[DianeDan]

I have a pitt/retriever 3 year old. I live in Cornwall Ont. He seems to be allergic to so many things. I can't seem to figure out what to do. I fed him Vet fomula Iams skin and coat. I booked an allergy test this month.Other people I have spoke to still have an itchy dog. IF The temp here is -8 is it too cold for his sensitive skin?

[Lucky098]

It is actually a myth that winter time means that allergies go away. For some people and animals, winter is just another miserable season to suffer from allergies.

I would suggest to start with the diet. Cut out all the junk that manufactured food has, such as corn, specific types of meat, fillers and preservatives. Put your dog on a very bland diet... I have known people to cook their animals turkey and sweet potato or keep the dog on a chicken and rice diet. During an allergy quest, unless you seek help from a vet, try to avoid any type of steroid that will suppress the immune system. With the immune system suppressed, you'll never know what is causing the dog to have a reaction, even though the dog is more comfortable while on the steroid. Please know, that it does take approximately 6 weeks before the body responds to the different foods.. so don't expect a change within the first week... However, if your dog gets worse and can't stop itching, then try a different diet.

See what the allergy test is going to tell you. They do help stumped owners quite a bit!

Try bathing with a hypo allergenic shampoo.. Oatmeal shampoo, although is advertised for itchy dogs, is a drying shampoo.. Find something that is hydrating and won't dry the skin. You're going to have to look in a different section of the store.. it won't be in the shampoo aisle, it'll be in the skin care aisle... and don't buy anything from Walmart.. It'll make dry skin even more miserable.

[binkia]

Yes that winter stuff is a myth.

[Emily94]

I have a dog who had HORRIBLE allergies, I swear he's allergic to everything. What I found to be very helpful is to feed him Evo (A brand of dog food, research it, it's a great food), try not to cut the grass to often (it makes his itching worse), no table scraps and only homemade cookies, wash his bedding every second day, keep the dog area very clean (constant sweeping and mopping), baths with an oatmeal/viniagar mix (be careful if he has itched his skin raw... then the vinigar will sting), and when his allergies really act up half a tab of benedryl will help clear it up for the time being while I scour the house/outside for what made his allergies flare up. Its almost a fulltime job trying to figure out what causes his allergies.