Question:
Stella continues to itch... the vet checked her on Monday and said that what i was seeing aren't bites, but irritation from scratching. she has been scratching so much that she's drawing blood and losing hair (behind her ears, behind her front legs, under her chin and on her thighs). it looks so painful and i feel so badly for her. the vet gave me some spray called genesis that is supposed to help with the itching, but so far...it has not helped. the vet wanted me to change her food back to science diet (what she was on before) and not give her the nutro max anymore. could this be a food allergy? i really do not want to switch her food if i don't have to, especially to something like science diet (but of course, it's the only food our vet sells). she has been eating the nutro for about two months now. i can't think of any environmental changes that could be causing this, only the addition of the new kitten (which is around the time this started)...she took very well to the new kitten and they are the best of friends. this is probably a stupid question, but could she be allergic to the kitten? i've checked for shampoos that stop itching but no pet stores around here seem to carry it. i'm certain it's not fleas or anything like that. what else could she be allergic to? i can't think of anything that she got into outside...when we walk she usually stays on the sidewalk and our back yard is pretty bare.

Answer:
It could be a food allegery. Why do you not want to change his food. I guess he might be allergic to the kitten but I have never heard of that before. Are you giving the kitten a bath in something that the dog could be allergic to if so when they play together and sleep together than it could irritate his skin.

Answer:
I haven't bathed the kitten. Nutro is a much better food that science diet, which is basically crap. i don't want to switch her food before i rule out anything else...since food allergies cause only 15% of all dog allergy cases.

Answer:
If I were you I would cook for Stella, make her food yourself. Atleast try it for a couple of weeks to see if the itching goes away.

Stay away from the products from the pet store. Soothe it by putting pure aloe vera GEL on it (not some commercial bought cream with additive)
Aloe vera GEL (lily of the desert good brand).

Stop ALL her dog food and dog treats...wash any floors with simple water and a bit of vinegar. Wash bedding with a non fragrance hypoallergic soap. NO BLEACH!

Don't bathe her, leave it be, just use the aloe.

Sometimes ONE little flea bite can cause this, allerigic reaction.

Give her a bone raw beef bone to keep her mind off this itch.

Stop bringing attention to it by telling her to stop scratching etc.. if you are.

Have you tried any of these things yet?

Most important to stop her food and try cooking for her yourself.

Boiled chicken and potato ONLY

Give vitamin e and fish oil in the food for the skin and coat, stops the itch.

Answer:
my old dog Sophie had that and got so bad she was bald on her neck and two sides it turned out to be a form of eczema so we went to a herbal shop and got all different types of cream while having her on a strict diet as they said certain foods can set it off...

eventually the skin condition cleared up but her hair never grew back... :(

Answer:
I keep seeing people write in here about raw beef bones,can you get those at petsmart?????

Answer:
Thanks Luba for the suggestions. I will try the boiled chicken with potato, as i did this for my kitten. but, any ideas as to how much to feed her? i know she'll wolf it down since she always tried to get the kitten's chicken and i don't want to overfeed or underfeed her. I have not yelled at her, usually i try take her attention away from the itch by grabbing a toy or something quick. You know, now that you said something about bleach...i did clean the bathroom walls and floors with bleach and spot treated our comforter with bleach before i brought the new kitten home just in case Lucy had something contagious. I cleaned the litter box with bleach outside in the grass, she could have stepped in that. All of this was about two weeks ago, which was a couple days before she started itching. If it was the bleach, after i clean the floors with vinegar and water and wash the comforter, is it just a matter of stopping the itch-scratch cycle? should i still start her on boiled chicken and potatoes? What form of vitamin E should i give her and how much? i'm sorry i have so many questions...this is all new to me. she has been problem free since she was a pup (she's now 3).

Answer:
heidi - you get bones at the supermarket or butcher. They are usually sold as "Soup bones" or "Shanks".

Answer:
Thank you,and is this something you think will keep him happy at least for an hour a night while i lay around watching tv?? He just seems to need constant attention..

Answer:
Tc,you are really having a rough time with your pets,after all the heartbreak with poor little Lucy,I thought everything would be ok :(
Anyway,I know nothing of dogs and allergies,but I would follow Lubas advice.Also there are many other good dog/catfoods out there,Nutro Healthy Choice,Wellness(in my view the best).If you feed her canned food,Wellness cans are human grade,no additives..

Answer:
You can get vitamin e in capsulated form (what we would take)
prick one with a sharp point (knife/toothpick) and squeeze it onto the food. If you use flax seed oil yourself give her a little of that on her food as well...just a dribble though she's tiny!

As for how much to feed, it depends on her weight. She's small girl so I would feed 3 small meals a day. She will love the chick and potato and it will fill her up.

After several days you 'should' notice an improvement if it's food related. Usually it's allergy to wheat or soy but sometimes it's often the preservatives in food as well.

Just make sure that you don't put any butter/margarine in the potatoes.

Save the juice from boiling the chicken (the stock) and make ice cubes for her to chew on

If things start to improve (some may also be stress from Lucy and all what has been happening) you can gradually introduce a variety of veggies and other meats ..as well as other proteins like egg and beans. That is if you want to home cook for her.

Otherwise, if she is sensitive you may go through a dozen foods before you find one that she doesn't react to (went through all that with my now deceased terrier,...it was not fun!)

Best of luck with this, it should help I hope it does

Answer:
I am surprised your vet is selling Science Diet,my vet sells Medi-Cal,I have never fed it to my cats,but have bought the Medi-Cal treats and ended up feeding it to my crows
I realize you are in NY and you might have pet-foods we don't have and vice versa.
Good luck,you certainly deserve a couple of healthy pets after all you've been through,you must have provided University tuition for the vet's children Kidding aside,I hope the little girl will do better soon,I am sure she'll just love the chicken.

Answer: