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Pet Allergies
updated: Jan 27, 2011, 6:16 AM

Are there any other EdHat readers out there who struggle with their pets' allergies to lush and warm Santa Barbara? This wet winter season has my Beagle's skin itching like crazy and my late Beagle mix had the same reaction when we moved to SB. What do the locals do to help alleviate their furry friends' suffering?

Places People Are Talking About:

Atopica	Cat & Bird Clinic	Fish Oil Supplement
Paraspray Plus	Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 140407P	2011-01-27 06:29 AM
Are you sure it is SB and not the food that you feed them? Sometimes, changing their diet helps. (Just asking.)
COMMENT 140411	2011-01-27 06:37 AM
It's definitely allergies to flora. I've taken wheat out of their diets and they only eat the highest quality food. The vet called it allergic dermatitis. I would rather not give medicine so if anyone has a remedy, let me know too.
COMMENT 140438	2011-01-27 07:40 AM
no
COMMENT 140453	2011-01-27 08:00 AM
Yes my cats suffered from that. My mom is a traveling nurse and could see a major difference once she left SB. They seemed to do great in the colder areas (Wisconsin) and were bad again in Salinas. Our older kitty (who passed last year) had it really bad in which she would lose parts of her gorgeous coat and have big bald spots (typically on her rear legs) and would lose weight. Our other kitty would get really bad dandruff. The vet changed their food to a high quality (I'll ask for the name) and put the older cat on medicine to help control it. His name is Steve Lewis at Airport Animal Hospital and he was the best vet my mom ever found 805-968-4300.
MTNDRIVER	2011-01-27 08:18 AM
We had a kitty who really suffered, and cortisone injections helped tremendously. She stopped scratching and licking and chewing at the itchy areas which allowed them to heal up. She had gotten pretty neurotic about grooming herself. Along with that was making sure she was flea free--when Program was invented, her problems cleared up, so that must have been a big part of it, though we usually couldn't find any fleas on her. I have heard vets talk about "Santa Barbara itch" so it must be a common complaint. In our case it was always worse in the summer, not the winter.
COMMENT 140476P	2011-01-27 08:36 AM
My 13yo cat has been afflicted with the SB Itch every winter since we moved here 5 years ago. The vets at the Cat & Bird clinic (great place!) give her a shot to control the itch & then I follow up with pills until sometime in the summer when it goes away. It definitely seems to be a reaction to something in the environment here that wasn't in SLO, where we came from.
COMMENT 140478	2011-01-27 08:37 AM
My cat isn't bothered, but three dogs are/have been.
COMMENT 140487	2011-01-27 08:49 AM
the best non toxic product for EVERY kind of skin condition called PARASPRAY PLUS from THEHOLISTICHORSEdotcom get a qrt it lasts a while..good for itching redness got spots or mange....by far the best also 1 benedryl for every 25 pounds of body weight twice a day..get the costco brand..400 tabs for 4$ and a grain free diet and try and switch the protein...off chicken and turkey and onto salmon or bison
COMMENT 140497	2011-01-27 09:06 AM
This is an opinion, but one that has worked well for me so I'm sticking to it. My dog has a wonderful coat and no allergies, so maybe I am just lucky, maybe not. If you are a responsible owner, you need not adhere to the propaganda and ought to choose not to castrate your animal, number one. That has a huge affect, do a little in depth research before you flame me. 2) Keep them away from succulents & mushrooms. 3) Make your own food, if you have the time, most don't. I've had good results from science diet. Both hard & soft is good for digestion. 4) Salt water is great for skin, human and canine. We are in the ocean a few times a week, with a bath once a week or week and a half using good old generic Petco Oatmeal Shampoo. Rinse off salt & sand the other days. 5) Good (expensive) Frontline flea treatment is key. If they have fleas, they itch, if they itch, they scratch their skin with their nasty paws and therefore are covered with bacteria and whatever else they are into all day.
COMMENT 140504	2011-01-27 09:13 AM
I also take my little female Tortie cat to the Cat & Bird Clinic for the steroid shot and follow up prednisone pills. It works fantastic, but kitty is hungry from medication and has gained a little weight. She is so much happier though!!!
COMMENT 140511P	2011-01-27 09:22 AM
My dogs have skin allergies. I prefer not to give meds, so my vet recommended a fish oil supplement. It seems to help.
COMMENT 140535	2011-01-27 09:47 AM
i second the fish oil - my dogs think it's a treat and love it! Also, tea tree oil shampoo helps some if you haven't tried that.
COMMENT 140540	2011-01-27 09:51 AM
Fwiw, high quality food (i.e., NOT Science Diet,) lots of ocean time followed by salt removing rinse, high quality shampoo not more often than twice a month, and Comfortis flea medication- we've found all other flea meds to be ineffective against SB fleas.
COMMENT 140549	2011-01-27 10:01 AM
Had my dog tested and she turned out to be allergic to wheat, poultry, and some grasses. Now that we've switched her to a high quality diet (love California Natural!) she's doing just fine.
COMMENT 140567	2011-01-27 10:28 AM
Yep 540, it's Science Diet poster, everyone and their mother has an opinion on the best food, I've never seen so much vitriol on any subject matter on earth more than owner's and their dog food. But really, it's what works for your individual dog in the end. Who hates what maker or heard stories of disaster or this or that, pretty much if it doesn't start with corn meal but with meat or veggies and stays away from the artificial crap, it's fine if the dog likes it, is healthy and the stools are of the correct durometer (finger test, ew!). Never tried the Comfortis I'll have to look into it, but Frontline works great for me, specialized SB SuperFleas! or not, I was mostly trying to warn people away from the $7 stuff. As for shampoo, that Petco Oatmeal is so mild and good my dog will drink it if he could, spends the whole bath licking it up. All about MILD and correct PH balance, not $$$$, and his coat is soft and shiny and gorgeous. Opinions, again.
THUMPER	2011-01-27 10:33 AM
My cat has it too and will lick himself raw. he lived his first couple of years out in the desert. So after trying lots of things -- flea meds, allergy shots and holistic ideas (homemade food, various holistic herbs, etc.) my vet and I gave up and he's now on triamcinolone pills (a version of prednisone) on an "as needed" basis. When he starts licking, I give him the pill once a day (followed by some greenie treats!) and once he's healed up, I'll wean him from the pills & he'll be fine for awhile (weeks and sometimes even months!) and when he starts up again, I'll go back to the pills. He tends to drink more water and be a bit hungrier when he's on the pills... but his quality of life is much better. We've been doing this for a number of years and he's 13.5 years old now.
COMMENT 140577	2011-01-27 10:43 AM
One of my dogs as struggled with horrible allergies for years. I'm talking SEVERE and chronic to the point of black, infected thickened"elephant" like skin, chewing toe pads off, inverted nipples and chest scars from scratching. 90% of the time it's airborne flora and not a food allergy. Tried the traditional various antihistamines (7), drugs that treat people for obsessive/compulsive disorder, anti-fungal drugs and Prednizone. Prednizone does work but can't be used long term. I had a custom antigen injectable created and used it for 2 years in an attempt to "re-train" the immune system so it doesn't overreact. It worked, but not great. I'm now trying a T-cell blocker called Atopica. It is a type of chemotherapy that is used as an anti-rejection drug in humans after organ transplants. I'd have to say it is 90% effective. My dog is now happy, plays with her toys, sleeps through the night without chewing herself to pieces. The downside is the cost at almost $4 per pill.
COMMENT 140579	2011-01-27 10:46 AM
With red raw bald patches on his rear our poor large Lab suffered miserably with the SB Itch; until our vet gave him cortisone shots. None of our other dogs had this problem.
COMMENT 140615P	2011-01-27 12:25 PM
Actually, with allergies that severe it's usually 90% food related and 10% chance of flora.
COMMENT 140621	2011-01-27 12:36 PM
Actually 615P - It is likely 90% flora. Even with people look at the percentage allergic to ragweed and get hay fever and poison ivy/oak vs. peanut, seafood, strawberries and other food allergies. I did food trials for over 2 years. I assure you, as all the vets agree, it isn't a food allergy.
COMMENT 140624P	2011-01-27 12:45 PM
Maybe for your dog, but most dogs with symptoms like these have food issues. It's not that they are allergic to the food as much as the food is inferior. Corn and fillers are big culprits and make dogs itch in the paw and undercarriage area. People think they are feeding good food, but even high end brands contain stuff that is bad for dogs. This has nothign to do with people's allergies. The two aren't comparable.
COMMENT 140630	2011-01-27 12:57 PM
It is most likely from airborne elements. Santa Barbara is a climate where many, many pollens, plants, weeds, molds, dirt, etc, contain allergens. It is rarely food. I had my dog tested for allergies (skin tests, just like they do for humans) and he was allergic to about 18 different plants, plus dust mites. The vet prepared allergy shots specifically targeting these allergens and it has helped tremendously. A simple remedy is to wash your dog's feet with plain cold water when he comes in from outside. When a dog walks around on grass, weeds or dirt he picks up allergens. A simple wash (no soap needed) gets these off. I just have a pail by my back door, and I dunk his feet in the pail one at a time and dry them off. You will be amazed.
COMMENT 140653	2011-01-27 01:34 PM
Thanks for the insight everyone! I am the original poster. I will give the feet rinsing a try Dogs' Mom. Until flea season :-)
COMMENT 140730	2011-01-27 03:31 PM
Of course it's airborne and not food. Why else would the allergies get better when the pet moves away from the SB area and worse when they are in SB?
COMMENT 140769	2011-01-27 04:40 PM
If I had a child who suffered from living in Santa Barbara, we would find a different place to live. If you KNOW that your pet is suffering because you keep him/her here, the whole allergy thing is your doing, isn't it?
COMMENT 140778	2011-01-27 05:14 PM
My dog is itchy itchy! And my vet (who is so amazing its worth driving to Ventura for visits) prescribed something called Allerderm. Its a topical you put on once a month - like flea meds, but its basically essential oils that calm and soothe the skin. My dog's itching has decreased at least 80-90% since we started it! Highly recommend it - although you may have to get it from your vet.
COMMENT 141006	2011-01-28 10:39 AM
My kitty, Leeloo, has the same SB itch, and also has asthma. I switched her to the various foods recommended by Dr. Sellers of the Cat & Bird Clinic - she reviews the foods at all the stores once a year and changes the list - list at Pet House. But the SB itch is definitely not a food allergy, and Dr. Sellers did a biopsy on one bald spot recently to confirm. Transdermal prednisolone takes care of the asthma and possibly the allergy, and is easy for me to use.
COMMENT 141232	2011-01-29 07:42 AM
Our dog also suffers from the itch. Our vet, love the docs are White's, suggested that we switch from Frontline to Confortus because our dog is always at the beach. She noted that Frontline will eventually wear off if subjected to too much water. We also supplement with a fish oil pill from Costco daily. Tried changing foods, but found no change in her itching. We also spent two weeks camping in Oregon and Washington last summer and the itching stopped! Right back on track about two weeks after we got home. Gotta love Santa Barbara!