Severe dog itching, paw chewing, ear scratching: What else works?

Question

I have a Lab that is 1 and she has been having issues with itching., chewing on paws and scratching her ears sore. We’ve tried different non-chicken dog food and recently finished a trial with Ulta Amino for 8 weeks with no improvement. Antihistamines do not seem to help at all. The only medication that has worked so far is Steroids. Any other suggestions? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 61 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question about Mya. Allergies are very common in dogs, and they can be frustrating to control! I recommend asking your vet about Cytopoint, which is a monthly injection, and Apoquel, which is a daily pill. These are very effective non-steroid allergy medications that can either be given individually or (in more severe cases) together. For young dogs like Mya, I usually prefer the cytopoint injections, and then add Apoquel if necessary. If the a strict feeding trial with the Royal Canin Ultramino diet didn't help, then her allergies are less likely to be related to food, and are more likely environmental. Of course, also make sure she's kept current on a high quality flea/tick preventative, to make sure an external parasite can't be complicating things! And if a skin scrape has never been done, that may be advised as well - I've had skin mites get misdiagnosed as allergies before! If it comes to it, I've certainly had patients who did best on steroids - and that can be done pretty safely if you're weaning to the lowest effective every-other-day dose. Hopefully this helps! Of course, I'd defer on all points to a vet who has seen Mya in person!

Severe dog itching, paw chewing, ear scratching: What else works?

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