Thyroid perhaps???? Just talking to someone who has a 4 yr old lab that has allergy issues/ear infections badly when she's not been pregnant. They've gone through the testing, diet and as much environmentally as possible. Thoughts??? TIA!!

She's got allergies - DON'T BREED HER!!!

She never should have been bred. If the breeder goes through hell with it so would someone purchasing a companion or show possible puppy out of this bitch. Allergies don't show until 2 to 4 years many times. They can be brutal, until you have them in your dog or dogs, you can't understand.

For the sake of the puppy buyers and upcoming pups, tell your friend not to breed her.

I hope this is not someone trying to get everyone geared up as a sick form of a joke.

According to a veterinary dermatologist (with whom I worked closely on this topic) due to the prevalence of allergies in our breed, any Labrador with chronic bilateral ear issues (not an isolated infection) should be considered to have allergies and should not be bred.

Tks everyone. I'm wondering if chronic allergies that subside/go away during pregnancy could be caused by a thryoid issue and perhaps medication would help alleviate her issues. I highly doubt this dog would be bred again and in fact, if something can't be done about this, it's been suggested she be put down since none of the other testing has come up with any issues/remedies.

Your "friend" is going to kill hrt dog b/c it has allergies? Why the hell do I read this before bed????

No, not my friend but it's been suggested to her since they many vets she's been to can't figure out what's causing it/how to help her. This is not something she'd ever consider. Please sleep well and sorry I even asked the THYROID question. I'll check with my own veterinary resources and see what I can find out from them.

The answer is NO. If you want another opinion about thyroid, contact Dr. Jean Dodds http://www.hemopet.org/services.html

This dog should be seen by a vet. dermatologist to relieve her suffering. People waste a lot of time and money messing around with allergies because they are too cheap to see a specialist. In the long run seeing a specialist will actually save money and get relief that the dog needs.

This girl has been to many specialists with no luck....so far.

I think some recurring ear issues are due to the fact the initial ear issue never truly resolved. The initial ear issue can be as simple as from swimming in a dirty pond. I had a girl with repetitive ear issues until I used an old remedy to really kill anything in the ears. 1/2 Bleach to 1/2 water rinse and wipe out 3 times a day for 3 days. Never had an ear issue again.

I have an older Lab that I got from a rescue at the age of 3 or so. She has very bad allergies. I feel bad for her. I would hope that a breeder would reconsider breeding a Lab with allergies.

She is miserable most of the time unless she is dosed up on Prednisone. She takes Benadryl as needed but all she does is scratch, itch, bite and roll. I feel so bad for her but I love her.

Tomorrow she is going in to get both her ear flaps looked at and drained because she has bilateral ear hematomas from shaking and scratching so much. This is her second ear flap surgery.

Please re-think breeding a dog with allergies.

Also, use top class grain-free food