My companion of 12 years, Sam, a Samoyed, is just not built for this hot, humid climate. Every year, he gets a skin allergy due to the heat, which came on early this year. We've already seen 104 degrees, weather we don't usually get til August. The allergy seems worse this year than ever before.
The vet has seen him and recommended I keep him on Benadryl, which I was already doing. But, he stated, it may get out of control and we may have to put him on Steroids again. The problem with steroids is they make him mean--a real bear! And at 82 lbs, he can be frightening. Usually he's mild-mannered and always smiling, but not when he's on steroids. He also gains a lot of weight on steroids and we've worked hard to get the excess weight off his arthritic hips. I'd really like to avoid steroids if at all possible.
I've cut his 4" hair down to less than an inch. I rake him daily to get the loose undercoat out. I keep him on benadryl--his cheese treats. He hears the celophane rattle and comes running. LOL He stays indoors except to potty. I keep the temp down to 71 degrees, which suits both of us quite well. He lies under the ceiling fan most of the time.
I'm getting ready to tackle the task of getting him in the tub and bathing him in Sulfadene shampoo, which offers some itch relief.
Usually all of these things work. But this year his allergy came on sooner and seems worse. He's literally pulling his hair out and chewing himself up. Does anyone else go thru this with their dogs? If so, how do you handle it? What can I do besides steroids? The vet didn't have other answers, except to start him on fish oil which should help his skin and hair, he said. So we're doing that too. He now refuses to eat his dogfood until I've busted open a fish oil capsule and squirted it on his food. If I forget to, he'll sniff the food and then look at me on his way out of the kitchen, with a look that says, "Now you know that ain't right!" LOL
Any suggestions?
NancyAnn
