Hey guys.  Before making this thread, I did a search for 'allergies, allergy, allergic' and nothing seems to match my situation.  This will be a little detailed, so grab a cup of coffee and bring your brain.  

I have a ~1 year old foster Husky/Golden Retriever mix.  I started fostering her in May 2013.  On the first day that I got her, she had already been itching her belly with her back legs (really weird to watch).  I thought she had fleas or needed a moisturizing bath.  I gave her a flea topical and a good soak.  It didn't stop.

I took her to the vet and they gave me a shampoo.  It's called Virbac Epi-Soothe Shampoo.  I was told to bathe her twice a week or once a week until symptoms went away.  

I gave her a bath and a day or two later, she developed little red bumps on her groin area.

See picture.



It's really hard to see, but you can see the red bumps and a small scab to the side.  

Now, I'm not sure if it's from the season changing or the shampoo, but it has gotten worse.  I only gave her one bath with that shampoo.  







The bumps are more prominent and red.  They are also scabbing over and flaking from themselves.  She does scratch at these bumps, hence making them more inflamed and scabby.  The bumps are in various areas - back of her legs, groin area, under armpits, behind one of her ears, front of her chest, the middle of her belly, etc.  It moves around.  I brush away the dead skin with a flea comb.  I noticed that my hands smell kinda funky.  Could it be some type of fungal infection instead?

She did have a hot spot on the base of her tail a few weeks after I got her, but it healed very quickly after I put some antibiotics on it and some vitamin E. Within a day it started to be less inflamed and finished healing by a few days.

She is on Taste of the Wild - Pacific Salmon.  Her stools are very firm and normal.  There is no swelling on her face.  No eye boogers (at least not very big or green ones).  No runny nose.  She DOES sneeze when laid on her back from time to time (while I'm brushing away the skin).  And she does scratch her belly vigorously when I give her a nice scratch on her back (while standing).  She doesn't lay down in the grass a lot, so I scratched out the grass allergy (we also mow once a week and keep the grass low).  She is inside about 95% of the time, in the AC.  There are no pesticides around the house.  The treats that she gets are grain free.  She doesn't get any table scraps apart from the stray french fry every now and then.  She doesn't have fleas (is on Frontline).

I would also like to add that she was slightly Heartworm Positive when I got her.  I was giving her 2 Doxy pills a day for one month to get rid of the heartworms.  She is no longer on the Doxy pills and is on a regular HeartGard regime.  

I've been giving her 4 Benadryl's a day - 2 per meal time.  If I miss a meal, she does seem to scratch more often but not a whole lot.  So I think the Benadryl is helping.  I bought some Zymox Enzymatic Shampoo and Zymox Enzymatic Rinse.  I gave her a bath and it REALLY transformed her skin.  Overnight, her fur was a lot softer and skin looked less inflamed.  The bumps went down for about a day or two but it's back to square one.

I also have been putting some organic coconut oil and vitamin E on her skin to help heal/keep itching down, but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference.

I have access to Fish Oil capsules and ​400 I.u. of vitamin e capsules.  Do you think these would help?  I don't want to giver her all of these pills and overwork her body, but if it helps, I'll try it.  I also have organic apple cider on hand for my other husky's flea regime.  Do you think ACV would help?

So even after I've exhausted ALL of those options, what do you think I should do?  Increase her Benadryl intake?  Give her a bath once a week?  I don't want to bathe her too much in case it dries up her skin, hence creating another problem...

I'm trying to stay away from the vet as much as possible because my rescue has a few medical cases that are more important than a skin allergy.  If she has to go to the vet, I will not hesitate to take her there.  

I know I asked a lot of questions, and I do apologize.  I just have exhausted all of my options that I can think of and would like your input.  Thanks for reading!  Here's a picture of the sweet girl:

Embry has them alllll over in his groin area, he gets them every summer. The vet said it was an irritation from the long grass he runs in at the park. He just got them back a couple weeks ago, I cut the hair in his groin area and put a triple antibiotic on it since last summer i kind of just ignored it and he ended up licking it so much it spread to his whiskers and they were bleeding.

Thanks for your reply! So Embry's groin area looks just like my foster?!

Yeah, that's what I've been doing with her. I didn't think it was a grass allergy though! She's only outside for bathroom breaks and our walks, and she never lays in the grass (our grass is cut every week too). I've put triple antibiotics on it and it seems to help it heal. I guess I need to start putting a cone on her so she'll stop licking/biting it.

I've also wondered if it's kinda like chafing or I don't know if your foster does it, but Embry digs in his water outside, and I was thinking it could be from the moisture and not drying properly

I found a picture of what his looked like 2 years ago, I'll get a picture of what it looks like now tomorrow, he's being a crab ass lol

She doesn't dig in the water. She has long fur though, almost like a wooly coat. lol crab ass. Your picture looks a lot like what she has! I feel so horrible for her.

Just a thought - it could still be a grass allergy even if she doesn't spend much time on the grass. I'm not sure if she's one of them or not, but some females squat really low when they pee, the grass could still be irritating. A couple things to try could be: 1) food allergy - I see irritated skin, I think food allergy 2) could be moisture from peeing, maybe try a simple rinse with water or water/vinegar and dry with a paper towel, if she doesn't lick it, dust with cornstarch, its a natural remedy for diaper rash and will keep her dry 3) skin scrape - it could be bacterial, fungal or parasitic only a scrape will tell you for sure. 4) you might want to do kind of an elimination for her, it could just simply be a reaction to summer humidity or it could be something diet related, maybe do an egg and green bean diet (or a veggie that is not in her current food) for an entire week and stop all the extra oils and supplements. After a week of egg (neutral protein) and green beans, then assess if its helping and if so, you'll know its a diet thing, then start to add everything back in slowly, one element at a time to see if you can find the culprit.

One question though, does her skin in that area smell like anything? It's an odd question, but it might help you narrow down a culprit, like yeast...

I feel like it could still be an allergy, even if it doesn't seem to affect her stools.

I don't know that for sure though! Hope this gets cleared up soon! She seems like the sweetest little girl.

katiesham wrote:

I feel like it could still be an allergy, even if it doesn't seem to affect her stools.

I don't know that for sure though! Hope this gets cleared up soon! She seems like the sweetest little girl.

From what I understand, there is a difference between allergy and intolerance. I researched this a lot when I was trying to figure out why my pup seemed to have constant diarrhea with a clear stool test. Fingers crossed, he's been solid for a week now! An allergy causes the skin problems, like itching, hotspots, and inflammation, and an intolerance causes diarrhea. They aren't necessarily exclusive of each other, a pup can be allergic and intolerant or either one alone. Dizzy happens to be allergic and intolerant of chicken, it makes him itchy and gives him the runs.

wpskier222 wrote:

katiesham wrote:

I feel like it could still be an allergy, even if it doesn't seem to affect her stools.

I don't know that for sure though! Hope this gets cleared up soon! She seems like the sweetest little girl.

From what I understand, there is a difference between allergy and intolerance. I researched this a lot when I was trying to figure out why my pup seemed to have constant diarrhea with a clear stool test. Fingers crossed, he's been solid for a week now! An allergy causes the skin problems, like itching, hotspots, and inflammation, and an intolerance causes diarrhea. They aren't necessarily exclusive of each other, a pup can be allergic and intolerant or either one alone. Dizzy happens to be allergic and intolerant of chicken, it makes him itchy and gives him the runs.

Ah! That makes sense! Hope Dizzy continues with those solid stools!

Fingers crossed!!!

wpskier222 wrote:

Just a thought - it could still be a grass allergy even if she doesn't spend much time on the grass. I'm not sure if she's one of them or not, but some females squat really low when they pee, the grass could still be irritating. A couple things to try could be: 1) food allergy - I see irritated skin, I think food allergy 2) could be moisture from peeing, maybe try a simple rinse with water or water/vinegar and dry with a paper towel, if she doesn't lick it, dust with cornstarch, its a natural remedy for diaper rash and will keep her dry 3) skin scrape - it could be bacterial, fungal or parasitic only a scrape will tell you for sure. 4) you might want to do kind of an elimination for her, it could just simply be a reaction to summer humidity or it could be something diet related, maybe do an egg and green bean diet (or a veggie that is not in her current food) for an entire week and stop all the extra oils and supplements. After a week of egg (neutral protein) and green beans, then assess if its helping and if so, you'll know its a diet thing, then start to add everything back in slowly, one element at a time to see if you can find the culprit.

One question though, does her skin in that area smell like anything? It's an odd question, but it might help you narrow down a culprit, like yeast...

I will stop by the store and pick up some extra eggs after work today.  I've done the eggs/green bean diet with Juneau and it worked great.  She loved it!  Now she's gonna get jealous when I give it to Maddie. lol

It's not an odd question!  The sites do smell kinda funky.  It's hard to describe, but it's definitely not what her skin should smell like.  Her groin area isn't as bad as it used to be, but it's moved up toward her rib cage and chest area.  The shampoo that I bathed her with is anti-fungal and antibacterial (and it helped for a day or two with inflamation and itching).  

Do you know how much skin scraping cost?  If I got a skin scrape test, would they be able to tell me if it's a yeast infection or an allergy?  I guess I could call my vet.

& Yes Katie, she is the sweetest girl ever.  She is always wagging her tail and is happy to see you.  She is wonderful around kids.  She doesn't give out kisses to anyone - so if you get one, you're special. lol

I appreciate your input Jen!  I have an applicant on her and I want to get her health problems squared away before she gets adopted! And for her sake so she isn't itching all the time!

I have no idea on cost, but it would tell you if its caused by an infection (yeast, bacteria, etc) of some kind or not. It would not per say diagnose an allergy, its more of a process of elimination thing. I would bet, its a moisture or diet problem... If the shampoo helps, maybe do it every couple days until it goes away completely (for a week or two), and make sure she's totally dry under there. Ever get a rash from wearing a swimsuit for too many days when you were a kid? Sounds like that to me and now its just spreading. If it were me, I'd do the diet thing, shampoo every couple days, and keep the area dry before I did a skin scrape.

wpskier222 wrote:

I have no idea on cost, but it would tell you if its caused by an infection (yeast, bacteria, etc) of some kind or not. It would not per say diagnose an allergy, its more of a process of elimination thing. I would bet, its a moisture or diet problem... If the shampoo helps, maybe do it every couple days until it goes away completely (for a week or two), and make sure she's totally dry under there. Ever get a rash from wearing a swimsuit for too many days when you were a kid? Sounds like that to me and now its just spreading. If it were me, I'd do the diet thing, shampoo every couple days, and keep the area dry before I did a skin scrape.

Yep, I think so! I used to wear my swimsuit all the time in the summer when I was a kid. We had a pool lol.

I'll take your advice. I'll start her on the eggs tonight and keep feeding them until Sunday. Do you think a week is long enough before I cave in and get a skin scrape? Also, I've been giving her the Benadryl's because I really think they're helping with itching and stuff. Will it be okay to keep those in her diet as well? I'll keep the fish oil & stuff out of her diet this week.

Ha ha, I did too. I grew up on a lake.

I would stop the benadryl if she can stand it, or maybe stop it after a couple days on the egg diet. I think you should know after a week if the diet is helping or not. The allergy response happens very quickly and abates quickly. Since benadryl suppresses the immune response to allergies, and it seems to help, I would guess its an allergic response of some kind. If she can't stand it on eggs alone, you'll definitely want to leave it out when you start testing ingredients because you'll see a bigger response and be able to find the offender more quickly. Also for the shampoo, you probably don't need to wash her everywhere, just the areas that bother her.

Okay! Thank you again, Jen! I will update this thread sometime later tomorrow after she's had a few egg-based meals and see where that leads us.

My BC, Seamus, started to get these on his back too. They reminded me of the same spots Mickey used to get on his pads and eventually his legs and back. There is a human facewash called PanOxyl. I would do a nice wash of the area with that and warm water. Then a rinse of warm water and a few drops of tea tree oil (mix it together and pour it on her.) It always cleared Mickey up within 3-4 days and Seamus as well. His never came back.

That combo is what is used to "naturally" treat Demodex, especially if it's just spots like Mickey used to get on his feet.

arooroomom wrote:

My BC, Seamus, started to get these on his back too. They reminded me of the same spots Mickey used to get on his pads and eventually his legs and back. There is a human facewash called PanOxyl. I would do a nice wash of the area with that and warm water. Then a rinse of warm water and a few drops of tea tree oil (mix it together and pour it on her.) It always cleared Mickey up within 3-4 days and Seamus as well. His never came back.

That combo is what is used to "naturally" treat Demodex, especially if it's just spots like Mickey used to get on his feet.

Yes! She has some scabs on her back and right underneath her hackles. I find them when I pet her.

I have some essential tea tree oil for the fleas. Looks like I can get the PanOxyl from Walgreens.

So do you think this is allergies or some type of fungal/yeast infection?

Small update:

So I took Kristina's advice about the PanOxyl & tea tree oil. Maddie's underside (where most of the scabs/bumps are) looks a lot healthier and seems to be healing faster. The bumps are still present, but the skin is less red and showing signs of healing. I also mixed some water (about 1/5 of a glass) and 4-6 drops of 100% essential tea tree oil and lightly dabbled the spots with my fingers.

I will be attempting this regime again tonight and update tomorrow.

Thank you SO MUCH Kristina. I have tried many things and didn't have much hope left for myself. This is why I love this forum.

If she doesn't heal up in about a week, I'll go ahead and start fresh with an egg/green bean diet for her.

I'm so glad the regimen is working! I hope you don't have to do the diet.

wpskier222 wrote:

I'm so glad the regimen is working! I hope you don't have to do the diet.

Trust me, ME TOO! I just want her to be 100% healthy when she leaves my home to be adopted.

I hope I don't have to do the diet either. I think it's pretty uncommon to be allergic to fish, but Val's Dakota is allergic to fish. If it is the diet though, who knows how long it will take until I find the perfect food. It can take months before I ever find one. Thankfully I have a pet food boutique that carries just about every grain-free and healthy kibble you can think of, so they may appreciate more of my business soon lol.

I'm so glad it's helping!! It is probably some sort of overgrowth of something. The PanOxyl and teatree oil both work against nasty little buggers like that. I always have a stash of it in the cabinets and it's the first thing I try when anyone pops up with bumps!

arooroomom wrote:

I'm so glad it's helping!! It is probably some sort of overgrowth of something. The PanOxyl and teatree oil both work against nasty little buggers like that. I always have a stash of it in the cabinets and it's the first thing I try when anyone pops up with bumps!

Thank you!! Yeah, in my many attempts to make it heal/go away, it probably spread more. It would fluctuate from healing to not healing as the days went on!

I don't want to have high hopes, but I can't help myself lol. I can't wait to wash her belly tonight and watch it improve.

I will definitely use this remedy first if another one of mine get bumps! Who woulda thought!

I've been following this thread since it's beginning and haven't had a chance to sit down and post the things that have helped my last dog who had allergies.

I see that Kristina's suggestion has helped you already but I thought I'd still chime in and share what worked wonders for my last dog in case it might also help you or anyone else trying to alleviate the symptoms of allergies in their dog(s).

My previous dog, Glory (a 7 lb long coat blue tricolor Chihuahua), not only dealt with seasonal allergies but she also dealt with color dilution alopecia which often left her with nasty rashes and hair loss and large bald patches.  We worked with our holistic vet for years to get it under control and after trying several different things from shampoos to supplements to diet modification, I will share what worked the best for her.

After years of trial and error we finally ended up with Glory on a combination of 3 things that completely turned her around and made a world of a difference with her.

#1) Allergena Allergy Relief drops
These are homeopathic drops recommended by my holistic vet. We had our dog on a human version for our specific zone, since we lived in FL and then SC we specifically used the Allergena Allergy Relief for Where You Live Zone 2. Glory was a 7 lb Chihuahua and our vet had us giving her 6 drops of the Allergena by mouth twice per day (she specified to give the drops separate from food or water).  The drops worked wonderfully for Glory and I never used the pet version of Allergena although I know that is available as well.  Glory didn't like the taste of it but was so eager to please that she always took it with little hesitation (thank goodness for good dogs!).

#2) Bio-Groom Bio-Med Coal Tar shampoo
I have always loved and been a huge fan of Bio-Groom products so I was thrilled to be able to use the Bio-Med Coal Tar shampoo on Glory.  Granted it doesn't smell great but it works so well on her skin and quickly soothes any flare ups that occur.

#3) Eqyss Mega Tek Pet Coat Rebuilder
This product is a bit on the expensive side but totally worth it for the amazing and fast results it gives.  Don't let the name fool you, it works great to repair not only the coat but the damaged skin cells as well.  This product also works well on tough, cracked paw pads as an added bonus. Note: I used the "Pet" Coat Rebuilder (the pink one) not the "Equine" Coat Rebuilder (the blue one).
Just for clarification, it's the product pictured below:



I cannot say enough good things about my experience with the above 3 products and can personally vouch for their effectiveness in my past dog with seasonal allergies and CDA.  Sorry for my delay in responding, this is the first chance I've had to dig up the names and links for the products to be able to share.  Best of luck to you with your foster, Jackie, and anyone else dealing with troublesome allergies, rashes, or hair loss in their canine companions!

Val, thank you for taking your time in responding to my thread. You always have insightful posts that help. I even got the holistic flea prevention method from you.

So far, Kristina's method is working. It will probably be next week when I can see that she has fully healed. She has various scabs all throughout her body, but most are concentrated on her belly and armpits. I am so impatient but at least something is working. Keeping my fingers crossed!

If Kristina's method stops working, I will definitely look at your shampoo and drops. I will have to use "Zone 5". Interesting! Maddie is very eager-to-please. She hates pills, but she will let me gently open her mouth and put the pill in the back of her throat.

Not only are you helping Maddie, but you're helping my rescue group too! And of course this forum. The next time I hear about one of our fosters getting allergies, I will suggest those three products above and go from there.


I'll update y'all tomorrow after Maddie has her second belly rub with PanOxyl and the tea tree oil mixture.

So I wanted to update this thread as promised. One day was not enough time to show improvement. I've been doing the PanOyxl wash & tea tree oil since Monday (4 times so far).

Maddie is NOTICEABLY better. Her stomach has cleared up about 80% from the bumps. Some parts of her belly have flaked off dead skin, revealing fresh, pink skin underneath. She still has various bumps around her back, tail and back legs, but that's because I haven't washed those areas yet. She's starting to be a pain when I wash her, lol. I believe she has a small case of Demodex mange instead of allergies. Sometimes I found tuffs of hair in her crate, but I thought it was just from her regular shedding. She is also scratching a lot less.

I will probably get a skin scrape test done before she goes to a foster-to-adopt home. It's only about $20 (googled it). And of course the meds.

Kristina, thank you thank you THANK YOU for posting your tip. I was so frustrated that none of my methods were working.

I will update this thread a few more times until Maddie is fully bump-free!