The second opinion was...

[Newly Newfed]

Well, Sierra visited the new vet (Dr. D.) today and $200.00 later, I came back with two completely different theories than what my usual vet (Dr. F.) thought.  As you know, Dr. F. thought it was a flea allergy and sort of completely dismissed the idea of any other type of allergy. Well, Dr. D. believes it IS an allergy (other than to fleas) or possibly mites.  I was actually pretty impressed with how she looked over Sierra.  She seemed to take her time and  felt her all over, took skin scrapings from different parts of her body instead of just one spot and just in general seemed more thorough than Dr. F.  Anyway, she didn't see any mites on the skin scrapings and sent me home armed with 4 different prescriptions - an antibiotic, an antihistamine, a steroid and honestly I don't remember what the other is for.  We talked about so much I forgot.  Anyway, I need to give Sierra a total of 13 pills a day!  Three of the scrips are 2 pills, 2x's daily.  of course, with these pills my dog suddenly gets picky and doesn't want to take them.  She walks around eating stinkbugs, ants and any animal poop she can find, but she won't eat these.  It took three and a half hot dogs, 2 slices of cheese and me keeping her head tilted up so she couldn't spit them out.

Dr. D. said her skin is in really bad shape and the natural yeast and bacteria that's supposed to be there is all out of whack because of the scratching.  It should go back to normal levels after she stops scratching so often.  I mentioned how Sierra starts to smell again within 2 or 3 days after a bath and she said it's because of the yeast build up and that should go away also.  Dr. F. never did or told me any of this.  I'm not blaming her, as someone said, each doctor has different experiences that they learn from.  I guess it's not a bad idea to keep both vet's numbers in case something like this happens again. Any way Dr. D. said I should see a dramatic improvement within 3-4 weeks so I guess now we wait and see how things go.

I really appreciate eveyone's advice and concern.  I don't know what I'd do without you all!

[mastiffmomoftwo]

Well I'm glad you finally got some answers!
When we first got Luke, he had horrible skin issues!  To the
point where he scratched himself raw.  There were open wounds on his side and he rubbed his chin on the concrete, till he was dripping blood.  Off to the vet and she said he had a skin infection, yeasty ears and probably food allergies.  I know that he didn't get the best food before he was handed over to rescue, but I also found out less than a month ago that he was eating food that was on the recall list before I got him!!
Anyway, we gave him strong antibiotics, cortizone shot and I started researching a new food for him.
I switched to Natural Balance allergy formula, the duck and then the fish.  He did better on the fish.
Have you switched his protein source?
After having Luke evaluated by my homeopath, I discovered he's allergic to beef and I have to keep him off all red meat.
Since I did all that, he has not had a recurring episode (touch wood) and we've had him nearly 10 months.

As for the pills, I just made little canned dog food meatballs and put pills in there ontop of his kibble.  He never had a clue.  Mind you he's always ready for food of any kind!

Good Luck & keep us posted.

Chris

[Apreston]

Thats Great news....we have been batteling Titans allergies for about 3 months now! It is sooooo hard! We found out that chicken and dairy are his food allergies and dust mite feces is his enviromental allergy. It took a while but we figured it out. As for the food allergy we just stopped feeding it and the hives were there but not as many. Then we cleaned the carpets with a steam cleaner and dust mite allergy formula made by bissle. Seams to have worked great...he has been hive free for about 2 weeks now!
Good luck hopefully you guys canpin-point the allergy and get your babe feeling up to snuff!
Take Care!! 

[brooklily]

Hi Im so glad you got some answers from your new dr. for sierra! Hope she is feeling much less itchy soon. I second julie on the cream cheese and peanut butter.  My girl savannah could find a pill in anything. We would think she took them and then find them 5 minutes later on the sofa, in the yard etc... She would actually trick us.  lol But the pills stick to peanut butter and cream cheese and we would usually win there. As a side note Brooklily eats whatever we give her . just say COOKIE  and she downs pills like candy. ( another notch in her short bus collar) Good luck with the pills! Time to enjoy spring Sierra

[Newly Newfed]

With Merlin, nothing works, so we tilt back head, open mouth, drop in pill on back of tongue hold mouth closed and massage his throat until he swallows it down. Then I always tell him that things could be so much more pleasant if he would just cooperate and not be so darned picky as he shoots me dirty looks across the room.
Stella

Haha!!  Cece gets wise to the pill-stuck-in-a-hot-dog trick VERY quickly... I just told her a few minutes ago that if she refuses to take her medicine, I'll shove it down her throat with my fist.  Ok, maybe that sounds a little harsh, but I was trying to convey how much I want her to get better, but I don't think she got it because she responded by starting to chew on herself again.

I wish I knew I could give her Benadryl sooner.  Just by giving her the first dose last night, she is not itching nearly as much as she was and her skin isn't quite as red.  She was playing with Kelsey and cuddling and kissing her.  She hasn't done that in so long.  You can easily see that she is feeling better.  Even though this is just a temporary fix and not treating the root of the problem, I'm just SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO happy that she has some relief and she's not miserable anymore!!  I celebrated by relaxing in the hot tub and drinking some wine.  LOL!

[Ali]

Great news! Maybe I'm a big giant mean mommy, but when I have to pill my dogs or cats, I just open their mouths and stick the pill in with my finger, as far back as it can go comfortably. Usually over the "hump" they make with their tongue is far enough. Then, a cookie to wash it down so there's no time to spit. 13 pills a day is a ton - good luck and here's to a speedy recovery!

[kealoha812]

with giving 13 pills a day I think you better stock up on that wine!   Congrats on the new vet - she sounds great. And I am with you on the smell of yeast! I can tell when Meli needs more meds because my house smells when I come home from work!

[pyr4me]

I'm so glad to hear that you had a better experience with this vet. Sounds like Sierra is on her way to feeling much much better! 

[nkp]

Last summer, yy chow mix dog, Brownie, had a ton of hot spots and smelled awful, the whole works and we were desperate to help him feel better. It had come on slowly over about a two year period.  I did some googling and found that chows needed more oil in their diet than pet foods provide.  I began adding 1 tbs olive oil to his food every evening.  Amazingly in about a week, his bad smell went away.  Within about two weeks, the hot spots were gone. And now he's just a normal doggie.

I don't know if this is a good solution for everyone, but it sure worked on Brownie.  His fur, also, has such a great shine to it now.

[Nina]

Last summer, yy chow mix dog, Brownie, had a ton of hot spots and smelled awful, the whole works and we were desperate to help him feel better. It had come on slowly over about a two year period.  I did some googling and found that chows needed more oil in their diet than pet foods provide.  I began adding 1 tbs olive oil to his food every evening.  Amazingly in about a week, his bad smell went away.  Within about two weeks, the hot spots were gone. And now he's just a normal doggie.

I don't know if this is a good solution for everyone, but it sure worked on Brownie.  His fur, also, has such a great shine to it now.

Thanks my lab has dry skin and we have her on a raw diet, chinese herbal medicine, but I will definatly try this. She was fine until she went swimming last weekend and now she is back to itching and has hotspots on her feet again.

Nina