Itchy and Scratchy

My poor miserable puppy. The early part of every fall since we moved to Chambana in 2003, Riley has come down with miserable allergies. Usually, they're controlled by frequent Oatmeal baths, a supplement and two 50 mg capsules of Benedryl. In 2007, they got bad enough that we had to use a Resicort solution in the tub to help with the itchiness. But nothing has ever been as bad as this year. 

I started him on his normal Benedryl/Allerderm supplement with baths every two days about two weeks ago. Then last Thursday night he woke me up when he jumped off the bed to itch and chew all night long. In the morning, I rolled him over and his entire stomach had broken out in dots (hives). He had red hot spots down the front of all four legs, on his sides, on his chest, under his chin and on his butt. I picked up the phone and called the vet, and we took him in on Monday morning (their first available slot). 

Because he was chewing so much, I didn't want him to injure himself, so I ended up putting on the lovely plastic e-collar, which makes me feel like the meanest mom alive. I mean, it's got to be torture to be that itchy and not be able to do something about it. He could still scratch with his feet, but at the same time, I didn't want the red skin to suddenly be large gaping open sores. 

On Monday, I took the e-collar off to put him in the car with X-man. I took X-man to pre-school and then drove straight to our appointment. In the 20 minutes he was in the car, he'd soaked himself with the licking and chewing. The hair around his penis was all matted. He was hysterical with finally being able to reach all his parts. He was so itchy that he rolled off the scale because he suddenly needed to bite at his back legs.

The good news, they're still just seasonal allergies, per Dr. Mary. The bad news, he's on an oral and topical steroid for a while. The topical for 3 weeks, the oral until probably December. But I have to admit, the combo started working immediately. I noticed when I applied the Genesis when I got home that he had relief within 30-45 minutes. Unfortunately, because of the danger of digesting the chemicals he's got to keep his e-collar on for a little while. 

So, if you see me out getting the mail with my pathetically sad looking dog in tow, don't feel too badly for him. He still manages to get through his 3-mile walk in the a.m. with NO CHEWING and he's e-collar free when we do it. I'm not sure what turns that part of his brain off when he's out and about, but it does.