Vizsla Bumps and Allergies

A while back, when I was still new to the blogging world, and mostly new to the dog world, I posted on allergies and issues we were having with Captain. Since then, we have had issues with other types of bumps, so I thought I'd update the allergies and bumps topic, especially since it seems to be one of the most common search terms people use when looking up Vizsla issues.

Vizsla FAQs

These are some common questions people ask me, have posted, or use to find this blog:

1. Where are Vizslas from?
2. Are Vizslas good running dogs?
3. Can Vizslas live in apartments?
4. How much exercise do Vizslas need?
5. What are Vizslas like indoors?
6. Do Vizslas shed?
7. What do you feed your Vizsla?
8. What can I do about my Vizsla's allergies?
9. Are Vizslas good with children?
10. Who are Captain's parents and where is he from?

Answers below!

Pet Insurance: Worth the Cost?

Captain after an overnight stay in the emergency vet clinic, treated for pneumonia when he was a puppy.

New Years can lead to all sorts of new beginnings and resolutions. Maybe you've added a new puppy to your family, or maybe you're trying to tighten your purse strings. As for us, we're re-evaluating various investments, including Pet Insurance. I thought I'd post some information about Pet Insurance, and try to get some reader feedback and experiences, since I know this is a topic that comes up often for pet owners. To insure or not insure, that is the question.

Allergies?

Just wondering if others have experienced skin allergies with their Vizslas, and if so what was causing them and what solution you found. Captain has been having on-again off-again little bumps mostly on his back and now a few on his head- they are sort of white and small, and if scratched the fur comes off and leaves a little bald spot or scab. For the most part they go away with an antibiotic our vet gives us, but not very quickly and they've been coming back. This has been going on for about 8 months I think. At first our vet thought it was a bacterial infection but now she thinks it may be a food allergy and has Captain on a special food he doesn't seem to like very much. I know V's can be prone to skin allergies so thought I'd ask if anyone has had issues like this. I may take him to an allergist because I can't handle not knowing and want to be able to feed him more options! Some people have suggested it might be an allergy to pollen or fertilizer, which seems like it would be hard if not impossible to control exposure to...

Insight appreciated!

More hiking to come this weekend :-)

*Update: Captain's allergies went away completely. He had allergy issues for about 9 months, on and off, from about 1.5 years old or so. Looking back, I think the problem started when he was around a year old and not eating his breakfast consistently- so I began "bribing" him by mixing in different things. Sometimes it would be peanut butter, or cream cheese, but then I started giving him Primal brand raw nuggets fairly consistently. And then the bumps started. We took him to the vet, would get antibiotics, and the bumps would go away, but then they'd come back. Since I wasn't always giving him the raw food, it wasn't so simple to identify what the problem was. The vet suggested 2 different kibbles, each of which we tried and Captain would not eat- he was losing weight, and since he had never had issues with his usual kibble or with peanut butter from the time he was a puppy, I switched him back to the basics of what we knew worked for us from the start.  Ultimately, we found that the allergies went away and stayed away when we didn't give him the raw food nuggets. Now, I also try not to give him lots of different things all the time; he gets Iams with a little sweet potato (or sometimes pumpkin) mixed in for his meals, and some treats (peanut butter, frosty paws, homemade and store-bought biscuits, every now and then a raw hide or chew), but we don't give him raw meat anymore. I know this is contrary to what some others have experienced, but for us, the raw nuggets seemed to set off his allergies. Like people, different dogs have different allergies; it can be helpful to keep track of what exactly you're dog is eating and what has changed in order to help identify the problem. For severe issues that don't seem to go away, definitely go to a vet and/or allergist, but keep in mind your dog's history with different food items.

**SEE ALSO: Updated post on allergies & bumps.

Doggie down time

Is this a yoga position?

Last week we took Captain to the vet since he was coughing, snotty, and shaking, and found out he has pneumonia. Poor thing-you'll notice his little shaved paw from where they put the IV in for his overnight stay.

Luckily he's much better after week on antibiotics. Those first few days of being sick, he was one tired pup and happy to just snuggle in his daddy's sleeping bag:











Now that he's feeling so much better and the pneumonia is clearing, his boundless energy is back, and he's none too happy with short walks and no puppy play for a few weeks! We can't wait until he's 100% cleared of it. Til then, he'll just have to settle for taking it easy and playing with mommy & daddy inside.