Jesse's skin issues revisited-suggestions needed

Could be mildew or mold in parts of the dog kennel-it's very shady. We do have mulch, but he doesn't go near it.

Well, ragweed is the "usual" culprit this time of year - but the fact that it happens during heat/damp - makes me wonder about mold/fungus allergies??

Do you have mulch around your house? Mildew on decks or walkways? (Pressure washing might help that) I'm just grasping at straws here....LOL!!

The dose for Benadryl is 0.5 to 2 mg. per pound of body weight, given every 8 to 12 hours. I think starting with 50 mg. is what I'd do, but I wouldn't hesitate to up it a little if you don't see results. It can take up to a couple of weeks to really tell if an antihistamine is working. Generic diphenhydramine is fine, you don't have to get the name brand. Make sure it's just diphenhydramine and not a combination product.

Be aware that you may have to try other antihistamines. There are lots of them that dogs can take, but unfortunately no particular antihistamine seems to work well for all dogs. Benadryl is usually recommended first, probably because it's inexpensive and something a lot of people already have on hand. It's never worked very well for any of my dogs. We've always had to do trials of several different antihistamines to find one that works. My Shih Tzu is currently getting Zyrtec to help with his ragweed allergy.

Haven't tried the Benadryl yet-vet suggested it as well. He's 50 lbs exact so 50 mgs would do. I'm in Sam's at least once a month so I'll look when we go again. Tonight he's already getting better, so we'll see what happens.

Since it seems to be environmental, have you tried giving him Benadryl during flare ups? Dogs can have 1 mg. per lb. of body weight. Since tablets are 25 milligrams, dose accordingly. You can also get a pill splitter, if he's between whole pill dosing. Make sure you get plain Benadryl tablets; nothing else added. Wally World and stores like Costco, B.J.'s, Sams, etc. have store brands really cheap.

Could it be a heat rash?

Most definitely.

Have you noticed if your dog is worse after being out in the yard, especially if the grass is wet from the dew or rain?

Yes. Seems to flair up in extreme heat or weather transitions when there is a lot of moisture on the ground.

We've ruled out kibble, the cottage cheese and pretty much everything ingestible, think there may be a contact allergen (ragweed is BRUTAL in this area), use metal bowls BUT use a plastic water bucket. When we first had him we used a rubber horse bucket but it was too big. Sounds like we should get a metal water bucket (yippee, an excuse to go to the BIG feed and grain store) and see if that helps. It's not particularly bothersome to him-he doesn't really scratch, his appetite is fine, and his energy level is over the top (typical springer). It's cooled off and dried out again and the bumps seem to be going away. It only happens when the whether starts to warm up then gets hot.

Susan, haven't done a scrape/culture. We had a spell of dry, warm days and cool nights and it cleared up almost completely, then came back with a vengeance on a 90+ humid day. Started to go away, it warmed up again then came back.

He's on Revolution, which we use year round, and he doesn't react during the cold seasons.

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. We'll keep plugging away at figuring it out.

For allergy symptoms that surface this time of the year I'd normally say that ragweed is the likely culprit. But what you describe, especially not being particularly itchy, doesn't sound like a typical allergy.

Re allergies: I'm going to assume that anyone with a sensitive dog does NOT use lawn chemicals or pesticides, but what the neighbors do can still affect your dog. Or places you visit, including RV parks :-( I agree that washing your dog's feet might help? That has always been the means-of-ingestion for MY guys. Finally trained my neighbor to be more careful spreading fertilizer next to my yard after countless days of vomiting from my chemical-sensitive Aussie

Has his skin been scraped and cultured lately?

Fungus gets worse in hot/damp weather. And since it is not sensitive to antibiotics but the normal skin bacteria are, it could easily be aggravated by antibiotics when those die off and leave more room for it to flourish.

Resistant bacteria (ie MRSA) would also get a boost from antibiotics since competing bacteria will die off while it is untouched.

I find that colloidal silver or lugol's does a lot for itchy skin issues for me. Both used topically kill bacteria or fungus and aren't susceptible to resistance.

Using a probiotic skin solution (I don't have a brand at this time, but I bet you can find one) is another thing that might balance stuff out.

Our dog gets those little bumps on her stomach when it's hot and humid AND we have noticed that she seems to itch more when she has been in wet grass. I wondered if it was the grass or the fact that her belly hair is wet/damp for awhile. I also usually cleanse with the apple cider vinegar and that seems to help. I have not paid attention enough attention to see if this happens after flea/tic meds. She cannot use the frontline plus as her hair starts falling out, so once we realized that her meds have been changed. Will have to see if she has this again. She is already on a no wheat, corn or soy food.