Expert: Have4Paws - 11/3/2008

Question
I have an 8 month old male beagle.  He has begun to shed excessively.  I took him to two different vets, and both concur that he "may" have allergies.  He scratches his ears, but there is no infection.  He got a steroid shot and is taking benedryl twice daily, which makes him awfully tired.  This seems to help the itching but he is still shedding much more than he ever did before.  I must sweep the floor several times every day and get a pile of hair each time.  I had him neutered in August.  Could this have anything to do with it?  Should I start him on a fish oil supplement or ask the vet for blood tests?

Answer
Hi, thanks for wriitng to me.

I recommend DermCaps (Omega3 fatty acids). The best price is at www.omahavaccine.com. I have been using this product for 16 years and swear by it. The one negative is that it will take 3-4 months of faithful taking to see FULL effects but you will begin to see a change in a month or so and once you start him on it he should stay on it for life. There is NO downside to using these....

Additionally, it is time to take him to a canine dermatologist. My experience has been that there is a world of difference in their knowledge base. Benadryl twice a day seems like a lot to me without active hot spots or major sores, I've never given it more than once a day (25mg) and mine are all allergic. Beagles unfortuantely tend to be allergy prone, which is exactly why companies like my nemesis Proctor and Gamble use beagles to test their products on. It is criminal. Anyway a story for another time.

Are the insides of his ears pink/red or smelly? Is his belly pink/red instead of kind of chalky colored? These are signs of allergies.

Is he under a lot of stress? Stress can accelerate shedding?

Is he coming in contact with something that is causing this for example: chemicals on the lawn, detergents?

Consider food allergies. There are some over the counter foods for dogs with allergies like duck and potato or venison and rice. It might be worth changing to see if it helps, just remember you must always introduce a new food slowly by mixing it in with the old food in larger and larger amounts until the old food is eliminated or you can give him diarrhea.


Hope this is helpful, please check back and let me know how things go.
Have4Paws