Shouldn't hurt to give the vet a call, they'll probably ask if your pup has experienced any environmental changes around the time it began, location, seasonal, new laundry detergent, etc.. or food as you have already mentioned. Benadryl may provide temporary relief but I would at least talk to the vet before trying anything.

 

If the skin turns black and looking like elephant skin then you may be looking at allergies. Definitely talk to a vet. If it's determined to be allergies, do your homework on any allergy meds like Apoquel, etc, so you can see what it does and what the consequences may be after using it.

 

It’s probably allergies but it could be mange or skin mites. I would start with a vet visit. You can also bathe your dog in a chlorhexidine and ketoconasole shampoo. One is for bacteria, the other for yeast. Cytopoint shots can relieve itching for 4-6 weeks but they are around $100 apiece. Apoquel works but mine had side effects.

Food protein allergies are also a possiblity. Mine was allergic to chicken at a young age. Now he’s allergic to much more, possibly due to early antibiotic use.

 

All of this! But start with the food first. Critical.

 

I truly hope it's not allergies as I spent $10k during the lifetime of my dog dealing with that. Apoquel is not as safe as the commercials make it out to be which is why I suggested researching the medication.

LuvShepherds, my vet told me that as the dog gets older the allergies become worse and to do retesting. When Tosca turned 11, I just started giving her 10 mg. of prednisone 1x daily and it worked great. I tried that because my husband had chronic ulcer colitis and was told to be on that for a long length of time. If my husband could be on it, so can my dog. 10 mg is nothing and she was tested every so many months. It was fantastic and made her life 100% better. I also learned that you can get prednisone cheaper at Kroger than from the vet by using a VetRX card.

 

Thank y'all for the replies. If this is allergy, what would the vet prescribe? I gave him Benadryl 1 mg/kg body weight but didn't seem to help. He stopped scratching for only a few hours but got back to it. I have been trying to think of a source of allergy but don't see anything. Mange is possible, in which case a vet trip would be totally needed.

 

A vet trip is totally needed. We can't scrape or test for anything over the internet. I had good results with an allergy prone dog switching to raw, prey model, and ozone blood treatments.

Go see your vet. If they don't like raw, find another vet imo.

 

When I first learned about allergies, I thought it was only about food. I went from one type of food to another. It was very frustrating because nothing worked. I was going in circles. Let the vet check the dog out first and see what the results are. It may be something simple and easy to treat. Even if it was mange, it's treatable while allergies are not. You have to live with it. We tried over the counter allergy stuff first and in time, they stopped working. There are a few companies that do canine allergy testing. I used Spectrum and paid to have everything checked and it was pretty thorough. It was expensive but well worth it. I will tell you right now, dealing with an allergic animal will be expensive, frustrating and time consuming. You will have to find a single protein foods, special shampoos, and keep the dog inside if it has environmental allergies. It could be seasonal as well.

I will be honest with you and say, if the dog has allergies now, it will get worse as the dog matures. I hate to say this, but if this is your diagnosis, talk to the breeder. If I knew then what I know now, I would have requested either a new puppy or a refund before I got attached to the dog. It's amazing how many purebred dogs have allergies. Along my journey owning an allergic dog, I learned it is very common now. My vet's employees had dogs with allergies. I attended a Schutzhund competition in Atlanta a few years ago and spoke to a well known kennel about it showing up with their dogs. They just poo pooed it and said they just changed the dog food. What bothered me is that I knew more than I let on and that wasn't the right answer. Those breeders didn't seem concerned about it and at some point they will breed those allergic dogs. Unsuspecting people would be purchasing those puppies thinking their dogs are healthy. Little do they know what they are getting into. My dog and I were miserable and remember there is no cure!!

 

Update: I took him to the vet this morning who diagnosed allergic dermatitis. She gave him Cytopoint and antibiotics and said hopefully it would be seasonal and wouldn't be year round. Got charged $180 but hopefully my pup's insurance company (Petfirst) will reimburse some of the costs. Based on the posts above, looks like I will have to pay a lot of money from now on?

@DHau: at this point, the breeder is probably not going to be helpful, and I've got attached to him so much now. He's a very sweet boy.

 

The breeder can give you a refund of the purchase price as the allergies will become worse with age. I would at least discuss it with the breeder and see what happens. Get in touch with the owners of your dog's siblings and see if they are experiencing the same thing. My dog's siblings had allergies too. If the siblings have skin issues, then the parents should not be reproducing in my opinion as this is not bettering the breed. If breeders are held accountable, then maybe the amount of dogs with allergies could be reduced.

Here is what you can look forward to: skin infections, constant scratching, allergy testing, prescriptions of antibiotics and prednisone every time the skin gets really bad, lots of bathing with special shampoos. As time goes on, you may need to switch to different types of dog food. Look into what Cytopoint does to the dog's body. If I remember correctly, Apoquel affects the lymphnodes or JAKS. It has been a while since I did the research. What Apoquel does is affect the way the body filters the blood against pathogens and opens the door to cancer cells. I think I learned a lot about Apoquel through a FB group with the name Apoquel. Some drugs only work for a few months and then you need to find something else. You need to know the side affects of using this drug. There is no cure for allergies.

I highly recommend getting your dog tested as some allergies can be seasonal. My dog was highly allergic to birch trees. I had 5 of them in the backyard. She was also allergic to Sycamore trees which was in the neighbor's yard. Whenever the birch trees were in bloom (cones), my dog's allergies kicked into high gear and I would be prepared for a breakout every spring and use appropriate shampoos. My dog was allergic to every mold on the panel. I live in hot and humid GA and mold is everywhere. Inside and outside. If you know what your dog is allergic to, then you can be prepared and know what signs to look for. Keep a diary of when your dog has issues. It could be seasonal or it could be diet. Without testing, you will just go round and round in circles. I have been there and done that. When I first got my dog, I thought allergies was only food related.

 

I don't remember the specific type but it's made by Henry Schein. My vet recommended it and I bought it online after buying the first one from him. Keep in mind that the same products the vet sells can be purchased online for half the price. I also purchased the ear cleaning products made by the same company and it was a blue liquid. I would also keep on hand some Vetericyn for hot spots. I get that at Tractor Supply. It can be used for a variety of animals. That can be purchased online too.

 

Thank you for your recommendations!

 

Order a bottle of chlorhexidene shampoo -- brand isn't terribly important, but this is a reliable one (check out the reviews):

DOUXO Chlorhexidine PS Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16.9-oz bottle - Chewy.com

Buy Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16.9-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

or

TRIZCHLOR 4 Shampoo for Dogs, Cats & Horses, 8-oz bottle - Chewy.com

Buy TrizCHLOR 4 Shampoo for Dogs, Cats & Horses, 8-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

Follow bottle directions EXACTLY (leaving it on as specified by keeping a timer running, and always from the shoulders down only, not on the head). Many vets sell this stuff at twice the cost. A vet derm told me she loves seeing it used early and often as clients who have a good bathing protocol and identify allergens can get their dogs off of meds. It needs to be used weekly until your itching is under control.

A blue-ribbon panel of vet derms recommended bathing as a first line of intervention. It removes the allergen if it's environmental (and most allergies are). It also knocks down the microbes because itchy skin often gets secondary infections. The problem is people tend to prefer pills and shots to having to wash the dog every week...but this is easier on the dog's body. It won't dry out the coat because it doesn't foam and is designed for frequent bathing.

There's also a good foam/mousse by Douxo that is useful between baths.

 

Order a bottle of chlorhexidene shampoo -- brand isn't terribly important, but this is a reliable one (check out the reviews):

DOUXO Chlorhexidine PS Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16.9-oz bottle - Chewy.com

Buy Douxo Chlorhexidine PS Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16.9-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

or

TRIZCHLOR 4 Shampoo for Dogs, Cats & Horses, 8-oz bottle - Chewy.com

Buy TrizCHLOR 4 Shampoo for Dogs, Cats & Horses, 8-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

Follow bottle directions EXACTLY (leaving it on as specified by keeping a timer running, and always from the shoulders down only, not on the head). Many vets sell this stuff at twice the cost. A vet derm told me she loves seeing it used early and often as clients who have a good bathing protocol and identify allergens can get their dogs off of meds. It needs to be used weekly until your itching is under control.

A blue-ribbon panel of vet derms recommended bathing as a first line of intervention. It removes the allergen if it's environmental (and most allergies are). It also knocks down the microbes because itchy skin often gets secondary infections. The problem is people tend to prefer pills and shots to having to wash the dog every week...but this is easier on the dog's body. It won't dry out the coat because it doesn't foam and is designed for frequent bathing.

There's also a good foam/mousse by Douxo that is useful between baths.

Thank you so much for this. I do want to bathe him regularly but am afraid that it washes off the coat oil. These recommendations will help this purpose very much!