********
For more info, check out our follow-up posts: Ragweed Allergy in Dogs – Part 2: Mastering decisions about your dog’s health and Ragweed Allergy in Dogs – Part 3: Dealing with medication side-effects.
********
Has hayfever gone to the dogs? It seems so. Dogs get seasonal allergies too.
With summer winding down and fall quickly approaching, ragweed is triggering some major allergy symptoms in our dogs now that it has bloomed all over North America. Ragweed’s pollen counts climb steadily every day throughout August and culminate around early to mid September. The plant blooms finally taper off at first frost, so October or November, depending on where you live.
The plant is a ‘highly adapted perennial’, so it blooms where it’s planted and spreads easily. It’s known for its tenacity, meaning it likes to stay put, and that makes it difficult to get rid of.
It’s an invasive weed that has spread more in recent years due to climate change. The plants are now flowering longer because of delays in autumn frost. So more flowers are producing more pollen, and spreading further distances over a longer period of time. Not good for allergy sufferers.
And that includes our dogs.
You can read all about ragweed and its invasive ecology here.
Dogs show signs of seasonal allergies primarily through their skin. Excessive licking, biting, gnawing, and all-over scratching are all good indicators that an airborne allergen is affecting them. They can get our symptoms too (especially the itchy, red, watery eyes and the sneezing), but airborne allergies in dogs most typically come with skin irritation.
This can get tricky to diagnose though; the licking, biting, etc., are all good indicators of a food or drug sensitivity too. Chances are though, that if the onset is sudden and during the late summer, and nothing else has changed in their diet or medication, they might be allergic to ragweed.
Our first summer with Juno was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. The summer she was one though, everything changed. Not only did she get her first sting or bite, but one night in mid August, she started scratching and didn’t stop. She scratched all night long. Thumping her hind leg on the floor every time she tried, unsuccessfully, to itch her small elbow. On both sides. Then she ran her face along the carpet, the rug, our bed, her bed, the wall.
We had no idea what was going on.
We got up and tried to settle her, stop her, see what was wrong, but we couldn’t see anything. No bite marks from a bug, no puncture wounds from a sting, nothing out of the ordinary. So we wiped her down with a cool facecloth, and tried to get some sleep.
In the morning, her front legs looked like this:
That weekend, we went to visit family friends at their cottage, about 600 km away. And a curious thing happened about two hours into the drive: Juno’s itching stopped. She slept like a baby the rest of the way there and didn’t itch or lick or gnaw at all for three days.
On our way back, about two hours from home, the itching and irritation set in again.
We were dumbfounded.
First, Google to the rescue (a quick search for ‘geographic itching in dogs + summer’) and second, our amazing vet to the rescue.
Juno was the 42nd dog to have an appointment that week for itching and excessive licking.
42nd and counting. Their phones were ringing off the hook.
It took three more days to get an appointment. Three more days and three long nights of licking, biting, and more blood-riddled front legs before we had a diagnosis – Ragweed allergy – and then a remedy.
Enter steroids. Vanectyl-P to be exact. This is serious medication, folks. It’s hard on a dog’s system and can have lasting effects.
Short-term side effects are excessive thirst and urge to urinate (that means a lot of midnight and twilight runs out to the backyard, rain or shine), lethargy and increased appetite (doubling the potential for weight gain), lower tolerance for heat (it’s still summer), increased susceptibility to infection because the immune system is suppressed, and an overall ‘muting’ of mood. Juno had glassy eyes, no affect, no energy, and no personality coming through for 2 months. But she wasn’t itchy…so, hooray?
Sort of.
Overall, the medication does its job. It works to suppress the immune system, so the dog’s body produces less histamine in response to ragweed in the air. So the dog stops itching and we all get sleep. And the dog gets some much-needed relief.
But, not so fast.
We did have a run-in with adverse side effects last summer.
Juno was stumbling to get her back legs under her one morning. Both legs were unsteady and couldn’t bear much weight. Juno did make it downstairs, with much coaxing and then just lay down. I did some quick Googling (it was early morning, so our vet wasn’t open yet) and found out that Vanectyl-P can pull potassium from the body in vast amounts, which can lead to muscle weakness and instability in the hind quarter. Bingo.
In a quick, let’s-be-resourceful-here-and-see-if-this-works, calculated move, I gave her a whole banana, which I knew was loaded with potassium. (Not the peel.)
It worked! It actually worked, and almost instantly.
Juno perked up, stood up – completely unencumbered, and went back to her morning routine of heading to the back door to ask to be let out. Whoa. Banana for the win!
We called the vet to let them know and then continued to monitor her closely over the course of the day. But she was fine and a few days later, the first frost hit and the Vanectyl-P bottle went back in the cupboard for another year.
This medication isn’t recommended for long term use, so vets always recommend going with the lowest possible effective dose. But it’s a long ragweed season (for us, at over 2 months), so it’s tough on a dog’s system no matter which way you slice it.
But it’s the best solution we’ve found, and so we continue to keep a bottle of leftovers in the cupboard, unfortunately awaiting the symptoms every year. And we’re four for five years; it’s already started this year with small fits of itching and gnawing. But we’re waiting it out until the last possible moment, at which point we’ll start by using the leftover pills (okayed by the vet) and then calling to renew our prescription for this year.
So if any of this sounds vaguely familiar – the excessive licking, the biting, gnawing, and all-over scratching, and if it’s just started, and you live anywhere in North America or in the northern part of South America, and nothing else has changed in your dog’s diet or medication, your dog might be allergic to ragweed.
It happens to Juno every summer – predictably the week between the 12th to 15th of August.
Hayfever has gone to the dogs, but I hope for your sake and your dog’s, that your dog isn’t one of them. But if he or she is, I’d suggest making an appointment with your vet. You’ll all get relief in the end.
Hope this helps! For more info, check out our follow-up post: Ragweed Allergy in Dogs – Part 2: Mastering decisions about your dog’s health
And for additional information about the benefits of bananas to your dog’s health, we invite you to check out the article, “Can Dogs Eat Bananas?” by our friends at PetConsider.com.
As always, thanks for reading. We’re glad to have you with us.
Twitter: @LifeInDogLane @adamgemackenzie
Let us know in the comments whether your dog(s) suffers from ragweed allergies. How do you manage it? Let’s talk hayfever – chat with us below!
cover image credit: left-hand via photopin cc
Has anyone tried or researched the Cytopoint shot? I’ve been using it every Fall for the last 3 years. It’s an immune suppressant too – but within a day my dogs are relieved.
I always try everything from PEA to Quercetin to get them ready for ragweed season- and while I can delay the reaction through trying to boost their immune systems – still the ragweed pollen affects them. If I only give it to them once a year- it’s worth it. I don’t recommend any immune suppressant for an extended time – it will only make the system weaker in the long run. Bulid their immune system then try a Cytopoint shot. I have a 17 tear old dog in good health I know this works. Also look into the product Nzymes.com – it has enriched my dogs lives 10 fold.
Best to all !!
My 6 month old chocolate lab puppy, Nova, has had very bad allergies since beginning of August. She’s been itching, licking, and biting almost non stop and we had to put her on Vanectyl P in September ( I did not want to do this but had no choice). The vet mentioned we have to wait until the first frost to determine if it’s environmental or maybe food related. I did switch her food to chicken free grain free just in case. Anyways, it’s been pretty cool out lately and where I am it was -8 overnight and we had a hard frost. She has STILL been itching this morning. Since this is my first allergy season with her I am not sure if that is normal? Does it generally take a few days after a hard frost to see the itching completely stop? Any advice would be much appreciated!
I haven’t had her on the Vanectyl P for a couple weeks now because she’s getting spayed next week.
Hi Kaitlyn,
Thanks for your message, and sorry to hear about your puppy’s allergies – they can be super frustrating for dogs and their families, especially with overnight scratching and noise that keeps everyone up.
In our experience, yes, our Lab has had some residual itching, licking, and biting/gnawing after we have stopped her allergy medications (and she has been on two: Vanectyl P in previous years, and Apoquel this year).
We’ve tried to alleviate her discomfort by giving her a bath, brushing her out a bit more frequently during this phase, and changing our furnace and humidifier filters to reduce any remaining allergens in our house.
Perhaps your vet will have some additional advice if the problem persists, but hopefully with a bit more cold weather the allergy symptoms will disappear shortly. Or perhaps the change in dogs foods will help as well.
Let us know how things go and what works for you, and good luck with the spay and recovery too!
My dog Loki was born in January. By April he was showing signs of allergies, lot’s of itching and chewing. He was treated using benadryl and prednisone (in very small doses) and we muddled through…until ragweed season hit. At this point he lost the fur around his eyes fron rubbing them, his chest went bare from scratching and he developed red inflamed areas all over.We opted to allergy test him (blood test) and he is allergic to most all grass, trees, corn and ragweed. We started him on sublingual anti allergen exract and that has been of great benefit. Each year ( he just turned 4 this year) his symptoms have decreased. Ragweed season still makes him itch so very low doses of pred (about 1/4 tablet daily or every other day) and a new medication, Apoquel that we recently tried. He did really well on the Apoquel at the higher “starter” dose but started scratching when I cut him down to 1 tabled daily. I have had more success breaking teh tablet in half and giving two smaller doses instead on 1. I check the pollen counts daily and severely restrict his outdoor time on high pollen days….come on frost…Loki needs you! Good luck to all of you, it can be a chore to manage but if you watch them closely you can mitigate the secondary issues such as skin sores.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Maria, and we’re glad you’ve found a solution that’s working for you and Loki. We love the summer season, but also look forward to that first frost when the ragweed disappears for the year!
My dog starting gnawing at his paws last summer and still does it through the winter. I haven’t found his allergy yet and it’s a constant battle to heal his paws. I tried Apoquel and it worked while he was on it. It’s a new drug but be careful, the long term side effects can be just as bad as the initial problem. I took him off it and have tried the vintages thing which ended up being to harsh. Malacetic shampoo seems to help…and a cone of course. I’ve been now given Vanectyl P, which after reading the side effects and hearing “about the weening off” I’m debating on whether to give it to him or not. It’s short term but what’s the point if it doesn’t heal. Not sure what to do.
Vinager not vintages
How long do you leave on meds?
From first sign of rash until about Sept 30. This year I took him off Sept 26 because there was a frost on the 25th and the ragweed looked dead.
Our dog Chili also had no reaction the first year but has reacted mid-August to end of Sept every year since. He is 5. Hydroxyzine 75 mg three times daily for his 75 lbs has completely eliminated the itching with lethargy as the only side effect every year. We go to the Cape every year in Sept and I’m able to lower the dose there but I have to increase it when we get home until October 1. Although the itching stops, he still has major hair loss exposing large patches of rash free skin. This folliculitis also really really stinks. I’ve tried oatmeal, honeysuckle, tea tree baths with no effect. I try cortisone cream with minimal effect. I’m going to try the Dermacton and vinegar wipes. Does anyone else experience the horrible smell and had any success with natural remedies? I don’t want to put him on steroids–he doesn’t seem to mind the smell! Lol
THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD INFORMATION IT IS EXACTLEY WHAT OUR VET HAS SAID IT MATCHES ALL THE THINGS THE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT THE RAGWEED ALLEGRIES THANKS AGAIN
Wow. Great reading all of this. My shepherd lab started going bananas again this week till he bleeds so I started the vane type…each year it gets harder and harder to wean him off and he needs more and more so I’m going to do the shampooing and shirts and the other stuff PLUS adding homeathic pollen and see if this helps…o started in the spring but stopped and its Better to do it weeks ahead . Score the ragweed season so I messed up the trial guess. Shirt can’t make him much hotter than he is already so may as well start that too! Will report back on what works! Feel free to email me new ideas too! lisajournalist@yahoo.com
Amazing how quickly the allergy kicks in, eh? Hope some of the options help. Let us know what works!
This is our first autumn in the doggie daycare business, and we’re seeing this too! Tons of dogs coming in, owners sometimes suspect fleas, but it always ends up being allergies. They key difference seems to be where they itch- right above the tail for fleas, anywhere else for allergies. Good info!!
Our location is in Michigan, if that helps: https://michigan.dogdaycare.com/dogtopia-of-bloomfield.html
Glad you enjoyed the article, and thanks for your feedback!
We’ve figured out our Captain Morgan has allergies. He scratches and knaws constantly. The best drug that helps is good ole BENEDRYL. The vet recommended and said he can have 1mg per pound which works out perfect cause he is 25lbs and the pills I have are 25mg. The vet said it is safe to give him everyday. It really calms him down and keeps him itch free for several hours. It’s my miracle drug! Why would anyone go to hard core drugs for allergies when there is Benedryl? Be sure to ask your vet before giving any new med to your dog! Good luck!
Great suggestion, thank you for that!
Hi,
Like your dog, my Susie suffers through Ragweed season. She will actually chew through her skin and has scratched a cut through her side. She has been like this since her first summer. I never thought of giving her a bit of banana and will be trying that. I can’t wait for this season to be over and she gets back to her happy, hyper self. Thanks for the info, well worth reading.
Judith
Really appreciate your feedback, Judith. Glad you found this post useful.
I’ve read through this forum several times and was struck by the thunder shirt comment. My dog’s allergic reaction to ragweed is severe. I have her on the generic version of Atopica and it seems to curb it a little.
A few days ago she had itched a spot on her back raw and it was bleeding. I have tried everything, but I still hadn’t tried the thunder shirt. I left the house immediately and went out and purchased one.
I came home and put it on her immediately. She instantly seemed more calm and soothed. It occurred to me that some of her constant itching was due to the ragweed reaction but that some of it was caused by anxiety. I would recommend the thunder shirt to everyone who has s suffering pet.
We had experienced the same allergy problems for several years, and our dog was miserable. We suspected Goldenrod although it blooms at the same time as ragweed. A new vet did a check and said (for our dog) that her allergy manifested on physical contact. He recommended (among other things) to put a shirt on the dog when she went outside. Instant change! The only red, itchy spots were the places that were contacting the ground. There was a distinct “demarkation” zone on the collar of her shirt. We are limiting her time outside and hosing off her legs when she comes in (as often as we can). This is the first year we have had a happy dog and not spent huge dollars on expensive meds with side effects that were hard on our poor boxer.
She is on an over the counter allergy medication, and she is bathed with an oatmeal based (soothing) shampoo periodically. The vet also suggested a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, left on for 5-10 minutes and rinced with clear water in between baths. (We haven’t had to resort to this so far this summer.) We are also changing her bedding more frequently as it is very likely our other boxer is bringing the allergin into the house inadvertently.
Tonight I noticed that her favorite place to hang out, under the trees, has a stand of ragweed…That will be dug up and destroyed asap!
I added comment this as I wondered if the thundershirt was acting in the same capacity as the shirt I put on my dog.
Jack, I use a shirt on Susie. It keeps her covered and that seems to help. I have numerous ones for her to wear now. She even has a Canadian flag shirt. lol Your doing the right thing. Personally I won’t pay for the thunder skirt.. this is working
Just came across this post when I was searching online about dog allergies. My dog has been suffering with something similar since the 2nd summer we had him. Each summer it starts a little earlier and is worse than the summer before. Our vet prescribes prednisone and an antibiotic which works at first, but when we start to wean him the licking starts all over again. This year we started the medication mid-July and now it’s early August his paws are the worst I’ve seen yet. I hate wishing for summer to be over! I’m also trying a couple other things as well like Claritin, Coconut Oil, and nightly paw soaks. Has anyone used or heard of Apoquel? Our vet just recommended it and apparently it is new and in short supply but we can get on a waiting list. I’m a little hesitant to try something so new.
Our dog does the same every year for a month and we did the steroid with antibiotic every year. Prednisone is very hard on a body even a dogs. This year we were given Apoquel by the vet…..please do not give this to your dogs. I read the insert and was horrified at the study results. I came home and got on the internet researching natural remedies. The natural remedies are working. First we ordered an oatmeal shampoo from amazon, it’s all natural. Then I bought her a probiotic and brewers yeast……2 probiotics a day with a tablespoon of brewers yeast, along with 5 tablespoons of honey (I will start the honey much earlier next year, my mistake) and then I wipe her down with 1/4 cup braggs cider vinegar with 1/4 cup of water, this gives a lot of relief and the vinegar smell goes away in minutes. She is a much calmer dog and we are all getting sleep.
Next year I will start giving her honey in the spring so it has time to build up in her system. August/Sept is the ONLY time she has this problem. Now I feel like we have it under control without the use of big pharma. I am going to start giving coconut oil just for the heck of it too the routine.
I hope this helps you!
My Cairn Terrier has the same exact symptoms and timeframe in Toronto, Canada.
This year we were spending the summer in Transylvania, Europe, and my dog was totally fine till mid September, when we came back to Toronto. Just in 3-4 days the itching is back and I had to put her on Vanectyl-P.
This is the 5th year that my dog is suffering every autumn. We hardly can wait for the first frost, until those plants finally die and the allergy season is over.
Thanks for the great article!
Our terrier has the exact same itching problem. We tried the over-the-counter antihistamines, without success. Our vet recommended Atopica which, in our opinion, is a miracle drug. We give her one 100mg. Atopica daily for the first three weeks, then reduce to every other day until the first hard frost. It doesn’t stop her itching completely, but reduces it tremendously. Atopica is expensive, but its creator, Novartis, offers “buy one month, get the second month free” deals which really helps.
Glad you enjoyed the article! We’re always amazed at how much a change in geographic location can make on the severity of the allergy. Thanks for your note.
My golden retriever Wyatt fits the same exact symptoms and timeframe. We suspect it is a ragweed allergy as well. The vet gave him prednisone which makes him lathergic and zyrtec didn’t help him. The only thing that gives him some relief is Benadryl.
However, a friend gave us a ThunderShirt to try this fall and it really really helps him. I think it’s the fact that it’s a bit snug so he doesn’t get as itchy from open air and it snuggles him with comfort. Whenever he wore it he was much more comfortable. As soon as we tooknit off of him he started scratching. After 5 days he becomes a bit “ripe” so I am going to order him a couple more so we can change them more often for next fall. We also didn’t have to give him Benadryl as often.
We are still amazed at how much the thunder shirt helped. I’d rather have a stinky happier dog over a miserable dog any day.
Thanks for the tip on Dermacton, Max. I’m going to give it a try. I’m also considering trying Brothers Complete Allergy Dog Food. And maybe Dynovite too.
Wishing you and Juno all the best. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks for your comment, Regina. We hadn’t heard of Thundershirts until reading the comments on this article, and will look into what they are. Thanks for the vote for Benadryl too. We’ll keep that in mind!
We have been dealing with the exact same thing! Our dog licks his paws constantly, and the skin around his groin is bright pink and itchy. He’s already been on one round of steroids (plus antibiotics, for little pustules that developed), and now we’re back to the vet for round two. Fortunately, he hasn’t experienced any side effects from the steroids. For once in our lives we’re actually wishing for the snow to come early! Thanks for the informative read – hope June is feeling better.
Yes, sounds like ragweed! Poor guy. It makes for a somewhat disappointing end to summer, doesn’t it, when you’re wishing for the weather to change?! Good luck – hope it’s not too much longer for you both!
Your story and circumstances sound hauntingly familiar to the issues w are currently having with our 18 month old sheltie — Duke! the symptoms you mention are identical, and so is the timing (mid August). I didn’t even know what ragweed looked like until I did a bit of internet research and found that not only is our yard COVERED with it this time of year, but so is the park across the street where we like to take Duke.
Thanks for the confirmation. Our Vet has Duke on Prednisone (another steroid), as well as zyrtec. It worked initially, but as we tried to wean Duke off of the prednisone, the itching came back. We are now experimenting with Benadryl, with few results. PRAYING for frost, but it was 95 degrees today, so…….
If anybody has a sure-fire treatment, I’m all ears (sorry, couldn’t resist.).
Hi JJorg – glad we could help narrow it down for you! Hopefully that’s a partial relief?
Pretty disgusting when you start to recognize the weed and then see it everywhere – lawns, curbside, yards, parks…it mixes right in with the grass.
We’ve unfortunately had to try a couple of drug cocktails for Juno – and any weaning her off before the season is done has brought the itching right back. It’s tough on their systems to be on it for so long, but also tough to go on and off.
Benadryl has never done the trick for us either – it hasn’t been powerful enough. It’s worked for acute itching or when Juno’s reacted to stings and bites, but not for anything seasonal like Ragweed.
For us, it’s Vanectyl-P consistently, through to first frost. We do gradually decrease the dose to the ‘lowest effective dose’ – so the number of pills x the frequency that is ‘just enough’ to take care of the itching while still keeping our dog’s system safe.
Really hope this helps, and good luck!
My corgi suffers from allergies to a “weed”. So denoted because we have ruled out grass, he never had this issue when we had freshly laid sod, but his allergies flared up when we moved to a place with rampant weeds. With him being so low to the ground, his entire belly will have these little hives and he’ll itch like crazy – his belly and his feet. When it’s really bad, even his face is itchy 🙁
This year has been ok, no major flare ups, compared to last year. We give him Benadryl in pill form when he has flare ups and it stops the itching and helps him to get some rest. (If you ever want to try Benadryl, use the pill, not the liquid – the liquid contains xylitol, which is fatal to dogs.) We’ve found wiping his paws, belly and chest with a baby wipe when he comes in helps to take away some of the dirt and so on and makes things a bit easier to manage. Rinsing of his belly/paws can help too.
Ooh, sorry to hear about your Corgi’s allergies, Candy. Sounds rough, especially when you kind narrow down the guilty weed!
We know Juno’s allergy this time of year is to Ragweed, and airborne, so unfortunately wipe downs don’t do the trick and Benadryl just isn’t strong enough to take care of the reaction either. But we do use Benadryl for bites and stings and lots of paw and coat wipe downs to at least minimize the amount of pollen being brought into the house.
Thanks for the tips! I know readers will find them helpful!
If you are looking for a more natural solution to dealing with the allergy, Petnat all natural Dermacton helps thousands of dogs through the allergy season.
Money back guarantee, steroid free … nothing to lose trying it.
Just Google Dermacton.
Max – thanks! Hadn’t heard of this.
Poor Juno and poor you!! I’m glad at least you found something that helps her.
Sampson has intermittent licking between April and October, he has a vet appointment Monday and I intend on mentioning this. Thanks for a great and informative post!
Thanks Jodi! It was definitely an exercise in ruling things out and narrowing it down as best we could – along with our vet!
Hope you get relief for Sampson! Let us know what it turns out to be.