Question:
“Hi, I have a 5year old black lab mix. Each springtime he’s been getting little bumps under his chin and he itches until it bleeds. He’s also started licking his front paws alot. Not obsessively, but alot. The vet has told me I could give him Benedryl Allergy 25mg 2x per day. I’ve been reading that Benedryl doesn’t really help much and that there are natural remedies to give dogs. Does anyone else have this under-the-chin bump problems with their labs? I’m pretty sure it’s an allergy and it could be lots of things, his dog food, the treated grass in our yard, other grass allergens. It could be the wood material in the old couch he sits on or something in our carpeting. I’m wondering if its even worth getting the blood tests done at the vet, or if I should just find some other remedy. Any advice?
Thanks.”
Answer:
Allergies in Labs are not uncommon. There are many possible culprits during the Spring and Summer seasons so it is difficult to tell you exactly what can be bothering your pup.
Seeing as you have a wide variety of conditions bothering your Lab mix, I would recommend using the process of elimination and keeping a journal of your dog’s activities and his symptoms.
For us, the dry skin and licking of the paws was due to the dog food. It was a bit of a shock because they were on the same food for years before experiencing problems. The process of elimination led us to the dog food and once we switched (through a slow transition), they are even better than ever and the symptoms are gone.
However, sometimes the culprit can be a new toy or something he is eating out of. Since you stated that he has under-the-chin bumps, I would remove any plastic or rubber toys for some time and even clean them in the dishwasher on a sanitizing mode. Cheyenne’s chin was horrible and through doing exactly this, we found it to be her “ever-lasting treat ball”. We removed the problem treat toy and after a few weeks of cleaning her chin, she was symptom free (although she is still bald on her chin now).
I would recommend also washing all bedding (especially anything the dog sleeps on) in hot water and Nature’s Miracle. Make sure you use a mild or allergen free detergent as that can cause problem as well.
Lastly, you can use Benadryl as needed but I would not personally use it often – definitely not more than 1x daily. Our veterinarian stated that owners of healthy dogs may give 1mg for every pound of Lab. Dakota is 82lbs and we give her 75mg (25mg each tab) before visiting the vet for her annual shots (she is allergic to one of them).
I hope this helps! Please let us know how it goes!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I have not heard about Chlorpheniramine but usually when the pups have bad allergies, I like them to get a bit sleepy to let the medication take effect. Usually they only get Benedryl once a year when they get their vaccinations (they develop a large bump at the injection site and get itchy). I would recommend posting your question about Chlorpheniramine on the Labrador Retriever Chat Board. There are thousands of members and someone may be able to give you better feedback on it.
As far as the Benedryl goes, I have a 3 yr old Yelo (actually he’s almost white), and not only has allergy issues, but also recently developed grand mal seizures. All the vets concur that it’s all related, so he gets 3 (25mg) Benedryl every 12 hours along w/his Phenobarb. My vet says the dose can be up to 25mg per 25 pounds, but the 75mg works for him(he’s 90#) Have you tried Chlorpheniramine? It’s less drowsy, but I don’t want to try it and take a chance, but it really works for one of my chronically itchy cats! He’s 20# and gets 1 (4mg) 2x a day when he gets “scabby”.
I had the exact asme issue with my Chocolate Lab and it ended up being the plactic bowls that we were using. Changed to Stainless and not more problem. When Hershey had the bumps we would actually scrub them for her and then antibiotic cream and she was good to go.