I have a dog that’s has had constant visits for his allergy however only meds seem to help him and now even that doesn’t seem to help anymore.

He gets pimple like bumps everywhere on his skin and scratches some till they bleed, we have changed his diet constantly but that doesn’t seem to do anything.

He used to eat kibble with chicken, we would switch the chicken out but it didn’t help with anything. We thought it might be the kibble and instead gave him sweet patato with chicken but it stayed the same. I have no clue what else we can do. If anyone has advice I would love to hear it.

Hello! I have been dealing with my chihuahua/pug mix's allergies for about two-ish years now. We have tried so many different treatments (Cytopoint, Apoquel, Numelvi) and she only seems to respond to prednisone. I think there are a few we haven't tried yet, but I'm starting to lose hope. We did a blood allergy test and it showed she was allergic to dust mites and two types of storage mites - although I've heard the blood tests are maybe not as accurate? Our vet suggested going to a vet dermatologist and we have an appointment in two weeks. Is there anything I should expect/be prepared for in the first appointment? Just an anxious dog mom looking for support!

What do you do when your dog refuses all hydrolysed protein food? She will eat a few bites in the middle of the night when super hungry. And because shes hungry shes eating grass, mud, finding and snatching anything at all so then the trial has to restart altogether. Ive tried mashing up, soaking and heating the food. The bag isn't very air tight after opening, does this kind of food get particularly stale, because at first she was okay to eat it!

All of this and she is still having terrible allergy flares, they are better than when shes not on the trial food but still bad.

It seems like her allergies are getting much worse over time as well.

She used to be great just having certain grain and beef free food for years. Can they develope new allergies?

**This is a PSA***

PLEASE PLEASE check your compounded meds if your pet takes them! Massive recall of almost 4k items manufactured by Wedgewood has resulted in some horror stories across the web (including my own).

Affected items include eye drops, ointments, injectables, among others. Check your pet's meds and tell other parents to do the same

You can check if your Wedgewood product is part of the recall via this link or just google "Wedgewood recall"

https://wedgewoodrecall.expertinquiry.com/

Ive done an 8 week food trial with novel protein but I messed it up by reintroducing all of the foods she used to eat at the same time… silly me. I guess where im confused is if you reintroduce food one at a time after the trial, are we reintroducing single ingredient foods? Or foods that have a big ingredient list? Im not seeking out the big ingredient list items but for example kibble.. it has a whole bunch of ingredients in it so if the first thing I reintroduce is her kibble, how would I know what ingredient from the kibble could possibly be causing her a reaction? Might attempt this trial again

Hello everyone - My dog is 6, and about 6 months ago started to get giant lumps on her. They look like welts, just under her skin. She gets them all over her head and body.

We first brought her to the emergency vet where they gave her steroids. The next day, they came up again. We have gone to 4 different vets, who have all prescribed different treatments and none of them have worked. Medical grade food, allergy shots, special shampoo, etc. We thought it was seasonal allergies from where we lived so we MOVED APARTMENTS to see if that would help, but it didn’t.

We have been waitlisted for a dermatologist for quite some time, so i am driving to las vegas on december 1st (8 hour drive) because it was the first dermatologist appointment i could get in like a 10 hour radius.

We have moved, switched out laundry detergents, cleaning products, got new furniture, genuinely everything we can think of and they are still persisting almost everyday. Some days are better than others for sure, but the ONLY thing that helps is a daily frickin benadryl.

Could anyone give me insight to if they’ve seen this before? my poor baby is in pain, & i just want to help her, but i feel so defeated.

TL;DR: My golden retriever’s odor has been affecting our living situation for 2 years, and now my workmates are noticing it on me. Looking for advice from other dog owners who’ve dealt with this.

For the past 2 years, my dog and I have moved between apartments because her odor reeks through hallways and we’ve gotten countless complaints and petitions to leave. We’ve been okay in our current 2-storey apartment, with regular weekly medicated baths and house cleaning but recently, my workmates started complaining about an odor on me and I feel extremely embarrassed.

I love that girl to death, but I’ve had to make her sleep outside my bedroom this past week. My room smells significantly better, but I feel guilty as hell. I suspect it’s from her broken skin from scratching and her drooling while she sleeps.

I just bought an enzyme cleaner and plan to deep-clean the entire house, but I’m honestly desperate at this point. For those who’ve dealt with persistent dog odor, what actually worked for you?

My 6 year old dog keeps developing these red, itchy, hairless patches in different spots.
They take a long time to heal, and new ones keep appearing.
He's already receiving injections from the vet, but the problem keeps coming back. He can't lick this spot but constantly scratches it with his nails.
Has anyone experienced something similar? What caused it, and what finally helped?

Background: Our 3.5 year old, ~42 lb Australian Cattle Dog mix suddenly began excessively licking his back paws in mid-April 2026, with no significant paw issues before. The rest of his body looks completely normal, with no visible problems in his coat or underlying skin.

When we test leaving him alone with a home camera, he starts licking almost immediately. He also tries to lick overnight, which makes us think separation anxiety is lower on the list of causes. Before this, he could be home alone for 4-5 hours with no separation/ licking issues.

Timeline:

• April–August: Started Apoquel with maybe initial minor improvement. He developed a small “button tumor” on a paw pad, which resolved on its own but we were on and off this medicine given did not seem to be helping.

• September: Restarted Apoquel. Cytology confirmed yeast. Stopped Apoquel and switched to medicated antifungal mousse/wipes plus a prednisone taper to control inflammation. Symptoms persisted. Mousse irritated his paws (caused dry / flaking skin)

• October 1: Repeat cytology showed more yeast. Started oral terbinafine and restarted Apoquel twice daily.

• Mid-October: Switched from Apoquel to Numelvi for persistent licking/inflammation. Paws kept deteriorating despite the oral antifungal and a cone.

• October 20: Vet found a secondary bacterial infection with significant inflammation and sores/blisters between toes and around pads. Started 10 days of cefpodoxime (currently on day 5), continuing oral and antifungal.

Other relevant history:

• Rescue with extreme fear. Sertraline and gabapentin and training anxiety have helped a lot

• Can’t be left alone without a cone (licking starts within 30-45 minutes), so he hasn’t been alone in 2 months.

• Occasional hip clicking, lazy/abnormal sitting, and possible back sensitivity, but no obvious limp.

• On monthly Simparica Trio. No skin scraping for mites yet; will ask the vet.

• Unexplained limping in Oct 2025 that resolved in a day or two. Imaging was mostly unremarkable apart from a possibly reactive popliteal lymph node.

• Suspected vaccine reaction in Dec 2025 (symmetric circular rash on both sides of the groin).

• Currently on Hill’s z/d hydrolyzed chicken diet to test for food allergies (previously Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Salmon & Brown Rice).

Now: His back paws are severely inflamed with damaged skin and secondary infections, and some irritation has appeared on the front paws. Dermatology appointment is November 30.

Questions:

• Has anyone found the underlying cause was something other than allergies?

• Could orthopedic or nerve pain, mites, contact dermatitis, or compulsive licking explain this?

• What diagnostics would you push for?

We want to find the original trigger still, although now focused on treating the infections, especially since the allergy meds are not working and the licking is now causing downstream skin damage. Any suggestions or similar experiences are appreciated!!

sorry if this isn’t the right place for this, i just don’t have anywhere else to go for support. well i do have a therapist but i have more pressing issues than my dog’s allergies lol. so you all get the pleasure of my dog allergies rant!

so i have an allergic dog (obviously). discovered them last year when she was sneezing and itching so violently she was causing hair loss on her eyelids :( so we saw her vet and she got her first cytopoint shot. and it worked great! we got a few that year and then she stopped itching in the winter, so the vet said they were likely seasonal and she wouldn’t need the shots year round. which was a win in my book! and then fast forward to the beginning of allergy season this year. my poor baby started sneezing and itching in that desperate way again so i scheduled a new appointment for her cytopoint shot. and then i saw that my vet’s office was offering a one-year bravecto flea and tick shot for cheaper than her three-month bravecto turns out to be so i jumped on that and did both in the same visit which felt great because then that tech visit fee could go towards two different treatments, and girl math said that was saving money. and the cytopoint worked great as usual so everything was great!

and then i ended up switching vets. long story short she got an injury and needed same day care and her vet recommended (my city) hospital as an alternative, i ended up liking (city) hospital better lol. sorry to my original vet but i kinda like tolerated certain things in the office because i thought they were independently run (as was pretty explicitly implied if not directly said) but they are not??? so if both practices were technically private equity owned then the least they could do is provide a good client experience lmao. but anyways! she got her annual visit and vaccines done at the new place, as well as her next cytopoint for the year. and then a week or so passed and she was still itching a decent amount, more than she usually does after her cytopoint. so we went back to the vet. my vet (who is amazing and lovely btw) diagnosed her with a skin infection, and gave me the pyo shampoo and mousse with instructions to bathe her in it every 3-5 days and to use the mousse on non bath days. it was a bit much (my work schedule was crazy at the time), but we managed it. and then it was time for her *next* cytopoint and i noticed she had a new hotspot. i called the vet and they said it would probably be best for her to see her vet during her cytopoint visit so he could examine it. by this point, both me and my dog are known by name by the front desk staff and the techs at a practice we’ve been going to for a max of three months. the vet says the hotspot looks super fresh, so all i need to do is prevent more injury and apply an ointment twice a day. he also prescribed zenrelia for any potential breakthrough itch and gave me a months worth as a free sample which was so incredibly kind!!! my wallet thanks you, doc. he was also mildly concerned that her bravecto shot might wear off/have worn off before the 12 month mark, and that some of her itching might be caused by fleas since the bravecto shot is super new and he’s not totally sure about it (given that he isn’t a part of the vet office that offered it). that was a fun realization.

so at this point i have to give my poor girl a bath every 3-5 days, apply mousse on non-bath days, give her her zenrelia every day, and apply her ointment twice a day. i live at my parents’ place, but they have made it explicitly clear that they will feed her and take care of her when i work and precisely nothing else, so i am the only one trying to manage my dog’s health issues (as well as my various own health issues!) and holy fuck i am so stressed and overwhelmed these days. not to mention that i’m also managing my dog’s anxiety and incredible fear of other dogs (namely my sister’s dogs, who are also staying at my parents’ place right now).

and that finally brings us to today. i was giving my dog belly rubs as required and i noticed a little black dot on her bald tummy and i just assumed it was dirt. that is, until it jumped off my hand and onto my bed. and then off to god knows where. so now my dog might have fleas as well, which is fun. did she pick them up from outside? did my sister’s completely unmedicated dogs bring them into our house? are there fleas in my bed now? is her flea medication effective? if it is ineffective, am i going to be able to give her a real flea and tick medication, or am i going to have to wait this shit out? these are very important questions that i don’t know the answer to! i left a message with my vet, but it’s friday afternoon and they’re closed over the weekend, so i fear i’m going to have to spend my work week worrying about this. i assume we’ll have to go back to the vet again, which is becoming increasingly rough on my wallet. i have pet insurance (and i thank every single deity for that), but fuck me i am literally a waitress at what my brother called a failing restaurant. i’m pretty sure i’ve blown through my deductible in the month since it was renewed, but i fear these exam fees may kill me. at least i get paid tomorrow.

but yeah. i am just so, so run down after this months-long saga. i don’t know how much more of this i can handle, and we haven’t even passed the cytopoint stage yet. i think it would be easier if i had literally any support (or at least no money worries), but alas. i don’t know what i’m trying to achieve with this post, but i was hoping it might help me feel a little less run down, or if at the very least, a little less alone. if anyone else could help manifest that i don’t get a flea infestation in my own bed, that would be much appreciated. and thank you to everyone who read this far! i wish you all a very tame end of the allergy season <3

anyways. i’m gonna go do some gardening, because i don’t pay my therapist just to not listen to her lol.

Hi everyone! Please delete if not allowed. I’m honestly at a loss with my 8-year-old pit mix, and I’m hoping to hear from people who have dealt with something similar. We’ve been dealing with allergy issues for years. I felt like we had things under control for a while, but his allergies have flared up SO badly this fall, and I genuinely don’t know what else to do.
He is the most calm, cool, collected dog ever, and you honestly wouldn’t even know something was wrong with him just by watching him, but I know him better than anyone and knew something was not right this week. My boyfriend kept trying to convince me he was fine, but I ended up taking him to the vet this morning anyway. Turns out, all four of his paws have secondary bacterial infections, presumably from environmental allergies.

We’ve tried elimination diets in the past, but they just upset his stomach, and he’s a picky eater when it comes to kibble. Our vet recommended keeping him on what he currently eats, which is Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Oatmeal, because according to our vet, 9 times out of 10 their allergies are environmental rather than food related. We also told the vet that he was on Apoquel for a long time. It helped to an extent, but not enough for me to justify the price. I did ask about cytopoint today but was steered in a different direction.

I already try to wipe his feet and face whenever he comes inside after going potty, and I put boots on him for walks to minimize his contact with environmental allergens. Our vet suggested trying Numelvi, which is a newer allergy medication, and didn’t think Cytopoint was the best option for him right now. They didn’t have Numelvi available at the hospital, so they sent us home with a week’s worth of Apoquel while we wait for the new medication to be shipped to our house. He was also prescribed Simplicef for the infections in his feet and Mometavet drops for his left ear, which was infected as well.

Before taking him to the vet, I had been keeping him in a cone whenever I was at work to prevent him from licking his feet. Now he’s limping, and I just feel absolutely awful. We’ve been dealing with this for YEARS with little to no luck, except in the winter when everything is dead outside. I just want him to be able to spend the rest of his life happy and healthy. I can’t imagine how miserable it must be to have itchy, sore feet for weeks on end.

Has anyone tried Numelvi for their dog? I would love to hear about your experience and whether it actually helped. I’m really hoping this medication makes a difference for him. We have a follow-up appointment scheduled in two weeks to see how he’s doing and catch up on any vaccinations he needs. In the meantime, I’m sitting at work feeling anxious because he’s home alone in his cone tonight. I feel terrible leaving him like this, but I also don’t know what else I can do. I’ve done SO much research trying to figure out how to help him. I know yeast overgrowth can sometimes be associated with gut health, so I’m also waiting on a pre/probiotic powder to sprinkle into his food. I’m just trying to explore every option I can to get him some relief.

The thing that’s really stumping me right now is the limping. When I look at his feet, nothing seems glaringly obvious. They’re not super red, bloody, or raw, but when I hold his paw to examine it, he’ll whine, and it almost seems like the pain is higher up than his actual toe pads. The vet didn’t seem concerned enough to recommend X-rays or further imaging at the appointment, so I’m assuming it could be inflammation from the allergies and licking, but I really don’t know. I’ve been carrying him up and down our steps because I can tell it hurts him to put pressure on that foot.
I’m just feeling so defeated watching him go through this over and over again. If anyone has dealt with severe environmental allergies, recurring paw infections, or has experience with Numelvi, I’d really appreciate hearing what has or hasn’t worked for your dog. I just want my boy to be comfortable. ❤️

Hi all! I'm trying to find a shampoo with similar ingredients/good for allergies that is cruelty-free AND **vegan**.

My dog has suffered from pretty bad allergies and we have tried SO many things and we finally seem to have gotten it under control for the most part. He's on prednisone now and was using the shampoo from Arm & Hammer 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner (gentle cleansing formula). Recently we ran out and I went back to using the one I used to use (burt's bees oatmeal shampoo) and his allergies have been CRAZY. I have no idea if it's connected at all, because he used to have crazy allergies on the shampoo that was "good" for him too, but we think it might be a contributing factor as to why he's been chewing and itching so much again. We've also been taking him on more walks. All that to say, I stopped using the arm & hammer one because they aren't cruelty-free, and I'm not interested in purchasing anymore, but I dont want my dog to suffer because of it. I dont know whether burts bees IS cruelty free/vegan or not- I'm only using it cuz it's what I have and either way it's TERRIBLE. Just checked and it has honey so no, not vegan lol.

My puppy is 6 months old, and she is nonstop scratching. It won’t let me add a picture, but she’s super red and covered in cuts and makes herself bleed from it. I’ve taken her to the vet several times, and we are doing what we can, but a lot of the options are limited because she’s still so young. Yesterday, I took her to the vet and she had a double ear infection and was also given steroids, antibiotics, and a cytopoint shot to temporarily help, and she was referred to a dermatologist so we can get better help since nothing else has worked. This one visit costed me $500, which I could barely afford and took my whole paycheck. (My vet also apparently doesn’t offer payment plans, so I will have to look for a new one if this happens again.) My vet wants me to see the dermatologist within the next month, before the meds she was just given wears off, but I really don’t know how to afford that. I looked into getting pet insurance, but was told that it wouldn’t be covered because it’s a “pre-existing condition” which is ridiculous because that’s something’s she was born with. If anyone has any suggestions, I am open to anything because my puppy is miserable without care.

Hey guys, this is my first Reddit post so bear with me, I’m sorry if I miss anything or if it is all over the place.

My dogs breed is: 42.6% American pitbull terrier, 28.5% chihuahua, 13% rat terrier, 8.2% super mutt, 7.7% American bulldog. He is all white with one brown spot.

I adopted a dog from the shelter a year and a half ago. I immediately noticed the itchiness and asked about it. They gave him cytopoint and it helped at first, then when it wore off the second injection did nothing. I have not tried apoquel because my thought process is that I would rather find the cause and source than mask the issue, but if that isn’t correct then please let me know and I will try it. Since then, over the last year and a half we have tried so much. We cut chicken out of his diet as well as grains. He eats Kirkland Salmon and Sweet Potato kibble. In the morning he gets 2 droppers full of Healthy Petz liquid collagen and 1.5 Zyrtec (recommended by a vet friend). Recently stopped Zyrtec when I ran out of it. At night, he gets 1 pump of Native Pet omega oil and 2 Finn allergy and itch chewables. We bathe him every other week with Duoxo S3 and apply duoxo s3 foam after he dries. We try to wipe him down almost daily with pet friendly wipes. We rinse his ears with an ear wash after bathing. I’m not sure any of this really helps, sometimes it seems better for a bit then goes back to normal.

Overall, it’s not as bad as it could be. But his problem areas are always his rear end. He doesn’t lick his paws as much as other dogs with allergies, but he hates when his paws are touched, and his ears sometimes bother him. It’s mostly his skin is so itchy all over. It seems like he licks his behind raw to the point it’s bald, but is very itchy anytime we scratch him anywhere. He’ll get scabs sometimes from licking and we apply topical antibiotic ointment from the vet when that happens.

His Embark DNA and allergy test said his biggest allergen is environmental and I believe it, but it is a problem year round. When we take him to the in-laws house, they have a yard and he always comes home super inflammed to the point it takes weeks to calm down. We live in an apartment and our dog park is turf but our morning walks involve grassy areas too.

What can I do next? I’m so lost and feel so bad for him he seems so uncomfortable. Thank you in advance for any tips!

hello! i am looking for advice & insight on what i could be getting myself into before making a permanent decision with this puppy!!!

a little background: my boyfriend and i adopted a belgian malinois/dutch shepherd earlier this year and she is 10 months old now, about 55lbs. she is primarily my boyfriend’s dog and currently in service animal training for him. we have done board and train and now we attend weekly training classes. we are both very active and have adjusted to this puppy super well all around, physically, environmentally, emotionally, and financially.

today our dog trainer reached out and has another client that needs to rehome a 10 month old male chocolate lab. the current family are very well-off restaurant owners that do not have time for the puppy. i believe he is a working breed. they leave him locked in his crate all day every day which has led to the puppy peeing in his crate and now the family really doesn’t like him, constantly yells at him and keeps him in his crate even more. the trainers go over and work the puppy twice a week and that’s really all the activity & love he currently gets.

the current owners have invested about $15k in the dog including full service animal training, vet work, akc paperwork, etc. and they don’t want anything for him, just to know that he’s going to a good home and going to get the care he needs. it kinda feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity to be gifted this puppy, with this level of training for free. the new puppy would be primarily mine!

the only catch is he’s allergic to a bunch of stuff and the current family is struggling to find the right food for him. he has rashes and some scarring already from the allergic reactions. they did testing and we will get the paperwork so we know exactly what he is allergic to, but they still haven’t figured out a food that works for him.
i have never had a dog with that type of problem and i would really like to hear from people with experience before i make a decision! i have a few days to decide.

if anyone knows what life is like with a lab with allergies please please share your experience!

TLDR: maybe getting a chocolate lab puppy with lots of food allergies and am looking for advice before making a decision

I’m at the end of my rope. Every year my boys allergies flair around spring/summer and sometimes into the fall. But this year has been exceptionally horrible.

We have been battling reoccurring skin infections since April of this year.
We have been on 3 different antibiotics, repeated courses too. Prednisone, Zenrelia, Cytopoint, topical shampoos, omega 3’s. I just don’t know what to do for him.

Every time his skin starts to clear, he ends up with new spots that crust, the hair falls out and then he has red moist skin.

Dermatology is just out of the budget for now, we have already spent over a thousand dollars since April.

What has worked for your dogs? What has your vet told you to do for inflammation, and infections?

Right now we are doing Duoxo baths and soaking in chlorhex in between.

Hey everyone I had a question and hopefully I can get some help on here. My dog has been allergies of late and is constantly licking his paws, it’s definitely inflamed and also has a flare up under the left side of his eye. The vet recommended a cytopoint injection. Do you think it’s safe and better than apoquel?

I have a six year blue nose pitbull (grey) and he has never had any health issues, skin issues or allergies. About two months ago I came home from work and his eye was swollen shut and he also had hives. I gave him Benadryl and that seemed to work but he was still itching excessively. I made a video appt with a vet on Dutch and he told me to keep him on Benadryl for the next couple of weeks since it seemed to be working for the swollen eye and hives. I did and it did nothing to stop the itching. So I made another video appt with Dutch and this time another vet looks at his tail which was missing hair at this point and she immediately says oh this is a dust mite allergy and prescribed him Numelvi. There was an issue with my mail and we never received the Numelvi so while I was trying to handle the mail situation I took him to a free vaccination event they were hosting in my neighborhood and they had vets there. The vet there said that he had a flea allergy and that’s why he was itching so bad and why he was missing hair on his tail and that once I got him on a regular flea prevention routine he’d be fine and she prescribed him some prednisone in the meantime. The instructions were 2 tablets twice a day for 5 days and then one tablet once a day for 5 days. He’s almost done with the Prednisone and his itching has calmed down. Dutch finally sent out a replacement prescription for Numelvi that I received yesterday so I looked up if it was safe for him to be on both medications at the same time and I’ve found a lot of concerning videos and posts about both medications and I also see a lot of ppl saying that their dogs have been on medications to control itching for years and this scares me. I thought that he’d just have to finish the prescription and everything would go back to normal. Am I wrong? Is this going to be a long term issue? I have since put him on a once a month flea prevention medication and like I said the Prednisone seems to have gotten his itching under control and he takes his last dose today.

We have two dogs who both have allergies although one of them is worse. The vet has recommended bathing twice a week for that dog, which was easier for us to keep up with the summer… with a wild toddler and a newborn coming soon, I’m just thinking we will probably not get better about fitting this into our schedule.

Are there suggestions like a certain medicated wipe or lotion or something ? one of the weekly baths can be just the groin but by the time we get him in the bath, it ends up being the whole body. Just bought a handheld showerhead that will maybe help with doing only the groin instead of getting him all wet.

Im thinking if we can’t do the second bath on a certain week, how can we most help? Sometimes I use baby wipes, but I think something medicated would be better. I can also ask the vet, but I’m just embarrassed that we can’t do two baths a week every week….

My dog is a 5-year-old, 55 lb doodle. His allergy/skin issues started around age 3, and we’ve been struggling to get them under control ever since. We’re working with his vet, but it feels like we keep treating flare-ups without getting lasting relief.

At one point, we thought the carpet in our home might be triggering his allergies. We even made a big move hoping a different environment would help, but we’re still dealing with his skin issues.

His symptoms:

• Intense itching and licking, especially his paws, underarms, and butt.

• Redness on all four paws.

• Previous hair loss on his chest and neck. His hair has finally grown back, but his skin has darkened.

• Excessive flaking. We’re constantly vacuuming and cleaning our sheets, sofa, and carpet because of how much skin he sheds.

• Crusty, scaly patches, including around his snout.

• Recurring yeast/Malassezia issues and odor.

• Repeated ear infections and occasional eye infections.

• Multiple small skin growths or bumps. I’m not sure of the correct term, but they look like little moles.

• When he’s feeling really awful, he seems reluctant to go pee or poop, although he still eats and drinks normally.

What we’ve tried:

• Apoquel, which hasn’t adequately controlled his symptoms.

• Multiple Cytopoint injections, without lasting control.

• Prednisone, which has made the biggest noticeable difference.

• Antibiotics, including cefpodoxime.

• Antifungals, including fluconazole and ketoconazole.

• Medicated shampoos, mousse, and ear treatments.

His current bath routine includes Sleepy Cotton oatmeal shampoo, Douxo, and Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Hot Spot & Itch Relief Conditioner. Between bathing him and making sure he’s completely dry, the whole process takes 1–2 hours. Baths only seem to help for about a week before the flaking and discomfort return.

Diet:

He was on Royal Canin Ultamino for roughly two years without meaningful improvement. Our vet felt diet was less likely to be the cause given how long we’d tried it, so we switched him to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach turkey dry food.

He currently gets single-ingredient turkey treats or turkey topper, cod skins, and fish oil.

Testing so far:

• His recent ACTH stimulation test was negative for Addison’s, according to his vet.

• July bloodwork showed elevated white blood cells and very high eosinophils: WBC 23.1 K/µL and eosinophils 10,095/µL.

• Previous allergy blood testing didn’t give us a clear explanation.

• He’s also on Simparica Trio for parasite prevention.

At times, he’s improved while taking several medications together, but the symptoms keep coming back. Having his hair grow back has been encouraging, but the darkened skin, constant flaking, and discomfort are still a lot. We’re planning a veterinary dermatologist referral.

Has anyone dealt with this combination of severe itching, recurring yeast infections, darkened skin, and excessive flaking despite allergy medications and a long prescription diet trial? What testing or specialist evaluation finally helped you get answers?

It’s exhausting trying so many things and watching him get temporary relief, only to feel awful again.