Boston Terrier Skin Allergies

We have a boston terrier who is 5 years old. She also has allergies. We only feed her the Hills Science Diet Sensitive Skin Dry Food. She gets no table scraps and we still have problems with her itching. The vet said to give her a 25 mg. benadryl, but haven't noticed much difference. Does anyone have any other suggestions? She is a great dog and would do anything to make her more comfortable.

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Boston Terrier Skin Allergies

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May 03, 2012
 Tea tree oil is bad!
by: Anonymous

PLEASE STOP STOP STOP with tea tree oil!! Caution beware!!
Like you all, I've come here to find some sort of natural solution to fix my boston's itching problem. I've had issues myself with skin itching and I've resorted to tea tree oil. So after researching I' decided to used it on my pup. I mixed it with water and massaged it into her back. She looked at me with a look to say thank you, tucked her into her home and left for work.
Flash forward 8 hours and I come home to my husband holding her with a look of fear. Goose (our bt) couldn't walk. She would stand then fall over. She would drag a paw, she honestly looked drunk. I ended up Google-ing these symptoms and it turns out that tea tree oil is TOXIC for dogs! And now it's turning out to not be too safe for humans either. please look into this bt and dog lovers!!!
May 01, 2012
 Try it. It works!
by: Anonymous

My Boston Terrier had very bad allergies since he was a poppy. I tried everything and nothing works. Until I start cooking for him and I discovered he is allergic to "corn" and "chicken" and the preservatives that the dog food has. I have been cooking for him fish, rice and veggies and I do not feed him with any of the snacks because he start itching and his skin gets really red. I feel so happy that after four years of vet bills and trying all the dog foods I finally nailed it down. I have a healthy and happy Boston Terrier.
Apr 24, 2012
 Allergies
by: Michelle

I have a 2 1/2yr old boston and that happens to his legs during the spring/summer mos only and I believe he is allergic to the grass :(
Mar 09, 2012
 Licking her front legs
by: Glenda

My daughter has a 9 yr old female boston and within the last 1 to 1 1/2 years she has started licking her front legs until they are no longer white. They are almost a reddish brown. I feel it is allergy related but none of the other comments I've read on this forum are for this issue. Can anyone give me a hint as to what might be going on and how we can help her?

Thank you!
Jan 13, 2012
 Fish formulas=no allergies perfect coat
by: Anonymous

I researched and researched because nothing told me what would be good to feed my boston.

What I found is chicken, beef and other overly used products just well don't work well at all. My boston tried blue, science diet, tastes of wild, cheap stuff. You name it and it resulted in dandruff, runny poop, bad gas, itching, throwing up.

So we began to find fish formulas that contained no wheat or corn. Even the treats are limited.

No itching, bad gas or runny poop. Just a happy dog.

Currently we feed him Nutro herring, sweet potato, and brown rice. And give him treats that are for a kong. Made of salmon.

I can't stress that this changed our life with our dog. With a fish diet.
Jan 08, 2012
 Allergies
by: Anonymous

My staffy has v bad allergies, science plan is the worst food ever! Try burns duck an brown rice, this saved my dogs life.. She is also on Atopica every day & the scratching has stopped.. Without these i was advised to put her down.. So i'm extremley grateful.. Hope this helps you.
Jan 05, 2012
 I feel helpless!
by: Kristine

I have a 7 year old female boston terrier, Roxy. For the past 3 years, she has developed "allergies". Unfortunately, to find out exactly what she is allergic to it will cost over $1000.00 to take her to an allergist. I take her to the vet about every 3 months for this problem. She is on Prescription Diet ultra allergen free food, but still has issues of biting her feet, scratching her face until she bleeds, rubbing her face on the carpet, and itching her tail which is now hairless. If anyone has any suggestions of anything that might help, it would be greatly appreciated. All the vet does is give her a couple shots, 3 types of medicines or 2 weeks at a time, which cures it during that time period, but then it flares back up. Any advice would be awesome. Thanks!
Dec 20, 2011
 Boston Terrier Allergies
by: Anonymous

I have always had a Boston Terrier in the family for as far back as I can remember. A year ago my last Boston Terrier, Otis, past away. So, to fill the void we added a new addition to the family with our new Boston, Itsy Bitsy. I never really thought much about a dog having allergies, especially to a specific food... until she started scratching all the time. At first I tried using Pure Cornstarch w/ Aloe & Vitamin E on her coat which worked, but only helped relieve the scratching for a few days at most. Later I found a connection to her allergy when giving certain treats made from corn & beef products. Only after reading and experimenting with her treats and food over several weeks, we finally figured out that it was a combination of things causing her to scratch in misery. She is allergic to both corn and beef, so she only eats Lamb Meal & Rice food; treats are made from Lamb, Chicken, Pork or Wheat.
Sep 23, 2011
 Dry Fold Dermatitis of the Tail
by: LIBreeze8

My Boston Terrier is 6 now. He has had a terrible smell, and I keep cleaning out an area around where a tail would be. He actually has an indentation where the tail would go. It turns out it wasn't impacted anal glands, though those usually have to be expressed. The Vet tells me he has Dry Fold Dermatitis and he has a sore in the hole for the tail. He got a shot of cortisone, and I am using peroxide and antibiotic ointment to try to clean this out. It is horrid, but the vet did most of the cleaning out...now I am just trying to maintain it. How fecal material got in it is curious as his rectum is way below the area...and he doesn't sit in it either. What is this Nzymes and where can I order it from. I want to try this as he also is licking his paws. Is it safe for a dog on a kidney
diet...he has kidney disease too. I don't want this condition to keep coming back as I am sure it is uncomfortable for him too. Thanks for this wonderful information you have provided me with. The Vet told me this condition appears in Boxers and Bostons.
Sep 21, 2011
 to "Anonymous" again about bathing their dog
by: Anonymous

I also have to give my dog a bath twice a week with a natural anti fungal anti bacterial shampoo and rinse called Zymox, it doesnt hurt her coat at all. She now has a really shiny coat. I think Nzymes are the one to "blame" the most for her shiny coat, since she is getting good nutrion and supplements now.
Sep 21, 2011
 To "Anonymous" about "my female boston terrier."
by: Anonymous

Hello, my female dog had the same thing besides other scratching, itching and sores problems... we are giving her a product called Nzymes for almost 4 months now all her problems are subsiding. And no more "icthing" her tail. Go to their website and send them an email telling your story, they will recommend you which product to use. I was skeptical at first, but now I see results and truly believe Nzymes it's the only solution for our little princess :) Give it a try. Good luck!
Sep 21, 2011
 Boston Terrier allergic to beef
by: LINDA FRENCH

Our little Boston is allergic to Beef, We now buy the Science
Diet Lamb and Rice pellets. I still give her a little Science Diet Puppy Meat twice a day. The other SD Meats give her and my Lab the runs. I also can tell when she needs a bath, its the Dander that makes her itch. She loves her Bath with Oatmeal Soap, and then I use a conditioner :) I bought a nice hose that hooks up to the shower, it has a on and off button on the handle while your washing her, But I leave it on because the water changes to hot ever time I open the water button.
Sep 10, 2011
 my female boston terrier.
by: Anonymous

Hi,my female boston terrier she's been scratching her tail a lot. I wonder if is normal? I been told when they do that is because they have anal glam.but I just took her for grooming and they did an exam. She's fine. I just don't like to see her scratching I feel bad. I always want to shower her ,but I Bern told it can dries her skim. So please does any one have the saya problem with their dog? It will really help me some advice. Thank you.
Aug 24, 2011
 Linda on Nzymes
by: Anonymous

Hi, it has been a while since I posted here. Our Boston Terrier has problems itching and chewing all over. We went through all options the vet gave us, none of them worked. We even brought her to a vet dermatologist, no success.
Thus year we were tired of bringing her to the vet every other week with infections so she could get antibiotic shots. We decided to search for a solution ourselves. We first tried "only natural pet" products. They worked for a while but then quit working.
So we decided to try a product called Nzymes, we have nothing to lose at this point and we didn't think Nzymes would be bad for her. So far, we are using it for almost 3 months, she is much better. We haven't been to the vet since then. No more infections, hair is growing back. They say it takes from 3 to 7 months for the dog to "get rid" of the yeast in their bodies, so til then it can get worse before it gets better. We are going through that right now. we also had to change her food, they recommend certain types of food for dogs with yeast infection. And I also have to bathe her twice a week with a anti-bacterial and anti-fungal shampoo. So, if you tried everything and nothing worked, give this Nzymes a try. Good luck to all of us! :)
Aug 24, 2011
 Baby Igor
by: Anonymous

We recently bought a "BUG" pup. He is approximately
6-8 weeks old. His previous owner said that he was 6 weeks when we got him, but on closer inspection, I feel that she sold us a 4 week old baby. He barely clears the scales at a whopping 2 lbs.
He just started showing signs of skin distress.
Rash, bumps and itching. We are lost as to what to do for him. His first vet appointment is scheduled for this afternoon.
He seemed fine, except for a few bumps when we brought him home..We were assured that it was sibling rough-housing. Yeah, right! Now he is losing all of the hair on his face and head! I have been reading and asking for suggestions. We adore Igor. He has to be the sweetest baby ever! He is silly, playful and very affectionate.
I am more than willing to cook for him, if it will bring this darling baby some relief. At his young age, I am afraid of too many meds. Any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks!
Apr 24, 2011
 MEDICINE FREE FOR OVER A YEAR
by: Anonymous

My Boston is 5 years old. She has been to Dermatologists, and has been on Atopica. I now have her MEDICINE FREE and shes happier than EVER!! I started feeding her Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance duck and potato dry food mixed with Delmonte canned peas and carrots (found at the grocery store). She loves it!!! It was suggested to me by a vet and that was the best advice I had ever been given. I also give her an oatmeal bath once a week. It makes her skin and coat soft and shiney and relaxes her. The Dick Van Patten duck and potato food is only sold at Petco and doesn't have any other animal meat or fat in it, which is what alot of dogs especially Bostons are allergic to. She has been medicine free for over a year now!!! =)
Feb 28, 2011
 Skin Problems
by: Anonymous

I have a 6 yr old male Boston who has had horrible skin rashes and itching ever since I moved to my complex. His skin would be almost blood red and was itching and chewing constantly, especially his hind legs to the point of becoming almost bald on both his back feet and legs and his back. I think it's the grass but I also changed his diet and he is doing so much better. I cook him Chicken breast, carrots and brown rice. The hair has grown back and he is doing much better. I think he has separation anxiety which causes him to chew and spin around to scratch his hind legs - first thing he does in the morning when he can get to the carpet. Hope this helps.
Dec 23, 2010
 Boston Allergies
by: Lynn

Boston's Love the Chi oil for our hair :) Salon product you can buy at TJ Max or Target. My Boston Loves it! makes her stop itching and she goes to sleep.. I only use a little once in a while .
Dec 23, 2010
 COMMENT TO NINA
by: Lynn

Hi Nina, How is your dog doing now? This happen to my Boston too. I noticed it with in the first hour of her shot. She was having a allergy reaction too the same Rabies shot you decribed. She could have died if I had not rushed her in. Your Dog has the same thing. Your dog should have been rushed back in.. I am never going to let her have more then one shot at a time. Or it was a Bad Lot I hear.
Dec 23, 2010
 Beef is bad for our Boston
by: Linda French

Found out I was using the wrong Science Diet Pellets. The Beef is making her itch all over! We bought the Lamb and Rice with Fish Oil and she stopped itching so bad.. Yeah!!
Dec 13, 2010
 Bostons skin allergies
by: Jersery's mom

We too had problems with our Boston, chewing himself raw on his back near his tail. We noticed that he only does this when he is able to get near the grass and weeds. During the winter months when there is snow on the ground he does not have this problem. We tried the benadryl as suggested by our vet, and that did not work. So we now get an allergy shot every three weeks from the vet and that cured him right up.
Dec 13, 2010
 Boston Allergies
by: Linda French

I just took my Boston Terrier to the Vet.. She has allergies too. He told us to use the Lamb and Rice Science Diet. We have been using the Science Diet Beef. What really Helps her skin from itching is I Use my Chi oil conditioner and mix it with water in a spray bottle. She loves it, she stops itching and it calms her down.
Nov 11, 2010
 Linda on lower dosage of atopica...
by: AJ

Hi, giving some updates on our Boston Terrier, Linda. She just turned 2 years old last week. a month ago she got really sick throwing up and having bad diarrhea, not eating or drinking water, didn't even want to eat her treats, that never happened before. Rushed her to the vet, she was higly dehidrated, needed to stay at the clinic for a day. They ran xrays, blood tests and didnt find anything wrong. They said maybe she had a stomach bug or something. Brought her home next day. Eating prescription diet I/D for very sensitive stomachs... she still loves that food. A week after we brought her home from the vet she started throwing up 9 times in an hour for no reason at all... Brought her to the vet again, she needed to stay there for the afternoon. The vet this time said that maybe she is getting a dose too high of atopica and we were giving atopica at the same time as fluconazole, which can overload her liver and it's upseting her stomach. We reduced the dosage of atopica... from 50mg everyday, to 25mg everyday plus still taking fluconazol. We need to give her fluconazol in the morning and atopica at night, so it wont overload her liver and get her sick again.

She is doing ok. She gets itchy and red sometimes a lick her paws, but is not as severe as before, she didn'd get sick since we started that. We are satisfied with the results for now. I hope she keeps improving :)

Good luck everyone!
Nov 07, 2010
 Avoid too much meds!
by: lola's ma

Hi all,

I just wanted to mention that we are still on a long journey with Lola who is suffering from skin issues, but recently improved and even had her e-collar removed. She is less itchy overall, although she still has some bumps on her torso.

One KEY point we would like to make is to try to stay away from prescription drugs for skin problems, unless you do not care if your dog leaves early, you have a lot of money to continue these medications (because they are by no means cures), and are prepared for further health problems in your dogs.

The problem with conventional medicine is it does NOT fix the cause of the problem. Instead, it simply masks the symptoms! So by feeding your dogs these pills without a plan to eventually wean them off it, is to literally kill your dog slowly.

These medications often compromise the dog's immune system and makes it more prone to other major health issues, including liver, kidney and viral problems.

Where possible, please see a holistic vet. I do not live in a country with a holistic vet. For those in the US and Europe where there are many trained holistic practices, please do give them a try, as they will observe and help your dog not only for its skin problems, but its overall health and maintenance for its entire life to remain as healthy as possible.

Good luck.
Oct 22, 2010
 reaction to rabies shot.
by: nina

betsey, our boston recently recieved a rabies shot. we had moved + she needed a new license. nothing new. 3 days after the shot, she now has massive hives, looks like pimples all over. gave her benedryl + changed her food. any ideas? its still bad. flaky skin etc. no itching just hives. its now been 3 weeks. help!!!
Oct 19, 2010
 Atopica, fluconazole, dermascent.
by: A Johnson

Linda is still on atopica and fluconazole everyday and doing great! Dermascent every month, but the vet wants us to try every other week. We needed to change her food to prescription diet I/D. She is doing great now. It is a big relief! I am also giving her a bath every week.

Good luck to all of us! :)
Oct 19, 2010
 Lola's Skin Battle - REFER
by: lola's ma

Hi all,

I just came across this page and realise we have the same issues and I have been posting on another page the journey of Lola, my 1.5 year old female BT.

May be worthwhile to read/refer, along with other comments on that thread - http://www.bostonterrierhub.com/boston-terrier-skin-allergies.html
Aug 29, 2010
 Atopica, shots, dermocent and flucanazol (UPDATE)
by: Andrea J.

Ok, Linda now is much better after I went back to atopica everyday instead of every other day plus shes taking flucanazole. These 2 are the ones helping her the most. We are ready to quit giving her the allergy shots, cause after over a year giving her shots, we dont think its helping. We are still gonna use dermocent, we think it helps her dry skin condition. We are feeding her Avoderm oven-baked lamb and brown rice, not sure if its helping the allergies, but its not making it worse. So we are keeping her on it. She still itches a little bit, but nothing crazy like before, her skin is not red all the time and she doesnt break out in hives or pimples anymore. I am happy with the results for now.

Good luck everyone ;)
Aug 29, 2010
 Acupuncture works great for Skin Conditions
by: Anonymous

I've found that acupuncture works wonders for my Boston's allergies as well as their breathing problems. Amino acids also work (fish oil) and even better are Chia seeds, which you can get from your local health food store. I just add water and make Chia gel and mix it in with food. It's got more amino fatty acids that fish oil, it's flavorless and works great for skin conditions.

Tea tree oil mixed in a good shampoo such a Maleseb (from vet) is amazing!

If you call around you can find a vet that does acupuncture or search online. It's worth it!
Aug 20, 2010
 Raw Food Diet is the answer
by: Darrell

My Boston had issues as a result of feeding him processed commercial dog food. I put my boston on the raw food diet and with in days he was 100% better. All he eats is raw food, consisting of fruits, vegetables and various kinds of meat, beef and poultry.

It's worth a try!

Good luck!
Aug 05, 2010
 Atopica, shots, dermocent and flucanazol
by: Andrea J.

Hi, My husband and i have a 22 month old Boston terrier, her name is Linda Rose, we love her so much! Since she was a puppy she has allergy problems. The first time we found out she had mange, treated that and she never had mange again. But she continued to ichy and lick everywhere. After doing the strict diet, food trial, nothing worked. She was taking antibiotic shots and some cortizone shots every now and then to treat the skin infections and bring down the itching, but that was temporary, seh would be back to the same thing after those ran off her system. We did the blood test for allergies, found out she is allergic to almost everything around us. Started the shots in August 2009... beggining of 2010 she was still not getting better so we started to give her Atopica everyday... she started to lose hair and was still icthing. So we decided to bring her to a dermatologist vet. He started her on a medicine called, flucanazole and we noticed a big improvement... together with a topic one called dermacent. Those 2 combined got her hair growing back, shiny, no more flaky skin, She still itches, but not as bad as before... we are ready to try the food Avoderm, like some of you posted here you have good improvements using it... gonna buy a small bag today to see how she does with it and will post it here after a while. Good luck to all of us doggie lovers!
Jun 02, 2010
 Hills Prescription Diet
by: Anonymous

Hi. I have a 3 yrd old Boston, Lucy, who had the same problems your BT is experiencing. We tried EVERYTHING from atopica, to prednisone, to both atopica and prednisone together, along with yeast medication. We also had her on the Hills Prescription Diet ultra allergen food. She never seemed to get better and highly disliked the food. I finally did some research on Hills Prescription Diet and was amazed to find out it had some of the lowest ratings amongst dog food brands (i recommend you research it yourself to find out more). We switched Lucy to an all natural diet and have been feeding her and our other Boston Home-made dog food and Lucy's allergies have reduced dramatically. She still have some outbreaks but she is no longer on any medications and her outbreaks are far less severe. Good luck!
May 12, 2010
 BT ear infection home remedy
by: Anonymous

How about tea tree oil? There are a couple great books out on allergies by a holistic vet, Shawn Messonnier, The Allergy Solution for Dogs
and Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats.

Also, Dr. Khalsa's Natural Dog: A Holistic Guide for Healthier Dogs has some great ideas in there. I can't remember which book had tea tree oil as a rememdy for ear infections but I don't think it was tea tree oil alone. Either check out the books at a local library, buy them at barnes and noble on-line or stop by a natural food store for help with this.
May 01, 2010
 Home remedy for ear infections?
by: janette

My bt has a ear infection. It is swollen inside - what can i do? I've spent thousands of dollars on him because i love him so much. He is always always in something. The last time i took him to the vet he had gotten sprayed by a frog and went into seizures. It's very costly, do you have suggestions? He is also allergic to the grass but i have that under control. the best thing is A and D ointment the kind that use on babies its the best thing and its safe and benedryl. I need a home remedy please!
Apr 15, 2010
 Atopica not a steroid
by: Anonymous

Atopica is NOT a steroid, it is cyclosporine which is an immunosuppresant. It basically blocks their immune system's response (the release of histamine) to allergens. My dog does really well on it, the benefit of it is that you don't need to spend money on allergy testing, it doesn't matter what your pet is allergic to, it will treat all allergies.
Mar 21, 2010
 tip
by: Anonymous

I have a sharpie that had all of these problems you guys are saying, we have spent thousands of dollars trying to help her,all the vets were saying is that she was allergic to something,we changed her food to vegitarian and gave her a bath once a week,it s not good to wash your dog to often it takes all the oils out of there skin,and with in a few months her skin got better and her hair started growing back,and all the itching stopped.

that atipoca stuff is a steroid ,i had my dog on it for months,hated it,she was always drowsey and weak, it helped but only to an extent the food really didi help
Mar 17, 2010
 Avoderm!
by: Anonymous

My boston was itching all the time so I read up online that bostons are allergic to corn products. So we switched to Avoderm, which does not have any corn products. He loves the food and his coat looks so healthy and he isn't itchy. I would definitely recommend Avoderm to anybody.
Feb 24, 2010
 My Boston's Allergies
by: Ivana

After years of dealing with my Boston's allergies I have found that she has a combination food and seasonal allergy problem. Unless we move to Arizona we will always have to deal with them by using a restricted diet, benadryl, and, unfortunately, steroids for acute outbreaks. There is a point to this post. You need to be careful that her allergy hot spots are not turning into yeast infections which may look like allergies but are, in fact, a completely treatable issue. After talking to your vet, try shampooing the dog with Malaseb once a week for several weeks. You may find that it's not the allergies that are bothering her but a yeast infection that has settled into the hot spots.
Feb 10, 2010
 Itchy Boston Terriers
by: Anonymous in Columbus, Ohio

Our BT, Gus, started to itch really badly about 10 months after owning him, so badly that he would bleed terribly and his white fur looked pink (where he could not reach to itch). We went ahead and paid almost $200.00 to have a skin test done, not blood, to find nothing. Our vet suggested that he was too young to have seasonal allergies, but could be allergic to meat or something in his current dog food.

-She switched him to the Potato and Venison diet, ironically the same brand we had him on - Royal Canine, in conjunction with a small period of steroids, but the food really didn't help once the steroids wore off. We tried this food for 3 months, which is roughly the length of time to discover if the food is making a difference.

-We switched him to Blue Buffalo, Salmon and rice, not much of a difference was noticed. His ears were actually just as bad.

-We've recently switched him to Avoderm, by breeders choice, which is a vegetarian dog food, fortified with avocados for a rich coat. I know every BT is different, but he went from bloody ears to light pink skin and fur growing back in about a week! We were DELIGHTED, so we are sticking with it for now (ofcourse with NO table scraps).

For treats, Gus LOVES: carrots, red peppers, apples.

We think he's a vegetarian :]

His stool is fine, he's happy, and we excited to see if this is the winning ticket to his diet!

*Ofcourse, please consult with your vet before trying anything, as I am not a vet, just a huge fan of Boston Terriers!*
Feb 10, 2010
 inhalant allergies
by: Anonymous

we have a 1.5 years old boston terrier, we adopted her when she was 8 months.yes, she has inhalant or atopic dermatitis.it started october last year and from then on she would have rashes-pimple like rash on the groin,armpits, neck. we've taken her to the vet and has been taking benardyl everyday. i've also added some fish oil on her food. tried prednisone 2 occasions and that definitely helped her a lot. but steroids can't be used for a long time. she's is shedding a lot too. always licking her paws and scratching her ears. we love her so dearly (our 1st family dog)and it hurts us to see her like this almost everyday. it seems that the benadryl is not helping her anymore. I've read allergy shots are not that effective, atopica is very expensive. I don't know what to do anymore...any advice?
Jan 10, 2010
 BOSTON CANDIDA
by: Anonymous

I have 2 Boston Terriers. a 2 and a 3 year old. My 2 year old has had nothing but skin problems since we got her. We put her on a Duck and Potato diet and saw NO change in her skin and smell. I took her to the vet and did allergy testing on her. Turns out she is allergic to almost everything in common holistic dog foods. Both of our dogs are on a RAW diet now and i have seen positive results. Her skin is still red and itchy, but no more hair loss. So my next step now is to treat her for candida! I will be using Nzymes and treating her for the over yeast production. Giving her a batch atleast once a week with a medicated shampoo and rinsing her with baking soda and water.I feel this is our last result. I refuse to put her on steroids!
Jan 08, 2010
 Quality of Dog Food
by: Anonymous

While Boston Terriers are among several breeds with allergies, you need to figure out or isolate what your dog may be allergic to. My Boston Terrier had a food allergy, after she ate, she would break out in hives and itch. I was told by my vet to switch her to Natural Balance Limited Ingrediant Diets, Potato and Duck formula. Now this is a very good quality dog food, except my Boston still broke out in hives. I contacted the breeder of my dog and two other dogs in the litter had allergies to feathered protein. So, I questioned why then was she originally allergic to Natural Choice, Lamb and Rice and the breeder told me that many of the commercial dog foods use chicken fat or meat by products usually in their dog food and dog treats. I switched my Boston to Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets, Sweet Potato and Venison and in a matter of 3 weeks she had no more allergies.

I know you can have your dog tested for allergies by the vet and that it can be expensive, however, if for 3-4 weeks hold back on giving any treats, rawhides etc and try and switch to a good quality dog food you might be able to figure out on your own what your dog is allergic to. Some are allergic to grains and the Natural Balance LID is grain free. Once you have figured out if its a certain protein source or grain that your dog is allergic to. You may then add back in the rawhides and be careful as to the dog treats you give your dog to make sure they do not contain the ingrediant to what they are allergic to.

Also, do NOT give Boston's benadryl, there is a link to cushing's disease with this breed. Steroids are even worse. There are a couple great books out on allergies by a holistic vet, Shawn Messonnier, The Allergy Solution for dogs and Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats. I emailed Shawn and he responded to my questions and was willing to consult with my regular vet. Dogs can be allergic to dustmites, pollen, mold and human dander as well. These books may help with those conditions as well.
Jan 07, 2010
 Allergies in Bostons
by: Anonymous

I have a 3 year old Boston with allergies. I give her Fromm - Whitefish & Potato dog food, and 1000mg fish oil pill 3 x's a week in her food. This has cut down on her allergies immensely. She must stay on a strict diet of this dog food. No people scraps. Also give her a bath in oatmeal shampoo/ with conditioner. This seems to help a lot.
Jan 06, 2010
 Please consider changing your dog's diet.
by: Anonymous

To put it mildly, Hills Science Diet is crap. In fact, vets sell it so much because it is one of the only companies who goes to vet offices and gives them the entire low down on their product, unlike other brands. This is often the only detailed information most vets are given about such products and because the information they are being given is obviously quite skewed in the positive direction (given that it's coming from the company's own reps) this ends up being the reason vets sell it so much. In marketing terms, familiarity, education and repetition of one's brand name =s high sales. Having said that, I would also like to remind everyone that kibble and canned wet food as we know it was only invented during the Depression (i.e. circa 1930ish). Why, you might ask? Because it was inexpensive and people could barely afford to feed themselves with their own table scraps, let alone afford to donate them to their dogs. Please feel free to research this on your own, of course, as I'm a staunch advocate of not believing everything you read/hear.

When researching, please keep in mind that websites such as Wiki and company websites hardly constitute as viable, reliable, educated, and unbiased sources. What you may want to consider is switching to a raw food diet. Many pet stores (where I'm from anyways) usually carry a couple of different brands. I'm aware that there are many contradictory opinions regarding raw food, but try to remember that this is how dogs - who've evolved next to us since we domesticated them - have eaten for centuries. It has only been a relatively short period of time in the evolutionary history of the species that they have eaten processed kibble, etc. and as such, their bodies haven't adjusted. Basically, this is akin to raising a child on junk food and take-out their entire lives and then wondering why they've developed skin and other health problems, such as obesity. No offense, but I hate to see our beloved animals being unfairly affected by generations of mis- and disinformation.
Dec 13, 2009
 Food change
by: Anonymous

My 1 1/2 year old boston terrier was very itchy and one vet told me to give her a benadryl chewables twice a day.
I took her to a second vet and he told me to change her food (from Eukanuba) to a chicken and rice food, a food without any corn or corn meal in the ingredients...ITCHING STOPPED COMPLETELY within 2 days!!! It was amazing!
Nov 01, 2009
 This is an immune issue
by: Anonymous

Please see a holistic vet for allergies. Dogs are extremely reactive to chemical 'cures' and their use will only set you back in the healing process. It is very often an overgrowth of the candida yeast in their gut, caused by the killing off of good flora by all of the chemicals being put in your dog via bad food or drugs. Vets will have no clue as their education on nutrition is limited to what Hills and Purina tells them.

Get the yeast under control, add essential enzymes and probiotics and your dog comes back into balance and symptoms get much better or go away.

So go see a holistic vet. They have more training in natural healing that actually works to heal from the inside out.
Oct 09, 2009
 Damon... about ATOPICA
by: Anonymous

My 1 1/2 year old Boston has been on ATOPICA and it only made him itch more... stramge as it sounds, have you tried Benandryl 3 times a day, supposedly that will help and it's much cheaper!
Oct 09, 2009
 Gas and allergies
by: Bruiser's Mommy

My 1 1/2 year old Boston, Bruiser has very bad skin allergies. He did have bad gas but we changed his food and made sure there is no barley in it and it is seafood witch helped so much with the gas, but he does not get any table food except for bland chicken and rice, plain rice cakes, peanut butter, and carrots if we have it. As for his allergies, he has been put on evey medicine and nothing worked. I do give him 3/4 of a benadryl 3 times a day which helps a little and I have spray that releave itching that doesn't really work. Anyone have any recomendations that will help Bruiser stop itching all night long, I am willing to try anything. Thank you!
Oct 06, 2009
 Seasonal Allergies and gasiness
by: Mugs

Our Boston, Rosy, I think, has seasonal allergies. She was having difficulty with excessive itching in early September but now that has past. We use an oatmeal shampoo that seems to work well for her. She is now shedding a great deal which we have never noticed her to do before. Here again it may be a seasonal thing. The most irritating thing about her is her gas. We have her on a grain free diet but she still continues to be gassy. She rarely gets table scraps, if she does it's just as a treat. I've wondered if her bad habit of treating herself to cat poop contributes to her gasiness. We can't seem to break her of digging it up in the yard. Suggestions?
Jun 30, 2009
 help here
by: Damon Smith

I too have been having extreme problems with my Boston. We've tried a number of diets and had the allergy test, funny, he's allergic to human dander, oak trees, 3 different kinds of mold, certain grass, the list goes ON! I can't believe it.

We spent $$ on expensive serum shots and over 4 mths, no improvement whatsoever. He's been off/on steroids and I'm very concerned about that as well. He gets it so bad he loses all of his hair on his chest and patches along his back, not to mention the terrible redness and raised patches associated with the rashes.

I can't stand to see him like this anymore. THE VET now wants to put him on ATOPICA. Can someone tell me an info about this?

He's been on a semi raw diet with "dinovite," it seemed to help but not long term.

I'm at a complete loss here. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Damon
Jun 29, 2009
 Bad allergies
by: Samantha

My 20 week old puppy has some type of allergy and he had gotten to where he had pulled all of the hair off his back end and started up his back. It just happened that he went to the vet for diarrhea and the vet said he was severely allergic to fleas but he didn't have any! But the vet gave him some type of allergy shot and it cleared it up for a while but he's now started pulling his hair out again!!! What does the allergy test at the vet usually consist of? What do they test for?
Jun 01, 2009
 My Boston/Rat 's (designer mix) skin allergies
by: Nina Nesbitt

I too paid 300.00 to have an allergy test done on her blood. She is allergic to a LOT of things (outdoors) mostly. And some food....odd things, like carrots and white potatoes. The Vet has us wash her feet and belly and sides (I wash even more) and then we spray her with a prescription called Genesis used for the control of pruritus assiciated with allergic dermatitis in dogs. What a difference!! She at times looked like someone had held her on her back and just wipped the hell out of her belly and neck! It was enough to make you cry to look at her. We kept getting her steriod shots until it got to become too often. (steriods are very bad to use too much). She got to where she was obviously depressed, didn't want to play or even eat! That's when I desided that no matter the cost, I was going to get to the bottom of this for her regardless of cost). She is sooooo much better now with only the occasional bit of rash on her belly which goes away by itself quickly. Try asking your Vet about what I mentioned above and best of luck to you!!

Nina
Mar 27, 2009
 Allergies
by: Zumo's Mom

My BT has severe allergies. He does take 1/2 of a benadryl in the am and the other half in the pm, daily. We also squirt salmon oil on his food (omegas) and he eats only white fish and sweet potato premium food. We had him food tested because he was reacting all year long and he came up positive to most common proteins (chicken and beef) and some other things like soy, eggs, etc... Our doc also gave us ChlorhexiDerm shampoo and Betagen spray to use. His skin and itching wax and wane but overall he's better; the best we can hope for. From what I understand, allergies are very common in BT's.
Jan 19, 2009
 Boston Terrier Allergies
by: Anonymous

I also have a Boston Terrier that has allergies and had tried changing her food. I finally took her to a pet dermatologist and found out that she is allergic to dust and four different types of trees. It is extremely expensive. It cost about $300.00 just to walk in the door and then after they find what the allergies are, they will make a serum for you to give her shots on a weekly basis.

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