Anyone have a dog that is allergic to

[Gamom3]

something? Our dog has allergies(we are almost positive), she only has these conditions during the spring/summer months. She bites on her feet and twist around on her butt to scratch.

I just called the vet and they want $300 for a full allergy test!:eek::svengo:

 

I don't think she needs the full allergy test, I seriously think it is the weeds in our yard.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My vet thinks one of our dogs is allergic to cedar. My dog's favorite place to sit (he's even scraped out a little hole to lie in) is under the cedar tree. I'm not going to cut down this gigantic tree, just because he gets itchy! We do try to give him more baths when his allergies get really bad (cedar's bloom too).

[Shelly in IL]

When we lived in the South, she would constantly bite and chew her feet and belly. Drove me nuts! We would get her a steroid shot - once in the spring and once in the fall- and it worked beautifully. We had to put her down at 14, though - there was a chance that she developed Cushings disease - a disease that can be triggered by steroid use. In retrospect, the shots were worth it - she lasted until 14 and she was so much more comfortable.

[elegantlion]

We didn't realize our dog was allergic to pollen until we moved here. We have 3 acres of pine and other various trees that drop pollen like a fine mist on everything outside. Oh, and she's allergic to fleas as well.

 

Last year she chewed all of her hair off of her rear legs, she a lab, and looked really silly. I called her the "naked butt dog". She got an allergy shot from the vet and he had me put her on benadryl, something else the dog and I share. So this spring she has stayed inside and be getting bathed and benadryl more often. So far she still has all of her hair.

 

IMO, I would see if you vet can treat her symptoms before doing a full workup. Dog allergies are fairly common.

[Laura R (FL)]

Dog allergies are very common...pollen, food, fleas, contact. You might try switching her food to a lamb and rice diet to see if it makes a difference. You can give her Benadryl, but it will have a sedative effect. I would ask for a Benadryl dose, cortisone injection, and keep her inside more often before getting an allergy panel done. In the end, the treatment would be the same!

[Gamom3]

benadryl and they told me. So I have already started her on that. What type of shampoo do you use? I bath all 3 of the dogs once a wk.

 

She is a Jack Russell, mostly white. Her rear looks AWFUL! I thought about putting some type of spray, but since it is raw looking I am afraid it is going to burn her.

 

I will ask about the shot.

Thanks!

[StephanieZ]

First of all, if YOUR rear end looked like your dog's, wouldn't you go to the doctor and follow their advice?!?! ;)

 

It can be complex to diagnose exactly what the dog is allergic to. Full allergy testing ($300 sounds about right) can be quite helpful in identifying what to avoid. If it turns out to be something he can't avoid (pollen, mold. . .) then long term meds and/or allergy shots (custom made) can address the allergy. If it is a food item or something else easily avoidable, then a RX diet or other environmental changes can solve the problem.

 

I am amazed how many people spend $100s of $$ over and over again at the vet for years, while their pet suffers endlessly, b/c they refuse to invest in a full workup and appropriate medications. Long term I don't think you save anything by refusing proper care.

 

Long term steroids (long acting injectables usually) are the cheap way thatthat old-school vets and/or owners who refuse better treatment often use to treat allergies. $100 here or there at the vet. It DOES add up and is NOT a long term cure. B/c of the serious risks of long term steroid use, steroids are a last resort and shouldn't be used that way.

 

Meanwhile, the pet suffers with partially controlled symptoms and they can suffer serious, not-rarely deadly, side-effects from the steroids (one of my husbands vet school professors, an immunology one I think, refused to UTTER the word "steroid" for the entire course. . . It was a joke but it made the point very memorable. . .) These long acting steroid shots are really really really not a good idea in most cases. Repeating them regularly is really not a reasonable thing to do if there is any other option, b/c you are exposing them to very serious and common ill effects.

 

Anyway, there are some great medications (Atopica is one) and allergy-shot regimens and various other medications/shampoos/topicals/special diets that can be tried. Benadryl can also be used, *under the supervision of a vet* for some situations. There are no one-size-fits-all cures and you really need to work with a vet that you trust to figure out the best diagnostic and treatment plans for your dog.

 

I would encourage you to permit your vet to do a full work up and follow their advice. It is real misery to see what some of these allergic pets suffer with b/c their owners won't invest in their health. Don't tie the vet's hands by refusing adequate workup. You'll just end up with partial treatment/suffering pet/frustration and misery.

 

You are lucky that your allergic dog is small -- that will keep medication and/or diet costs down. Atopica is really pricey for big dogs but for little ones it is pretty reasonable and can be really miraculous for some dogs.

 

Your vet can provide you with an appropriate shampoo and/or topical medications that can help relieve itching and be non irritating.

 

Good luck!

[elegantlion]

I use an oatmeal based shampoo on my dog. It's not a lot of suds and rinses clean.

 

Yes, I did take my "naked" dog to the vet last year, but as with everything else in life, it had to be done as my extremely tight budget permitted. Refusing to invest in tx and not having the actual money to do so are two different things. :glare:

[Soph the vet]

Obviously allergy testing would be ideal if every dog came in with insurance to pay for it. I always offer that option to owners but about less than 10% actually ever go for the referral to the dermatologist. I don't usually do long-term steroid injections ( but there are refractory cases in which this is all the poor dog will respond to) but instead try to work with the owner using antihistamines (often useless in many dogs), oatmeal or medicated baths, treating secondary skin infections, etc. But the most relief is often brought with oral prednisone, a steroid. Yes, steroids are hard on the liver used regularly over time. However, most seasonal allergy dogs can be helped significantly by short-term, infrequent steroid use. Atopica is also an option but can be cost-prohibitive for most clients.

Dogs suffering from food allergies tend to show skin and ear problems year-round. These dogs are best managed with an elimination diet and only given steroids in the short-term to break the cycle of their overzealous immune system.

I appreciate what Stephanie was trying to say about letting the vet do what they are trained to do, but in reality some clients cannot afford to do every test a vet would like to do. I have no problem with treating for allergies without testing but not until the client has heard a half hour talk with me on allergies and all the options are clearly laid out for them. Then we make a decision on what is best for their dog, and for their pocketbook. Our practice is in a semi-rural area so I have clients of all economic backgrounds so I am used to giving them many options.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I use an oatmeal shampoo too. My dog's allergies are not that severe - he gets red and inflamed but doesn't chew at it. But if it starts to get bad, I will give him a bath every day (this was initially at the suggestion of my vet, by the way).

[Jan P.]

My dog has allergies. He tends to get "hot spots" which is pretty much what you have described. I try to catch the areas before they get too big. I've tried many different things. I've used sprays I've found at pet stores that have cortisone in them. I try to limit how much of that to use. I've also found that the powder "Gold Bond" helps. I've also used some horse medicine (yellow stuff - wish I knew the name of it) which is also used for dogs. It works great! It is messy, though. I also switched my dog's food to Purina's Rice and Lamb. When I'm really being a good pet owner, I buy fish oil to put in my dog's food. I just buy the cheap liquid stuff at the drug store. It's the same as that found in pills at pet store.

 

FWIW,

Jan

[paula j]

My little scottie has allergies, I don't know what to, and my vet just gives her an allergy shot. She usually has to have two rounds of shots in the spring and one in late fall, through the summer and winter she is fine. I know when it starts because she chews her behind and feet until they are bare! It got so bad last year I finally put a dress on her so she couldn't chew. It usually cost me $20 for a vet visit and shot, this is much better than a bare naked doggy.:)

[Jenstet]

We moved from Wyoming back to NH but took our Wyoming dog with us. Within 3 weeks his feet were double the sized and he was chewing them raw. We did the full workup $$$ and he is allergic to 3 different types of grasses. We started the shots which were just as expensive as the testing and started a routine. It never worked. We gave up and poured a large concrete pad out back so he could spend time outside without touching the grass. He can go out in the summer maybe once a week but we have to be careful.

[paula j]

We moved from Wyoming back to NH but took our Wyoming dog with us. Within 3 weeks his feet were double the sized and he was chewing them raw. We did the full workup $$$ and he is allergic to 3 different types of grasses. We started the shots which were just as expensive as the testing and started a routine. It never worked. We gave up and poured a large concrete pad out back so he could spend time outside without touching the grass. He can go out in the summer maybe once a week but we have to be careful.

 

My vet suggested I make Biscotti a play area with pea gravel to keep her away from whatever she is allergic to out there. The odd thing is, my boy scottie has no problem.

[BMC]

we figured that he was allergic to grass (when in bloom). We dunked his feet in a yellow liquid that we got at the grocery store for pets - sulfur I think. Worked like a charm - I don't know if it was because he couldn't stand the taste, or it helped with the allergy/irritation, but he stopped chewing on his feet every season.

 

Of course, I hated it because I couldn't stand the smell and especially the taste of the stuff on my hands. I used rubber gloves which helped.

[Rose in BC]

Our Bernese Mountain Dog, that just passed away this past weekend, had severe food/seasonal allergies (we did have allergy testing). It was difficult to find a food that did not aggravate her condition because she was allergic to common foods such as chicken, peas, etc, etc. We did find a diet, however, that worked quite well but we had to supplement with small doses of prednisone which we gave her every couple of days orally. Prednisone was all that controlled the skin problems (i.e. chewing feet, etc.) and ear infections (which led to a hematoma in one ear). And we didn't scrimp on the vet or his advice.

 

Also our vet said sometimes just rinsing them in a shower frequently removes some of the allergens.

 

Steroid use was not our first choice but really our only. Sometimes we even had to supplement this with benedryl.

 

BTW, our vet does not believe this steroid use contributed to the cancer that killed her.