lamb and duck- are pretty standard now days.

It’s the “nothing else” that’s even trickier, though, because everything you feed your dog- from food to treats to chewies- needs to be of either that protein or that carb, and you’ll need to be vigilant to make sure he doesn’t sneak any scraps, or mug a friendly pet store clerk for treats.

I personally recommend using a fresh, homemade (raw or cooked) diet during this time. It will not be a balanced diet, but if your dog has previously had good nutrition, it is highly unlikely any nutritional deficiencies will show up during the relatively short period you'll need for testing. The problem with using kibble is that there are just so many ingredients in them, and your dog might be allergic to any of them.

If you really want to use kibble, feeding a prescription diet for allergies is probably your best bet. These diets typically work by using hydrolyzed proteins, which are proteins that have been broken down molecularly so they are so small that the dog’s body shouldn't react to it. As a side note, don't be fooled by packages that claim to be limited ingredient diets or hypoallergenic. You will need to read the labels for yourself to see exactly what's in that food. 

No matter what you choose to feed, you must feed it exclusively for a minimum of 8 to 12 weeks. This allows your dog’s body to rid itself of the histamines from previous foods that might have been causing a problem. If, at the end of this time, your dog is still itchy, you can conclude one of two things: either your dog’s itchiness is not due to food, or you had the spectacularly bad luck to choose a food that your dog was allergic to. I’ve even heard of some rare cases where a dog has reacted to hydrolyzed protein diets. Switch diets and try again, waiting for 8 to 12 weeks before moving to the next step.

Food Challenge
Simply feeding the elimination diet is only half the task, though. Now you must challenge your dog’s diet. It is important that you continue to feed nothing but the novel protein and carb, however, you will add one single food to your dog’s diet for one week. If your dog is allergic to the new item you’ve added, you’ll probably see the recurrence of symptoms within a week, and sometimes sooner.

If your dog is still itch-free at the end of the week, you can safely assume your dog is not allergic to that item. Continue to add a single item at a time weekly, taking note of what causes your dog to react, and what doesn’t. Soon, you should have a list of your dog’s food allergies.

Keep Notes!
Of course, it’s always possible that you’ll introduce a new food item at the same time your dog is exposed to fleas or mold or pollen. That’s why simply keeping a log of your dog’s symptoms, noting if there is any correlation with potential allergens, can be very helpful. Weather.com has an app you can use to determine different pollen levels in your area each day. Make a note of which ones are displayed on days your dog is itchy. Over time you might start to see some trends.

My Experiences
I spent close to six months trying different foods with Maisy. She remained itchy for most of the trial, although she did react quite strongly when we tried a lamb-based kibble. Ultimately, I got so frustrated that I had the blood test done (it was January in Minnesota, so my vet did not want to have to shave her belly for the intradermal).

The results showed that Maisy is allergic to both lamb (which I’d already figured out) and eggs (which I’ve subsequently tested and confirmed), as well as a variety of grasses, trees, weeds, wool, mold, and the mind-boggling human dander. Although it is quite possible that there were some errors or omissions (remember, the blood test is prone to false positives and negatives), this got us close enough. Despite the poor accuracy rate for food allergies, they proved to be correct for us. Since Maisy’s allergies are fairly mild, our treatment course was the same, regardless of whether or not every single environmental item was accounted for.


But we’ll talk about treatments in the next post. For now, I’d love to hear about your experiences diagnosing your dog’s allergies. How did you do it? Was it frustrating… or easy? Would you do anything differently? And what is your dog allergic to? Comment below!

So You Think Your Dog Has Allergies, Part 1: Symptoms and Types

When Maisy was just a wee thing, she began chewing on her legs. A quick internet search suggested that it might be food allergies, so I switched her food. And again. And again. What started as just a bit of itchiness evolved into almost a year of frustration.

As it turns out, the subject of canine allergies is complex, and internet advice is often simplistic and lacking vital information. That’s why I decided to tackle a three-part series on the topic. Of course, I am not a vet, so this is not medical advice. Instead, it is a sharing of information from one owner of a dog with allergies to another. If you think your dog might have allergies, I highly recommend you schedule an appointment with your vet because there are a number of other skin problems that can look like allergies but are not.

Signs Your Dog Has Allergies
So, what do allergies look like in dogs? Well, unlike in humans, dogs typically don’t have nasal congestion. Runny noses, sneezing, wheezing, or eye discharge may be a symptom of allergies, but it probably isn’t. See your vet. Instead, dogs with allergies are itchy. What you will see is excessive scratching, licking, and chewing. This typically happens on the feet, face, and groin, but may show up anywhere.

Unfortunately, these behaviors can result in secondary problems, most often skin infections or ear infections. Before we got a handle on Maisy’s allergies, she chewed off most of the fur on her front legs, and had some scabs. It was pretty ugly, actually, and we did need to treat her with antibiotics to help clear it up.

Her left leg is bare and the skin is being damaged because she was chewing it so much.

Allergy Cause #1: Flea Bites
The most common of these causes is flea bites. According to research cited in the April 2011 Whole Dog Journal article Itching to be Well by Nancy Kerns, approximately 40% of dogs have an allergy to fleas. Of course, if a dog is bit by a flea, it’s going to itch either way. However, a dog who is truly allergic will have an overreaction. If you have found only a few fleas, but your dog has widespread redness- or worse, oozing sores- it’s likely he’s allergic. The bad news is that dogs who suffer from a flea allergy tend to get worse throughout their lives.

Allergy Cause #2: Environmental
Environmental allergies happen when a dog has an itchy reaction to something he has either inhaled or been transcutaneously exposed to. Things like mold, dust, and pollen are common, although poor Maisy is also allergic to- are you ready?- human dander. (Yes, that's possible. Yes, I cried when I found out.)

According to the Whole Dog Journal article, approximately 10% to 15% of dogs have an environmental allergy. 80% of these dogs will also have a flea bite allergy (for once, Maisy has beaten the odds!). If your dog has an environmental allergy, it’s highly likely you’ll know it while he’s still young- 75% of dogs will show symptoms before three years of age, although the first year tends to be fairly mild.

Allergy Cause #3: Food
Food allergies are actually quite rare, although the exact prevalence is contested. A conservative estimate is that 1% to 5% of dogs have food allergies, possibly up to 10%, but the Whole Dog Journal reviewed research that suggests up to 43% of dogs are sensitive to some food item. 43% of these dogs will also have another type of allergy.

Food allergies are unique in that they typically affect more than just the skin. 10 to 15% of dogs will also have gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, excessive gas, and cramping, and a dog with food allergies might also be affected in the respiratory tract or central nervous system. This means that diagnosis can be tricky; you definitely want to visit your vet.

Although food allergies can begin at any time in life, generalized itchiness that begins before six months of age is very probably caused by food. This is absolutely true for Maisy- she was right around five or six months when we first noticed the excessive itching. Of course, this was complicated by the fact that her birthday was in the fall, meaning that Maisy hit her six month birthday at the height of allergy season- the spring.


So, how did I determine what her allergies were? Well, it was an incredibly frustrating process. I learned a lot during it, though, and in my next post, I’ll share some information that will helpfully make the process easier for you. Part three will discuss some of the treatment options available.

Until then, I’d love to hear from my readers. Do your dogs have allergies? Do you know what they’re allergic to? What symptoms did they have?

I think I have a normal dog...

Look close, she's in there!

I teach a training class on Sunday nights, and sometimes I bring Maisy with me. Today, I wanted to celebrate two huge successes that have come of that practice.

A couple weeks ago, I brought Maisy and put her in a crate in a corner of the training room. Historically, Maisy has had trouble being crated at busy/stressful events. I've had to sit next to her and drop treats in every few minutes in order to keep her quiet. This kind of babysitting was doable, but also a little frustrating; it's hard to walk a course or go to the bathroom at a trial if your dog can't be alone for even a few minutes.

When I'm teaching, that's obviously not going to work. I have to, you know, teach. So I put Maisy in her crate with a trachea chew and left. I did come back when I could to drop a treat in, but it was probably only 3 or 4 times over the course of a 90 minute class.

And she was awesome. She did growl once (quietly) when one of the student dogs had a reactive outburst, but I was still pretty happy with how well she did. She came out of her crate happy and eager to socialize with my co-teacher, and was completely mellow at home- no residual stress followed.

Last Sunday I brought Maisy with me again, but since I was running a bit late, I didn't have time to bring her in the building. Instead, I left her in the car crate with the windows down. Maisy is used to hanging out in her car crate. Not only does she have to ride in it any time we go somewhere, but I also have made a habit of having her hang out in it when the weather permits. I was confident that she'd be comfortable.

What I wasn't expecting was how comfortable she'd be. I went out to collect her after class was over, expecting that she'd be awake and maybe even a little stressed. After all, the students (and their dogs) had all just been in the parking lot to load up and go home for the night. Instead, Maisy was asleep. More than that, she was sound asleep.

I expected that when I walked up to the car, she'd wake up, but she didn't. I said her name softly (remember, the window was down). Nothing. I said her name again, louder. Still nothing. I started to panic a little bit, because sleep can look a lot like dead when you're a world-class worrier like me. Maisy did not lift her head until I was opening her crate door. Even then, she gave me a look like, "Why are you interrupting my nap?"

Silly girl. Amazing girl! Normal girl? I don't know, but let me tell you: I am so proud of my girl. I can't believe how far she's come.

The Bark Magazine Interview

If you read The Bark magazine, you might notice a familiar name. Back in January, I was contacted by Julie Hecht, a columnist for The Bark and the manager of the dog cognition lab at Barnard College in New York. She'd found my blog posts summarizing the Patricia McConnell seminar I attended last fall, and wanted to know: What's the practical application of all this research?

Good question. We've learned a lot about dog's cognitive abilities in the past few years. While I find it interesting simply for curiosity's sake (I'm a shameless dog geek), we really ought to be doing something will all this knowledge. So Julie and I spoke on the phone for about half an hour. I was incredibly nervous and probably talked way too fast and jumped from topic to topic, but she still found something useful in my ramblings.

The article came out in the March-May 2012 issue, which I just picked up this morning. I admit, it's a little surreal to see myself quoted alongside researchers, behaviorists, and big name trainers like Ian Dunbar. The article, titled Dog Smarts, summarizes some of the recent research and theorizes on the implications.

For me, the take-away message of all this research is that dogs are complex creatures capable of some pretty impressive cognitive tasks. It seems that they are much smarter than we realize; we've only just scratched the surface, after all. I can't help but wonder if we aren't wasting their brains. While trainers and television personalities often emphasize the importance of physical exercise, they tend to neglect discussing mental exercise. I really think we could all do a better job of enriching our dogs' lives.

What about you guys? What do you think all this excellent research tells us? How does it change your view of your dogs? What practical applications do you think it should have in our lives, and those of our dogs? I'd love to hear from other dog geeks!

In case you're curious, I've included my 15 minutes of fame below, but I definitely encourage you to read the entire article if you can get your hands on it.

Namaste

I have been doing yoga for about a year now. I started it as part of my rehab from a car accident, but I quickly discovered that I have a number of other injuries and oddities that ail my body. As a result, doing the yoga poses as presented is often painful. Thankfully, I have a wonderful instructor who consistently adapts the poses to my abilities. Like she says- it's not about doing the pose right, it's about find the right pose for your body.

I'm often embarrassed and frustrated that I cannot do the same things the other students do. Even downward dog- that classic inverted V shaped pose- is too difficult for me. I have to do it with my hands on the wall instead of the floor. Despite the fact that no one else cares how I'm doing it, I have pushed myself beyond my physical limits because of imaginary peer pressure. Unfortunately, the last time I ignored what my body was telling me, I ended up in tears in the middle of class due to the pain.

 Maisy does a great downward dog pose.

If you have a reactive dog, I'm sure you can relate to this feeling. It is embarrassing and frustrating to be in a class where you cannot do the same things as your classmates because your dog requires adaptations in order to be successful. It is easy to want to push our dogs just a little bit further. Sometimes they're doing so well we think, “just one more time.” Sometimes we see other dogs doing something and think, “that looks so fun.” Sometimes the instructor calls on us to take our turn and despite our better judgment we think, “I'm sure my dog will be fine.”

And yet it is vital that we listen to our dogs. Just as in yoga, failing to recognize and respect our dogs' limits is likely to end in pain and tears. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying “I need to adapt this training exercise so my dog can be successful.” In fact, that is why you are paying to take a class, isn't it? To have a professional guide you through the often-difficult process of adjusting criteria? Any good trainer should be not only happy to hear you say this, but also be able to give you some suggestions on how to set your dog up for success.

Likewise, you have every right to say, “This exercise is too hard for my dog. We're going to sit this one out.” When I have reached my limits in yoga, I take a child's pose, which is a simple resting pose. When our dogs have reached their limits, we can choose to have them relax on their mat, play Look at That, or even take a crate break. Like my yoga teacher, your instructor should respect this decision.

Of course, none of us sets out to push our dogs too hard. When I started doing yoga, I did not realize how extensive my injuries were, nor did I understand the impact my particular body structure would have on my yoga practice. It has been a difficult process, but over time, I have learned to listen to my body, to recognize its limits, and to respond to those needs. It has been just as hard for me to learn how to listen to my dog, to accept her limits, and to respond appropriately to her needs. Still, in both dog training and in yoga, learning to do so has been essential to my success.

After all, it's not about doing things right, it's about doing the right thing for your dog.

Choosing the Best Treat for Behavior Modification (Brought to you by MrChewys.com!)

A few weeks ago, I was approached by MrChewy.com, who asked me to review their site in exchange for some free products. The timing couldn’t have been better because I’d been thinking about writing a post on the best treats for behavior modification work. I used their easy-to-navigate website to order some of my favorites so that I could show you guys what I look for when I’m buying treats for behavior modification.

Why Does the Treat Matter?
Whether or dog is fearful, reactive, or even aggressive, most behavior modification plans rely heavily on a concept known as counter-conditioning, which is the process of changing a dog’s association with a trigger. In order to get the most out of this sometimes tedious process, most experts advise using a special, high-value treat.

You will also be using a lot of treats, which can lead to weight gain. When I was actively doing behavior modification with Maisy, I would often reduce her regular meals in order to compensate for the amount of food she was getting in training. But I also wanted the treats to be at least somewhat healthy. While I have no problem feeding occasional junk foods, I didn’t want to replace several meals a week with the equivalent of a bag of candy. As a result, I’m pretty picky about what I will use during behavior modification.

What Should I Look For?
When I’m considering a treat, I’m evaluating it in three categories: the treat needs to be high-value, relatively healthy, and practical.

High-value treats are anything your dog loves. That makes this a pretty subjective thing. Maisy will do backflips for potato chips, and even prefers them to hot dogs. (Click here to see how I determined this- and how you can, too.) In general, most dogs find novel treats reinforcing, so anything new-to-them is a good bet. They also tend to like smelly, meaty treats.

Original size on left, cut into fours on right.

Although Maisy loves chips, they are not healthy, so I use them sparingly, especially when doing behavior modification. In general, I’m using the same criteria I use when buying food, although I will relax my standards a little. Ideally, the treat will list meat as the first ingredient, have no by-products, and few (if any) grains. I also prefer an ingredient list with natural items; I try to avoid lots of chemicals and preservatives. I like to avoid sugar when I can (it just doesn’t seem like a dog with impulse control problems needs to be on a sugar-high). And I refuse to buy treats from China; there are just too many horror stories out there!

Finally, there are a few practical matters you should consider when buying treats. A good training treat will be small so you can get lots of reps in before your dog gets full. As a side note, I have never found a commercial treat that comes small enough to satisfy me. Zukes come the closest, and would probably be fine as-is for a larger dog, but I prefer to cut those in fours for fifteen-pound Maisy. This means that I also prefer soft treats because they are easier to cut up. Soft treats often tend to be smellier, which dogs prefer anyway. The treat should definitely be easy to handle so I’m not fumbling around with them. Finally, since you’ll be buying so many treats, they need to be economical.

Mr. Chewy makes it pretty easy to choose treats. The majority of what they carry are premium, high-quality treats. While there are a few less-healthy items, they list the ingredients for all their treats, making it easy to evaluate something before you buy. Their prices are also pretty amazing; I did a quick price-check in my local specialty store, and found that Mr. Chewy usually had better prices, sometimes by more than a dollar! They also offer free shipping on orders over $49 (and their free shipping is pretty quick, too). The downside to shopping online is that you can’t read the entire package, including where the treats were made. It’s also not always immediately obvious if a treat is soft.

Which Treats Should I Buy?
This will depend on your dog, of course, because what my dog thinks is high-value and what your dog thinks is high-value will be different. But generally speaking, some of my favorite treats for behavior modification include:

Small and healthy!

Soft treats like Zukes, Wellness, Solid Gold, Platos, and Buddy Biscuits. Some of these are easier to cut into small pieces than others, but all have pretty good ingredients.

Freeze-dried treats like Pure Bites, Smiling Dog, and Bravo Treats! These are single-ingredient treats, usually meat, but sometimes things like cheese, making them ideal for dogs with allergies. They are much harder to break up into small pieces.

Non-kibble based food is also a great choice. While kibble tends to be boring for most dogs, you can get the benefit of an AAFCO balanced food by using dehydrated, freeze-dried, canned, or roll-type foods. Some of my favorites include Natural Balance rolls, Stella and Chewy’s, and Honest Kitchen products. Note that only the rolls are easy to cut into small pieces; the rest need to be put in a food tube for delivery. (Incidentally, food tubes are a great way to protect your fingers from a dog who is “sharky” when he takes treats.)

Finally, remember that you don’t have to use commercial products. Boiled chicken breast, chopped beef or pork roasts, and many other “human” foods are a healthy, high-value option for your dog.

 What are your favorite treats for training or behavior modification?