Question

We have a twelve-week old golden retriever puppy, Kloee, who we just moved to Gainesville Fl. We were here 1 1/2 days and she developed a skin rash and inflammation of the ears and eye lids. Trying to retrace the steps leading up to this, we still stand clueless. Maybe you can help. Thursday, around noon, we took Kloee to a dogpark where she swam in a pond (the pond was created for dog recreation). Then we took her home and cleaned her ears out with a 50:50 mix of distilled vinegar and rubbing alcohol, using a cotton ball. This remedy was prescribed my sister who is a vet tech. Following the cleaning of the ears we bathed her with Groomax Baby Fresh concentrate shampoo which we purchased from Pet Smart. Then around 11 that night we applied Frontline flea control to Kloee, approx. 4-5 hours after her bath. At 2 am Friday morning, Kloee woke us and she was in utter discomfort. She could not sit still for 2 seconds wthout jumping up to change to a different position, desperately seeking comfort. We knew that something was very wrong because she is normally a very chill puppy (I know that phrase seems totally fabricated but it is true). So we took her to the vet and they gave her a steroid shot and prescribed 25mg Benadryll to provide some relief to Kloee's suffering. It is now Sunday, and both the inflammation of the ears and eye lids and the rash on her belly is still very evident. She seems a little less restless but is still flopping her ears about and is still not acting like the puppy that she once was. We gave her another bath last night, thinking that shampoo could be the root to this situation. However, the vet suggested that a food allergy may be the cause, although she has been eating the same food that she always has. We have another hypothesis...could the carpet freshener be the culprit?? If so should we steam clean the carpet. Another thought.. she had been in the house, on the carpet, for a 1 1/2 days before any sign of discomfort. If you can peice this together and provide any insight, we would be extremely grateful. We are extremely desperate to restore Kloee's health and comfort. - Stephanie and Dan