# vizsla allergy



## vizlil (Aug 17, 2016)

Hello,
My 21-month old neutered male vizsla is experiencing hives that are not going away. The pollen counts are up and I feel his allergies get worse when he spends time outdoors and in the bushes. We have a lot of birch, juniper and cedar pollens. He was not born in the city we live in as we brought him to Canada from Europe. Any suggestions on how to best address his allergies? I posted this question under vizsla health and didn't get much feedback. We currently give him benadryl x2 per day which help to some extent but don't clear the skin completely from the hives.
I appreciate any suggestions/advice.
Thanks,


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

What does the vet say?

I'm not a fan of Benadryl b/c it also sedates them. Typically as a rule of thumb, I try to avoid those places where contamination is most likely to occur, and treat when they show signs of distress. Is she itching and uncomfortable, or is more a cosmetic thing?


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## vizlil (Aug 17, 2016)

The vet did a physical examination and skin scraping test and everything was normal. She thinks it may be allergies and asked us to keep him on allergy medication for a week and see what happens. he is not too uncomfortable, he scratches himself a few times/day but not visibly uncomfortable but we can see his coat is standing up and he has hots spots on his back. He is losing hair in that area and hair is growing back. I seem him try to chew/scratch it with his mouth. I understand your point about medication. Is there anything else that could work?


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

One of our family dogs when I was growing up has seasonal allergies and for the first 5-8 years of her life or so, she would get an annual steroid shot which would take care of it. I think I'd probably research and go a different route these days. 

I don't know how effective it would be, but I'd suggest getting into the habit of rinsing him off with water, maybe a little apple cider vinegar mixed in for its astringent properties, when you come back from your walks. That way pollen isn't sitting on his skin at least.


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## vizlil (Aug 17, 2016)

Is there any other way to manage Vizsla's allergy, any particular food, routine or supplement?How long can I give him Benadryl?


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

vizlil said:


> Is there any other way to manage Vizsla's allergy, any particular food, routine or supplement?How long can I give him Benadryl?


One of our guys has seasonal allergies too. They usually happen in May and September.... we've used these natural drops in his water and seen improvements in his itchiness: http://petvalu.com/product/43721/dog-allergies-natural-pet


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

I would definitely look into food, detergents used for washing his bed or anything he gets regularly in touch with. Also if you currently do, quit shampooing, use only clean water for washing him and wipe him off after every walk to remove the pollens from his fur and paws. Have a look around your yard and in your house whether there are any plants which may cause irritation and remove or seclude them. So instead of treating the symptoms try and find out whether you can change anything on the source of your vizsla`s allergy.


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## pds (Oct 16, 2014)

search the forum for "Vizsla Allergies". on my old posts on this topic. 

My dog Bo had food allergies and we narrowed it down to kirkland lamb dog food. We stated him too early on this and any time we gave him lamb dog food he broke out in hives. I don't think it was the brand. We switched him to adult dog food too early and that was a mistake on our part. 

Now he is on zignature duck and Turkey dog food and we have not had a problem for 4 yrs. Must add that he loves table scraps too.


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## flyfishingma93 (Apr 20, 2018)

2 of my 3 have nasal and crazy eye plugs this time of year till October, so claridon works the best for the girls! Nice thing is it clears up before hunting season starts!! Good luck with the hives?


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## vizlil (Aug 17, 2016)

flyingfishinma, Is that Claritin you give to your dogs?

The vet doens't know if it is allergy or something else; she says dogs have very few number of ways to show inflammation or allergic reaction in their body. Given he had some areas on his flanks and trunck losing hair in patches we talked about sabaceous adenitis; again she is not sure and says if he seems very uncomfortable we may need to do tissue sampling and more testing.
He usually gets worse if he spends time outside; he is always in the cedar bushes, we have all kinds of wildlife in our area; rabbits (hares), squirrels, raccoons, deer etc... 
He does scratch himself a few times a day, sometimes more...but he eats and plays as usual. As someone mentioned on this forum, it doesn't look very nice to see his coat thinning out in some areas so aesthetic aspect is an issue. I just don't want to miss something important and for him to develop a serious condition.
The vet started him on omega three supplement and a coat enhancing serum that we should apply once a week. Anyone familiar with such treatments?


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## NW17 (Oct 15, 2017)

Our 6 mth old male just started sneezing all of the time. He has morning eye goobers that are always there and he’s had those for a long time. The sneezing is weird though and really just started last week. Is that an allergy? The vet thought it was just reaction to pollen maybe, suggested I keep him inside. 😂 No thanks!
Let me know if that’s the same nasal type issue your dogs experience and that Claritin helped with. I’d love an actual solution. He has no hives or itching..just sneezing.


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