I don't write a lot of reviews, but thought this might help other dog parents. I have been dealing with my Shih Tzu's allergies for over 2 years. She is 12 years old now. At first, we thought it must be food allergies, so we went through many food changes and nothing helped. It turned out to be environmental (grass, pollen, who knows what else!)
The vet recommended Cytopoint injections along with a shampoo for fungus/yeast. After the first injection, I thought we found a miracle! It worked so well, itching and licking stopped, there are no side effects as it is a biologic. Unfortunately, after about 6 months of monthly injections, the effectiveness wore off. I was lucky if the shot lasted 2 weeks before the itching returned. The entire time on Cytopoint, she still had seborrheic and inflamed skin - the shampoo was not helping. She was on this combination for over 2 years (trying different shampoos along the way) and I was bathing her at least two time a week, but she was still greasy and within a day she smelled bad.
Fast forward to 2 months ago. She got small sore on her neck, I thought it was from scratching. It was healing and I took her for a Crytopoint injection. About 2 weeks later, I saw this huge sore on her neck above the one that had healed, dripping with blood. I freaked out and called the vet and took her right in. It was a nasty hot spot, which she has never had! Since the Cytopoint was clearly no longer effective, the vet recommended Apoquel. I had her on this exactly 14 days and it did stop the itching but she had VERY bad side effects. Panting, increased thirst, increased hunger, acted strange, couldn't relax and the hot spot would not heal, it kept breaking open and bleeding! I did research and learned that Apoquel suppresses the immune system. I stopped her immediately from this drug. Within 2 days off the Apoquel, the side effects were gone and the hot spot scabbed over and within a week it was completely gone. I asked the vet if I could give her Claritin (just the regular not the D) and she said yes, 1/2 pill once a day (she weighs 16 lbs).
At my wits end, I was researching probiotics for dog allergies and came upon this product. I was so desperate at that point, I would have tried anything safe to help my baby feel better. I started her on one scoop per day (I give her a little over a full scoop now). It is such a small scoop, I just knew it wouldn't work. I am SO happy I was wrong!! Within a week, I noticed her hair was not as greasy and she didn't have that awful smell. The skin on her stomach is now beginning to turn pink again (after just 3 weeks on this), instead of red and inflamed. The constant scratching and licking has subsided. The hair on her back is starting to grow again (it had gotten pretty thin and not much growth). AND, I'm bathing her just once a week. I also found this shampoo (also purchased on Amazon) worked WAY better than the one the vet gave me and it's cheaper: BEXLEY LABS Curaseb Benzoyl Peroxide Dog Shampoo.
I'm hopeful that keeping her on this probiotic along with Claritin and the shampoo that I will continue to see improvements. I can tell she is feeling better, she is playful again rather than distracted by itching and licking. The probiotic might not work for all dogs, but it has for mine - It is certainly worth trying! I only wish I knew about this 2 years ago! By the way, there must be no flavor to this powder, I mix it with her dry + wet food combo and she eats it up (she is an extremely picky eater, but she doesn't seem to notice this).
B. animalis lactis*, L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. salivarius, L. plantarum, L. reuteri, Inulin (prebiotic) stearic acid.
