Purple and Paws Before Socks, my family owned three dogs. One of them, Misty (picture below), lived for 15 years. The first seven years we had her, she was a perfectly normal dog with a medium coat who only shedded sometimes and itched occasionally. Then, one spring, she started itching constantly. And licking herself. And itching. And licking. Over and over we would hear the jingling of her collar as she scratched away. Finally, we took her to the vet who told us she had allergies.
Dogs, just like humans, can develop allergies over time.
At first we gave her Benadryl, which helped a little. My parents were reluctant to try the injection (and I can’t blame them since it was expensive). But when the Benadryl did little to ease her itching, we took her back in and she got the shot.
Miracle of miracles, it worked! Almost instantly she stopped itching and licking and was back to her normal self. Every year after that we would take her in when she started The Itching and Licking Show and every year she would be fine after the injection.
Am I saying you should definitely pay for an injection if your dog has allergies? No, of course not. But, according to Web MD Pets, it might be your best bet if your dog suffers from air-borne allergies like Misty did.
Do you have any experience with pets and allergies? If so, please leave a comment!