[Hank the Boxer]

Hi all,
Hank the Boxer here and I need some help. I've been a mess for a while. I'm now 8 and for the past 5 or so years I've been experiencing a range of issues: constant itchiness (sometimes until I bleed), allergies, bumps and lumps, dry nose, and often gassy. In the past few weeks I've developed some hair loss. My vet has prescribed many things in the past, but nothing seems to consistently work. I'm otherwise a happy and lovable boy. Does anyone have any advice for me? My people love me a whole lot and want to help. Thank you! 🐾

 

[Defiasaint]

While I’m no expert I would try using shea butter or castor/almond oil on the dry spots and keep hair out of those areas. Maybe when you give Hank a bath do an Oatmeal bath and let him soak in it? Have you tried a moisturizing spray when you brush him down? (I brush my Boxer daily and it’s made a big difference).
I would also see about consulting with a different vet if you haven’t already. They may have thought of something your usual vet hasn’t or have more experience with your specific issues.

 

[Blackrabbit]

Have you had his thyroid function checked?

 

[[email protected]]

The one black mass on his lower leg needs to be biopsied that doesn't look right, the thing on the elbow is just from laying on a hard surface and being older his nose is dry you can use a small amount of Vaseline on your finger to moisturize his nose it works very well just plain old Vaseline my dog has a dry nose as well. She also has allergies I get her a Cytopoint injection please ask your Vet about that That's what I would do anyway! Good luck with him. Ask your Vet about Cytopoint though I think it may help if they have already ruled out other diseases. I used Apaquel once for my girl it caused stomach upset and diarrhea for her so the other stuff works very well.

 

[Hank the Boxer]

While I’m no expert I would try using shea butter or castor/almond oil on the dry spots and keep hair out of those areas. Maybe when you give Hank a bath do an Oatmeal bath and let him soak in it? Have you tried a moisturizing spray when you brush him down? (I brush my Boxer daily and it’s made a big difference).
I would also see about consulting with a different vet if you haven’t already. They may have thought of something your usual vet hasn’t or have more experience with your specific issues.

I have never thought about brushing him, thank you for the advice! I will definitely try these different steps.

 

[Hank the Boxer]

Have you had his thyroid function checked?

I have not. Do thyroid issues cause excessive itching? Thanks for the help!

 

[Hank the Boxer]

The one black mass on his lower leg needs to be biopsied that doesn't look right, the thing on the elbow is just from laying on a hard surface and being older his nose is dry you can use a small amount of Vaseline on your finger to moisturize his nose it works very well just plain old Vaseline my dog has a dry nose as well. She also has allergies I get her a Cytopoint injection please ask your Vet about that That's what I would do anyway! Good luck with him. Ask your Vet about Cytopoint though I think it may help if they have already ruled out other diseases. I used Apaquel once for my girl it caused stomach upset and diarrhea for her so the other stuff works very well.

I have heard of both these medications, and I believe we have tried Apaquel. The vet just recently suggested the injection, but warned it's quite expensive and not guaranteed... so we decided against it in the moment. I think a second opinion and considering the injection for him is good advice. If the injection is helpful then it's definitely worth the expense. Thank you!

 

[NJBoxerMom127]

Hello, I’m sorry Hank is having these issues. How about seeking advice of a different veterinarian? To be going on this long without any concrete answers..... if it was me I would go that route. Good luck!

 

[[email protected]]

I have heard of both these medications, and I believe we have tried Apaquel. The vet just recently suggested the injection, but warned it's quite expensive and not guaranteed... so we decided against it in the moment. I think a second opinion and considering the injection for him is good advice. If the injection is helpful then it's definitely worth the expense. Thank you!

That injection is expensive but it works! And when I was getting them regularly they lasted more than a month sometimes up to 3 before she started itching again so in the long run it was a little less expensive took about 2 days to work but when it id she got relief

 

[Blackrabbit]

I have not. Do thyroid issues cause excessive itching? Thanks for the help!

Thyroid problems can cause fur loss, dull coat and skin infections among other things. We had a previous boxer with this and it caused bald patches, itching and increased sensitivity to allergens. Its a simple test to check levels so worth a shot. Hope you find the solution.

 

[SharonM]

Hi all,
Hank the Boxer here and I need some help. I've been a mess for a while. I'm now 8 and for the past 5 or so years I've been experiencing a range of issues: constant itchiness (sometimes until I bleed), allergies, bumps and lumps, dry nose, and often gassy. In the past few weeks I've developed some hair loss. My vet has prescribed many things in the past, but nothing seems to consistently work. I'm otherwise a happy and lovable boy. Does anyone have any advice for me? My people love me a whole lot and want to help. Thank you! 🐾 View attachment 136269
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This poor guy looks like a mess. I didn't read all the comments but have you tried switching food. I have learned one of the big allergies for dogs is chicken. I also get salmon oil blend from the pet store and put it on my dogs food. We were doing it two times a day but backed it to 1x due to runny poops. Those bumps on his chest, my dog got those too, they were allergies and he got a couple of allergy shots but expensive so the vet suggested benedryl. My dog also had one of those black bumps which the vet watched for a while but it got big then went away. This is a long post and I am sorry but I definitely would start with switching the food. I hope you both feel better soon.

 

[sienna11711]

Hi handsome Hank!! I agree that you should definitely do a full CBC and thyroid panel to see if anything is going wonky with that immune system. With major issues ruled out, I would next try switching to a novel protein that Hank hasn't eaten before or fish based kibble (if you feed kibble). Or you can try hydrolyzed diet (this is prescription food from the vet- my girl is on it now and it's great for her food intolerances and IBD). When I first rescued my girl, her nose looked very similar to Hank's and she had the patchy hair loss. She had been eating a very low quality and very cheap kibble her whole life and I switched her right away to a duck based kibble and her nose healed up within a week and the hairloss dissipated about one month later.

Something I also use for my girl now is a supplement called Bio-C by Vet RX- it's vitamin c powder for dogs. I mix it into her kibble 1-2 times a week now but when I first started I used it everyday for 2 weeks and then tapered down. Her coat is way better, nose isn't dry anymore, and she also doesn't have anymore runny eye boogies which I never realized was due to food allergies. It's on amazon and there's a lot of reviews from pet owners who have dogs with severe allergy problems. Of course, run it by the vet if you try it out

 

[Hank the Boxer]

Hi handsome Hank!! I agree that you should definitely do a full CBC and thyroid panel to see if anything is going wonky with that immune system. With major issues ruled out, I would next try switching to a novel protein that Hank hasn't eaten before or fish based kibble (if you feed kibble). Or you can try hydrolyzed diet (this is prescription food from the vet- my girl is on it now and it's great for her food intolerances and IBD). When I first rescued my girl, her nose looked very similar to Hank's and she had the patchy hair loss. She had been eating a very low quality and very cheap kibble her whole life and I switched her right away to a duck based kibble and her nose healed up within a week and the hairloss dissipated about one month later.

Something I also use for my girl now is a supplement called Bio-C by Vet RX- it's vitamin c powder for dogs. I mix it into her kibble 1-2 times a week now but when I first started I used it everyday for 2 weeks and then tapered down. Her coat is way better, nose isn't dry anymore, and she also doesn't have anymore runny eye boogies which I never realized was due to food allergies. It's on amazon and there's a lot of reviews from pet owners who have dogs with severe allergy problems. Of course, run it by the vet if you try it out

Thanks for the info! Over the years we have tried different diets... unfortunately, everything messed with his stomach. He has been on ProPlan for about a year or two now and that seems to work well for him. Im hesitant to mess with it again. So far, the cytopoint injection is working! I may consider another food change, but do not want to add all at once so I can be sure to know what is working and not working. This is very helpful, thank you!

 

[Hank the Boxer]

This poor guy looks like a mess. I didn't read all the comments but have you tried switching food. I have learned one of the big allergies for dogs is chicken. I also get salmon oil blend from the pet store and put it on my dogs food. We were doing it two times a day but backed it to 1x due to runny poops. Those bumps on his chest, my dog got those too, they were allergies and he got a couple of allergy shots but expensive so the vet suggested benedryl. My dog also had one of those black bumps which the vet watched for a while but it got big then went away. This is a long post and I am sorry but I definitely would start with switching the food. I hope you both feel better soon.

Thank you for the insight! So far, the cytopoint injection is working well for him (Benedryl never worked for Hank).

 

[Djbo]

Hi all,
Hank the Boxer here and I need some help. I've been a mess for a while. I'm now 8 and for the past 5 or so years I've been experiencing a range of issues: constant itchiness (sometimes until I bleed), allergies, bumps and lumps, dry nose, and often gassy. In the past few weeks I've developed some hair loss. My vet has prescribed many things in the past, but nothing seems to consistently work. I'm otherwise a happy and lovable boy. Does anyone have any advice for me? My people love me a whole lot and want to help. Thank you! 🐾 View attachment 136269
View attachment 136271
View attachment 136272
View attachment 136273
View attachment 136274

Let me say Hank you are just beautiful! I am sorry to hear you have all these little problems. This may be a long shot but have you heard of Dr. Harvey? Look him up online. You can call him and he will talk to you for no charge. He has developed a nutricious all natural dog food. He has other products. We used his Canine Health dog food and his Kidney Health for “our Henry”. We lost him last June to Juvenile Renal Dysplasia at the age of 4. 😔 We felt good about Dr. Harvey’s advice. It may be worth a phone call. Good luck! Give that pup a hug! 😍

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info! Over the years we have tried different diets... unfortunately, everything messed with his stomach. He has been on ProPlan for about a year or two now and that seems to work well for him. Im hesitant to mess with it again. So far, the cytopoint injection is working! I may consider another food change, but do not want to add all at once so I can be sure to know what is working and not working. This is very helpful, thank you!

I am so glad the cytopoint is working! I just had to get another one for my girl it takes about 24 hrs but it does make a big difference.

 

[Mister_Maple]

What are you feeding hank?

 

[Hank the Boxer]

Let me say Hank you are just beautiful! I am sorry to hear you have all these little problems. This may be a long shot but have you heard of Dr. Harvey? Look him up online. You can call him and he will talk to you for no charge. He has developed a nutricious all natural dog food. He has other products. We used his Canine Health dog food and his Kidney Health for “our Henry”. We lost him last June to Juvenile Renal Dysplasia at the age of 4. 😔 We felt good about Dr. Harvey’s advice. It may be worth a phone call. Good luck! Give that pup a hug! 😍

Thank you! I have not heard of him. Thank you for the advice and so sorry to hear you lost your sweet boy. Take care!

 

[Anne2021]

In regards to the itching. I have a boxer with severe allergies and had many visits to many different vets before coming up with a treatment plan that works well for her that you may want to try. When we used apoquel alone, it helped a little, but not entirely and not for a full day. We switched to giving her have of her Apoquel in the morning and half at night. The next breakthrough we had was when a vet told me to try purely salmon diet...nothing else. I told her I had tried salmon already and didn't get the results we needed. She told me it would likely take 6-8 weeks before we would see a difference and recommended Purina Pro Plan Salmon dog food. I didn't have anything to lose so we tried that. My boxer has been on a salmon only diet with Apoquel for the last six month and her relief from her allergies are the best they have been in years. Prior to this she would scratch her face until it was bleeding and chew at her paw, it was painful to see. If this does not work you may want to consult with a holistic veterinarian as diet really seems to make a difference. Take care.

 

[Hank the Boxer]

In regards to the itching. I have a boxer with severe allergies and had many visits to many different vets before coming up with a treatment plan that works well for her that you may want to try. When we used apoquel alone, it helped a little, but not entirely and not for a full day. We switched to giving her have of her Apoquel in the morning and half at night. The next breakthrough we had was when a vet told me to try purely salmon diet...nothing else. I told her I had tried salmon already and didn't get the results we needed. She told me it would likely take 6-8 weeks before we would see a difference and recommended Purina Pro Plan Salmon dog food. I didn't have anything to lose so we tried that. My boxer has been on a salmon only diet with Apoquel for the last six month and her relief from her allergies are the best they have been in years. Prior to this she would scratch her face until it was bleeding and chew at her paw, it was painful to see. If this does not work you may want to consult with a holistic veterinarian as diet really seems to make a difference. Take care.

Thank you!!!