Tales of the red underbelly...any suggestions.

[dalpal]

Happens every summer...

Dalmatian running through grass= red irritated belly.

Now, granted I could shut him up all summer long and wrap him in bubble wrap..but he enjoys his romps.

Last year we did Simplecef twice, seemed to help (antibotic encase you haven't heard of it)...

He is on Frontline. Yesterday I gave him a Coortisoothe bath and it helped some (that stuff is damn price 35.00 for 16 oz :eek: )

Vet wants me to try Benedryal instead of antibotic (and I understand this....resistance and all)...but I was just wondering if anyone here has ever found anything to really help irritated dog skin...preferably over the counter and would really jump for joy if it was a holisitic product. I have Paraspray that I'm going to spray on tonight.

[jetsmom]

Cortisione cream.

[Bayou Roux]

Nothing holistic, but experience that the Benadryl does wonders for my coonhound with skin/ear sensitivities. Interrupts the reaction cycle, and generally I can use it for 4-5 days once a month and he's good to go.

[idlemoon]

We have to figure out what is going on first.
Do you see little red bumps or pimple like lesions on him, or is the skin a general diffuse red?

If there are red raised bumps/pimples then antibiotics are most likely warranted. If it is diffuse erythema, then you may be able to get by with antihistamines.

Dalmations are prone to airborne/ inhalent/enviromental allergies. If he is getting diffuse redness, you could be dealing with a contact allergy as well. Remember dogs absorb allergens through their skin, as well as breathing them in. Rinsing your dog after he plays in the field (or goes outside) may reduce the number of allergens absorbed thru the skin. Even if you use a damp cloth/rag to wipe him down, that could help. You could use a barrier method, ie a t-shirt, a light weight dog coat, to decrease the direct exposure.

Benadryl or other antihistamines can be a very safe medication to help with allergic reactions. However, since your pet consistently shows problems after being in the field, avoiding the field would be a good choice. But since avoiding would not be very fun, you may want to pre-treat your dalmation with antihistmines to decrease histamine release when the pet has been exposed.

If your dog gets recurrent bacterial infections after playing in the field, other than the other reccomendations in the previous paragraph you may want to add an antibacterial shampoo/conditioner to help thwart off any infections. This may help keep the bacteria numbers down so you do not get a fullblown pyoderma.

There are also topical cortisone creams, sprays, conditioners etc that can help with any inflammation or itch. These tend to have minimal systemic absorbtion. I have had some people use an over the counter diphenhydramine (Benadryl) spray topically on the affected area with success.

Lisa

[dalpal]

Yep...I'm familiar with dalmatian skin issues...had several dals come through here now.

Vet has seen it, several times...this is nothing new...it is definitely a contact allergy issue.

I will try the Bendryal and see if it helps.

Thanks.

[2Jakes]

If it is bad enough you can have him tested for what allergies he has and have an allergy-specific injectable made up. My friend's dog had almost exactly what you are describing and he was miserable with the itching and inflammation. She did the allergy shots last year and the difference was remarkable. This year she is repeating the shots, but at lower doses, and he has been symptom free. It may cost a bit to get the testing done and shots made up but in the long run the costs are less and you and dal pal will be happier.

[threedogpack]

if you are certain it's a contact dermatitis, can you make a belly protector for him out of a dish towel or bath towel or hand towel and some elastic or velcro?

[Over the Hill]

When I had this problem with my IW puppy, I got him a lightweight nylon dog vest and put it on him upsidedown, fastening it on his back as opposed to his belly, so that it acted as a shield between him and the grass that was causing the irritation. Worked well.

[MunchkinsMom]

You could also try putting a human t-shirt on the dog, and tie the excess in a knot on his back at the "waist".

I did this for one of our dogs that had surgery, and we didn't want her to work at the stitches, and the lamp-shade collar thing was a nightmare. The t-shirt worked like a charm.

Granted, it did look a bit funny seeing this big Rhodesian Ridgback/Boxer cross wearing a t-shirt every day for a week, but it did the trick.

[Blacklabs]

I have the same problems with one of my labs and have tried everything. This year I went to holistic vet and below is what you told me to put him on.

Tibetan allergy support and AllerDMG this will help to decrease the histamine reaction/inflammation as well as helping the immune system.

[dalpal]

Blacklabs....thank you....so that is indeed working?

The vest is an interesting idea.

I will say that I gave him a benedryl last night and saw massive improvement this AM..I think I'll give him that for just a few days and the instructions on the cortisoothe shampoo says to go 3 times a week for the first month and then once per month.

I hate summer....ready for fall.

[Blacklabs]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blacklabs....thank you....so that is indeed working

I just started him on it, I will let you know how it works.

I also do the shampoo, someone else suggested antibacterial soap to bath them with. Also local honey(10 miles radius) to help with allergies.

[Foxtrot's]

My son's bull terrier has the same problem. He took him to an allergist and apart from costing hundreds of dollars it never helped and he was relucatnt to do the second round that was suggested. How much Benadryl does one use and is it the over the counter normal kind? I'm sure it would help. He rubs his belly on anything he can find poor thing.

[dalpal]

I did a child's dosage...one pill.

It is just regular old Benedryl Allergy that you get over the counter.

[Blacklabs]

Here the dosage for dogs

The dose for benadryl is 1 mg per pound two to three times a day.

Here's a chart to follow.
http://www.oes.org/page2/8165~How_do_I_get_an_itchy_dog_comfortable.html

[maybedog]

Benadryl worked OK on my Lab but he slept alot! Now I use Prednisone 10mg daily for 5 days then every other day for 5 more doses. Works the best for me. I have tried so many over the counter shampoos and creams. They work initially but as soon as I stopped using them he started itching again. With the prednisone he is much better after the second day and remains good for a few months after the 10 dose regimen.

[theoldgreymare]

Our dachshund gets the red underbelly in the summer....not sure if it's from the dew or an actual grass allergy. A vet tech friend told us to try coating her belly with Desitin. Works like a charm for her.

[Foxtrot's]

Yikes - I can just visualize a Desitin covered daxie jumping on my furniture or lying on my carpets!

[dalpal]

I just give one Benadryl to the 70 pound dal. It doesn't knock him out.

Predinsone scares me, it's one that I won't use personally unless there is no way around it. I totally understand that sometimes you just have to...but I'm not ready to go down that road just yet.

This is definitely summertime, high weed/grass contact dermatitis. He only gets it in the summer and only since we moved to a farm with very grassy fields.

The Benadryl seems to be helping right now...I'm going to keep him on it for 3 more days, follow the cortisoothe shampoo regiment and see if that will help him.