Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 7/17/2005

Question
Hi!  I have a 5 yr old labrador retriever who has an scratching problem.  For a while he occationally would lick/chew on his feet, but since this spring he has been scratching like crazy, and still messing with his feet.  He usually scratches under his chin or neck/chest area, and his neck became really red with some small scabs and a little hair missing from scratching.  We have been giving him benadryl or atarax, which may help a little.  We also had him on a tapering dose of prednisone (starting at 40mg tapering down to 10mg every other day) which helped more than anything, but once we stopped it, the scratching was bad again.  I hate to keep him on prednisone, but we started giving it to him again (he weighs about 85 lbs., and this time we started at 20mg, then 15mg..every other day. What are your thoughts on prednisone?

I want to take him to get allergy tested.  What do you suggest?  It is breaking my heart to see him scratch so much!  He is such a good, happy dog and he looks miserable!
Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely,  Susan

Answer
If he tolerates the pred, then you can maintain him on it until the fall.  I wouldn't want to see him on year round steroids, but seasonally, at a low dose to keep him comfortable, it should not cause any major problems.  If you allergy test, then be prepared to give allergy shots for a year before you see ANY results.  It takes that long to immunize the dog against the allergens he is reacting to.  I am having quite a bit of success with dietary Omega3 fatty acids in the food and a spray called Genesis to spray on the feet and belly occasionally to control itching.  Ask your vet about these. You also need to bathe him or rinse him off several times a week to remove the allergens from his skin.  Benadryl and atarax are almost useless for dogs with allergies.