Dear Allergy: There could be several reasons for the allergies. First, you must look to what food he is eating since the bumps appear all over his body. His reaction might be to something he is eating. Many times changing the diet will do the trick. I would recommend you change his food to something that doesn’t contain the same ingredients of his current food. For example, if he is eating a beef or chicken and wheat-based food trying switching to lamb and rice or fish and sweet potato varieties.

 Remember when switching the food to do it gradually as not to upset his digestion. Add a small amount of the new food to the old and over a week increase the new food and decrease the old food until he is eating the new food. Then keep him on it for a few weeks and see how he does. This type of “elimination diet” works wonders for deciding if food is the cause of his allergies.

Look To Environment

Another cause of your pet’s problems may be something in the house. Start keeping a diary of all the places your dog goes in the house. Then ask yourself questions like, did I get a new carpet deodorizer or cleaning solvent. Did the dog rub all over the carpet the first time I used the product? Or did you buy new furniture that he may have been in contact with? Or perhaps there was a new spray you bought to clean the wood tables or floors.

After this detective work is over you might have a clue if something in the environment is causing his troubles. Sometimes dogs do just get itchy type allergies as they mature for no reason, such Labrador Retrievers. To stop the scratching you may want to put him in an Elizabethan collar for a while to keep him from biting himself to let his bumps heal. Also, you may want to ask your vet about a topical cream or oral medication for the symptoms rather than a bath all the time. Although using these medications may not find out what the cause of the problem is, it will be easier for you to administer and give your dog some added relief.

Lisa’s Pick of the Litter

Don’t forget to watch the Fifth Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship simulcast live on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel starting at 8 p.m. (EST) both nights on January 14 and 15. The AKC National Agility Championship will be televised on Animal Planet at 8 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2006.

The final entry number of 2,648 for the Fifth Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is held in conjunction with the AKC National Agility Championship and the AKC National Obedience Invitational (entries of 689 and 134 respectively) making for a combined entry of 3,471 for all three events.

All 153 AKC-registered breeds and all 50 states represented at the show this year. Top-ranked American dogs will be joined by competitors from 20 countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia and Japan making for an exciting competition.

Sixty-six Dachshunds (three varieties) lead the entry tally followed by 43 Poodles (three varieties) and 31 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Three breeds, the Labrador Retriever, Beagle (two varieties) and Chihuahua (two varieties) each have 30 entries. Rounding out the most-entered breeds are 29 French Bulldogs and American Staffordshire Terriers and 27 Boston Terriers, Pugs, Chinese Shar-Pei, and Havanese.

Totals by group include Sporting - 383; Hound - 382; Working - 372; Terrier - 357; Toy - 371; Non-Sporting - 335 and Herding - 270.

The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship offers more than $225,000 in prize money. The Best in Show winner will receive over $50,000. The breeder of the Best in Show winner is awarded $15,000.

            

Lisa Peterson, a long-time breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds, is the Director of Club Communications at the American Kennel Club. Contact her at ask@lisa-peterson.com or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.