A Dogs Right To... Itch?

Winston waiting to be seen by the vet... it's definitely not a place he enjoys visiting

A few month ago Winston started to scratch a lot at his chin. I know, I know... weird place to compulsively itch. I blamed it on the higher temperatures we've been experiencing in New York, but eventually he would start waking me up in the middle of the night because his scratching was so intense he would shake the bed!

I checked the skin on his chin but it wasn't red and I didn't feel any bumps. Still, it was time to take him to the vet. It was a normal visit; the vet checked all of Winston's nooks and crannies.  Of course he didn't scratch once at his chin (thanks a lot!). The appointment came to an end and she diagnosed it as allergies. The lab I grew up with, Rugby, took Tavist for his allergies, so I was anticipating this diagnosis. She prescribed half a child's Benadryl (12.5mg). We tried this for awhile but it wasn't really working.

I went back for Winston's annual check-up where I told her he was still scratching a lot and she increased his dose. Again, this wasn't working. Last week I went back for his 3rd visit to discuss his chin allergy. She said dogs sometimes respond better to different medications. So she switched him to Claratin. We're trying this out for 2 weeks and if it doesn't work we'll switch to Zyrtec for two weeks.

I wasn't pleased with this response because clearly the antihistamines weren't working and Winston was suffering! I was talking to a friend about the situation and she coincidentally used to work at a vet office. She said that they can run blood tests to find out specifically what a dog is allergic to and then create a special serum to relieve the allergies. What a genius idea!

Well I made an appointment at the other vet office my friend told me about. Winston and I just went and had a positive experience. Instead of trying yet another antihistamine, they checked for yeast or bacteria build up that could cause itching, took blood to test for specific allergens, and gave him a steroid shot to help relieve his itchy skin.

The point of my story is that you can't give up. I am beyond frustrated since Winston is still suffering, I'm not getting a good night's sleep, and I'm paying hundreds of dollars in vet bills. If you find yourself in my position then try and talk to friends who have animals - pet allergies are quite common! They may recommend a vet they had a great experience with or can just complain along with you - misery love company!