jp2854, I completely know what you are going through. I don't know what breed of dog you have, but I have a golden that has had bad allergies for years. We've tried everything, steriods, antibiotics, sprays, wipes, you name it....he's had it! The biggest thing is trying to rule certain things out. Try switching him to a "limited protein" food. That consist of a diet that is not so commonly found, such as: beef, chicken and pork products. You want to look for foods such as veal and brown rice, salmon, herring, duck and potato...foods that they normally wouldn't eat. There are a variety of foods you can try. Clippers Canine Cafe has a brand named "California Naturals" and it's their herring and sweet potato formula that my dog did well on. If you notice any "good" changes in his skin, coat or eyes, then you might be on your path of ruling out whether or not it's a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Another food that I currently have my dog on is "Pennacle" and it's sold at Petco, it's about $50 a bag....the vets also sell good foods, but they are much more expensive. The vet has told us to bathe our dog weekly to wash away anything that might get on his coat that is an irritant to his system. He is fed 3v caps 2x daily, and gets nothing else besides his limited protein food. If you keep him on a limited diet food for atleast 6 months with nothing else (no treats, table scraps ect...) and you are not noticing any improvement, most likely it's not a food allergy. For other ideas you can email me or PM me. Goodluck!
. Poor doggie.