Expert: Angela Donald - 6/20/2009

Question
hi we have a four month old female boxer. recently she started developing skin allergies. she has developed red spots and she itches a lot. The vet said its due to the floor cleaner. what should i do to reduce her allergy(we stopped using the floor cleaner). and the vet gives her three injections per day for three days. is that normal?
And we also have a pair of Alexandrian parakeets at home. sometimes she finds them tempting and tries to catch them. What should i do to help her socialize with them properly.
and sometimes when we try to play with her she snaps at us. is this because of her allergies?  

Answer
Hi Aiswariya,
The protocol your vet is using is standard for allergies. Ask your vet if you can give her Bendadryl daily. I also recommend NuVet vitamins, you can find them on my website on the right hand side of the page , they are not sold in stores and have worked great for our rescues and boxers over the years for many different ailments.

You may also want to change her diet as boxers are commonly allergic to soy and corn so check the label of her food and see if these ingredients are in it. If you change her food do it gradually over a weeks time , each day adding a little more of the new food until its all new. Start with about 1/4 cup of new food added to the old.

Please e-mail me personally for a detailed strategy plan for her nipping and the socialization of the parakeets as I don't have enough room in this response to do it. She isn't snapping because of allergies.

Thank you for your questions and I look forward to hearing from you by e-mail.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com
hitowerboxers@aol.com