allergies ???????? HELP

trinity1138

Hi, I have a lab,and he has always had allergies. He would get an ear infection maybe once every 8 months. Two and a half weeks ago he woke up and he was just not himself. I thought it was because it wqas hot out and he is a little chubby (am working on that), but his ears were bloody, which was weird because I am one of those neurotic dog moms always checking evry inch of their bodies all the time. So I figured he had an ear infection. So I cleaned his ears out with oticalm. Within maybe 2 hrs his ear flaps were so swollen it was scarey. To make a long story somewhat short, I got him in the next day to the vet and they said it was hematomas, he went directly into surgery. I got a called about an hour after I dropped him off saying it wasnt a hematoma yet and that they were gonna put a button(a hard piece of something sewn to his ear so the underside can drain) on one of his ears and the other was not as bad and they would just give him a steroid shot. We went yesterday he got stitches out his ear canals are beautiful, but today his ears are hot again. He has no temp , still has a chubby boy appetite but he is kind of depressed(?) I have changed his diet cause vet said not to give him beef or wheat anymore, he used to poop 4x a day now he poops like 8x and not solid. I have noticed no difference in anything and he is still licking his darn paws all the time. Vet gave me hydroxyzine, but I do not like the way he is on it and his ears are still hot. Sorry so long winded but I have no idea what to do. I mean the ear thing cost me $680. I do not know how to help my poor boy does anybody have suggestions. I do not want his ears to swell up again. My husband is on deployment and this is hard dealing with alone. Any suggestions would be of great value to me. Thanks for listening(reading) my babble!!

cshellenberger

What are you feeding?

Willowy

Wow. Willow used to get ear hematomas, but she never needed surgery, just antihistimines and steroids. Hers were due to food allergies and flea allergies. Fortunately we have them under control now and she doesn't get ear hematomas anymore. Yes, what are you feeding him? Labs are prone to allergies, so a low-allergen food is important. Willow does well on Canidae, Chicken Soup, Solid Gold, and Natural Balance.

trinity1138

I just started him on Merrick's Grammy's chicken potpie 2 weeks ago, before he was eating beneful healthy weight. He does not have fleas, I had them check him for that.

cshellenberger

Merrick is good, but it may be too rich or you may have transitioned too fast.

First, put him on boiled chicken and brown rice (if allergic to rice, use barley) with some canned pumkin for a couple of days until his tummy calms down. Then SLOWLY transition back to the food. IF the dogs tummy gets upset again, then you may need to go to a simpler formula such as Natural Balance Duck and potato or Fish and Sweet potato.

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ButterflyMom

Hematomas (and hot ears) are mostly caused by constant shaking of the head... which is from allergies or infections. With the paw licking, it's probably allergies. To save yourself money, get hydrocortisone ointment, Walmart brand is okay for like $2.00 or the spray (I buy from www.upco.com)... it WORKS! I bought a neck collar to prevent Jessie from licking it and I leave it on only for 10-15 minutes, until it starts to work. I also give Benadryl for major allergy reactions. Food is a cause for allergies... try something with no wheat or grain (including corn and rice). This has helped Jessie tremendously but not 100%... but it allows comfort.

trinity1138

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I am going to do just that, and you know a long time ago a vet told me about that food and I should have tried it. They have at pet pros right by my apt. Today when I got home from work his ear were no longer hot but when I touched his belly he groaned a little so I do believe it is just as you said because before I even read your reply I was thinking of researching some more foods. I will do the boiled chicken and rice. I have only brown rice is that okay? Also what was really weird as soon as I started transitioning the dogs into the new food my pitmix started getting itchy and chewing those paws. I want to get one they both can eat, it does get a little pricey having 2 different diets, but I guess it is even more pricey taking them back and forth to the vet all the time. Again thank you so much. I was stressed all morning at work about my poor chubby boy. They are my world

Willowy

Merrick is an excellent dog food, but it is quite expensive. The other brands I listed before aren't as expensive, but are still good. Also, as mentioned, it's really rich. A simpler food, such as California Naturals, might work better for both dogs. I've found that Chicken Soup also seems to work for most dogs.

For the homemade food, brown rice is great. Much more nutritious than white rice.

When Willow's ears were really yucky, sometimes we had to strap them to her head with a ACE bandage. Otherwise she'd shake them and make the swelling worse.

cshellenberger

Brown rice is perfect, and all I used for runny stools, the fiber helps to regulate everything as does the pumpkin.

The Natural balance should be fine for the pit mix as well. You can reduce hte calories fohte over weight dog by adding some fresh, cut up carrots and green beans to the food as a low cal filler.

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