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He was scratching again yesterday and digging at his paws.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to give him a bath and try the rinse to get rid of yeast.

I keep him in a cotton T-shirt so that he can't scratch himself raw. He has done that before.

He woke up in the middle of the night and I went down to take him out and slipped in a puddle of pee in the hallway.

He is peeing so much more than he used to.

This morning he peed again outside.

It's frustrating.

I'm wondering if a dose of benadryl or antihistamine will make him sleep through the night.

At least I'm pretty sure his kidneys are working ok.

Maybe he is just detoxing and expelling the waste products?

I am working a weird shift but hopefully I can get him into the vet on the weekend. They have extended hours and I think they are even open on Sunday.

[This message edited by Lola2kids at 8:51 AM, February 6th (Thursday)]

That issues with the ears and feet is (often) classic food allergy stuff.

There are lots of newish options to tackle the food allergy. At the top of the line is the Hills Prescription diet stuff, Ultra Allergen Free. You have to get it from a vet, or have an Rx to get it from a supplier. Kinda ridiculous, and expenive.

There are several "grain free" foods available now that I've had good luck with. The "Blue Buffalo" Wilderness stuff is very good. Duck and potato seems to help with some dogs. The old "Dick van Patten" stuff was also good. They've now been taken over by Natural Balance.

Benadryl often helps. Dogs can handle a pretty hefty dose of the stuff. Around 1mg/pound, I believe. I had a dog on it for quite a while, so I bought in bulk from Amazon.

It he is biting and licking, look for a product called "bitter apple" to spray on the areas. Tastes bad, but doesn't smell bad. If it gets raw, get Neo-predef powder from the vet. Also heard medicated Gold Bond works well.

[This message edited by Justgreatnews at 6:46 PM, February 6th (Thursday)]

Benadryl is how I got my dust mite allergic dog to sleep through the night - but I would ask the vet first, at the very least to check dosages and such.

The peeing with the change in diet is concerning to me. I don't know a lot about Brussels, are they prone to diabetes?

I think you may want to ask the vet about it. It could be that he is just absorbing all the liquid out of his food, and making more urine, but I would definitely discuss this with the Vet.

Have you been able to contact his breeder? Most reputable (actually all if they are indeed reputable) breeders would be more than happy to help you and may know of certain foods and remedies that are the most helpful for that breed. I am in regular contact with the breeder of my one terrier who has some food sensitivities. I contacted her after an itching frenzy a few years ago to find out that the food that I had been feeding her for years had gone through a formula change. Those in the breeding and show circuit are very often up to date on things that the mainstream pet owner is not.

Along with what marchmadness is saying you might want to look for a breed specific online forum as well. I have a chocolate lab pup and the forum I use is awesome for breed specific info, and has a lot of breeders and even vets who participate in the discussions. Lab pups can have grain issues as well. In fact the info you will find out about some trusted pet foods and products will astound you. After allergy/weeping rash issues we switched our pups diet to a grain free formula and a brand we know is all made and produced in Canada and the difference was astounding.

Rash cleared up, eyes are brighter and not goopy, no more yeast causing ear infections, glossy coat. It's worth a serious look into your dogs diet.

I have a JRT with pancreatitis - which is what started my search for better quality food. I, too, make his food - chicken, veggies, fruit, quinoa.

The difference since starting him on home-cooked food is remarkable. It's a PITA to do it but the results are so profound that I cannot NOT do it. While our main concern was monitoring the fat intake, the skin allergies that we had just learned to tolerate (smelly ears and incessant feet chewing) have virtually disappeared. We do still have some at certain times of the year but usually a couple of doses of Benadryl will clear them up nicely.

I second the recommendation of adding pumpkin. It is a fiber that will aid in movement through the gut. Additionally, I have found quinoa to be invaluable as it also has protein as well as being filling.

I had some concerns that my dog wasn't drinking enough water though he certainly still was producing output. The vet explained that there is much more water content in the homemade food than the kibble and was likely the reason why the water bowl was not emptied as before. Since it seems you've changed your pet rather suddenly, perhaps this would account for the increased urination.

Please also bear in mind that steroids work by actually suppressing his immune system. Doing so carries its own set of risks. Additionally, it may take some time for your pup's system to get regulated again - both to producing his own steroids (from the prior suppression) as well as to the change in diet.

As an aside, there are certain challenges in making sure your pup gets adequate vitamins and minerals in their homemade diet - particularly calcium if you aren't adding bones. There are numerous supplements available that will help to ensure this. I have found Nu-pro to be a good one. You will also want to consider the level of fat you are including - particularly the "good fats". Your pet will benefit from the omegas (ie, fish oil) the same as you do - and sometimes can even take the same supplements that you do.

[This message edited by truthsetmefree at 11:39 AM, February 7th (Friday)]

This is all great info...

The raw food diet is Tollden Farms made here in Canada.

They have meat and bones, meat and veggies and I just found out.. meat and botanicals which can help him with the scratching and yeast.

I will try the food for 4 to 6 weeks and monitor his urine output.

I tried an antihistamine (generic Claritin) last night and it did not help the scratching and restlessness. I may try the Benadryl.

I took him out to pee at 2 am so he would not do it in the house. It's also very cold here again and he does not want to stay out any longer than it takes to pee.

He has been off the steroids since November of last year so there should not be any residual effect from those.

I did read that in some cases the skin seems to get worse before it gets better so I am hoping that is the case here.

It will be 2 weeks on the raw food this coming Sunday. It's only been a short time.

I have sent out an email yesterday to the breeder with no response yet. I think the email is still valid since I did not get a non delivery message.

I will also look for online help breed specific...that's a great idea.

ETA: Yep, prone to eye problems and skin allergies. Also luxating patella which he has as well. Ahhh, purebreds.

[This message edited by Lola2kids at 12:19 PM, February 7th (Friday)]