How quickly does piriton work if itching is due to an allergy?

My boy has been very itchy on his tummy/groin (he's very little hair there). He's always been a bit itchy but started licking his tummy a lot a few weeks ago after a walk in long grass where he was bitten by something (didn't see what, looked like midgie bites, small hives, but could have been harvest mites). Ever since then he's licked his tummy/groin so much that he's stained the fur reddish. It's the only place he's bothered, not licking or chewing feet or legs, scratches ribs and elbows but hardly ever neck and never ears.

This morning I was rubbing his belly and noticed a few tiny scabbed areas so I took him up to the vet.

She said she thinks the sore spots are from the licking and that he's allergic to something, possibly whatever bit him (and his licking is now a vicious circle) or possibly something in his food. She told me off because he has so so many protein sources

Anyway she gave me piriton for a week and a malaseb shampoo to use at least twice this week and to bring him back if it doesn't settle it. Unfortunately he had his Advantage put on last night so he has to wait 48 hours from them to have his first malaseb bath.

Anyway he had his first piriton 5 hours ago and he's still itchy. I got an itch bar (aloe and witch hazel and something bitter to soothe and discourage licking) in petsathome and just put some on, he's not licking now but it still scratching his ribs occasionally.

She did say I could double the piriton dose if he was still itchy, so I'm wondering how long to give it before doing so? Should it work from the first dose, or does it have to build up?

In humans piriton works in about half an hour as far as I'm aware.

I'm wondering why your vet didn't give your dog an anti-inflammatory shot and if bad enough(the scabbing) antibiotics to help healing.   I have Piriton in my general meds. box for my own grass-related pollen reaction, and I might give it to my hounds on occasion, if there was an immediate reaction to something (eg ant bites).  Although we have experienced harvest mites when living back East (and they get me too!) I've not used Piriton for that and fact is although they attacked mine between the toes and bottom of the whiskers, they didn't make them itchy.

Be careful with Malaseb - we have used this for 'normal' Basset skin problems but without exception it has always made their skin very much more red immediately after using and for that, I tend not to use Malaseb, but the off-prescription DermOpt.   Not to gainsay your vet of course because I'm no vet.   I just have experience with using Malaseb, for sure.

And about this too much protein.   What level protein does the food you use have, and what else other than his basic diet are you feeding.   I'm very much against all this high protein many food has .... I think most is way too much for medium to large breed dogs and prefer to stick to no higher than 26% for puppies/growing dogs, dropping to 22%, or lower, once the growing is done.      But my concern about a high protein diet is more to do with poducing 'too much, too fast' leading to bone growth problems.   This I have experienced first-hand with one of my main breed, a buy-in who was on a well-known brand used by a lot of breeders, which I was alarmed to see was 32% protein!  Never did we use a food that high with our home-bred puppies.

I'd want to see a response to any medication given, within 24 - 48 hours to be honest.   Before you up the dose, I'd need to speak to the vet .... how much did she suggest you gave him, initially?    With Piriton for me, it reacts pretty fast - in say 30 minutes.

The vet said that I should give him one 4mg pill twice a day "if it makes him drowsy, give him half, if he's still itchy give him two". She didn't give a time scale.

She said he was on so many different proteins it will be hard to eliminate if it's a food allergy. He's on orijen puppy with a small amount of lily's kitchen beef (he's not keen on bare kibble) twice a day and natures menu raw nuggets (various flavours tbh) once a day and every few days gets a raw chew (duck wing, duck neck, beef trachea or paddywhack - only one of these each time, not all at once!). Orijen alone has chicken, turkey and several types of fish in it. The vet had no problem with the amount of protein, once she'd checked his portions are weighed (they are, and I deduct the Lily's and chews from his total, he is large but not at all fat, the vet sees his sibling too who is on a totally different diet but is a similar height and weight). She said he was on a very good quality diet, just too much variety to make elimination simple.

The scabs are minuscule, less than 1mm. The vet seemed to think they were most likely lick trauma as there's no hives just now.

> In humans piriton works in about half an hour as far as I'm aware.

Agreed.  I have a bitch that had a cancer removed earlier in the year.  Small breed with a huge removal.  It was so extensive that she couldn't wear a collar.  Shortly after getting her home she was rubbing her face into vetbed, and was making the wound bleed.  I was lucky to get hold of her surgeon who told me to give her half a tablet of Piriton.  And I was told to have 8 hours between doses.  The relief was very fast for her. Just as fast that Jodi has mentioned.  I was delighted to see such a fast response.  She only needed 3 doses in total.  The vet did tell me what  had caused the reaction.  But she had so much medication during surgery that I can't remember what caused the itching.

Thanks Jean, i think i'll double up his next dose and see how he goes.  He was not AT ALL drowsy on one so hopefully he'll be okay with 2.  Though i'm not totally convinced it's allergic now, will see if 2 helps.

I decided to go ahead with his malaseb bath afterall - the vet advised that he needed 48hours for the maximum Advocate absorption, but he's on the 10-25kg dose and he's only 14kg so i'm decided that rather than watching him itch for another night i'd just do it now.  Also i am completely sure he doesn't have worms or fleas anyway, i only used the Advocate because he's on the puppy scheme and he gets 3 months free. 

He had another good chew at himself right after the bath (actually a shower!) but his skin isn't redder so hopefully he won't have that reaction.  I could see more little red bits when he was wet (his white fur goes transparent), all around his belly/groin/inner rear legs and around his stifles (sort of, the skin is on his belly when he's lying on his back but the fronts of his stifles when he sits) and that was where he was nibbling after i'd finished.  I had a sudden realisation that grannicks bitter apple, which i bought to discourage him from chewing the sofa, is actually designed to stop them chewing themselves, so i sprayed a bit of that on, then gave him his dinner, now he's curled up on his vet bed fast asleep.

I think the vet was conservative because it all began after the whatever-it-was bit him.  She said the most obvious is that he's chewed and licked because of the itching from those bites, then damaged the skin, making it itchy, and ever since has chewed and licked/itched where he chewed/chewed a bit more and so on.  She seemed relatively unconcerned as he is a bit itchy on and off, not totally miserable all day and night.  He has two or three enthusiastic nibbling sessions in 24 hours and scratches at his ribs for a few seconds about the same.  He's basically licking just enough that there's something going on, rather than almost constantly or anything.  The main reason i rushed him up to the vet today is that we're going away with him next week and i don't want him itching/me fretting all week. Paranoid first time puppy owner alert! Ha.  Luckily we're going to the coast and the vet advised that a paddle in the sea every day then a fresh water rinse after would probably help a lot.

With diet u would have to do an elimination diet to establish if it's food latest arnt very accurate . Possibly environmental  and if it doesn't respond to piriton quite quickly likely is it won't.  Piriton does nothing for mine and neither does certrizene.  I am pleased to hear your  vet hasn't gone for steroid and antibiotics immediately  it's a quick temporary fix  but has its place. if this is something he keeps coming up against and u may need to have further investigations .if its fairly mild what she has prescribed is very sensible to start with  . Allergies and itchy dogs are a pain.I've been working through it all with two of mine for a few years and at last have got something sorted but it's a managment  plan. Hopefully yours is temporary which will go.might be worth thinking about stopping the flea treatment at least for now so as not to add chemicals to the immune system

I was saying exactly that to my husband before - before his bath my guy was scratching his collar and he NEVER does that, I am suspicious that the advocate has made whatever mild thing was happening (and his red stained fur was from before this) worse, was saying to my husband I'm going to pick the next one up and then not use it unless I think he needs it.

He's just had his piriton, hidden in cheese, and is out in the garden undoing all my hard leg washing work...

I only treat my dogs in the event they have fleas or worms as I do not like using all these things unless there is reason. 3 dogs 2 cats and so far one lot of fleas in 25 years . Let's hope it stays that way. I would very seriously think about stopping especially if he is itching under the collar.regarding malesab it suits mine and I would try but as mamabas says it doesn't suit all dogs.dermatologist is supposed to be good and some people find rinsing in apple cider vinegar helpful

I only treat my dogs in the event they have fleas or worms as I do not like using all these things unless there is reason. 3 dogs 2 cats and so far one lot of fleas in 25 years . Let's hope it stays that way. I would very seriously think about stopping especially if he is itching under the collar.regarding malesab it suits mine and I would try but as mamabas says it doesn't suit all dogs.dermatologist is supposed to be good and some people find rinsing in apple cider vinegar helpful. It's I spossible the tje red sain ing is a very low grade yeast and again the shampoos could help as could removing all fruit and veg from the diet at least any un the raw he is having. It really is trial and error and hoping u won't need this but finally I found a referral to specialist  as been the way forward and we still remain on raw food

I've found sea water works best for itching if you DONT rinse with fresh water afterwards. My boy has had bad bites and harvest mites at various times. If he got rinsed when we got home he would still start nibbling by lunch time. It wrecks the coat making it it all stiff and but then it looks a meets fur going red if he nibbles so much rather not have him nibbling.

I give him a wash every 3 days or so and give a good condition and use leave in conditioner which helps when he's going in everyday.

Schnauday thanks!

The two piriton dose worked better and with the grannicks he hasn't licked at all since yesterday evening. He is still nibbling his fur BUT he is losing his front teeth (milk teeth!) and he is nibbling everything, my clothes, his vetbed, any fabric he gets a hold of. Nibble nibble nibble. He has lots if things he can chew but fabric seems to be what feels best.

Can one use clotrimazole cream (for human fungal skin rash) on dogs? I know the malaseb treats fungal things too but his skin tone looks slightly uneven on his tummy and I wonder if it's a fungal rash from it being damp from being licked. It doesn't smell yeasty but with the red fur....

My boy very itchy with heat and flaky skin. I gave him piraton tablet yesterday.  We have been away in sunny hot Yorkshire and he had different walks. I know he caught himself on a gorse bush and we bathed with salt water. It's a circle of luck, itch,luck, scratch and make red his tummy.
We brought a shampoo yesterday for itchy flaky skin reminded me of vosene the smell. Then we treated with Advantage. We had took off a few ticks few days earlier.  I'm going to give another piraton now and I'll do in 8 hours again. I'd been cautious re dosage of piraton.

Two piriton twice a day was what the vet said I could go to (the first thing she did was weigh him so I assume she knew what she was saying re doseage, 2 doesn't make him noticeably drowsier either so I think we're ok), I see some here are on three times a day but I'll stick to twice as per vet advice. The grannicks has discouraged the last bit of licking and he's rediscovered his calfs feet to nibble on. Hopefully a week of salty sea rinses will knock it right out.

I am laughing at myself now, having sent a huge email to the breeder wondering about it all, when it seems it was just a lick-itch-lick situation as his scabs are nearly gone already. Will need to email an update and tell her not to waste her time responding!

I got an itch bar (aloe and witch hazel and something bitter to soothe and discourage licking) in petsathome

Can't see this on their web site, do you have a link? is that the name on the box? any idea who the manufacturer is please?

It calls itself a petkin itchstick but I will warn you that he regarded it as a delicious condiment, hence the grannicks.

Rub some Vaseline on the nibbled and licked areas, I don't know if it soothes or simply gives a protective barrier from the damage of the licking, but it soon calms skin down in my experience of babies bottoms, human chafed skin, and dogs skin

To the clotramidazole aka canestan yes i am using it under vets direction on specific areas in this case vulva but also use malesab to bath her. I worry a bit moving on to these kind of things if it's best to ask vets advice incase there is reasons not use on specific animal. I wouldn't like to suggest yu do amd find its not right for.yir situtaion

No worries ff, I wasn't going to get any, I was just wondering if he's still itchy and the vet advises it if she'd advise that - I tried to buy piriton this afternoon and would be paying the same for 60 as I did for 14 at the vet! So I was thinking if saying "can I buy it elsewhere?" If that's what they use.  I'm definitely not putting anything the vet didn't mention on him, at least until I give it a chance to work.

I wasn't able to get the piriton, the girl tried to sell me the boots version, I said I'd rather have the named brand as that's what the vet gave me and said i should buy more of if he needed more, and she promptly snatched it back and said they couldn't sell it for an animal! I will lie next time!

> I wasn't able to get the piriton, the girl tried to sell me the boots version, I said I'd rather have the named brand as that's what the vet gave me and said i should buy more of if he needed more, and she promptly snatched it back and said they couldn't sell it for an animal! I will lie next time!

On the odd occasion I've bought a "human" medicine for a dog, I've always said if asked: "It's for someone else, and that's what they asked me to get".  It usually works, especially if I give the impression it's for a "demanding" older person! 

Have you tried putting aloe vera gel on your boy's itchy places? I have found it effective for minor irritations on my dogs and they have suffered no ill effects from it.  It's cooly, soothing, and non-sticky.

I ve used certrizene or piriton both suggested by vet just bought  from supermarkets also as there is nothing else in the tablets and the piriton is the original drowsy one its fine.those two o know are safe and wpuld use for stings bites etc to.  I bout tje canestan ftom a chemist and the had to keep a very straight face when the lady gave me advice assuming it was for me all in very whispered tones to save any embarrassment I might of had

I use both pirtion an certrizene fpr mine on vets advice and by otc mainly own brand stuff as it's far cheaper as long as u make sure it's got no other drugs in it . It's really cheap in aldi. For the canestan liquid I had the poor lady whispering advice to me assuming as she would that it was for me although I never actually said that

> I bout tje canestan ftom a chemist and the had to keep a very straight face when the lady gave me advice assuming it was for me all in very whispered tones to save any embarrassment I might of had

ROFLMAO.      

I plan to get aloe gel tomorrow when lying my face off to get piriton. I also need a pint of ibuprofen for the kids so I'm sure they'll think me mad anyway... Unfortunately all the supermarket and chemist had on the shelf was the "one a day" 10mg version and I'd already seen on here somewhere that it's a nono for dogs. Why the stronger drug is on the shelf and the lower dose is otc is beyond me - because of the drowsiness?

You can used claritin as well (ai loratadine ) 10 mg tablets

10-15kg dog half to one tablet once a day
15-25kg dog one tablet once a day

Slightly off track my 85 year old Mum went to by canesten cream and was told they couldn't sell it to her she was too old They can't sell it to over 65s.

They can't sell Canestan to over 65's!!! What on earths in the stuff or don't older women suffer from thrush - news to me, I get it after taking AB's

But u can buy it in supermarkets?  What do theu do call the manager at the till and ask for id !
Yep seems it's not licensed for over 60 or under 16 so u need to see doctor who can prescribe  reasons are thrush is uncommon in those age groups and for safety a doctor needs to check it's not something else.

Care with loratadine as some products contain other drugs as well which can be fatal to dogs . If vet prescribed it will be the correct one

My boy had his malaseb bath this morning at 8am, he wasn't very impressed but I do think it can't do any harm. He us currently curled up in his pen on his vetbed with a towel thrown over him. Poodle coats hold so much water that he gets cold, but the malaseb bottle says to let the coat dry naturally so poor boy is stuck for now. Out if interest do others blow dry? I usually dry him with a hairdryer on cool.

Anyway success! My local boots sold me my pint of ibuprofen, a big tube of aloe vera gel, some bug spray (for the humans but deet free anyway) and the piriton. I was offered the cheaper brand again but I just pretended it was for a fussy relative Even buying the brand name it was half the price of the vets.

Thanks all for your kind advice and hilarious stories on this thread.

Mine dry naturally and yes no one of them like baths unfortunately. I have one of these for wet days and drying https://www.ruffandtumbledogcoats.com/ . The main problem I find with malesab is leaving the shampoo on for 10 mins before rinsing. Getting my gsd coat wet to the skin is a hard job anyway as he double coated an very thick. Wen mine go to the groomer she uses my malesab too.As mine only go occasionally unlike poodles they don't need regular trimming I obviously do mostof the bathing an get most of the dirty looks when they have to stand in the bath

as yours is a breed that will need grooming its a great idea to get him used to this now anyway regardless of shampoo

pint of ibuprofen ?

Haha, yes, pint of ibuprofen was for my 3 children. Normally they try to give you the smallest bottle, on minor ailments scheme, but I tend to buy the giant one because if one gets a virus all three soon have it and with their age and size spread it takes 22.5ml for a single dose each so a 100ml bottle only lasts one day.

Anyway we're back now. He's not licked much all week, but I have heard him having the odd chew at night. The little patches he had from licking are gone but there are other little rashy spots that he still has. Only a handful of them, and I don't know if they itch, but obviously I'm very aware of them.

How can you tell if it's mites?

Usual skin scrapes or hair plucks or in something like harvest mites tiny orange specs. My gsd had puppy pyroderm at this age which sounds similar. Can't rember how it was treated except it was fairly simple.bacterial I think so maybe regular wiping or bathing with acv or an antibacterial  shampoo as you have may help. Also try a probiotic for gut health eg kefir  Have a look on Google for other ideas on pyroderma. Only a suggestion as vet should be the one to diagnose

Furriefriends, I went and googled puppy pyoderma and it sounds like exactly what he has! Not only that, the descriptions online are almost word for word what the vet said to me, she just didn't use the term "puppy pyoderma".

Anyway he is still a bit itchy, coming off piriton has made very little difference so I think it isn't allergic, whatever it is. On holiday I have him a good wetting in the sea twice a day which seemed to help, back home 48 hours and new little sore patches are popping up as the old ones heal.

Because we were away I was only able to malaseb him Saturday, Monday and Friday. He's not particularly bothered and is well in himself, not head shaking or scratching/chewing incessantly, and the rashes remain at the "slightly pinker skin with a few minute sore-looking specks" stage, I've decided to malaseb him every other day and hose him after every walk this week and see how he gets on. I don't mind rinsed and shampoos too much but if the pyoderma is due to an immature immune system I don't really want him on oral antibiotics as I don't think that will improve matters even if it sorts his skin. Obviously if he gets sore or itchier or looks at all unhappy then I'll take him straight back in, otherwise I'm going to see where we are with it next weekend.

It's also called. Junior pyroderma. Care with the maleasab more is not necessarily  better as it's very harsh and can be drying .u don't need an allergy to that to deal.with. . The most I have been advised to do and that was when we had hotspots was twice a week and I did the odd extra of just the itchy area again vet suggested she also advised and  i give omega 3 supplements as it sports the skin.this is in top of the oily fish in their diet . EfaMarine human from boots is cheapest and the same as efa vet which is dear and needs vet prescription

The vet said "at least twice a week" with the malaseb and that 3-4 times would be better, but I'll call tomorrow and double check. His skin looks visibly better after the malaseb bath, it calms it right down and he doesn't scratch at all for about 12-18 hours. Will see what the vet says.

Best ideato speak to vet but also watch what's happening  as alough it suites mine I know mothers who have had problems