Hi everyone, my 18 month old viszla dog has recently broken out in lots of little skin lumps, mainly down just one side of his trunk but a few are now appearing down the otherside. They started as just a few that you could only see in the right light but now they are very obvious. He has always been regularly flead and I've been constantly checking to see if I can find any but nothing. I took him to the vets 2 weeks ago and was told it could be an allergy, so after giving him a steroid injection we were told to change his diet to completely grain free and hyperallergenic dry food and give him antihistamines but they are now even worse! He has always had raw food and I haven't conciuosly changed anything in his diet that he hasn't always had. I threw away all his bedding to be safe but that doesn't seem to have helped either! He's still a happy pup and apart from the itching he's not suffering. If anyone has any ideas what I could do next or what it could possibly be I'd much appreciate it. Also just to say the lumps are just on his trunk, nothing underneath or on his legs or head.

Could be midge/mosquito bites try giving some garlic in food as internal insect repellent.

Some Viszla's are prone to skin conditions. Everything from pollen allergies to something more serious like Sebaceous Adenitis . What size are the lumps and are they rounded or pointed? It does sound like a contact allergen but getting to the bottom of it won't be easy. Personally, I would stop treating him for flea's unless you see actual flea's on him. If he does have a sensitive skin, then using chemical's when you don't need too, won't help. I had a dog that was allergic to grass/birch pollen. Every spring she would 'suffer' but piriton did help. We hosed her off with luke warm water when she was bad and that helped too. It might be worth contacting his breeder in the first instance and see what they say. Or you could try:  Vizsla Health. They may have some suggestions on things to try. Good luck.

What have you deflead with?  Some products don't work any more and I can say from bitter and frustrating experience, it can still happen and you not find any!  My guys have just stopped scratching finally and that's taken about a year from when a grooming dog brought fleas in.  And in all that time, I have never actually seen a flea.

All of that said... if it's gotten worse since changing his diet, then that would be my first port of call.  I'd get him back on raw feeding, and I would start a full exclusion diet: novel protein (something he's never had) for 8 weeks to see if he improves (it can take that long for a reaction to stop), then start adding foods back in, one meal per week, to look for reactions.  Allergies can start at any time and are usually brought on by exposure, so it could be anything he's previously been ok with, if it is food.

A friends' new puppy was scratching like mad, to the point that the skin was red and there was a rash, started a day after they brought the puppy from the breeder. Looked at all causes, the rest of the litter mates were fine, puppy itself was fine before leaving etc, turned out it was due to the friend applying Advantix spot on which the breeder gave along with the puppy, the puppy turned out to be sensitive to it and it took few months to resolve in the end. After learning this story I would definitely not use any flea products on problematic skin at least until it is determined that the fleas are the problem...

Allergies can start at any time and are usually brought on by exposure, so it could be anything he's previously been ok with, if it is food.

Had a x breed who had been on Repnor for at least 5 YEARS when he started having red patches and itching. Vet explained that it could even take that long to develope an intolerance, changed food and it went - over a while.

Thank you everyone for the advice, the skin bumps are rounded not pointed, I wondered if it was a contact allergen maybe something he's rubbing or brushing along in the garden? That may explain why they are just down his sides, I'd assume flea bites would be all.over his body and underside? I'll try the garlic idea thank you, and keep up with the piriton and see if it helps, and go back to the vets if no improvement.

>I wondered if it was a contact allergen maybe something he's rubbing or brushing along in the garden?

It does sound likely as it is localised. Keep an eye on him when he is in your garden or out for a walk and see if there is anything that he brushes against (at that height). It could be something really obvious (nettles spring to mind) so worth watching him for a bit to see. Good luck with getting to the bottom of it.