My ears itched ALL THE TIME! UGH! I would lay next to the bed and scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, whine!!, scratch, scratch, scratch all night long. Dad would clean my ears with solution & q-tips (q-tips are nommy, by the way) and mom would spray anti-itch stuff in my ears.
After several vet appointments, timed right when I was itchiest, and monitoring ALL my snacks, the vet suggested that I might be allergic to beef. It turns that that many dogs are allergic to beef and their parents just don't know it.
Here is an article that talks a little about beef allergies in dogs: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2082&aid=143
Beef allergies are often misdiagnosed as mange or ticks or just itchy skin. Some of the symptoms might include itchy ears, hot ears, pink ears, red eyes, lots of drooling for no reason, itchy feet, etc. My ears were itchy, red, and HOT to the touch after I had a beef bone.
So, no more beef cookies, rawhide chews, mom's shoes (well, those were ALWAYS forbidden), beef bones, steak bones, beef juice, pieces of steak, etc. This was really a difficult change for me because I LOVE the flavor of beef but now I know I don't get any. Instead, I get some green beans or chicken or carrots or something else fun to snack on.
My ears don't keep everyone up all night anymore and we're all very happy that it was such a simple remedy.
Oh Syd, you is luckee the mystery woz solved so fast. It's usually very hard to find what you is allergenic to. I founded out easy one time too. I woz itching rilly bad in my armpits. I mean, crazee itching like your ears. The spray the V-E-T gibbed did not help much. Turns out mom woz putting hay in the yard to keep mud off of our paws and I woz allergenic to the hays! No more hays, no more itchies! But I can see where gibbing up beef is worst than gibbing up hays. Poor you. Yum, green beans and carrots. (BLECH!)
ReplyDeleteHi, sweeetie. SMOOOOOOOCHHHHH! I'm happy you post again in your blog, but sad you had that horrible itch. Oh, you poor sweeetie. My doggy sisters would be devastated if they had to give up beef, they love it! But it's better if you're healthy, so you can continue with your smoooooooches for your family and friends. Take care!
ReplyDeleteOh, Syd, I'm glad you figured it out and it was an easy fix but allergic to beef?! What an odd thing for a dog to be allergic too, but I guess not since there's a whole article about it. Maybe I can figure out how to send you some venison. It's probably illegal but I would do it for you anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh Syd - you poor sweetie. It's good you found out what is causing it. Thanks for posting dat cuz it will be helpful information. I hope you aren't sneezing anymore now dat you know what's causing.
ReplyDeleteYou should become a vegetarian like me Syd and have lots of bananas they would never make you itch!
ReplyDeleteno beef :(((
ReplyDeletebut hambones are really yummy and pig ears (sorry kolo_martin)
and if maximus can send you some venisom you will see how yummy that is too!!!
course, we can work harder at catching that pesky squirrel now LOL
not to say carrots arent yummy cuz I loves them but I loves meat too!
wow I no think I could gives up da Beef, Wharrs da Beef BOL but I has allergies 2, I think i lergic 2 da grass an trees BOL
ReplyDeleteTweetypie/gunner
we are going to see if beef make me itch my ears. I haz roasted chicken dinner but some of my treats have beef in em not to mention *Shh* rawhide, my favorite! I haven't had any beef for few days now, mom not see any itching today so any day I get my test beef, mmm! Can't wait to prove da mom wrong! I hopez!
ReplyDeleteWow...allergies with BEEF? Who would have thought? Glad you found this out...it's hard enough in humans to figure this out, let alone dogs!
ReplyDelete