Fish Oil, A Natural Cure For Dog’s Allergies
Every pit bull owner will tell you, there comes “that time of year†when all of the sudden they break out like a teenager on picture day. For us, living in Florida, that time of the year is usually summer time. Something about the heat, grass and pollen in the air makes our pit bulls break out in bumps all over the place. Dog allergies are a real pain in the butt. There are several reasons your dog could be suffering from allergies, including atopic dermatitis, a possible skin or ear infection (usually the scratching will center around the ear area), a possible food allergy, or external parasites/bacteria. 
My recent rescue, Prada, managed to stay allergy and bump free until around 9 months of age. Around that time she started developing severe red bumps in between her thighs, which then spread all over her stomach, into her arm pitts and down her arms. I tried to sooth her with some benadryl and oatmeal baths with no success. So as every nervous new mother does, I called the doctor, freaking out about her dog allergies.
Vet trip #1 - $ 120, TEMARIL- P, a.k.a good for nothing. TEMARIL- P claims to be a “3-way therapeutic effect–antipruritic, antitussive, and anti-inflammatory – relieving the itch caused by allergic, inflammatory, and parasitic dermatosesâ€. What it should say is a 3-way laxative that will give your dog extreme diarrhea and make her droopy 24/7. Well here were are after week one of meds and still red bumps, everywhere. To make matters worse, now she’s starting to itch, badly. She scratched herself so badly that one of her nipples was inflamed to 5x it’s normal size. Heart. Breaking.
Vet trip #2 - $ 75, Zeniquin. I’ll skip the theatrics on this one and just tell you it didn’t work. Dog allergy #fail #2.
Vet trip #3 - I’m told to go to a doggie dermatologist. Really? Who knew those even existed.
Dog Dermatoligist visit #1: So off I went to the doggie dermatologist, knowing this was going to be extremely costly yet really wanting my poor baby to get better. At this point I’m desperate, my poor baby is all hopped up on Benadryl like a crack addict, she can’t sleep because she’s scratching all night, I can’t sleep because she’s scratching all night, and she’s feeling blah all the time. The dog allergies are starting to affect my sleeping patterns – and that’s DANGEROUS. Don’t mess with me when I’m tired.
After a small skin scraping, I’m told she has a bacterial infection and allergies. That one took a medical degree let me tell ya. This time I’m prescribed Cefpodoxime, Dermalsooth Shampoo & Rinse, Douxo Calming Spray and a nice balance of $ 221.00. They recommended a full allergy test to determine exactly what she is allergic too, and then injection shots over the next three years until she builds up an immunity. Sure thing buddy. Like Iâ€m really going to start injecting my 9 month old baby with shots every week for the next three years.
So I left with the meds and a prayer, and started her regimen.
The Cefpodoxime did clear up her bumps, temporarily. She was on them for 30 days, and although it did alter her mood and upset her stomach a little, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the TEMARIL- P.  The TEMARIL-P made her ANGRY. She growled at people, it scared the crap out of me. I’ve never seen her show a mean bone in her body, this was not acceptable. That didn’t happen on the Cefpodoxime, actually it was quite the opposite. Some days she didn’t want to get out of bed, or even go for a walk. That’s crazy talk. Prada is a walker, she walks with me 1-2 miles a day. When she was on the Cefpodoxime, she wouldn’t even look in her leashes direction.
The Dermalsoothe Shampoo and Rinse is amazing. As far as doggie shampoo is concerned, it’s the best in my opinion. I’ve tried everything from $ 30 crap at the pet store to $ 7 crap from Wal Mart. The shampoo is about $ 18 and the rinse is $ 21, but it LASTS. Prada will smell good for days after I give her a bath, and she’s outside a LOT.
The Douxo Calming spray did help as well. Prada was in so much pain that she would crawl on the bed when she saw me grab the spray and just roll on her belly, with a look that said “bring it onâ€. I would take a towel and run it under hot water, press it against her belly and then spray her down. She LOVED it. She said “thank you ma†with her eyes every time. The downside of the spray is the alcohol in it will cause your dog to loose hair in some areas. My poor baby was starting to look like she had mange. Every area that had bumps was now replaced with bald spots!
So…a few hundred dollars later, my dog still has red bumps and allergies. Not sure why I didn’t do this sooner, but at this point I’m fed up, broke and researching “natural†cures. One reoccurring treatment that kept popping up was fish oil. I knew about the benefits for humans, but had no idea it was safe for dogs. So, slowly, I started weening Prada on to fish oil
VOILA! IT WORKED! Seriously! I am so pleased with the results from the fish oil. Not only has the inflammation gone down, the fish oil has made her coat extremely shiny and restored all the hair loss that was caused by the Douxo Calming spray.
You can get fish oil supplements from any health food store, or pet store. You can use fish oil intended for human consumption as long as you choose the correct dosage. General dosage recommendations are 1500 mg soft gel fish oil for large dogs weighing 20 pounds or more. Smaller animals should get smaller doses. If you use fish oil that is intended for humans, you can either add the capsule to their food and hide it in some peanut butter, or open up the capsule and pour it on their food. I’ve done it both ways and she loves it either way.
Fast forward a month after being on the fish oil and she’s doing much, much better. She almost never scratches, and every few days she will get a small red bump her or there, but the issue is 90% gone.
Thank God for mother nature, right? If you have a pit bull with allergies, or any dog for that matter, save yourself the time, MONEY and aggravation, and start with the fish oil. You’ll be pleased with the results!
Have you tried any natural remedies for your dogs allergies? Share them below!
Category: Dog Nutrition, Life With Prada, Nutrition & Safety
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